Tour de France Tour de France 2024 route rumours and announcements

[Valv.Piti]

Which sucked. if you're not using Pailheres because Ax3, then youre doing something wrong!

 

[Red Rick]

Which sucked. if you're not using Pailheres because Ax3, then youre doing something wrong!

I'm more interested in Pailheres and a finish in Ax-Les-Thermes tbh. Throw in Col de Jau beforehand, and you have a HC descent finish in the Pyrenees that is not Port de Bales.

 

[Valv.Piti]

I'm more interested in Pailheres and a finish in Ax-Les-Thermes tbh. Throw in Col de Jau beforehand, and you have a HC descent finish in the Pyrenees that is not Port de Bales.

Ofc, might even sound better because ASO almost exclusively use that climb with Ax3 just to get some variation. My point just was that they used that run-in 2001 which was super whack compared to Pailheres, even if its completely flat up until Pailheres.

 

[Andy schleck]

I liked the route of the tour in 2022 and 2023, but there's always room to improve somethings.

I would like to see more mountains with altitude close to the finish line. I would love to see the comeback of climbs like iseran and cime de la bonette. The altitude is a lot underrated, it can make a lot of damage. A finish on val d isere after col d iseran would be nice, or a finish in jausiers after cime de la bonette.

 

[ashhutch1997]

I liked the route of the tour in 2022 and 2023, but there's always room to improve somethings.

I would like to see more mountains with altitude close to the finish line. I would love to see the comeback of climbs like iseran and cime de la bonette. The altitude is a lot underrated, it can make a lot of damage. A finish on val d isere after col d iseran would be nice, or a finish in jausiers after cime de la bonette.

Would love to see Tignes Via Col de l'iseran like 2019,but this time they actually finish the stage. We were genuinely denied a legendary stage..

 

[Andy schleck]

Would love to see Tignes Via Col de l'iseran like 2019,but this time they actually finish the stage. We were genuinely denied a legendary stage..

I would prefer a finish on val d isere than finish in tignes, because the climb of tignes is not that difficult. It's better for long range attacks a finish after the descent than tignes, because the fact that of being a long but easy climb, it can lose the will for the riders to attack by far.

I believe the altitude of iseran, played a important role for emtertainment on that stage in 2019.

 

[RedheadDane]

Would love to see Tignes Via Col de l'iseran like 2019,but this time they actually finish the stage. We were genuinely denied a legendary stage..

We did get a memorable stage.

 

[Unterlenkerfahrend]

Man, that would be an absolutely perfect climb for me (and most sunday warriors). Never seen such a consistent 4-5% climb in my life, looks like heaven.

I was about to say, this looks like the Col de la Schlucht of the Pyrenees. Brilliant consistency.

I like the start and stage 4 could be potentially a fantastic early opener. I'm a bit worried that they'll try to make the Pyrenees very soft in order to keep smaller gaps. This year they already weren't hard (many actually predicted small bunch sprints in both stage 5 and 6) but overdelivered because Jumbo (and Hindley) were up for it, I just hope they don't take wrong lessons from that. PdB screams a bit of the classic HC finish as the "highlight" of the Pyrenees preceded by a meh stage over Peyresourde as the final climb the day beore.

Having said that, why do we expect them to enter the Pyrenees from the North and not the East? Isn't a "direct" line from Italy through South France also an option?

 

[Andy schleck]

There's three things certain in life. Death, taxes, and the return of LPDBF in 2024.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I'm more interested in Pailheres and a finish in Ax-Les-Thermes tbh. Throw in Col de Jau beforehand, and you have a HC descent finish in the Pyrenees that is not Port de Bales.

Col de Jau west (19km @ 5,7%) and Coll de la Llose east (24km @ 5,1%) before Pailhères would be a good stage in the eastern Pyrenees (Coll de la Llose is a tough cat.1 as that includes some descent, not far off HC but I think not steep enough to merit it unless it was about 5km longer), or you could have Col de Jau east (23km @ 5%), Col de Dent from Axat (13km @ just over 6%), then Col des Moulis (8km @ 5,6% so a cat.2) and descending about 8km at a low gradient to Usson for Pailhères.

 

[OlavEH]

Would love to see Tignes Via Col de l'iseran like 2019,but this time they actually finish the stage. We were genuinely denied a legendary stage..

In that case the stage should be longer with more climbs than in 2019. Like Mont Cenis before Iseran.

 

[OlavEH]

I would like to see more mountains with altitude close to the finish line. I would love to see the comeback of climbs like iseran and cime de la bonette. The altitude is a lot underrated, it can make a lot of damage. A finish on val d isere after col d iseran would be nice, or a finish in jausiers after cime de la bonette.

