2009 Tour de France route

[Eldrack]

Well, seems to me like this route is being massively over hyped already. As a committed cynic I'll be more in line with Guncha's view of this.

The stages in the pyrenee's are a pile of ****, two of them won't really do anything to the top 20 and since the stage to Arcalis only has one (small) climb before the moutain top finish time differences will be small as the climb isn't particularly selective.

Then we settle into a long series of transitional stages, great for breakaways, no good for the spectacle of the whole thing unless the teams decide to throw the standard rulebook out the window (like they tend to do in the Giro) but since this is Le Tour that won't happen.

Finally we hit the alps and the first stage to Verbier suffers from not having any hard climbs before the finishing one and since the climb to Verbier is once again not that hard no big time differences will be seen here (for an idea of what it's like look at last years TdS stage to Verbier).

Then there's the stage with the two Bernards in it, both of which are great climbs but with such a long down hill afterwards, well, the mountains are great to look at even if the racing only elimantes a couple of the top 15 contenders.

Stage 17 looks interesting to me, lots of cat 2 and cat 1 climbs, should encourage some attacking at least, this to me looks like the most interesting stage. Then we have ITT (yawn) transition stage (yawn) and finally Ventoux which is always a great climb to watch but I might have fallen into a coma by this point.

Only hope for the route is if some of the transitional stages do what the Giro has done over the past few years and put short sharp finishing climbs at the end to make sure the teams have to properly race the last 40k rather than leave it up to the sprinters to finish things off. And hopefully the intermediate stages will be designed to encourage lots of breakaways but I suspect not.

So I reckon the Giro will be the most exciting race to watch next year, as it always has the best route.

 

[classic1]

Only hope for the route is if some of the transitional stages do what the Giro has done over the past few years and put short sharp finishing climbs at the end to make sure the teams have to properly race the last 40k rather than leave it up to the sprinters to finish things off. And hopefully the intermediate stages will be designed to encourage lots of breakaways but I suspect not.

So I reckon the Giro will be the most exciting race to watch next year, as it always has the best route.

I've been saying that **** for years.

 

[RdBiker]

Well, seems to me like this route is being massively over hyped already. As a committed cynic I'll be more in line with Guncha's view of this.

The stages in the pyrenee's are a pile of ****, two of them won't really do anything to the top 20 and since the stage to Arcalis only has one (small) climb before the moutain top finish time differences will be small as the climb isn't particularly selective.

Then we settle into a long series of transitional stages, great for breakaways, no good for the spectacle of the whole thing unless the teams decide to throw the standard rulebook out the window (like they tend to do in the Giro) but since this is Le Tour that won't happen.

Finally we hit the alps and the first stage to Verbier suffers from not having any hard climbs before the finishing one and since the climb to Verbier is once again not that hard no big time differences will be seen here (for an idea of what it's like look at last years TdS stage to Verbier).

Then there's the stage with the two Bernards in it, both of which are great climbs but with such a long down hill afterwards, well, the mountains are great to look at even if the racing only elimantes a couple of the top 15 contenders.

Stage 17 looks interesting to me, lots of cat 2 and cat 1 climbs, should encourage some attacking at least, this to me looks like the most interesting stage. Then we have ITT (yawn) transition stage (yawn) and finally Ventoux which is always a great climb to watch but I might have fallen into a coma by this point.

Only hope for the route is if some of the transitional stages do what the Giro has done over the past few years and put short sharp finishing climbs at the end to make sure the teams have to properly race the last 40k rather than leave it up to the sprinters to finish things off. And hopefully the intermediate stages will be designed to encourage lots of breakaways but I suspect not.

So I reckon the Giro will be the most exciting race to watch next year, as it always has the best route.

Good points. I would have wanted harder mountain stages too. Is it just my memory failing on me or were the mountain stages harder in the "old days" (beginning of this decade)?

 

[slovakguy]

i'm throwing my lot in with those that would like to see the removal of team radios. allow for a grand mistake or a leader that allows himself to get isolated or chasing the wrong break. get the decision makers back on the bicycle and out of the team car.

 

[phillop]

an interesting route, would have liked to have had a mountain tt or the bourg st marice stage to have gone to les arcs would have improved it a huge amount. i am a bit disapointed in the lack of difficult mountain finishes, verbier and arcalis dont look to hard at all. but maybe the lack of difficult finishes will encorage more attacking thou?
only really two mountain stages where there is a chance of big time gaps appearing? ventoux and le grand bornard?

