TdF 2012

blazing_saddles

emadden wrote:

5 mountain stages... of which only two are mountain-top finishes!!! Come on ffs.... If that route is true, then Im looking forward to the Giro instead.

I can only count 4.
14 flat stages?
Bring back time bonuses and Cav could win this turkey.
Hope to God this "leak" is incorrect.

LeicesterLad

Blazing Saddles wrote:

emadden wrote:

5 mountain stages... of which only two are mountain-top finishes!!! Come on ffs.... If that route is true, then Im looking forward to the Giro instead.

I can only count 4.
14 flat stages?
Bring back time bonuses and Cav could win this turkey.
Hope to God this "leak" is incorrect.

Might be worth an early punt at 3million/1

Roll on the Giro.

saintdracula

With this parcours, a Team Sky green-yellow double might even be possible (with Cav and Wiggo)....

Edit: forget wiggo...a Cav Green-Yellow...Merckx Cavendish anyone?

LeicesterLad

saintdracula wrote:

With this parcours, a Team Sky green-yellow double might even be possible (with Cav and Wiggo)....

Edit: forget wiggo...a Cav Green-Yellow...Merckx Cavendish anyone?

Forget Wiggo, Contador will win the tour next year, even if it is a flat as hell. (depending on Novembers outcome of course)

blazing_saddles

Elsewhere on "the leak", they try to big it up somewhat:


Only 2 MTFs, but Belle Filles is allegedly 8% over 4.8kms......

rick_chasey

The TTs are there to make the mountains more interesting.

It's not a proper overall test unless there's a good 80km of TTing.

4 Mountain stages?

Disappointed! Veeery Disappointed.

RichN95.

Looking at that course it would appear that one of the teams has hacked Prudhomme's phone and is now blackmailing him.

emadden

EDIT: Just saw Blazing Saddles post with the same french write-up i was quoting from re 2 MTFs.... What a bad parcours... I hope its fake. At this rate there will be more climbs in the blooming Sachsen Tour.

LeicesterLad

emadden wrote:

EDIT: Just saw Blazing Saddles post with the same french write-up i was quoting from re 2 MTFs.... What a bad parcours... I hope its fake. At this rate there will be more climbs in the blooming Sachsen Tour.

Contatdor and Schleck have both announced that they will be concentrating on the Eneco tour instead next year.

avoidingmyphd

Prudhomme said in July that next year he would dial back the Alps and Pyrenees in favour of the smaller mountain ranges. And he has delivered - time gaps will appear in the Vosges and the Jura will ride like a proper big mountain stage, albeit without a summit finish:

The finish at Planche des Belles Filles will be difficult enough for GC gaps. It's steeper than Super Besse.
The stage to porrentruy will be similar (but harder) to this year's stage to Gap where there were fireworks.
The first TT will probably be hilly
The stage to Bellegarde goes over the grand colombier. Sure, it could have been nearer the finish, but it's nice to see it in the race,
I don't know enough about the Western stages to comment, but I suspect there are similar good, but less famous, things over there as well.

I am disappointed that the La Toussuire stage is currently listed at 140km. By my maths, that means going via Madeleine, Glandon, and Mollard to La Toussuire. Mollard makes it longer (the stage and the final climb) but reduces the chance of GC action on the glandon. The stage would have been better shorter, tempting the climbers into something on the glandon.

cogidubnus

I don't know how it will pan out as a spectacle, but I think its good there are 90km's of TT. The last few GC's have been very much in favour of pure climbers.

If we think about 2011 the pyrenees were pretty dull other than the drama of Tommy hanging onto yellow. The most exciting stages were the lumpy ones and uphill sprints. So assuming that the non mountains stages contain some good lumpy terrain it could be pretty interesting. Equally with less mountains in 2012 the Schlecks and fellow climbers will really have to attack from a long way out in the mountains to gain time.

