Overnight ASO announced the route of the 2014 Tour de France. The first three stage in England had been previously released so this was about what the French stages would look like. There were suggestions the race would encounter the cobbles in the north while paying tribute to the centenary of the first world war. In a hyper media world, there lacked any real surprise over the route as speculation was largely correct. So what does the route look like?
There will be 9 flat stages, 5 hill stages, 6 mountain stages with 5 altitude finishes, 1 individual time-trial stage and 2 rest days.
The race covers the eastern side of France in a clockwise ride. The stages in England are said to fancy the sprinters but there will be some rewards for puncheurs with lumpy stages. A stint in the yellow jersey is also going to ensure a nervy first week as riders fight for position on narrow roads marked on either side by rock fences.
The GC men can lose the Tour in this first week but it wont be until the Vosges and Alps when they think about winning moves. A few stages will take the riders down to the Pyrenees which are short but will prove to be decisive. Stage 19 takes to riders to Bergerac where the next day, the only time trial of 2014 begins. At 54km's its a long one and the climbers will need to have put time into the time trial GC favorites. A scenario akin to Cadel Evans snaring yellow in 2011 in the final time trial could be seen again. As has become tradition, the race will finish in Paris on the Champs Elysées.
Stage 5: Ypres – Arenberg Porte du Hainaut 156kms
In 2010 the Tour visited the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix on a dry dusty day. Fränk Schleck crashed out with a broken collarbone as Thor Hushovd took the win. The nine sections of cobbles all come after 87kms of racing including the well known Carrefour de l’Arbre and Mons-en-Pévèle sections.The penultimate cobble section is the longest at 3.4kms with the others around the 1kms mark in length. This could prove to be a highly selective stage with the classics specialists such as Fabian Cancellara chasing the win while Team Sky try to slow the race and protect Chris Froome.
Tom Boonen has won six stage at the Tour and won the green jersey in 2007. He hasn't ridden the Tour since 2011 and the last grand tour he finished was the 2007 Tour. A battle royale between Cancellara and Boonen would be a wonderful spectacle as the GC men will be concerned with just making it through unscathed.
Stage 10: Mulhouse to La Planche des Belles Filles 161km
With the pure climbers needed to take as much time before the long time trial, Stage 10 could see riders such as Nairo Quintana or Joaquim Rodriguez try to take 10 seconds plus.
Stage 14: Grenoble to Risoul 177km
The stage to Risoul is new to the Tour but with Col du Lautaret and Col d'Izoard in the middle of the stage, when the race arrives at the final 12km climb it may be a very select group. Quintana won a handful of stages while riding the Tour de l’Avenir in 2010 and his knowledge of these roads could see him take the win.
Stages 17 (Saint-Gaudens to Saint-Lary-Soulan 125km) & 18: (Pau – Hautacam 145km)
Both these short stages in the Pyranees will see the final fireworks of the 2014 Tour. Stage 17 takes in four climbs including a summit finish. The brief foray into Spain marks the Tour's international feel with four countries being visited in 2014. While the stage's highest summit is the finish at just over 1600m, this will be an explsoive stage with riders sent up the road for when the GC men attack.
Stage 18 a similarly a short stage with the Tourmalet the main feature of the stage profile wise. The stage finishes atop the Hautacam and the last chance for the climbers to take time before the time trial. While it is 50kms from the summit of the Tourmalet to the finish line, a long descent becomes a sharp ascent of 14kms in length.
Stage 20: Bergerac – Périgueux 54km ITT
Paying homage to Miguel Indurain, the single race against the clock is the first time since 1953 this has occurred. Time trial specialsits like Tony Martin may skip the 2014 race having to wait this long. Cancellara would then be a favourite as the opportunity to take a cobble stage and time trial stage could be a nice addition to success in the spring. While it has been suggested already that Froome will make his move in the time trial to blast away his rival, he showed this year that he prefers to have the biggest buffer between him and second place as possible. A fit Andy Schleck could lead the race till the time trial but his failure to improve in the discipline could hurt him again, likewise Purito.
The five summit finishes is the most since the 2002 edition while in 2011 there was just 42km solo time trial kms. So the route has been announced and in weeks to come the schedules of riders will be made public and speculation will begin over who will win. Froome will be back, Nibali has stated he will target the Tour, Contador will be a dark horse while Quintana could focus on the Giro next year.
But what did the riders think of the race?
There will be 9 flat stages, 5 hill stages, 6 mountain stages with 5 altitude finishes, 1 individual time-trial stage and 2 rest days.
The GC men can lose the Tour in this first week but it wont be until the Vosges and Alps when they think about winning moves. A few stages will take the riders down to the Pyrenees which are short but will prove to be decisive. Stage 19 takes to riders to Bergerac where the next day, the only time trial of 2014 begins. At 54km's its a long one and the climbers will need to have put time into the time trial GC favorites. A scenario akin to Cadel Evans snaring yellow in 2011 in the final time trial could be seen again. As has become tradition, the race will finish in Paris on the Champs Elysées.
What are the Key Stages?
Tom Boonen has won six stage at the Tour and won the green jersey in 2007. He hasn't ridden the Tour since 2011 and the last grand tour he finished was the 2007 Tour. A battle royale between Cancellara and Boonen would be a wonderful spectacle as the GC men will be concerned with just making it through unscathed.
Stage 10: Mulhouse to La Planche des Belles Filles 161km
In 2012 Cadel Evans tried his luck in a select group containing Vincenzo Nibali, Chris Froome and Brad Wiggins. Evans faded as Froome jumped away for his debut Tour stage win. That was the first time the climb had featured in the race and now its back again. With a final ramp of 20% to the finish line, this is first chance for the GC men to put the hammer down and test their rivals legs.
Stage 14: Grenoble to Risoul 177km
The stage to Risoul is new to the Tour but with Col du Lautaret and Col d'Izoard in the middle of the stage, when the race arrives at the final 12km climb it may be a very select group. Quintana won a handful of stages while riding the Tour de l’Avenir in 2010 and his knowledge of these roads could see him take the win.
Both these short stages in the Pyranees will see the final fireworks of the 2014 Tour. Stage 17 takes in four climbs including a summit finish. The brief foray into Spain marks the Tour's international feel with four countries being visited in 2014. While the stage's highest summit is the finish at just over 1600m, this will be an explsoive stage with riders sent up the road for when the GC men attack.
Stage 20: Bergerac – Périgueux 54km ITT
Paying homage to Miguel Indurain, the single race against the clock is the first time since 1953 this has occurred. Time trial specialsits like Tony Martin may skip the 2014 race having to wait this long. Cancellara would then be a favourite as the opportunity to take a cobble stage and time trial stage could be a nice addition to success in the spring. While it has been suggested already that Froome will make his move in the time trial to blast away his rival, he showed this year that he prefers to have the biggest buffer between him and second place as possible. A fit Andy Schleck could lead the race till the time trial but his failure to improve in the discipline could hurt him again, likewise Purito.
The five summit finishes is the most since the 2002 edition while in 2011 there was just 42km solo time trial kms. So the route has been announced and in weeks to come the schedules of riders will be made public and speculation will begin over who will win. Froome will be back, Nibali has stated he will target the Tour, Contador will be a dark horse while Quintana could focus on the Giro next year.
But what did the riders think of the race?
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