Tour de France Tour de France 2022 route rumors thread.

[OlavEH]

Galibier + Granon
Huez via Sarenne
Pailheres + Plateau de Beille
Spandelles + Aubisque or Hautacam

Add a tough medium mountain stage with a steep and shortish distance from the stage finish, and this would be a good route.

 

[Gigs_98]

I would like a few downhill finishes too but damn, Aubisque, Spandelles, Hautacam sounds tasty.

 

[Valv.Piti]

I see Galibier - Granon, well done!

 

[Fyr3]

My impression from reading the comments on velowire is that they won't do the Vosges.

But what else then? Afterall, unless they completely threw us off and restarted the race in Strasbourg the race is starting in the North and has to come South East to reach the Alps (there are no rumours I have seen that can credit a passage through the Massif Central in the first week, and it would be strange to go around the Vosges but not into them.)

 

[gavia88]

But what else then? Afterall, unless they completely threw us off and restarted the race in Strasbourg the race is starting in the North and has to come South East to reach the Alps (there are no rumours I have seen that can credit a passage through the Massif Central in the first week, and it would be strange to go around the Vosges but not into them.)

I think Dole (or that area) and Jura are more likely than Vosges as things seems now. But still not many rumours are confirmed.

Denmark ---> Boulogne-sur-Mer/Lille/Arendberg ---> Metz/Nancy ---> Dole ---> Jura ----> Swiss ----> Chatel seems most likely now. They can easily skipp Vosges this way. But not many confirmations yet.

 

[Fyr3]

I think Dole (or that area) and Jura are more likely than Vosges as things seems now. But still not many rumours are confirmed.

Denmark ---> Boulogne-sur-Mer/Lille/Arendberg ---> Metz/Nancy ---> Dole ---> Jura ----> Swiss ----> Chatel seems most likely now. They can easily skipp Vosges this way. But not many confirmations yet.

Ah ok that makes sense I guess, I think there was a rumour of Arbois so that could host the start of a stage after a finish in Dole etc. Lausanne was another one I think.

 

[Valanga]

Le Tour de France de retour en Franche-Comté en 2022 - France Bleu

Le parcours officiel de la Grande Boucle ne sera dévoilé que le 14 octobre à Paris. Mais d'après nos informations, le Tour de France sera bien de retour dans la région en 2022, avec une arrivée d'étape à la Planche des Belles Filles, et un départ de Dole vers la Suisse en passant par Arbois.

www.francebleu.fr

la Planche des Belles Filles, again. So Vosges, according to these rumours at least.

 

[Mayomaniac]

A bit more than a month to go until the official presentation on the 14th of October.

 

[BigCoward]

Do they go lots of TT and medium mountains so Remco can challenge the slovenians, or hardly any TT and loads of long and high MTF so Bernal can?
I wish Venegaard wasn't on the same team as Roglic.

 

[Unterlenkerfahrend]

Do they go lots of TT and medium mountains so Remco can challenge the slovenians, or hardly any TT and loads of long and high MTF so Bernal can?
I wish Venegaard wasn't on the same team as Roglic.

Oh dear, please don't turn this thread into another Remco debate, statements like that definitely too early.

If PdBF is confirmed that's a bit meh but at least it'll sort of guarantee earlier action already.

Galibier + Granon
Huez via Sarenne
Pailheres + Plateau de Beille
Spandelles + Aubisque or Hautacam

Add a tough medium mountain stage with a steep and shortish distance from the stage finish, and this would be a good route.

These combinations seem great but I hope they don't go down the __/\_/ route of designing those stages like @Red Rick already mentioned where nothing happens except for the last 5k.

 

[Fyr3]

Oh dear, please don't turn this thread into another Remco debate, statements like that definitely too early.

If PdBF is confirmed that's a bit meh but at least it'll sort of guarantee earlier action already.

These combinations seem great but I hope they don't go down the __/\_/ route of designing those stages like @Red Rick already mentioned where nothing happens except for the last 5k.

True but like we saw this year Pogacar will still unnecessarily attack from a mile out

I have come to make an update, it seems both Super Planche and Dole will be en route, something like this:

Stage 7 - Geradmer to La Planche des Belles Filles

Stage 8 - Dole to Lausanne

Stage 9 - Aigle to Chatel

 

[Escarabajo]

I wish the didn't do the PdBF again. But it looks like the Tour loves that climb. Maybe they want to see early selection.

As for the Pailheres + Plateau de Beille looks on paper to be a powerful duo. But is reality is another power fest like Tourmalet- Luz Ardiden. They keep doing these flat+pair of climbs at the end. that is an awful way to design stages. I wish we see some classic long, true muti-climb stages. But I guess they will never comeback to the routes.

