Ronde & other Flemish classics - 2011 parcours details

blim

These haven't been made public as far as i can tell, but were mounted on the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad site as of Friday night.
2011 parcours for:

RVV [Tour of Flanders]: http://omloop.nieuwsblad.be/omloop-data/pdf/persconf/rvv2011-elite-men-map.pdf

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad: http://omloop.nieuwsblad.be/omloop-data/pdf/persconf/omloop2011-elite-men-map.pdf

Brabantse Pijl/Fleche Brabanconne: http://omloop.nieuwsblad.be/omloop-data/pdf/persconf/bp2011-map-profile.pdf

Dwars Door Vlaanderen: http://omloop.nieuwsblad.be/omloop-data/pdf/persconf/ddv2011-map-profile.pdf

Scheldeprijs: http://omloop.nieuwsblad.be/omloop-data/pdf/persconf/scheldeprijs2011-map-profile.pdf

hooray!

rick_chasey

Legend. Good man. Thanks for that.

Good effort on checking the Omloop website in Jan!

FJS

Great work! The hills start much earlier in De Ronde this year - don't think it will change much, but good news for the tourists doing the audax version the day before.


Bit of unrelated Ronde van Vlaanderen route-info:
apparently the contract with Meerbeke as finish location runs out this year, and other finish places are considered, among them Oudenaarde and Ronse. Both much closer to the hills, making a much tougher finale possible, but losing the classic Muur-Bosberg-flat run into Meerbeke finale which has been around for god knows how long.

Any thoughts?

Anyone knows how long Meerbeke has been finish, and where it was before?

rick_chasey

FJS wrote:

Anyone knows how long Meerbeke has been finish, and where it was before?

Since 1973 it was Meerbeke.

Befor then it varied, between Gentbrugge, Wetteren and the track in Ghent.

blim

Bit of unrelated Ronde van Vlaanderen route-info:
apparently the contract with Meerbeke as finish location runs out this year, and other finish places are considered, among them Oudenaarde and Ronse. Both much closer to the hills, making a much tougher finale possible, but losing the classic Muur-Bosberg-flat run into Meerbeke finale which has been around for god knows how long.

Meerbeke's original contract was to 2005, so it's obviously been extended already. It would be a shame to lose that finale.

You could swing out over Zottegem (via Paddestraat & Lippenhovestraat sectors of kasseien) and down to Geraardsbergen early on, before heading for an Oudenaarde finish, but then the Muur becomes an hors-d'oeuvre (like the Molenberg often is) which would be a shame. A plus would be that you could have the Koppenberg as the last climb with less risk of carnage, because the field would be much thinner.

rick_chasey

I'm of the opinion that the Flanders route as it is near perfect as it is - an excellent balance between attritional selection and tactical selection - the finale in particular.

It has a good rhythm, and it holds the interest in the right way - a rhythm Roubaix lacks.


A big change to the final 2 climbs would be a big change and would really impact the way it's raced.

rick_chasey

http://www.e3prijsvlaanderen.be/dut/~/Parcours-2011

Harelbeke (the new Ghent - Wevelgem!) parcous as well, if you can be arsed and sit through the very slow animated map.

blim

Cool, thanks for the E3. That is one s-l-o-w animation.

I agree with you about the Ronde finale, but in what way do you think Roubaix lacks a rhythm? It's less tactical for sure, and just pure attrition, but they are two very different races.

rick_chasey

blim wrote:

Cool, thanks for the E3. That is one s-l-o-w animation.

I agree with you about the Ronde finale, but in what way do you think Roubaix lacks a rhythm? It's less tactical for sure, and just pure attrition, but they are two very different races.

After the Arenberg, the cobbles just seem to come and go without any particular build up or signal. They just come and go - some arn't really significant, others are, when they are seems semi-random, but there's not quite the same rhythm somehow. Half the time I don't know which section they're on, since threre are so many and they go so quickly. A two star section won't change the race - it just saps the legs a little more.

It's not quite the run in, beginning of helling, the top where the selection is, and the build up to the next helling rhythm that the Ronde has.

Le Commentateur

Great work! The hills start much earlier in De Ronde this year - don't think it will change much, but good news for the tourists doing the audax version the day before.

I don't think they will make changes to the cyclosportive route, whatever happens to the pro race, as it's not meant as an exact replica. Some of the sportive ride is already along former railway line cycle paths for example.

takethehighroad

Rick Chasey wrote:

After the Arenberg, the cobbles just seem to come and go without any particular build up or signal. They just come and go - some arn't really significant, others are, when they are seems semi-random, but there's not quite the same rhythm somehow. Half the time I don't know which section they're on, since threre are so many and they go so quickly. A two star section won't change the race - it just saps the legs a little more.

It's not quite the run in, beginning of helling, the top where the selection is, and the build up to the next helling rhythm that the Ronde has.

That's the point tho, you can't just have loads of five star sections, it's the two star sections that weaken the legs and make the five star sections more selective

rick_chasey

TakeTheHighRoad wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

After the Arenberg, the cobbles just seem to come and go without any particular build up or signal. They just come and go - some arn't really significant, others are, when they are seems semi-random, but there's not quite the same rhythm somehow. Half the time I don't know which section they're on, since threre are so many and they go so quickly. A two star section won't change the race - it just saps the legs a little more.

It's not quite the run in, beginning of helling, the top where the selection is, and the build up to the next helling rhythm that the Ronde has.

That's the point tho, you can't just have loads of five star sections, it's the two star sections that weaken the legs and make the five star sections more selective

No absolutely. It's more because they come so fast and there are so many, they don't have she same resonance or rhythm and the climbs.

I'm only making a comment on the rhythm of the race, not the rest!

blim

Gent-Wevelgem is up now too!

http://omloop.nieuwsblad.be/omloop-data/pdf/persconf/gw2011-map-profile.pdf

andyp

Good to see the distance heading upwards, it ought to be a proper classic again.

rick_chasey

andyp wrote:

Good to see the distance heading upwards, it ought to be a proper classic again.

The Belgian one dayers suffer from the same problems on a local level with the Ronde as races do generally with the Tour.

moray_gub

Rick Chasey wrote:

blim wrote:

Cool, thanks for the E3. That is one s-l-o-w animation.

I agree with you about the Ronde finale, but in what way do you think Roubaix lacks a rhythm? It's less tactical for sure, and just pure attrition, but they are two very different races.

After the Arenberg, the cobbles just seem to come and go without any particular build up or signal. They just come and go - some arn't really significant, others are, when they are seems semi-random, but there's not quite the same rhythm somehow. Half the time I don't know which section they're on, since threre are so many and they go so quickly. A two star section won't change the race - it just saps the legs a little more.

It's not quite the run in, beginning of helling, the top where the selection is, and the build up to the next helling rhythm that the Ronde has.

and the effect of this sapping of the legs can change how the race pans out no ?

takethehighroad

Keep up MG, Tue Jan 25 @1.30pm