 

[guncha]

an interesting route, would have liked to have had a mountain tt or the bourg st marice stage to have gone to les arcs would have improved it a huge amount. i am a bit disapointed in the lack of difficult mountain finishes, verbier and arcalis dont look to hard at all. but maybe the lack of difficult finishes will encorage more attacking thou?
only really two mountain stages where there is a chance of big time gaps appearing? ventoux and le grand bornard?

The more I look at this route the less I like it. It starts to remind me crappy routes of recent Vueltas. For instance, the trademark of the most recent Vuelta was that they had Angliru but apart from that mountaintop finishes of 1st or 2nd cat difficulty without any other hard climbs.
Mont Ventoux is the only highest category climb in stages which are designed for GC battles! Finish at Les Arcs were a must at this tour after two Bernards!
The route of TDF 2009- the worst GT route ever?

 

[Rolfrae]

The more I look at this route the less I like it. It starts to remind me crappy routes of recent Vueltas. For instance, the trademark of the most recent Vuelta was that they had Angliru but apart from that mountaintop finishes of 1st or 2nd cat difficulty without any other hard climbs.
Mont Ventoux is the only highest category climb in stages which are designed for GC battles! Finish at Les Arcs were a must at this tour after two Bernards!
The route of TDF 2009- the worst GT route ever?

I still think it has been designed to give more of a chance (and more confidence) to the breakaway (French) riders. And because the main mountains are so far from the finishes any breakaway (French) rider that gains time in a break is more likely to be able to hold onto that time through the mountains that follow. I think this is a good thing and I'm looking forward to it. I think throwing in an excess of hard mountain stages (and summit finishes) would only have played into the hands of Astana and I think ASO knew that when they devised this route.

 

[Eldrack]

The more I look at this route the less I like it. It starts to remind me crappy routes of recent Vueltas. For instance, the trademark of the most recent Vuelta was that they had Angliru but apart from that mountaintop finishes of 1st or 2nd cat difficulty without any other hard climbs.
Mont Ventoux is the only highest category climb in stages which are designed for GC battles! Finish at Les Arcs were a must at this tour after two Bernards!
The route of TDF 2009- the worst GT route ever?

There's a damn good reason that Contador won the Vuelta on time bonuses... the route just wasn't selective enough for him to get serious time on his opponents. People only really dropped down the standings when they cocked up like Valverde. So unless we get some radically aggressive tactics in this years Tour it's going to suck balls. Really they should let me design the route, oh yes, then we'd have some really interesting stages.

Edit: Les Arcs or La Plagne after the two Bernards would have been totally awesome.

 

[jonjungel]

Mont Ventoux is the only highest category climb in stages which are designed for GC battles! Finish at Les Arcs were a must at this tour after two Bernards!

I agree that a finish at Les Arcs would have been way cool. I think, however, that stage 17 will produce some serious time-gaps. It's not a mountain-top finish, but the two finishing climbs are steep and close to the end.

 

[poulidor]

The route was chosen to open the race, more contenders can win and doping will be a less factor.
Harder the route is or with many final climbs, the most doped riders are promoted!

 

[guncha]

The route was chosen to open the race, more contenders can win and doping will be a less factor.
Harder the route is or with many final climbs, the most doped riders are promoted!

Dopers dope to win. They don't dope because the race is hard. Crappy route only takes away the excitement from the race.
One day racer who would, for instance, won a stage to Trabes will not become a contender because of that...

 

[guncha]

The comparison of GC mountain stages (with at least one H.C. per stage or the set of at least two 1st cat climbs near finish) over the last years:

2009: Mont Ventoux (H.C.)
Four cat 1 or cat 2 climbs + Colombiere (1st)

2008: Tourmalet (H.C.)+Hautacam (H.C.)
Agnel (H.C.)+Nevoso(1st)
Lombarde(H.C.)+ Bonette(H.C.)
Galibier (H.C.)+Croix de Fer(H.C.)+Alpe d'Huez(H.C.)

2007: Roseland (1st)+Hauteville(1st)+Tignes(1st)
Iseran (H.C.)+Galibier(H.C.)+arrival at sharp hill
Pailheres(H.C.)+Plateu de Beille(H.C.)
Three 1st or 2nd cat climbs+Bales(H.C.)+Peyresourde(1st)
Larrau(H.C.)+Pierre-Saint-Martin(1st)+Marie-Blanque(1st)+Abisque(H.C.)

2006: Tourmalet(H.C.)+Aspin(1st)+Peyresourde(1st)+Potillon(1st)+Beret(1st)
Izoard(H.C.)+Alpe d'Huez(H.C.)
Galibier(H.C.)+Croix de Fer(H.C.)+La Toussuire(1st)
Three 1st or 2nd cat climbs+Joux Plane(H.C.)

