Tour route 2018

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Comments

  • dish_dash
    dish_dash Posts: 5,551
    The riders dressed in civilian clothes at the route launch always make me laugh...

    sptdw80008_670.jpg
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,228
    dish_dash wrote:
    The riders dressed in civilian clothes at the route launch always make me laugh...

    sptdw80008_670.jpg

    L-R

    Tech start up
    Broker
    School teacher in East London
    IT support
    Northern cricket fan on a night out
    No idea...
  • Romain is a Modernista
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,228
    Romain is a Modernista

    Oui.

    Can't think of a career/type that dresses like that however :P
  • ridgerider
    ridgerider Posts: 2,851
    I recognize cav and bardet but have to pass on all the others.
    Half man, Half bike
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,137
    Ridgerider wrote:
    I recognize cav and bardet but have to pass on all the others.
    Simon Yates surely. And Bouhanni's grown his hair a bit so looks different
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • Ridgerider wrote:
    I recognize cav and bardet but have to pass on all the others.
    Reminds me of when I first joined my cycling club. It took bloody ages before I recognised people off their bikes - I was remembering them like "That's John, red Kask helmet, Blue Trek bike..." and so on :D
  • dish_dash
    dish_dash Posts: 5,551
    L-R who are number 2 and number 5?
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,137
    edited October 2017
    dish_dash wrote:
    L-R who are number 2 and number 5?
    No 2 is Bouhanni’s brother. I looked that up, but the caption didn’t say who no 5 is.

    Edit: Further investigation reveals no 5 to be Adrien Petit
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • Having seen Dumoulin's time trial monstrosity on the main page, I suddenly understand why Prudhomme is so keen to avoid it being on TV for more than absolutely necessary. It's hideous.

    Rest of the courser looks like just the thing to get everyone hyped up again before the crushing disappointment of seeing it raced. Do we have a sweepstake on when it gets called the dullest course ever by someone in the stage threads? I'm guessing stage 8 this year.
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    Romain is a Modernista

    Oui.

    Can't think of a career/type that dresses like that however :P

    Every year it reminds me of dress down days on trading floors, where people don't have a clue how to dress and end up just replacing suit trousers with jeans. Cyclists can't only wear their kit or tracksuits ffs, how hard is it to dress like a normal person.

    Route looks ok. 8 man teams will make no difference in the grand scheme of thing. I would'nt be surprised to see more conserative racing because of it. Undecided on the bonus thing. If ASO could have a Mario Kart style mytery box on the road with bonus seconds I reckon they'd be all over that.
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • dish_dash
    dish_dash Posts: 5,551
    RichN95 wrote:
    dish_dash wrote:
    L-R who are number 2 and number 5?
    No 2 is Bouhanni’s brother. I looked that up, but the caption didn’t say who no 5 is.

    Edit: Further investigation reveals no 5 to be Adrien Petit

    Ta, random to have them up there! But now we know...
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    Belter of a comment on Cycling Weekly article about it...

    Battles in the mountains are more entertaining then ITTs, IMHO. But not the ones controled by Sky. Sky tactics should be banned.
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • iainf72 wrote:
    Belter of a comment on Cycling Weekly article about it...

    Battles in the mountains are more entertaining then ITTs, IMHO. But not the ones controled by Sky. Sky tactics should be banned.
    Damn those pesky teams wanting to win.
  • peteco
    peteco Posts: 184
    Anyone know when the detailed route is announced. I am specifically interested in the precise route of Stage 18 (ending at Pau) as it looks like it passes close to a friend's house.

    Thanks,

    Pete
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,137
    peteco wrote:
    Anyone know when the detailed route is announced. I am specifically interested in the precise route of Stage 18 (ending at Pau) as it looks like it passes close to a friend's house.

    Thanks,

    Pete
    It's not usually available until June
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • peteco
    peteco Posts: 184
    RichN95 wrote:
    peteco wrote:
    Anyone know when the detailed route is announced. I am specifically interested in the precise route of Stage 18 (ending at Pau) as it looks like it passes close to a friend's house.

