2012 Criterium Du Dauphine

inkyfingers
inkyfingers Posts: 4,400
edited March 2012 in Pro race
http://www.letour.fr/2012/CDD/LIVE/fr/le_parcours.html

Bit dissapointing, more TTing and less uphill finishes. Suppose it's great prep for this years tour though.

I know Wiggin's focus is more on the Tour and the Olympics but with a parcours like that you wouldn't best against him winning again.
"I have a lovely photo of a Camargue horse but will not post it now" (Frenchfighter - July 2013)

Comments

  • LeicesterLad
    LeicesterLad Posts: 3,908
    I was looking forward to the Dauphine, purely for Wiggins defence, but the route looks rather dull, almost as dull as the Tour.
  • Has Wiggins confirmed he's doing it as part of his TDF prep?
  • Tusher
    Tusher Posts: 2,762
    Does the TT share a parcours with the Tour this year?
  • LeicesterLad
    LeicesterLad Posts: 3,908
    Tusher wrote:
    Does the TT share a parcours with the Tour this year?

    Im not sure its the same route, just similar in length which is quite unusual for the Dauphine. think one is 53km the other is 52km, not sure which is which.
  • Dauphine TT is 53km from Villié-Morgon to Bourg-en-Bresse.
    TdF TT is 52km from Bonneval to Chartres (About 90km from Paris)

    So they're similar length, but not in the same location.
  • Overall though, the races do share some roads. In particular, both have stages going over Col du Grand Colombier.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,217
    I've come to the conclusion in the last couple of years not to judge how exciting a race is likely to be by its parcours.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,243
    Pross wrote:
    I've come to the conclusion in the last couple of years not to judge how exciting a race is likely to be by its parcours.

    Parcours helps though.
  • LeicesterLad
    LeicesterLad Posts: 3,908
    And the participants. Love or hate dirty Bertie, I can't see how anyone can suggest the TdF would be better without him. That and the Parcours have really turned me off to the TdF this year. I can't be doing with the olympics either. Highlights of my season will be the next two weeks and the Vuelta. (not just because Bertie is back, but because the route looks like an absolute killer, and theres nothing better than watching people crack!)
  • What's with all this "parcour", is this forum French? What's wrong with route?
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,137
    And the participants. Love or hate dirty Bertie, I can't see how anyone can suggest the TdF would be better without him.
    Did you see last year's Giro? It was, to quote Iain, a 'turd'. It was over as a contest by stage 7 and then it became a procession for two weeks. The Tour this year has no clear favourite and a nice balance of contenders and that's why it'll be better without him.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,217
    What's with all this "parcour", is this forum French? What's wrong with route?

    Don't know, I usually use route but felt I was left out from the pretentious French cycling terms. I haven't resorted to calling a cap a casquette or a water bottle a bidon yet. I even try to refrain from saying peloton instead of bunch! ;)
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,217
    RichN95 wrote:
    And the participants. Love or hate dirty Bertie, I can't see how anyone can suggest the TdF would be better without him.
    Did you see last year's Giro? It was, to quote Iain, a 'turd'. It was over as a contest by stage 7 and then it became a procession for two weeks. The Tour this year has no clear favourite and a nice balance of contenders and that's why it'll be better without him.

    This. It was nice at last year's Tour that there was no-one dominating the race, same at the Vuelta.
  • Pross wrote:
    What's with all this "parcour", is this forum French? What's wrong with route?

    Don't know, I usually use route but felt I was left out from the pretentious French cycling terms. I haven't resorted to calling a cap a casquette or a water bottle a bidon yet. I even try to refrain from saying peloton instead of bunch! ;)

    Oh dear, I think I've often used peloton! Must try really hard now not to use any more French cycling terms. Zut alors!
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,243
    oo lalalala...
  • LeicesterLad
    LeicesterLad Posts: 3,908
    RichN95 wrote:
    And the participants. Love or hate dirty Bertie, I can't see how anyone can suggest the TdF would be better without him.
    Did you see last year's Giro? It was, to quote Iain, a 'turd'. It was over as a contest by stage 7 and then it became a procession for two weeks. The Tour this year has no clear favourite and a nice balance of contenders and that's why it'll be better without him.

    That was the Giro though, I think the likes of Wiggo, Evans, Schleck A, Schleck B would make a better chase of it. It's going to be like watching a battle to be the second best rider, Just feels abit 'meh'. If i was a rider i don't know whether i'd be pleased that Contador wasn't riding because it would mean i have a better chance, or dissapointed because if i won i'd know that i hadn't been up against the best possible field...
  • From his tweets it looks as though Mr Wiggins will not be riding the Dauphine this year - but perhaps he's just teasing.
  • Tusher
    Tusher Posts: 2,762
    Mais le language de cycling IS Franglais!

    Peloton, bidon, parcours, soigneur, autobus, baguette.


    And I was going to add tifosi.
  • Grupetto? Bollocks.

    I have to admit I don't understand the view that x parcours or y rider's absence detracts from the race. Surely experience tells us there are so many factors in the TDF that there will always be surprises and excitement.
  • Tusher wrote:
    And I was going to add tifosi.

    Lucky you didn't. You would have gone from sounding a bit pretentious to looking stupid!

    :wink:
  • dodgy
    dodgy Posts: 2,890
    Stage 6 goes over Joux Plane, that makes it un bon parcours for at least one day, anyway.

    My favourite Alpine climb, unfortunately it's also reputably Wiggins' least favourite.
  • bigmat
    bigmat Posts: 5,134
    dodgy wrote:
    Stage 6 goes over Joux Plane, that makes it un bon parcours for at least one day, anyway.

    My favourite Alpine climb, unfortunately it's also reputably Wiggins' least favourite.

    My favourite as well - tougher than d'Huez in my experience, no nice sweeping switchbacks to catch your breath, no steady gradient. Wiggins & Co should be alright, they'll just need to bury themselves on the front to keep the pace high enough to prevent attacks (won't make for great viewing though). Presumably they'll be finishing in Morzine, so any attack would need a decent gap to make it stick (unless it was a Sanchez style falcon).
  • dodgy
    dodgy Posts: 2,890
    The decent into Morzine is amazing, but the race could be lost in just that stretch alone.
  • Tusher
    Tusher Posts: 2,762
    Tusher wrote:
    And I was going to add tifosi.

    Lucky you didn't. You would have gone from sounding a bit pretentious to looking stupid!

    :wink:


    :)