2005: Roseland(1st)+Courchavel(1st)
Pailheres(H.C.)+Bonascre(1st)
Five 1st or 2nd cat climbs+Pla d'Adet (H.C.)
This tour also finished at sharp climb of Mende and had a boring stage with Madeleine (H.C.) and Galibier (H.C.).

2004: Aspin(1st)+La Mongie(1st)
Four 1st or 2nd cat climbs+Plateu de Beille(H.C.)
Alpe d'Huez (H.C.)
Glandon(1st)+Madeleine(H.C.)+two 1st or 2nd cat climbs+Croix-Fry(1st)

2003: Galibier(H.C.)+Alpe d'Huez(H.C.)
Pailheres(H.C.)+Bonascre(1st)
Four 1st or 2nd cat climbs + Peyresourde(1st)
Aspin(1st)+Tourmalet(H.C.)+Ardiden(H.C.)

2002: Aubisque (H.C.)+La Mongie(1st)
Four 1st or 2nd cat climbs+Plateu de Beille(H.C.)
Mont Ventoux (H.C.)
Galibier (H.C.)+Madeleine(H.C.)+La Plagne(H.C.)

I might continue like that forever but I couldn't find such a dull GC stages for the last 25 TDFs.

P.S. I've finished my post with the route of 2002 when Mont Ventoux was used for the last time. It think the comparison of those two routes shows why the route of 2009 is ****...

 

[Eldrack]

Dopers dope to win. They don't dope because the race is hard. Crappy route only takes away the excitement from the race.
One day racer who would, for instance, won a stage to Trabes will not become a contender because of that...

Have to agree with this. A harder route doesn't mean more dopers, it just means the time differences between the dopers and the non-dopers are larger (makes targeted testing easier ). Take Basso's Giro win for example, lots of dope, big time gaps. Had it been an easier race he still would have won, just by less.

Hard routes lead to epic racing and more people cracking which as a rather sadistic fan I enjoy. Not that I wouldn't go out there and ride the route myself but I just don't have the money.

 

[Andrija]

Cut the **** with that "crappy route" ****.
This kind of route should provoke tactical race and some surprises. There's not much opportunities to make the difference so every opportunity must be taken. Also, GC contenders will have to be very cautious and on top of their form through entire race.
And again, route itself doesn't make race exciting... There wasn't much excitement in Basso's Giro victory in 2006 and the route was exceptional.

 

[guncha]

And again, route itself doesn't make race exciting... There wasn't much excitement in Basso's Giro victory in 2006 and the route was exceptional.

I'll disagree with that because of the example of Sastre. In final week of Vuelta 2007 he was better than Menchov but the climbs were quite easy. Therefore, I think Menchov wasn't seriously tested in Vuelta 2007. In Tour 2008 it was different and perhaps Evans were the champion if some of hard climbs were absent... I believe that the route should have certain level of difficulty to ensure exciting racing...

 

[phillop]

i just hope that some of the "plain" stages have difficult finishes wich will stop bunch sprints and perhaps open a few time gaps, we no barcelona has a finish like this, any more? im not impressed with the route so far, but if they can make more exciting finishes

 

[Anticyclone]

If Andy Schleck continues to progress then this may be a good course for him? Low time trial miles anyway, and his CSC team should do well in the team time trial. Team to watch in that could be Garmin who may want to repeat their Giro TTT win - with Wiggins, Millar, vandevelde, Zabriskie they should do a good time and any of these could take yellow afterwards. I bet they are aleady scoping the route out and doing some calculations

 

[poulidor]

All stages along Mediterranee would be windy, so the race would be hard, everyone would want to have their leader in front to avoid to lost time in breakaway.
Until the end of Pyrenees, it will be difficult for everyone.
Issoudun, Saint Fargeau, Vittel and Besançon would be the other stages for sprinters.

 

[guncha]

i just hope that some of the "plain" stages have difficult finishes wich will stop bunch sprints and perhaps open a few time gaps, we no barcelona has a finish like this, any more?

You might be disappointed because according to Velonews (see link below) Barcelona finish will the only finish of such type. It says final climb will be 1,7km long. Maybe someone has information of the percentage of this climb?
http://www.velonews.com/article/84502/2009-tour-will-reward-consistency-team-strength

 

[Geoff Vadar]

Cut the **** with that "crappy route" ****.
This kind of route should provoke tactical race and some surprises. There's not much opportunities to make the difference so every opportunity must be taken. Also, GC contenders will have to be very cautious and on top of their form through entire race.
And again, route itself doesn't make race exciting... There wasn't much excitement in Basso's Giro victory in 2006 and the route was exceptional.

I agree with this completely.