Tour de France 2021 presentation tonight

24

Comments

  • salsiccia1
    salsiccia1 Posts: 3,725
    It's an OK route, nothing particularly exciting. I can see it being another J-V trainfest after Roglic takes yellow in the time trial.
    It's only a bit of sport, Mun. Relax and enjoy the racing.
  • Too much flat and not enough bumpy, imo. The organisers say 5x bumpy (incl the first two stages) but, guessing the exact routes, I'd say some of those 5 might only be half-bumpy.
    As a Breton, Gaudu will be eyeing the first stages evel-just (= breton for bien sûr or naturellement).

    They could have helped enliven the twice up the Ventoux by giving bonifications at the top of the first time over as well as, or instead of, the second time over (as proposed). But they haven't. :-(
    However I'm glad they have stayed by the idea of time bonuses at the top of some of the cols (introduced 2018?)

    Prudhomme spoke about the stage to Nimes going through the (lovely) Gorges de l’Ardèche but he's exaggerating as there is no road through them, the road is high up above them. But the heli will surely show them when it shows the landscape adjacent the route.

    Bardet commented on French TV that it is a classic parcours, with a lot of sprint stages and it reminded him of Tours he followed during his childhood (= 1996-2002?)

    Pinot said much the same, although he seemed to think it had something for puncheurs too (perhaps he's thinking puncheurs will benefit from the MDFs – mountain downhill finishes – although depends on his definition of puncheur, some puncheurs will find the preceeding climbs too hard). Pinot also remarked (as some here have said), because of the TTs it was a Tour for an allrounder, not a climber, while he indicated the stage to Tignes would be the one he'd have his eye on (as a rider).
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 13,200
    Looks like a tour designed to convince Madiot to bring both Pinot and Demare, but to get Pinot stage wins or polkadots instead of GC.
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  • salsiccia1
    salsiccia1 Posts: 3,725
    They might be eyeing Remco, it suits an all-rounder.
    It's only a bit of sport, Mun. Relax and enjoy the racing.
  • andyrac
    andyrac Posts: 1,123
    Good to see more ITT, not sure about 2 ascents of Ventoux - using the same climbs every few years is a bit - meh. And, not too many stages of 200km. It's a typical Prudhomme route; safe and predictable.
    All Road/ Gravel: tbcWinter: tbcMTB: tbcRoad: tbc"Look at the time...." "he's fallen like an old lady on a cruise ship..."
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,348
    Pross said:

    Feels like a fairly standard Tour route to me. Other than the double Ventoux stage there doesn't seem to be much gimmick and it feels like they've given up trying to manufacture a 'climber's Tour'

    'bout bloomin' time frankly!!

    The riders make the race.

    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • Has their even been a "hill-climb" stage?
  • davidof
    davidof Posts: 3,032
    Here we go, rather than the Cormet de Roselend, just next door







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  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 13,200
    Has nobody mentioned Geraint Thomas yet? 58km of TT, Bernal probably recovering most of the season, he's the obvious Ineos choice to lead here. Licking his lips and dusting off the TT bike already, I imagine.
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  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,217

    Has nobody mentioned Geraint Thomas yet? 58km of TT, Bernal probably recovering most of the season, he's the obvious Ineos choice to lead here. Licking his lips and dusting off the TT bike already, I imagine.

    One for Rohan Dennis surely?
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 16,646
    davidof said:

    Here we go, rather than the Cormet de Roselend, just next door







    Nice
    "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
  • La Course will probably feel more like Le Groundhog Day for the women :

    https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/la-course-by-le-tour-de-france-to-feature-six-ascents-of-mur-de-bretagne/
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • ocdupalais
    ocdupalais Posts: 4,224
    8 months to lose 10kgs... I’m going Ganna.
  • ocdupalais
    ocdupalais Posts: 4,224
    ...WVA 2nd.
    Ian Stannard rounding out the podium.
  • DeadCalm
    DeadCalm Posts: 4,099

    Wtf happened to this forum. Too long ....too short, twice up Ventoux finishing in Paris AGAIN 🤣🤣🤣

    So , other than the fact it's in France?
    Troll. That really is the worst post on this forum . I am not sure of your agenda. I am not bothered. I'll leave it there.
    It should have been a simple question to answer.

    Tw*t.
    I'll leave that there too.



    In fairness to specialgueststar, it is undeniable that you are a troll who gets way too much leeway courtesy of your plagiarized stage threads.
    Team My Man 2022:

    Antwan Tolhoek, Sam Oomen, Tom Dumoulin, Thymen Arensman, Remco Evenepoel, Benoît Cosnefroy, Tom Pidcock, Mark Cavendish, Romain Bardet
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 13,200
    Pross said:

    Has nobody mentioned Geraint Thomas yet? 58km of TT, Bernal probably recovering most of the season, he's the obvious Ineos choice to lead here. Licking his lips and dusting off the TT bike already, I imagine.

    One for Rohan Dennis surely?
    Controversial. Though not as controversial as some posts above.
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  • DeadCalm
    DeadCalm Posts: 4,099
    Team My Man 2022:

    Antwan Tolhoek, Sam Oomen, Tom Dumoulin, Thymen Arensman, Remco Evenepoel, Benoît Cosnefroy, Tom Pidcock, Mark Cavendish, Romain Bardet
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 21,741
    edited November 2020
    DeadCalm said:
    It's a stage thread not a dissertation.
    Of course it's taken from other sources. Even the food snippets are pinched.
    All I do is pull some stuff together.

