[thalasso]

In 2013, it'll be the 100th edition of TdF.
A start in Corsica and Mt-Ventoux are in the plans
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/2013-tour-...tart-in-corsica

I'd like to see:
- Mt-Ventoux and Alp d'Huez stages in the same race
- A TTT stage in Marseille
- A ITT in the final stage in Paris
- Prologue in Corsica
- A stage along Cote d'Azur with a finish in Monaco

[Steve in ATL]

Everyone on steel single-speed fixed gear bikes with no brakes and no outside support for one stage.

[Burkni]

In 2013, it'll be the 100th edition of TdF.
A start in Corsica and Mt-Ventoux are in the plans
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/2013-tour-...tart-in-corsica

I'd like to see:
- Mt-Ventoux and Alp d'Huez stages in the same race
- A TTT stage in Marseille
- A ITT in the final stage in Paris
- Prologue in Corsica
- A stage along Cote d'Azur with a finish in Monaco

A kick-off in Corsica has been top of my wish list for quite some time now. I just hope they stay for a few stages. Corse is actually the one province of France never visited by the Tour.
After that, the Puy de Dome (impossible) or some other selective stage through the Chaine des Puys, a big climbing stage in the Lozere, a long, rolling TT in Champagne-Ardenne ... As for the more orthodox stuff, howzabout a queen stage to Val Thorens?

[thalasso]

A kick-off in Corsica has been top of my wish list for quite some time now. I just hope they stay for a few stages. Corse is actually the one province of France never visited by the Tour.
After that, the Puy de Dome (impossible) or some other selective stage through the Chaine des Puys, a big climbing stage in the Lozere, a long, rolling TT in Champagne-Ardenne ... As for the more orthodox stuff, howzabout a queen stage to Val Thorens?

Very nice!

[VdB]

A detour through Ávila!

Just kidding!

What i'd like to see: bonus seconds back in the race, return of the combiné jersey, no +200 km stages, no unnecessarily long transfers, and a few Giro-like hilly stage spicing up the first week!

I'll second Burkni's Puy-de-Dôme idea, too! Oh and a proper use for the Ballon D'Alsace!

[Burkni]

A detour through Ávila!

Just kidding!

What i'd like to see: bonus seconds back in the race, return of the combiné jersey, no +200 km stages, no unnecessarily long transfers, and a few Giro-like hilly stage spicing up the first week!

I'll second Burkni's Puy-de-Dôme idea, too! Oh and a proper use for the Ballon D'Alsace!

Aaah the Ballon d'Alsace ... I say that if there can be a stage finish atop the Ventoux, so can there on the Ballon. Trouble is that the Vosges climbs are a tad shallower than the Alps or Pyrenees on the whole, meaning that to have a selective stage there you need distance (220-230km) and preferably climbs that come non-stop all day long. The same probably applies to any other hilly area - Lozere, Beaujolais, Massif Central in general ... the Jura is almost the Alps and you can find some huge climbs there, such as the Grand Colombier (similar to the Tourmalet on paper I think) so I really don't see why they don't use that area more.

Today's peloton is just so ridiculously evenly matched that you need something huge to amplify the differences - just look at Cav's win at Bourgoin-Jalieu at this year's TdF, smack after a Cat-2 climb!!!

[The Rake]

I'd like them to go back to Chaumeil. Not sure why it stuck in my mind but I remember Martial Gayant winning a stage there in 1987 and remember it being a fascinating end to the stage - a long climb on a flat stage. He took the yellow jersey from Charly Mottet.

Did like the prologue in London, but a bit of a daft transfer from/to Corsica....

Would love to see Puy de Dome back

[weezy]

team time trial
bonus seconds
a real mountain stage (on mountain bikes!)

[fab]

Would love to see Puy de Dome back

Puy de Dome is gone... the road is now used by a train. So no more racing on it.

[OAR]

Everyone on steel single-speed fixed gear bikes with no brakes and no outside support for one stage.

wool kits?

How about they all get to wear tubes around their necks just for the style of it all?

[Burkni]

Looks like they are serious about the Corsica kickoff, and I for one have butterflies in my stomach at the mere thought of it.
Having never actually been to Corse but quite a bit of a map and topography junkie and have checked this area out quite a bit. My thoughts:

• The roads are probably quite narrow in many places, so there will be crashes, sadly. Road works will definitely be a promise from Corse authorities to the ASO as part of the deal.
• There are some really high mountains on the island, although probably none suitable for a proper summit finish, which would hardly be needed in the first week anyway. Some tricky and hard stages with dense, smaller climbs can easily be designed.
• The transfer by ferry ranges from 5:20 to 6:15 hours to Nice and Toulon, depending on which port it leaves on the island, so that is nothing insurmountable. Riders would probably travel by plane anyway. ASO are no doubt waiting to see how the Giro does next year with its short stage and consequent non-rest day transfer from Holland to Italy, over 1000kms. I think a kickoff in Ajaccio would make the most sense and then gradually work the race northwards. 3 days should be an absolute minimum in the area, less than that simply wouldn't be worth the transfers.
• Any which way you lay it out, it will be spectacular. Bring it on!!

[Burkni]

All but confirmed here.

[Burkni]

Confirmed here.
No ifs, no buts, just a spectacular start to the race. Can't wait.