    Thanks,

    Pete
    It's not usually available until June

    Thanks. I suspected that may be the case.

    Pete
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,137
    ASO have announced that Chris Froome won this year's 'Where are we on the map?' competition

    QG2B4KA.png
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • BigMat wrote:
    Yes, stage 17 looks bananas. 65km including mountains.

    ITT on stage 20 (so not a normal TT) has a steep hill in it (21%).

    Oh great, will we get a red carpet again? :roll:

    You can have a red carpet, but you have to also abide by a minimum bike weight. :roll:

    I just really hope it isn't another Sky superteam pull of Froome for a few weeks. Not to diminish his effort, but they need to figure out how to break the riders down somehow when it comes to all the "powermeter data strategy" stuff.

    I'm some lowly nobody who rides for fun. Since I've bought a meter though, during a non-training ride you can use that thing like a weapon with some of the knowledge that and the computer gives you.

    I'm sure you could devise some routes (or rules or time bonuses) to try to break that trend.

    One thing I really really really don't get is the "same time for the group" thing. I get that a peloton crossing a line at 35mph together only takes a blink of an eye..............but is your ace GC contender REALLY only 3 seconds behind the winning sprinter? I'd think if you timed it to the timing chip that's not the case.

    I understand it's a practical issue, probably. Or maybe a safety issue. But c'mon. How, mathematically, is it possible that the GC leader doesn't gain or lose a single second over 5 straight stages.

    As someone new to watching cycling, I really don't understand that.

    Just give me a route that will make me want to watch it more.
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,069
    One thing I really really really don't get is the "same time for the group" thing. I get that a peloton crossing a line at 35mph together only takes a blink of an eye..............but is your ace GC contender REALLY only 3 seconds behind the winning sprinter? I'd think if you timed it to the timing chip that's not the case.

    I understand it's a practical issue, probably. Or maybe a safety issue. But c'mon. How, mathematically, is it possible that the GC leader doesn't gain or lose a single second over 5 straight stages.

    As someone new to watching cycling, I really don't understand that.

    Can you imagine the carnage if the time awarded was in relation to where you finished in the peloton? Everyone would want to be at the front and the fight for position would be gladatorial. So it's done for practical reasons.
  • andyp wrote:
    One thing I really really really don't get is the "same time for the group" thing. I get that a peloton crossing a line at 35mph together only takes a blink of an eye..............but is your ace GC contender REALLY only 3 seconds behind the winning sprinter? I'd think if you timed it to the timing chip that's not the case.

    I understand it's a practical issue, probably. Or maybe a safety issue. But c'mon. How, mathematically, is it possible that the GC leader doesn't gain or lose a single second over 5 straight stages.

    As someone new to watching cycling, I really don't understand that.

    Can you imagine the carnage if the time awarded was in relation to where you finished in the peloton? Everyone would want to be at the front and the fight for position would be gladatorial. So it's done for practical reasons.

    As I guessed.

    There goes that dumb idea. :D

    I have no more ideas. I'd just like to see the GC leader more vulnerable on non mountainous and non-ITT stages. Maybe more and longer ITT stages is the answer.

    Apples to bananas, but at 8 hours, even Ironman has larger margins of victory versus the Tour's margin over the course of several weeks.

    Just trying to put the margin of victory in perspective. Ironman over 8 hours: several minutes. 86 hours of TdF: 3 riders under 3 minutes back.
  • andyp wrote:
    One thing I really really really don't get is the "same time for the group" thing. I get that a peloton crossing a line at 35mph together only takes a blink of an eye..............but is your ace GC contender REALLY only 3 seconds behind the winning sprinter? I'd think if you timed it to the timing chip that's not the case.

    I understand it's a practical issue, probably. Or maybe a safety issue. But c'mon. How, mathematically, is it possible that the GC leader doesn't gain or lose a single second over 5 straight stages.

    As someone new to watching cycling, I really don't understand that.