    Not sure how this contributes to the discussion of the Tour route.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,217
    DeadCalm said:
    I assumed everyone realised that? The 'euro English' phrasing of much of the text is pretty obvious. It's just all pulled into one easy summary for everyone.
  • DeadCalm
    DeadCalm Posts: 4,099
    Pross said:

    DeadCalm said:
    I assumed everyone realised that? The 'euro English' phrasing of much of the text is pretty obvious. It's just all pulled into one easy summary for everyone.
    It's copyright infringement, theft of page views and done without any acknowledgment or credit to the original sites.
    Team My Man 2022:

    Antwan Tolhoek, Sam Oomen, Tom Dumoulin, Thymen Arensman, Remco Evenepoel, Benoît Cosnefroy, Tom Pidcock, Mark Cavendish, Romain Bardet
  • DeadCalm said:

    Pross said:

    DeadCalm said:
    I assumed everyone realised that? The 'euro English' phrasing of much of the text is pretty obvious. It's just all pulled into one easy summary for everyone.
    It's copyright infringement, theft of page views and done without any acknowledgment or credit to the original sites.
    It's a forum post. Get a grip.
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 25,597
    DeadCalm said:

    Pross said:

    DeadCalm said:
    I assumed everyone realised that? The 'euro English' phrasing of much of the text is pretty obvious. It's just all pulled into one easy summary for everyone.
    It's copyright infringement, theft of page views and done without any acknowledgment or credit to the original sites.
    Methinks you are taking this a wee bit too seriously.
    Loads of stuff on this forum, very little of the above. And we all knew.
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • What's up with deadcalm?
  • Anyhow, trying to put this thread back on it's rails, I had what I took as an interesting thought.
    Both of the ASO Grand Tours, not just next year's Tour, but this current Vuelta have turned the clock back with more traditional routes.
    The final week of this Vuelta, but for today's finish, have no ridiculously tough ramps, or multiple mountain stages.
    Instead today will be followed by 3 intermediate stages and a final mountain stage to Covatilla.
    Much like the editions that had Saturday's stage close to Madrid, finishing up either the Alto de Abantos, or the Navacerrada.

    Inrng's assessment of the Tour route is well worth a read:

    https://inrng.com/2020/11/2021-tour-de-france-route/

    It also includes the reasoning behind have only 3MTFs, but 4 descent finishes:

    Today’s L’Equipe quotes Thierry Gouvenou, the Tour’s technical director, as in the course designer, and he says since riders tend to attack late on a summit finish – Exhibit A: the Grand Colombier summit finish – this is a way of making the action last longer, the late attack isn’t in the last two minutes of the race, it’s now in the last 20 minutes thanks to the descent.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • me-109
    me-109 Posts: 1,915
    I'm all for the downhills as being another skill, but once they've had a couple of crashes from ambition-over-skill, there wilĺ be a backlash or change of heart (by the organisers) as with the slightly downhill sprints.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,217

    Anyhow, trying to put this thread back on it's rails, I had what I took as an interesting thought.
    Both of the ASO Grand Tours, not just next year's Tour, but this current Vuelta have turned the clock back with more traditional routes.
    The final week of this Vuelta, but for today's finish, have no ridiculously tough ramps, or multiple mountain stages.
    Instead today will be followed by 3 intermediate stages and a final mountain stage to Covatilla.
    Much like the editions that had Saturday's stage close to Madrid, finishing up either the Alto de Abantos, or the Navacerrada.

    Inrng's assessment of the Tour route is well worth a read:

    https://inrng.com/2020/11/2021-tour-de-france-route/

    It also includes the reasoning behind have only 3MTFs, but 4 descent finishes:

    Today’s L’Equipe quotes Thierry Gouvenou, the Tour’s technical director, as in the course designer, and he says since riders tend to attack late on a summit finish – Exhibit A: the Grand Colombier summit finish – this is a way of making the action last longer, the late attack isn’t in the last two minutes of the race, it’s now in the last 20 minutes thanks to the descent.

    I can't say I can recall that many stages in recent years where favourites have attacked over the top of the climb and gained time at the finish. I remember that mad Froome descent but the far more likely outcome IMHO is that JV stop any attacks so that Roglic can go for the sprint at the end, especially if there are time bonuses on the line.
  • DeadCalm
    DeadCalm Posts: 4,099

    What's up with deadcalm?

    Personally, I'm not a big fan of theft. If you're comfortable with it, well, that's up to you.
    Team My Man 2022:

    Antwan Tolhoek, Sam Oomen, Tom Dumoulin, Thymen Arensman, Remco Evenepoel, Benoît Cosnefroy, Tom Pidcock, Mark Cavendish, Romain Bardet
  • Dramatic much?
  • webboo
    webboo Posts: 6,087
    Seems a bit all at sea.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,217
    DeadCalm said:

    What's up with deadcalm?

    Personally, I'm not a big fan of theft. If you're comfortable with it, well, that's up to you.
    I'm pretty sure I saw you join in the thanks for the Tour spoiler threads. Are you honestly saying you've only just realised the information has been collated from other places around the Internet?