[The Rake]

Burkni, on 24 November 2011 - 11:15 PM, said:

Confirmed here.
No ifs, no buts, just a spectacular start to the race. Can't wait.

Hoping that they are plotting a monster of a race to counter the rather tame effort next year. Prudhomme has hinted at such previously. Also, please please please don't cop out and run a couple of jolly flat stages on this beautiful and mountainous island!

[Burkni]

The Rake, on 25 November 2011 - 09:17 AM, said:

Hoping that they are plotting a monster of a race to counter the rather tame effort next year. Prudhomme has hinted at such previously. Also, please please please don't cop out and run a couple of jolly flat stages on this beautiful and mountainous island!

Three stages, not sure if there will be a prologue.
Fist stage flat, from Porto-Vecchio to Bastia.
Second stage from Bastia to Ajaccio, hillier but probably ending in a sprint.
Third stage hilly, between Ajaccio and Calvi with quite a few cols. (Sensible setup to take the ferry from Calvi which is closest to the mainland)

[The Rake]

http://www.cyclingne...corsican-stages

Burkni called it right. First stage flat (no prologues), followed by two lumpy stages. Hopefully the lumpy stages will whittle down the field and prevent the nervousness and crashes that punctuated the race this year in the absence of a prologue time trial

[Burkni]

They should have done lumpy first, flat later.
In my mind, the contest for the yellow jersey should never be mixed with pure sprint stages, no matter how safe. That means that EVERYONE wants to be up there.

Edit:
After creating profiles for the second two stages, I think both will be contested by sizeable groups.
Stage two peaks at around 1000m at some 50km from the finish line and all downhill from there, some of which is undoubtedly quite fast. Even so, a well-organized chase by a strong sprinter's team should make mincemeat of any gaps at the top. Total vertical gain is around 2000m.
Stage 3, interestingly enough, has more elevation gain than stage 2 due to its constant up-and-down nature, even though the climbs are shorter. Last climb tops out at around 400m, 20km from the finish line (Bocca di Marsolinu). Topography indicates that escapees will have to battle a headwind if the Mistral is blowing, which is frequently does.
If the pure sprinters have been left behind, I would pick (out of the current peloton) a Hushovd or a (then returned) Valverde for the win here.

So in summary, three possible sprinters' stages on tap, with the expected size of the peloton dimishing in more ways than one each day

This post has been edited by Burkni: 06 December 2011 - 03:31 PM

[Burkni]

Velowire is probably the most reliable rumour mill for future Tour de France layouts. They just published their latest speculations over the 2013 edition and here are the would-be choiciest morsels:

• Kickoff in Corsica (already formally published and discussed)
  
• Short TTT in Nice
  
• Seemingly traditional transfers across the south coast, westward bound
  
• No Pyreneen details yet
  
• A foray into Bretagne with an ITT to the spectacular Mont Saint-Michel (pictured below). There are actually many sites of this name in Bretagne but it has to be the real thing. This is actually a TdF dream of mine ... really hope this is true.
  
• Mont Ventoux (!)
  
• Alpine stages including the Alpe d'Huez
  
• Sub-Alpine ITT before Paris

Apart from chucking the Alpe d'Huez and Ventoux into the same race (can't remember that being done - Mapeifan?) ASO really have some juicy cuts on the menu with Corsica and Mont Saint Michel ... Now we only have to hope 2013 will be slightly more exciting than 2012

Mont Saint-Michel.

[mapeifan]

Burkni, on 12 September 2012 - 11:42 AM, said:

Apart from chucking the Alpe d'Huez and Ventoux into the same race (can't remember that being done - Mapeifan?)

They've been in the same parcours three times.

First time was back in 1952, with Coppi winning on the Alpe after 260 kms. Robic lost several minutes due to a puncture and a long wait fora team car. Later in the race, Robic was first over the Ventoux (it wasn't a stage finish).

Next was 1987 with JF Bernard winning a TT stage up the Ventoux and two stages later, Echave winning the Alpe stage.

In 1994, big man Eros Poli hauled himself first over the Ventoux on the way to his stage win into Carpentras. Conti was third on that stage. On the next stage, Conti won on Alpe d'Huez.

In the Tour, tThe Ventoux has been climbed 14 times, but only 8 as the stage finish and two of those were individual TTs. Alpe d'Huez has been climbed 27 times, one of those was an individual TT.

[Leafcake]

Burkni, on 12 September 2012 - 11:42 AM, said:

[*]A foray into Bretagne with an ITT to the spectacular Mont Saint-Michel (pictured below). There are actually many sites of this name in Bretagne but it has to be the real thing. This is actually a TdF dream of mine ... really hope this is true.
[...]
Mont Saint-Michel.

Thanks of reminding one of the beauty in this world!

The other day when I read this, could not resist a lengthy Google excavation at the expense of sleeping hours (so details are not forthcoming ).

At prox one sq km and with some 50 inhabitants, the island is a bit “big” for the Tour caravan, (though there is a handy parking space at its feet) so an ITT makes sense. Also, not sure how high one could go with a road bike, as some of the paths appear to have stairs in them (?).

Found this album with lots of stunning Mont-Saint-Michel pics:
http://www.fotocommu...isplay/29014794