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Tour de France Tour de France 2020

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With this year's TdF route being very time-trial light maybe next year could be time-trial heavy?
We know it's gonna start with a 13 KM ITT, then maybe stage 4 could be a TTT, about 30 KM - but not more - on somewhat technical terrain, and finally stage 20 could be a 50 KM - or more - pancake flat ITT, just straight out to the halfway mark, turn around, and straight back.
Maybe they could also throw in a more technical ITT of between 40 and 50 KM at some point.
 
With this year's TdF route being very time-trial light maybe next year could be time-trial heavy?
We know it's gonna start with a 13 KM ITT, then maybe stage 4 could be a TTT, about 30 KM - but not more - on somewhat technical terrain, and finally stage 20 could be a 50 KM - or more - pancake flat ITT, just straight out to the halfway mark, turn around, and straight back.
Maybe they could also throw in a more technical ITT of between 40 and 50 KM at some point.

Not gonna happen! That scenario encompasses even more TT kilometres than there were in any of Armstrong's years...

And with Pinot and Alaphilippe, they are not going to put in a 50 km flat TT, and thank goodness for that.
 
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Regarding TTs it could be a change if Tour included around 50k flat time trial but have it early, basically first full week. And then no TTs until the end.
I think that's what you don't want to do generally speaking? If the tempoclimbers/ITT'ers take 2 minutes early in the race, then they get to ride defensively in the mountains and it's easier for them because they have a goal and they know how much time they can lose each stage. So they don't need to follow the climbers necessarily. While, if the ITT is at the end, after he mountains, they don't know how much time they will be able to take in the ITT. They might also be more fatigued after the mountain stages compared to the classic climbers and gain less time at the end of the Tour on top of the fact that they can't take chances in the mountains.

With this year's TdF route being very time-trial light maybe next year could be time-trial heavy?
We know it's gonna start with a 13 KM ITT, then maybe stage 4 could be a TTT, about 30 KM - but not more - on somewhat technical terrain, and finally stage 20 could be a 50 KM - or more - pancake flat ITT, just straight out to the halfway mark, turn around, and straight back.
Maybe they could also throw in a more technical ITT of between 40 and 50 KM at some point.
I like watching TTT's but imho they have no place in a GC race.
 
Surely dont think we should complain about this years route, there's a lot of variety to it and some really tough mountain stages. I like it a lot actually.

Logic: I like the time trials before the last mountain block, you can easily reverse that argument say that the climbers now know exactly how much time to gain. I think generally speaking that makes for a better race.
 
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Surely dont think we should complain about this years route, there's a lot of variety to it and some really tough mountain stages. I like it a lot actually.

Logic: I like the time trials before the last mountain block, you can easily reverse that argument say that the climbers now know exactly how much time to gain. I think generally speaking that makes for a better race.
I understand what you're saying, but i think it's easier for the tempo/ITT guys to defend what they have, than having to take chances and "guess" what they might be able to take.
 
I think that's what you don't want to do generally speaking? If the tempoclimbers/ITT'ers take 2 minutes early in the race, then they get to ride defensively in the mountains and it's easier for them because they have a goal and they know how much time they can lose each stage. So they don't need to follow the climbers necessarily. While, if the ITT is at the end, after he mountains, they don't know how much time they will be able to take in the ITT. They might also be more fatigued after the mountain stages compared to the classic climbers and gain less time at the end of the Tour on top of the fact that they can't take chances in the mountains.


I like watching TTT's but imho they have no place in a GC race.
I think they were adding a lot to the GC suspense during Postal/Discovery - Telekom - CSC years.
 
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Froome and Dumoulin are total wildcards for me. The big question would be if Bernal is gonna be better than last year, cause I'd think he'll need to be, otherwise I think Roglic is the favorite.

Kruijswijk simply is not a Tour winner.


Generally agree, though I think classic type stages rarely make a big difference and they too heavily favor the big budget teams. Would also be more okay with more ITT if mountain stages were just better designed overall.

That said, I would absolutely not seeing them more, especially if we're talking Strade/cobbled type stages later in the race. I'm a little bit over those stages always being in the first week.
If Roglic times his best form better than he did with the Giro last year he has the edge, but only just and only because he's a slightly more complete rider.

Also if Bennett is at his best and Kruiswijk dedicates himself right from the start Jumbo has the edge in domestiques
 
'05. and made no difference between the GC contenders.
One of the best calculations on all parts.

Which begs the question, why have it? I mean it's entertaining, sure, but a drag race up a 20% grade would be entertaining, too.

Every stage is supposed to count towards something more than that stage, either the yellow, the green, or the polka dot. A TTT that's adjusted so differences between teams are minimized doesn't do that. If the concern is that some individual riders would get an unfair advantage or disadvantage, then don't count the times towards the overall at all.
 
But even a nice stage in tough classics terrain like the one to Quimper in 2018 tends to be really locked if it's located in the first week where people not called Alaphilippe are afraid to overexert themselves.

Those stages usually work better in the first 10 days, once there has been minor action but no big timegaps among GC favourites. Final week would be a 40 rider breakaway with 0 GC Action.
 
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