I doubt we'll see Iseran, but Bonette should be a possibility given the finish in Nice and the location of the penultimate stage. Maybe Bonette on stage 19?

For the Alps I hope they do a similar stage to the last stage in CD last year. With a finish at the Bastille in Grenoble.

 

[KZD]

There's three things certain in life. Death, taxes, and the return of LPDBF in 2024.

At this point given ASO's love for that climb the question is if it will be La Planche or La Super Planche.

I don't think we will have lots of Alpine stages in the Tour 2024. I expect something like this:
- Moderate difficulty alpine stage at the fourth day
- Flat stages, possibly with a TT or TTT
- Vosges including LPDBF
Rest day
- Flat stages maybe with Massif Central in the beginning of the second week (Puy May would be nice)
- Three days at the Pyrenees
Rest Day
- Flat stages but I have some hope for Mont Ventoux during stage 17 or 18
- Alpes Maritimes (Col de la Bonette would be a great return on a possible stage 19)

 

[houtdffan]

I'm more interested in Pailheres and a finish in Ax-Les-Thermes tbh. Throw in Col de Jau beforehand, and you have a HC descent finish in the Pyrenees that is not Port de Bales.

and watch the peloton howl to the moon over a descent finish

 

[OlavEH]

- Vosges including LPDBF

I have some hope for Mont Ventoux during stage 17 or 18

If you are right about this and we add the rumour about the Plateau de Beille finish and the already published Couillole finish on stage 20, it would have been a pretty average route too much focus on a last big MTF.

 

[Ulle97]

The rumour about Plateau de Beille appears pretty solid.
So 2 MTFs thus far. Plateau de Beille and Col de Couillole.

No rumours about anything in the Alps/Jura?? It will also be 2yrs since we've seen PdeBF....... so we're due another visit😂😂

 

[gavia88]

well, on legruppeto they are talking about 4 days in the côte d'or. With most likely a restday included + a time trial. Also would it be the most Nothern point in the race. Furthermore there are rumours about super devoluy and Barcelonette.

 

[TrekCyclist]

From this years TDF, it seems the following setup is good for generating some interesting GC action (stages 5 & 6):
- A steep climb some 40km - 20km before the finishing line
- Either a flat finish or another (not super difficult or long) climb at the end.

 

[Ulle97]

I thought the finishing Cauterets climb up to Cambasque was excellent this year.

It has been referenced before that having a finishing climb that is less difficult than the ones preceeding it is better for aggressive racing.

 

[gregrowlerson]

I'm more interested in Pailheres and a finish in Ax-Les-Thermes tbh. Throw in Col de Jau beforehand, and you have a HC descent finish in the Pyrenees that is not Port de Bales.

If it ain't broke don't fix it.

Pailheres and AX3 is a great combo and if they go to Ax-Les-Thermes should be used again. It's not over used imo.

 

[KZD]

If you are right about this and we add the rumour about the Plateau de Beille finish and the already published Couillole finish on stage 20, it would have been a pretty average route too much focus on a last big MTF.

I hope that at least one of the Pyrenean stages is going to be really hard, around 5000 meters of elevation maybe the rumoured Plateau de Beille one of maybe another one including Aubisque, Hautacam, Spandelles.

Regarding the Mont Ventoux if its on the route I wouldn't necessarily think it would be an MTF due to the environment concerns that prevented it being an MTF in 2021. But if on stage 19 they do a proper Mercantour stage I doubt we will see Mont Ventoux.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

I like that stage 20 is a 5-8% grind fest, with 4,700m of altitude gain.

La Flamme Rouge - Information

 

[Valv.Piti]

I like that stage 20 is a 5-8% grind fest, with 4,700m of altitude gain.

La Flamme Rouge - Information

Imagine that stage with one more climb. Very good as is IMO with the constant ups and downs though. Its impressive to be able to cram so much altitude gain in just 130 km.

 

[OlavEH]

I hope that at least one of the Pyrenean stages is going to be really hard, around 5000 meters of elevation maybe the rumoured Plateau de Beille one of maybe another one including Aubisque, Hautacam, Spandelles.

They could do this on a stage to Plateau de Beille as shown in the profile below. A start in Bagneres de Luchon is fairly plausible, and this would be a monster mountain stage in terms of number of height meters. But I neither think it will happen (a profile more like in 2015 is much more probable), nor do I hope it will happen. It would both make it much less possible with aggressive cycling in a possible mountain stage the day before, and I think it would be a bit futile to make a Beille MTF one of the toughest stages in terms of number of height meters. That should rather be "saved" for other mountain stages.

Spoiler: Plateau de Beille

 

[Rob5091]

It's never too early to write to Santa, so here we go,
"Dear Santa, all I want for Christmas is a HC stage over 145 km."