Tour route 2020

2

Comments

  • salsiccia1
    salsiccia1 Posts: 3,725
    Salsiccia1 wrote:
    We saw in this year's Vuelta what having selective mountain stages does to the race early on.

    Do you mean a solo mountain raid on the final day of proper racing? Or teams having to force a selection in crosswinds to claw back time?

    I mean the fact that the top 5 was almost fixed from early on, just the order to be sorted and the winner almost guaranteed by mid-race. Yes there was some good racing but virtually all the threat to Roglic came from Movistar shithousery.
    It's only a bit of sport, Mun. Relax and enjoy the racing.
  • Stage 18 looks good – Roseland from Meribel, Saisies, Aravis, Glieres

    https://www.letour.fr/en/stage-18

    Stage 17 finish going to make it even more selective. It's a killer.

    EG6dKduXUAED8hH.jpg:large
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • amrushton
    amrushton Posts: 1,249
    This is like a gift for the Froome/Bernal combo and Roglic with a strong Jumbo squad. Cant see Bardet coping - maybe Pinot. Dumoulin likes those TT miles so it would be a slog fest for him imo
  • Salsiccia1 wrote:
    Salsiccia1 wrote:
    We saw in this year's Vuelta what having selective mountain stages does to the race early on.

    Do you mean a solo mountain raid on the final day of proper racing? Or teams having to force a selection in crosswinds to claw back time?

    I mean the fact that the top 5 was almost fixed from early on, just the order to be sorted and the winner almost guaranteed by mid-race. Yes there was some good racing but virtually all the threat to Roglic came from Movistar shithousery.

    That owed more to the poor selection of GC guys rather than the course though.

    In the Tour, with about 14 teams having a GC guy and strong support, a selective course won't be as selective as at the Vuelta
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,243
    AndyRAC wrote:
    With a massive 36km of ITT-ing and uphill, it will be interesting to see what Dumoulin decides; Tour or Giro/Vuelta double - and leave the Tour for Roglic?
    As is the recent norm, a pretty poor amount of TT kilometres - the ASO are petrified certain teams/riders will dominate; so put as least in as possible.

    Dumolin did not join Jumbo to do any other race than the Tour.

    You must remember how big the Tour is in the Netherlands. Gigantic doesn't cover it.

    The Dutch over on CN agree with Andy and don't think Dumoulin will be at all interested in tackling this route.

    Nuts.
  • inseine
    inseine Posts: 5,786
    Term1te wrote:
    inseine wrote:
    Final stage starts a 15 min ride from my house :) They started Paris-Nice there a few years ago.

    A rideable distance from my house too :D

    I'll buy you coffee
  • DeVlaeminck
    DeVlaeminck Posts: 8,719
    Salsiccia1 wrote:
    Salsiccia1 wrote:
    We saw in this year's Vuelta what having selective mountain stages does to the race early on.

    Do you mean a solo mountain raid on the final day of proper racing? Or teams having to force a selection in crosswinds to claw back time?

    I mean the fact that the top 5 was almost fixed from early on, just the order to be sorted and the winner almost guaranteed by mid-race. Yes there was some good racing but virtually all the threat to Roglic came from Movistar shithousery.


    Surely it was the TT that killed the GC - it was very close up until then. I said as much at the time and others argued opening up time gaps would force attacking racing. Not revisiting that debate but early mountains certainly didn't fix the GC for the duration.
    [Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]
  • blimey I reckon that's going to be a seriously exhausting tour. looks good it gets my royal seal of approval.
  • Ed F
    Ed F Posts: 79
    Stage 18 looks good – Roseland from Meribel, Saisies, Aravis, Glieres

    https://www.letour.fr/en/stage-18

    Stage 17 finish going to make it even more selective. It's a killer.

    EG6dKduXUAED8hH.jpg:large

    Yes, that last 5k is really tough. I did it in the summer after the road had just opened.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,243
    Close racing isn't necessarily exciting.

