A stage race for rouleurs?
No_Ta_Doctor
Posts: 13,327
What did you think of Paris-Nice this year? Did it work as a stage race for rouleurs and sprinters?
Personally I think it fell a little short, perhaps the time bonuses and sprint stages made it a little too open to get a good competition going for GC (though nicely done Betancur for winning it).
It did get me thinking though, about how to set up a stage race that would attract the biggest classics specialists and provide a week of intense classics-style racing, as that would be mind-bendingly good to watch.
I'd start by doing what P-N did, and remove all mountain finishes and TTs.
I'd open with a hill-climb prologue, though nothing too vicious or long, certainly not a proper mountain TT.
I'd opt for highly selective courses, though with no really big climbs, just enough to split the peloton up, some short sharp stuff.
I'd want some cobbles somewhere.
I'd want some narrow lanes that a break could use to good advantage.
I'd do everything to avoid having more than one sprint stage - I'd want more of those short sharp climbs near the finish, and most finishes with a little uphill kick (though no walls. Oh alright, maybe one very small one).
I'd want a stage with some rough Strade Bianchi style roads
No time bonuses.
The aim is a balanced parcours that can attract Cancellara, Boonen, Sagan plus the Ardennes riders. They've all got to be able to see a chance in it. I think I basically want to chuck MSR, Roubaix, Flanders, Strade Bianchi and LBL together and call it a stage race.
How do you think it would pan out, and what would you do?
Personally I think it fell a little short, perhaps the time bonuses and sprint stages made it a little too open to get a good competition going for GC (though nicely done Betancur for winning it).
It did get me thinking though, about how to set up a stage race that would attract the biggest classics specialists and provide a week of intense classics-style racing, as that would be mind-bendingly good to watch.
I'd start by doing what P-N did, and remove all mountain finishes and TTs.
I'd open with a hill-climb prologue, though nothing too vicious or long, certainly not a proper mountain TT.
I'd opt for highly selective courses, though with no really big climbs, just enough to split the peloton up, some short sharp stuff.
I'd want some cobbles somewhere.
I'd want some narrow lanes that a break could use to good advantage.
I'd do everything to avoid having more than one sprint stage - I'd want more of those short sharp climbs near the finish, and most finishes with a little uphill kick (though no walls. Oh alright, maybe one very small one).
I'd want a stage with some rough Strade Bianchi style roads
No time bonuses.
The aim is a balanced parcours that can attract Cancellara, Boonen, Sagan plus the Ardennes riders. They've all got to be able to see a chance in it. I think I basically want to chuck MSR, Roubaix, Flanders, Strade Bianchi and LBL together and call it a stage race.
How do you think it would pan out, and what would you do?
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Comments
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I thought P-N was a worthy experiment that disappointed some because of its novelty and the lack of set-piece MTFs and TT to lift the spirits after yet another flat sprint stage. This obscured the blindingly good racing on the lumpy stages - lumpiness that fans normall crave in GTs.
The trick is to give the rouleurs reasonable prospects of clawing back the 2 mins (say) they lose to climbers on MTFs. Yesterday in T-A Kwiato got within 3km of the summit before taking his 4min packet from Alberto. While that was an exceptional climber on an exceptional day, it probably represents the most climbing possible in this format.
The only thing I would add to the list is a TTT which stops climbers loading their squads with mountain train drivers. Then all we need is a stage-race model to balance rouleur gains on TT/cobbles/'classics' splits vs climbers on the MTF....a rare 100% loyal Pro Race poster. A poster boy for the community.0 -
No tA Doctor wrote:.
and remove all TTs.
I'd open with a hill-climb prologue,
That is a TT and could prove to be really vital, one good climber/rouler gets a good gap and only has to stay up right and in the front group to win. the race is over on the first day.0 -
Also why do the classics guys need another race, they have loads, you don't see climbers wanting PR to finish on a mountain?
Stage races should be for the stage racers0 -
Would love a TDF with 3 cobbled stages and a 50km TT in the first week that fabu could build a 10+min lead on, followed by a week of flat sprint stages and a few lumpy stages. Final week full on mtf's with fabu fighting to the death to limit time loses and the mountain goats going for every last second.eating parmos since 1981
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www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=40044&t=130387990 -
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Would have been a great race if it wasn't called Paris-Nice"In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"
@gietvangent0 -
I admire ASO for trying something different. It fell a little short but I think if they tried this again they would get it right.
I said before ever since the TdF found the mountains they've been the key factor ever since. Why not take them out, have longer stages and more lumpy ones and see what happens0
