Cav in Yellow in 2011 Tour....

Pokerface
Pokerface Posts: 7,960
edited July 2010 in Pro race
Just revealed that the 2011 Tour will NOT have a Prologue, but will instead start with a 180km road stage (crossing the Passage du Gois - but SLOWLY):

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/2011-to ... e-the-alps

"Prudhomme has hinted the stage will be suit both the sprinters and attackers and is likely to finish on the short Mont des Alouettes climb near Les Herbiers. Stage two will be a 23km team time trial around the village of Essarts, while stage three will start in Olonne-su-Mer."



Also interesting to see the team time trial back.



You can bet that HTC will want to ensure it comes down to a bunch sprint and get Cav into Yellow (and Green) on day 1.
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Comments

  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,702
    TTT?

    FFS :roll:
    _
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,553
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    TTT?

    FFS :roll:

    Why? It balances things out a bit as it doesn't favour teams loaded with mountains doms.

    Will Cav be likely to end up in yellow if it finishes at the top of a hill?
  • Cumulonimbus
    Cumulonimbus Posts: 1,730
    edited July 2010
    The TTT is shorter next year, at 23km, which should mean that the time differences are smaller.

    If the first stage is at the top of the hill then Cav wont be winning. His team could win the TTT but i would have thought that someone in his team will finish higher up than him on the hill and so if someone on his team gets yellow after the TTT then it wont be him.

    EDIT: Although cyclingweekly reckon the finish may suit a very strong sprinter's team.

    http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/lat ... egion.html

    be interesting to see a profile of the climb.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,702
    Pross wrote:
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    TTT?

    FFS :roll:

    Why? It balances things out a bit as it doesn't favour teams loaded with mountains doms.

    Will Cav be likely to end up in yellow if it finishes at the top of a hill?

    I hate them. They're dull, irritating, and make perfectly good riders who have poor teams suffer even more then they should already.

    They warp the GC, and allow one team to easily dominate a race by having plenty of cards high up GC to play with.

    Not everyone can have a massive team to play with, so why punish those who can't?

    Most people prefer a man against man fight, and TTTs work to do the opposite.

    Above all though, they're so BOORING, unless the crash, which seems to happen a lot, thus permenantly ruling them out of the GC completely, since there's no time to 'get back in the peleton' or the such like.


    It's a waste of a stage.
    _
  • sherer
    sherer Posts: 2,460
    Pross wrote:
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    TTT?

    FFS :roll:

    Why? It balances things out a bit as it doesn't favour teams loaded with mountains doms.

    Will Cav be likely to end up in yellow if it finishes at the top of a hill?

    i read that too and felt a little worried for Cav. Don't know the climb so no idea if it's one Cav can get over or not. He conquered the Poggio the other year so lets hope he can claim a yellow
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 16,860
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    TTT?

    FFS :roll:

    only 23k
    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm
  • sherer
    sherer Posts: 2,460
    I quite like TTT. It is a team sport so why not have a stage where the whole team has to work together. If a team can win that stage it can give a low down domestique get a stage win they might never be able to get otherwise
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,553
    Gives Sky a chance to improve on their 2010 Tour within 2 stages too :lol:
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,702
    sherer wrote:
    I quite like TTT. It is a team sport so why not have a stage where the whole team has to work together. If a team can win that stage it can give a low down domestique get a stage win they might never be able to get otherwise

    Cycling's an individual sport organised into teams...

    We talk about Contador winning the tour with Astana, not the other way around...

    When someone wins the worlds, their team doesn't get to wear the rainbow jersies, only the guy who crosses the line first.
    _
  • ketsbaia
    ketsbaia Posts: 1,718
    Cumulonimbus wrote:
    be interesting to see a profile of the climb.

    If it's in the Vendée, it'll be a small mound rather than a hill.
    One more gear

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  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 16,860
    edited July 2010
    ketsbaia wrote:
    Cumulonimbus wrote:
    be interesting to see a profile of the climb.

    If it's in the Vendée, it'll be a small mound rather than a hill.

    mtalouettes__066412400_1442_27112007.jpg

    the summit in question
    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm
  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,646
    I can see there being a summit finish at the top of the Galibier, or at the very least in Valloire
  • Abdoujaparov
    Abdoujaparov Posts: 642
    A Galibier summit finish would be great - huge time gaps surely...
  • FJS
    FJS Posts: 4,820
    That first stage finish on the Mont des Alouettes is on a hill allright - according to bikehike about 100 m elevation in just over 2 km - not much to be scared of but enough to make it more suitable for someone like Hushovd, Freire or Ciolek than Cav.

    The TTT is only 23 km, not too disruptive for the GC. I love watching them, they can be estethically very pretty to look at, and it taps into a long cycling history of competitive TTT-ing that would be sad to go.

    What I find most curious about the small revelations is that it seems to be Pyrenees first and Alps second, which is odd with a start in the Vendee. They would either have to do a strange '8' around Paris, or go straight South to the Pyrenees, perhaps after a visit to Brittany/Normandy. That last option would mean no cobbles next year :cry: (unless they take in the Alsace after the Alps, followed by a penultimate stage on the cobbles :twisted: )
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 16,860
    FJS wrote:
    That first stage finish on the Mont des Alouettes is on a hill allright - not much to be scared of but enough to make it more suitable for someone like Hushovd, Freire or Ciolek than Cav.