    What makes for exciting racing are changes in form over three weeks.

    Dropping riders left and right in week one but getting dropped in week two is twice as exciting as hanging on in there within a few seconds for two weeks.
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    Close racing isn't necessarily exciting.

    AMEN brother
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • Mad_Malx
    Mad_Malx Posts: 4,993
    Ed F wrote:
    Stage 18 looks good – Roseland from Meribel, Saisies, Aravis, Glieres

    https://www.letour.fr/en/stage-18

    Stage 17 finish going to make it even more selective. It's a killer.

    EG6dKduXUAED8hH.jpg:large

    Yes, that last 5k is really tough. I did it in the summer after the road had just opened.

    Did you manage it after the 16km warm-up? I'm impressed regardless - I'm exhausted just looking at that profile.
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 16,646
    Would like to see at least one big set piece climb.

    this has alaphilpe podium written all over it.... frankly I think he hasn't got the ride in him again.
    "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
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 16,646
    Stage 18 looks good – Roseland from Meribel, Saisies, Aravis, Glieres

    https://www.letour.fr/en/stage-18

    Stage 17 finish going to make it even more selective. It's a killer.

    EG6dKduXUAED8hH.jpg:large


    fffing aida that hasn't got alaphilpe written all over it
    "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
  • dodgy
    dodgy Posts: 2,890
    Looking forward to this, also we have already booked our usual accommodation in Samoens next year, and it's a shortish flattish ride to watch the end of stage 18 in La Roche-sur-Foron.

    I'm happy :)
  • m.r.m.
    m.r.m. Posts: 3,312
    Pfff Alaphilippe! Clearly Richie Porte is the all out favorite for this! Will be ahead by 3 min and then fall off on stage 20. :wink:
    PTP Champion 2019, 2022 & 2023
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 21,741
    edited October 2019
    Would like to see at least one big set piece climb.

    How big is big?
    What about the Grand Colombier?

    158.gif

    Or then there is this finish on stage 6:

    tdfrance2020b-06.jpg?x52306

    Heck, they are climbing the Col de la Madeleine from a new direction to get to that monster the Col de la Loze finish on stage 17.
    Which probably means it will be this:

    MadeleineSW.gif

    If these don't define big, I don't know what else France has to offer that can top them.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • Anyone familiar with the Montee de la Selle de Fromentel on the Grand Colombier stage? Trying to work out the route of the stage so I can book some accommodation, but can't find where it is.
  • Anyone familiar with the Montee de la Selle de Fromentel on the Grand Colombier stage? Trying to work out the route of the stage so I can book some accommodation, but can't find where it is.


    Seems I was reading the Tour site wrong, or rather their description is wrong.

    Here is the profile with the Montee de la Selle de Fromentel. It is a steep one.

    tdfrance20b-colombier.jpg?x52306
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,243
    Would like to see at least one big set piece climb.

    How big is big?
    What about the Grand Colombier?
    Unless I am reading the site wrong, they are climbing it 3 times from 3 different directions.
    We only know that the last ascent is this one and it is probably the easiest:

    158.gif

    Or then there is this finish on stage 6:

    2207.gif

    Heck, they are climbing the Col de la Madeleine from a new direction to get to that monster the Col de la Loze finish on stage 17.
    Which probably means it will be this:

    MadeleineSW.gif

    If these don't define big, I don't know what else France has to offer that can top them.

    I guess I mean more old fashioned MTFs
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,137
    On this course Alaphilippe has a good shot at the Green Jersey
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • Seems I was reading the Tour site wrong, or rather their description is wrong.

    Here is the profile with the Montee de la Selle de Fromentel. It is a steep one.

    tdfrance20b-colombier.jpg?x52306

    Thanks Blazing, just what I was looking for. Went for a place in Aix les Bains, think that will be perfect.
  • cal_stewart
    cal_stewart Posts: 1,840
    Could see a non sprinter win in Paris
    eating parmos since 1981

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  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 16,646
    Could see a non sprinter win in Paris
    Sagan has to fancy it
    "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
  • davidof
    davidof Posts: 3,032

    Here is the profile with the Montee de la Selle de Fromentel. It is a steep one.

    tdfrance20b-colombier.jpg?x52306

    I've ridden that, it is like life in the middle ages: nasty, short and brutish.

