Heavy on time trialing and climbing both. Let's say 65km of ITT and 6 big mountain stages of whom 4 with at least 3 heavy cols. Then surely the best will win, be it Froome, I wouldn't care.
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I don't agree at all.Escarabajo said:- Descents are fun to watch but they are too dangerous and in today's racing they don't make a difference if not for the accidents. So reduce them, at least at the ending of the stages.
It's not the route at all. That's a course designed by someone on a French cycling forum in a Design a Tour thread.Ricco' said:Vayer just published a full route for the 2018 Tour, making it sound like a official deal.
1 TTT, 2 ITT (1 flat with around 50k's based on the distances between start and finish town, 1 hilly around Annecy), 4 MTFs (Col du Beal, Alpe d'Huez, Mont Ventoux and Superbagneres) and at least two more mountain stages that don't finish on the top (a short stage like 2017's Foix, finishing at Loudenvielle, probably with Peyresourde before and one finishing in Bagneres-de-Bigorre, probably after Tourmalet).
Lots of stages in the Northwest of France, so it is expected a very nervous first week.
https://twitter.com/festinaboy/status/889771365443792896
That looks okay. I just hope that the stages which are no mountain stages aren't again all completely flat and that we will get our promised dirt road stage. And I doubt they will go to loudenvielle over the peyresurde that wouldn't make that much sense imoRicco' said:Vayer just published a full route for the 2018 Tour, making it sound like a official deal.
1 TTT, 2 ITT (1 flat with around 50k's based on the distances between start and finish town, 1 hilly around Annecy), 4 MTFs (Col du Beal, Alpe d'Huez, Mont Ventoux and Superbagneres) and at least two more mountain stages that don't finish on the top (a short stage like 2017's Foix, finishing at Loudenvielle, probably with Peyresourde before and one finishing in Bagneres-de-Bigorre, probably after Tourmalet).
Lots of stages in the Northwest of France, so it is expected a very nervous first week.
https://twitter.com/festinaboy/status/889771365443792896
Ricco' said:Vayer just published a full route for the 2018 Tour, making it sound like a official deal.
1 TTT, 2 ITT (1 flat with around 50k's based on the distances between start and finish town, 1 hilly around Annecy), 4 MTFs (Col du Beal, Alpe d'Huez, Mont Ventoux and Superbagneres) and at least two more mountain stages that don't finish on the top (a short stage like 2017's Foix, finishing at Loudenvielle, probably with Peyresourde before and one finishing in Bagneres-de-Bigorre, probably after Tourmalet).
Lots of stages in the Northwest of France, so it is expected a very nervous first week.
https://twitter.com/festinaboy/status/889771365443792896
Thanks!Svam said:Ricco' said:Vayer just published a full route for the 2018 Tour, making it sound like a official deal.
1 TTT, 2 ITT (1 flat with around 50k's based on the distances between start and finish town, 1 hilly around Annecy), 4 MTFs (Col du Beal, Alpe d'Huez, Mont Ventoux and Superbagneres) and at least two more mountain stages that don't finish on the top (a short stage like 2017's Foix, finishing at Loudenvielle, probably with Peyresourde before and one finishing in Bagneres-de-Bigorre, probably after Tourmalet).
Lots of stages in the Northwest of France, so it is expected a very nervous first week.
https://twitter.com/festinaboy/status/889771365443792896
Never took what Vayer says for granted because it's often BS
This map, like the other 3-4 which are flooding twitter since yesterday, belongs to a group of 51 maps designed for our annual TDF-N+1 design challenge in the forum of legruppetto.com
However, the creator of this particular one composed it with a lot of rumours known in last march. :twisted:
Thus, a lot of represented towns are candidates for hosting a stage in 2018. In Brittany, Sarzeau (Lappartient's town), Lorient, Pointe du Raz (with possible dirt roads but not the same of Tro Bro Leon which are in North-Finistère) and Guerlédan (former known as Mûr-de-Bretagne) are very solid rumors. The departement of Ain (here represented by Bellegarde), Alpe d'Huez and Luchon-Superbagnères are also very strong rumours. Then, you have suspected sites which ASO is keeping near like Béal or Auch. And finally some candidates like Chartres, Compiègne (WW1), Annecy, Valence... a group from which Bordeaux is no longer a part since the town withdraw its candidacy last week.
SlickMongoose said:21 x Paris-Roubaix.
vedrafjord said:TTTs end up punishing GC riders on small teams way more than the likes of Sky, who have several strong climbers who can TT as well as strong roleurs.
Tank Engine said:SlickMongoose said:21 x Paris-Roubaix.
11 x Paris-Roubaix + 10 x Lombardy course from the last couple of years.
Ricco' said:Vayer just published a full route for the 2018 Tour, making it sound like a official deal.
1 TTT, 2 ITT (1 flat with around 50k's based on the distances between start and finish town, 1 hilly around Annecy), 4 MTFs (Col du Beal, Alpe d'Huez, Mont Ventoux and Superbagneres) and at least two more mountain stages that don't finish on the top (a short stage like 2017's Foix, finishing at Loudenvielle, probably with Peyresourde before and one finishing in Bagneres-de-Bigorre, probably after Tourmalet).
Lots of stages in the Northwest of France, so it is expected a very nervous first week.
https://twitter.com/festinaboy/status/889771365443792896
The funny thing is Beloki actually would be one of the best time trialists right now.... its just that skewed towards climbers right now its ridiculous.Dekker_Tifosi said:Well, it's simple, if ASO goes for a mountainous route, we are going for a Froome vs Landa/Bardet (Aka Armstrong vs Beloki/Heras) type of race.
If they go for a TT minded route, it's a Froome vs Dumoulin (aka Armstrong vs Ullrich) kinda race.
perico said:If true, it's about time they finished a stage with Superbagneres. It's a legendary climb that's been ignored since 1989.
Yeah I find it kinda frustrating. And I already said this like 5 years ago, way before there was any speaking of Dumoulin (before people throw the chauvinist card at me). But I find it really weird that they went from having a regular 100km, often even more (with TTT) design to .. what, 40 this year? And not only this year, but the last couple of years already.Valv.Piti said:The funny thing is Beloki actually would be one of the best time trialists right now.... its just that skewed towards climbers right now its ridiculous.Dekker_Tifosi said:Well, it's simple, if ASO goes for a mountainous route, we are going for a Froome vs Landa/Bardet (Aka Armstrong vs Beloki/Heras) type of race.
If they go for a TT minded route, it's a Froome vs Dumoulin (aka Armstrong vs Ullrich) kinda race.