Sestriere finish

vikingdel

Im i correct,was the the finish yesterday to Sestriere from a different side from the one that the tour de france use?

Monty Dog

It wasn't the Sestriere cos it was the Col de Finistere

Anonymous

Finish was in Sestriere, Finestre was just before it. Yeah, think it was from the other side that the TdF uses...

http://www.steephill.tv/players/profile ... ria_20.jpg

Monty Dog

Oops, just watching it now - brain is addled after having ridden 100 miles offroad on CX bike yesterday.

Le Commentateur

The narrow road off the Finestre actually carries on, following the ridge all the way to Sestriere, which would be a much more interesting way to get there, though probably not doable if the weather is crap and perhaps not fitting for the what is effectively the end of a major race (today being a TT and otherwise usually a processional criterium).

Steve2020

I rode some of the ridge route from Sestrieres on the morning of the race. V scenic. Most of it was fine but there were parts that were barely passable on a road bike as too muddy (it had rained the previous day plus melting snow). I had to stop several times to take the wheels out to clear mud. Lots of people were riding it on mtn bikes to go and see the race though. Using that route from the Col De Finestres is not practical for the race (it would also be an unpaved descent until close to the finish) but much more fun to ride if the weather had been dry recently.

The side of the Col de Sestrieres that the Tour uses is harder than the side the Giro used, which isn't very steep (and had a tailwind on race day) - quite a few riders were on their big chainrings at the 2k to go point.

vikingdel

Thanks for the info guys, i was watching the stage and thought it looked a different road from the 1999 armstrong stage win route

Le Commentateur

In 2000 the race route went via Briançcon and they had a time trial from the French side.