    You come around a left hand bend in the woods and then suddenly the road is like "whoa nelly" - several hundred meters of uber steep climbing, so steep you get wheelspins if you stand or have trouble keeping the front wheel down.
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  • awavey
    awavey Posts: 2,368
    so its the hardest tour route ever...but no mention of La Course ? tucked away in the presentation, again :roll: and missed by most of the assembled press it seems, the ASO in their infinite munificence have taken the 2020 La Course back to Paris...on July 10th when the men will be riding around the Massif Central instead. though the ASO have said they might move it to the same day as the final stage, but arent sure.

    at least Annemiek van Vleuten has called it out as a glorified crit race which she says she really has no interest in competing in and that shouldnt be on the world tour calendar, as neither should the Ride London classique fwiw imo for the same reason.
  • awavey wrote:
    so its the hardest tour route ever...but no mention of La Course ? tucked away in the presentation, again :roll: and missed by most of the assembled press it seems, the ASO in their infinite munificence have taken the 2020 La Course back to Paris...on July 10th when the men will be riding around the Massif Central instead. though the ASO have said they might move it to the same day as the final stage, but arent sure.

    at least Annemiek van Vleuten has called it out as a glorified crit race which she says she really has no interest in competing in and that shouldnt be on the world tour calendar, as neither should the Ride London classique fwiw imo for the same reason.

    Annemiek van Vleuten is part of the problem.
    She's simply several classes apart for any race she really targets.
    But yeah, the ASO and the UCI boss cut from the same cloth when it comes to the development and promotion of women's cycling.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • gsk82
    gsk82 Posts: 3,439
    The ASO don't care about women's cycling and that's their prerogative. They aren't going to put on a 3 week women's tour, so can't win.
    "Unfortunately these days a lot of people don’t understand the real quality of a bike" Ernesto Colnago
  • davidof
    davidof Posts: 3,032
    gsk82 wrote:
    The ASO don't care about women's cycling and that's their prerogative. They aren't going to put on a 3 week women's tour, so can't win.

    Unfortunately la Course caused calendar conflicts in 2017 with the Route de France feminine (yes there already was a ladies' Tour de France). In 2018 the race had virtually no interest and the organizers have given up. No point in forcing ASO to do the same, if they could make money on it, I'm sure they would. Maybe they lack vision.

    It is a shame but it needs someone to find a market for it, as it is supposed to be professional sport.
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  • awavey
    awavey Posts: 2,368
    davidof wrote:
    gsk82 wrote:
    The ASO don't care about women's cycling and that's their prerogative. They aren't going to put on a 3 week women's tour, so can't win.

    Unfortunately la Course caused calendar conflicts in 2017 with the Route de France feminine (yes there already was a ladies' Tour de France). In 2018 the race had virtually no interest and the organizers have given up. No point in forcing ASO to do the same, if they could make money on it, I'm sure they would. Maybe they lack vision.

    It is a shame but it needs someone to find a market for it, as it is supposed to be professional sport.

    but it doesnt have to be a 3 week race, or a 2 week race or anything complicated like that to begin with,it just needs to be something that makes it not feel like youve been given just the paddling pool to play in, whilst the grown ups are off swimming in the olympic size competition pool.

    the ASO dropped Flèche-Wallone and Liège-Bastogne-Liège out of Women’s World Tour in 2020 because they wouldnt provide the UCI required 45 minutes of live TV coverage from the two events to qualify, yet are prepared to set that up to run in Paris whilst running their biggest event of the year at the same time in a different location !?! and which channel is going to show the coverage at the same time as theres a live TdF stage in progress.