    Can you imagine the carnage if the time awarded was in relation to where you finished in the peloton? Everyone would want to be at the front and the fight for position would be gladatorial. So it's done for practical reasons.

    As I guessed.

    There goes that dumb idea. :D

    I have no more ideas. I'd just like to see the GC leader more vulnerable on non mountainous and non-ITT stages. Maybe more and longer ITT stages is the answer.

    Apples to bananas, but at 8 hours, even Ironman has larger margins of victory versus the Tour's margin over the course of several weeks.

    Just trying to put the margin of victory in perspective. Ironman over 8 hours: several minutes. 86 hours of TdF: 3 riders under 3 minutes back.

    Running doesn't have nearly such a big aerodynamic advantage from following somebody else as it's much slower, which is why there's not really complaints about heel-suckers. That changes the tactical situation and tends to mean that the strongest can open up gaps more easily - they're having to put out roughly the same energy as the person behind them. Also, a three week competition introduces a longer-term strategical element to the competition that isn't there in an all-out single day event - albeit one-day races such as MSR also tend to be quite close.
  • gsk82
    gsk82 Posts: 3,439
    if they based times on the times across the line you could add another 30 seconds on to froome's winning margins.
    "Unfortunately these days a lot of people don’t understand the real quality of a bike" Ernesto Colnago
  • dish_dash wrote:
    Cobble stage same day as football world cup final.

    Aren't y'all boycotting the latter cuz it is Russia?


    Yes
  • awavey
    awavey Posts: 2,368
    can I just note La Course is following stage 10 for 2018, but 118km Duignt - Le Grand Bornand instead. and that appears to be it
  • ocdupalais
    ocdupalais Posts: 4,224
    dish_dash wrote:
    The riders dressed in civilian clothes at the route launch always make me laugh...

    sptdw80008_670.jpg

    L-R

    Tech start up
    Broker
    School teacher in East London
    IT support
    Northern cricket fan on a night out
    No idea...

    I'm going Jarvis Cocker - in particular, reminiscent of when he appeared on the Ali G Show and was told he looked like a kiddie fiddler.
  • You can have a red carpet, but you have to also abide by a minimum bike weight. :roll:

    I just really hope it isn't another Sky superteam pull of Froome for a few weeks. Not to diminish his effort, but they need to figure out how to break the riders down somehow when it comes to all the "powermeter data strategy" stuff.

    I'm some lowly nobody who rides for fun. Since I've bought a meter though, during a non-training ride you can use that thing like a weapon with some of the knowledge that and the computer gives you.

    I'm sure you could devise some routes (or rules or time bonuses) to try to break that trend.

    One thing I really really really don't get is the "same time for the group" thing. I get that a peloton crossing a line at 35mph together only takes a blink of an eye..............but is your ace GC contender REALLY only 3 seconds behind the winning sprinter? I'd think if you timed it to the timing chip that's not the case.

    I understand it's a practical issue, probably. Or maybe a safety issue. But c'mon. How, mathematically, is it possible that the GC leader doesn't gain or lose a single second over 5 straight stages.

    As someone new to watching cycling, I really don't understand that.

    Just give me a route that will make me want to watch it more.
    I must admit, there is a part of me that likes the idea of them all being timed to the nearest 1000th/sec like F1, with their absolute times being what counts.

    But then theres a (bigger) part of me that sees what utter carnage this could cause and thinks better of it :D
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,137
    Armstrong's assessment: "Killer route", "Sagan sees this route - stiffy"

    Question: Does the Roubaix stage end in the velodrome? It looks selective enough to make it viable.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • EnacheV
    EnacheV Posts: 235
    Quintana vs Froome

    Nibali is to old and will ship 10 minutes on climbs and TTT+ITT

    Dumoulin is way overrated, a single tour July peak Froome will destroy him in any terrain: climbs, flat ITT, hilly ITT, MTT, whatever.
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 13,200
    October: Cobbles! Yeah!
    After stage 9: *surveys list of destroyed GC ambitions * So unless Froome loses a leg it's 5 Tours. Worst route ever.
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format