Gilbert for yellow anyone? you heard it here first lol

alan_a

Cogidubnus wrote:

Gilbert for yellow anyone? you heard it here first lol

Very much worth a punt, as is Tommy V.

rick_chasey

Evans, surely.

cogidubnus

I'd def have Evans among the big favourites.

Contador, Evans, Wiggins, Froome, Martin, Menchov

sonny73

Yeh with that parcour Evans again, maybe Wiggo, Froome if the Vuelta wasn't a flash in the pan, AC, Menchov is a good call on his day. Schleck's though would surely be gutted.

cogidubnus

Sonny73 wrote:

Schleck's though would surely be gutted.

Probably, though they can't expect a climbers route every year. Andy really should have taken some of his chances the last 2 years. Frank should concentrate on the Grio or Vuelta and leave Andy to it in the Tour

iainf72

If he's in form, Menchov will win this.

Gazzetta67

3 So-called Mountain Finishes
90km of TT`s
14 Flatish road stages = Snooze de France

Roll on the Giro Thanks to Prudhomme he`s just gave the Giro No1 status for 2012.

MaxwellBygraves

What's all the pessimism for? I am pleased they have changed it round for next year.

Everyone seems to have forgotten that with the 100th edition coming, they need save all the big guns for 2013.

LeDomestiqueTours

andyp wrote:

There is a ski resort, there's a bleeding airport up there too!

But I agree, it's highly likely the Peyresourde will be on the route.

We were on the Peyresourde yesterday morning - they are doing lots of resurfacing on the eastern side where the surface was previously dodgy.

We are also hearing lots of rumours about Saint Lary Soulan having a stage finish which is good for us!! 8)

EKIMIKE

I'd like to know the odds on Tony Martin... big outsider.

RichN95.

EKIMIKE wrote:

I'd like to know the odds on Tony Martin... big outsider.

You can get as much as 250/1

http://www.oddschecker.com/other-sports ... nce/winner

cogidubnus

Martin 250-1
Menchov 66-1
Wiggins 22-1
Bertie 5/4
Cadel 10-1
Valverde 80-1
Kloden 100-1
Voeklar 1000-1!
Gilbert 500-1

cogidubnus

I might put £1 on Tommy e/w at that price

inkyfingers

Assuming Contador is not banned i'll throw my hat in the ring and say Contador-Evans-Wiggins podium in that order. If Bertie is banned then Evans-Wiggins-Menchov.

Gilbert will lose more time to the TT specialists than he will be able to gain even if he can climb well enough and pull off a few late attacks. I really don't think that Tony Martin can climb well enough to have a chance, even on this parcours.

LangerDan

Reduced climbing and 5 road stages of 160km or less?
Wonder if BikingBernie will try and get a "wild card" entry from ASO for his Womens Development Squad?

FJS

Great to see the Grand Colombier rumour confirmed (assuming it'll be in the Bellegarde stage).

I'm not sure the 'road stage'/'mountain stage' classifications are correct. The Planche de Belles Filles, Porrentruy, Bellegarde, Foix, and Pau stages will all be mountainous. It looks like a TdF with a lot of medium mountain stages and very few proper high mountain ones. And the two main high mountan stages with mountain top finishes are both very short. Add almost 90 km of ITT, and it's back to time trial specialists.

Andy and Frank will be losing hope...

rebs

I'm interested to see how the route plays out. I think you could have 21 flat stages and still have a great race. It all comes down to who realyl wants to take the race by the scruss of the neck. Saying that I think Wiggins must have cum in his pants looking at the route.

Evans looks a good shout to be competitive. I am tempted to put an easy score on Nibali though.

Will.C

Is no one of the opinion the leaked route is probably a bogus route to create lots of hype about the tour before they announce the official route?

Just seems too far fetched to be the genuine tdf route.

durhamwasp

Wiggins must be over the moon with this! and at 22/1 ive just stuck a fiver on each way. This will be his best chance he will ever get.

Evans, Voeckler, Tony Martin, even Cancellara could have a possibility if the Schlecks rode for him this time!

Can see Voeckler being a marked man, but then again a lot of riders will fancy their chances.