    The TTT is only 23 km, not too disruptive for the GC. I love watching them, they can be estethically very pretty to look at, and it taps into a long cycling history of competitive TTT-ing that would be sad to go.

    What I find most curious about the small revelations is that it seems to be Pyrenees first and Alps second, which is odd with a start in the Vendee. They would either have to do a strange '8' around Paris, or go straight South to the Pyrenees, perhaps after a visit to Brittany/Normandy. That last option would mean no cobbles next year :cry: (unless they take in the Alsace after the Alps, followed by a penultimate stage on the cobbles :twisted: )

    I'm quite keen on putting cobbles in again I doubt they would be brave enough to chuck them in the final week...

    the cobbles should be in every or nearly every year
    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,702
    mididoctors wrote:
    I'm quite keen on putting cobbles in again I doubt they would be brave enough to chuck them in the final week...

    the cobbles should be in every or nearly every year

    Yes.

    Overall winners should be overall riders.
    _
  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,646
    I expect the route will look something similar to that of 2000

    tour2000,route.gif
  • Moomaloid
    Moomaloid Posts: 2,040
    Gonna be a shame not have the day long party that is the Prologue. TTT's, hmmm yeah, can be pretty look at, can be funny to watch the cock ups, but can also be dreadfully boring. Lets hope the short distance will make it more interesting. Surely they won't get through many turns in 23k.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,553
    Really hope they make more use of the Massif Central, some good climbs and some of the most beautiful scenery in France.
  • Cumulonimbus
    Cumulonimbus Posts: 1,730
    Maybe similar to stage 1 of 2008?

    http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/road/200 ... es/tour081

    http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/road/200 ... ts/tour081

    Freire was in the lead group then.
  • sherer
    sherer Posts: 2,460
    have they finished on top of the Galibier before ? When I was up there it is very small at the top so not sure if that would rule it out from a summit finish ?

    Nice to see D'Huez included, might be an idea to book some accom in Bourg for July already before prices go up
  • ketsbaia
    ketsbaia Posts: 1,718
    They should chuck in a stage that goes along the Marmotte route.
    One more gear

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  • shinyhelmut
    shinyhelmut Posts: 1,364
    Cycling's an individual sport organised into teams

    I thought it was a team competition won by the shack, and the other jerseys were just inconsequential consolation prizes for the lesser teams :lol:
  • knedlicky
    knedlicky Posts: 3,097
    Pross wrote:
    Really hope they make more use of the Massif Central, some good climbs and some of the most beautiful scenery in France.
    I heard the Pas de Peyrol was a possibility on stage 4 or 5, coming from Mauriac (i.e. from the NW). Sometimes the Tour does the Peyrol from the SW or NE (three roads meet at the top), but they did it from the NW in 2004.
    From the NW is the only way I've done the climb and the last 3 km are pretty steep, one stretch about 16%.
  • Kléber
    Kléber Posts: 6,842
    sherer wrote:
    have they finished on top of the Galibier before ? When I was up there it is very small at the top so not sure if that would rule it out from a summit finish ?
    :idea:

    They could finish next to the Henri Desgrange memorial by the tunnel. There's enough room to put all the race finish area equipment plus it's a symbolic point for the Tour.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,702
    If they can do it on the Tourmalet, they can do it on the Galibier, surely.


    I want a more late '90s parcours though.

    More mountains in the mountain stages, more of the time, and bigger ones too. Days where there is no flat whatsoever.

    And if you're going to have two TTs, make them both 50km ITTs, not 23kmTTT and then a week 3 ITT.
    _
  • sherer
    sherer Posts: 2,460
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    If they can do it on the Tourmalet, they can do it on the Galibier, surely.


    I want a more late '90s parcours though.

    More mountains in the mountain stages, more of the time, and bigger ones too. Days where there is no flat whatsoever.

    And if you're going to have two TTs, make them both 50km ITTs, not 23kmTTT and then a week 3 ITT.

    never been to the top of the Tourmalet but I assume based on the above they are similar. I guess they could base everything lower down the mountain or near the tunnel.

    Not sure about more ITTs as that could be less chance Schleck will stay in the race
  • gsk82
    gsk82 Posts: 3,470
    how would an alpe d'heuz finish effect the marmotte? would it be the site for the etape and would this lead to no marmotte?
    "Unfortunately these days a lot of people don’t understand the real quality of a bike" Ernesto Colnago
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,702
    sherer wrote:
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    If they can do it on the Tourmalet, they can do it on the Galibier, surely.


    I want a more late '90s parcours though.

    More mountains in the mountain stages, more of the time, and bigger ones too. Days where there is no flat whatsoever.

    And if you're going to have two TTs, make them both 50km ITTs, not 23kmTTT and then a week 3 ITT.

    never been to the top of the Tourmalet but I assume based on the above they are similar. I guess they could base everything lower down the mountain or near the tunnel.

    Not sure about more ITTs as that could be less chance Schleck will stay in the race
    Not if the mountain stages are harder.
    _
  • ketsbaia
    ketsbaia Posts: 1,718
    gsk82 wrote:
    how would an alpe d'heuz finish effect the marmotte? would it be the site for the etape and would this lead to no marmotte?

    I dunno. They've had AdH finishes on numerous occasions, though, so I doubt it's too much of an issue.
    One more gear

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