 

[Fyr3]

New info, looks like PDBF stage is going to be like 2017, just a hill climb starting in Tomblaine (so we skip any grand ballon most likely)

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Going back to PDBF yet again (the 1058307th time it's been seen since its introduction in 2012) is a vomit comet, but this is - like in 2017 - at least the right way to use it. It's early enough to sort the contenders from pretenders, its relatively small gaps are sufficient at that stage in the race, and it's a diametrically opposed way to use it from the last time it was seen, rather than trying to make lightning strike twice.

 

[Red Rick]

Going back to PDBF yet again (the 1058307th time it's been seen since its introduction in 2012) is a vomit comet, but this is - like in 2017 - at least the right way to use it. It's early enough to sort the contenders from pretenders, its relatively small gaps are sufficient at that stage in the race, and it's a diametrically opposed way to use it from the last time it was seen, rather than trying to make lightning strike twice.

There is no good way to use PDBF except maybe as a nuclear waste site.

 

[Rackham]

"So Primoz, does winning here at the Planche des Belles Filles have extra meaning for you after what happened in the Tour 2020?"

"it's beautiful eh, as I've said I 'm a sprinter and I like to win so why not eh? No risk no glory" etc.

...

I can't wait.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

There is no good way to use PDBF except maybe as a nuclear waste site.

The Japanese have levelled an entire mountain to reclaim land from the sea to build an offshore city before. I could definitely be talked into crowdfunding the necessary earthworks to donate PDBF to alleviate population density problems.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Going back to PDBF yet again (the 1058307th time it's been seen since its introduction in 2012) is a vomit comet, but this is - like in 2017 - at least the right way to use it. It's early enough to sort the contenders from pretenders, its relatively small gaps are sufficient at that stage in the race, and it's a diametrically opposed way to use it from the last time it was seen, rather than trying to make lightning strike twice.

I mean, I don't mind if it's used this way and without the extra ramp on top of it (that was such a shitshow).

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Grand Ballon is a really big climb by Vosges standards. I don't remember when the Tour used this side last time. Too bad it's so far from the finish.
PDBF only delivers as a penultimate day ITT

 

[Red Rick]

Grand Ballon is a really big climb by Vosges standards. I don't remember when the Tour used this side last time. Too bad it's so far from the finish.

Can't have climbs in the first half of the stage on more than 1 stage

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Can't have climbs in the first half of the stage on more than 1 stage

This makes sense. Riders have more time to gain speed before rolling uphill.

 

[houtdffan]

I wish the didn't do the PdBF again. But it looks like the Tour loves that climb. Maybe they want to see early selection.

As for the Pailheres + Plateau de Beille looks on paper to be a powerful duo. But is reality is another power fest like Tourmalet- Luz Ardiden. They keep doing these flat+pair of climbs at the end. that is an awful way to design stages. I wish we see some classic long, true muti-climb stages. But I guess they will never comeback to the routes.

Pailheres + Plateau de Beille... large amount of flat between the two climbs, so not much action on the Pailheres

This was considered the WARM UP stage of the 2007 Pyrenees. Next year, the way Goveneou designs the routes, that would probably be the queen stage

 

[Red Rick]

Pailheres + Plateau de Beille... large amount of flat between the two climbs, so not much action on the Pailheres

This was considered the WARM UP stage of the 2007 Pyrenees. Next year, the way Goveneou designs the routes, that would probably be the queen stage

The good news is they have to choose between having Paillheres in the first half, which is impossible, and making the stage over 110km long.

 

[OlavEH]

Pailheres + Plateau de Beille... large amount of flat between the two climbs, so not much action on the Pailheres

This was considered the WARM UP stage of the 2007 Pyrenees. Next year, the way Goveneou designs the routes, that would probably be the queen stage

I think it is more or less unavoidable with at least one or two of these kind of stages in the Tour. France isn't as packed with good climbs and combination of climbs like Italy, and the willingness (and originality) of ASO when designing stages is pretty absent. Pailheres and Beille are probably two of the four toughest climbs in the Pyrenees, and it wouldn't be too big of a problem with doing a stage with these climbs and a Galibier + Granon stage if they did something more original in addition. A multi-mountain stage more designed for attacks further out than the last few kms. And a long medium mountain stage of 230-240 km in Vosges or Massif Central would be nice additions.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Can't have climbs in the first half of the stage on more than 1 stage

Yeah, we might get more breakaways with strong climbers on the mountain stages, god forbid!