It's been a very busy few weeks, I started college and everything around it has been very time consuming but slowly I've found free time once again, and it is the right time to announce my next race, which is one I had planned from the start and am very excited to get it rolling. THE AMERICA CROSSING!
The idea is very simple, the race will go, wait for it, across America you would've never guesses that one right.. Now, America is pretty big, I could literally start anywhere, and I can in theory make lots of variants.. But so far I have only one planned traced out, the race will start in the Maine district and finish in California. Where it will go through, no idea yet..
I also don't have much knowledge about the American roads, the iconic climbs in most of the country, and iconic mid-country sites, etc.. I would love to have some ideas given on where to head/go as it's a much more open project than the previous ones and there's an infinite number of possibilities from where to choose from.
Oh! One last thing.. This will be a marathon-stage packed race.. I want this to be one for the rough men, one where the flat/hilly stages are so demanding they can create bigger gaps then the mountains.. have one like in the old days of cycling where endurance is what counted the most, trying to recreate that special era (everything but the current racing format) in a special way. The race post is coming right below
Presenting the America Crossing, a race of endurance, made for the hard men, where resilience and mental strenght is the key to win.
Stage 1: Portland - Boston
Stage 2: Providence - Poughkeepsie
Stage 3: New York - Wilmington
Stage 4: Baltimore - Washington D.C ITT
Stage 5: Charlotesville - New Castle
Stage 6: Bluefield - Cumberland
Stage 7: Knoxville - Sandy Lane
Stage 8: Chatanooga - Nashville
Stage 9: St.Louis - Columbia
Stage 10: Kansas City - Salina
Stage 11: Limon - Denver
Stage 12: Boulder - Breckenridge
Stage 13: Vail - Larkspur Mountain
Stage 14: Grand Junction - Dove Creek
Stage 15: Grand Canyon - Mingus Mountain
Stage 16: Las Vegas - Victorville
Stage 17: Los Angeles - Santa Monica ITT
Stage 18: Ventura - Gibraltar Road
Stage 19: Fresno - Mammooth Lakes
Stage 20: Carson City - South Lake Tahoe
Stage 21: Sacramento - San Francisco
The race starts off in Portland and follows a flat route to Boston. The second stage to Pughkeepsie should see a more selective sprint to the line, while the 3rd to Wilmington is another easy pan-flat stage. The first big GC moment comes on stage 4, with a 60Km ITT from Baltimore to Washington D.C, finishing by the White House.
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And from stage 5 on the race gains another shape with the Apalaches mountain range on the way of the course. Stage 5 is a warmup but at the same time the real deal, the arrival at Newcastle comes after a full up-and-down stage in the wilderness' main roads, the 295Km will make the final climb feel like a marathon. Stage 6 to Cumberland is the highlight of the Apalaches, the High Knob climb will smash the peloton, the Black mountain climb will run through what is essentially a mountain trail with ridiculously steep gradients that will set the peloton to pieces. And the descent into Cumberland will only see the riders further climbing a steep hill that may kill those already dead-legged. The final run in, stage 7 will feature 2 assive 20Km+ climbs in the middle, and a slight uphill run into Sandy Lane, not as hard as the previous but the fatigue will definetely play a role in this day. Finally, a flatter stage as the riders exit the mountains and into the mainland, for a following rest day and easier roads to follow.
The second week starts in Missouri, goes through Kansas and stops in Colorado. Well, the first 3 stages that is, transitional, pan-flat, ideal for the sprinters who have made it through the rough opening week.
Quickly the rocky mountains make their appearance, featuring two brutal stages. Stage 12 to Breckenridge doesn't present the hardest of finales but it is mountain raid territory, with technical descents and steep climbs in the first bulk of it. Stage 13 finishes up in the Larkspur Mountain near Aspen and will present the first real summit finish, alongside likely the first major differences.
The final two stages of the second week are also transitional, with Utah and mainly Arizona making an appearance. Stage 4 is one for a breakaway for sure, those two climbs are enough to break the sprinters but not the climbers. Stage 15 is the only single-mountain top finish in the race. Although having a 1st category sprint in the midst of it, there is no descending until they reach the finish line in Mingus Mountain.
The final dreadful week starts with a flat stage, followed by a crucial time-trial in Los Angeles and around, going through Hollywood and Beverly Hills, a hilly one, should see some big gaps open.
As we move into the final days in the mountains. Stage 18 finishes in the well-known Gibraltar Road but goes through the Sisar Canyon and Mount Arido climbs which will decimate the peloton. Stage 19 doesnt give much of an opportunity to create gaps, but the 295Km-long mountain slog into Mammooth Lakes is surely gonna drain everyone for the final showdown in the Californian mountains. As stage 20 flows by Lake Tahoe, finishing in the village after having 5000+ meters of elevation in the day, the final opportunity to decide the overall, no energy will be spared.
Finally after crossing the United States the riders got to San Francisco. A big stage, and one surely for a sprinter but one that is adapts well to the short hills and technical streets that will conclude these 21 days of pain. But whoever reaches the finish already is a winner, as this is A race, testing the limits of endurance and resilience.
First actual PCM project from my routes, took a long time to start making them but they are here. I had the basics before starting, and you can visibly see the evolution along the whole race, starting off quite rough and shaky but starting stage 5 they got much smoother. There isn't anything super complex altohugh I did make quite some touches that the Portuguese should know
When I saw last year's route I thought "damn, finally there was a proper route made". I mean it is an amazing country to cycle (outside the main cities, obviously), there is so much to explore, mountain ranges, tons of classic cities, I've never seen the race go through the Aldeias do Xisto, a magical region that sadly severely burned down by fires 1 and a half years ago. Last year a bit of innovation finally, but otherwise, always the same cities, always the same climbs, year after year. But perhaps the most ridiculous is that 11 stages in such a small country, every year there are plenty of regions that have a stage there once every 10 years, which is frankly ridiculous when there is so much potential.
So in this route I covered all bases, every single region of the country has a stage going through it, no 2Km prologue like the organizers love, hilly steep finishes, long multiple-mountain days, and actually not only passing but making vital stages in rarely visited areas.
Begining of the race in the capital, Lisbon. A pretty easy opening stage and the one of the stages the sprinters will deal with.
Spoiler
Setúbal
Into well familiar ground for cyclist enthusiasts, the second stage goes through the Algarve's rolling hills, climbing the Alto da Fóia early on and finishing on the iconic Alto do Malhão, a hard constant up-and-down stage that may create differences in the final pitch. (my pleasure as every single time I raced PCM in the Algarve the climb is just so incorrect, hope the Malhão looks as special as it is.)
Spoiler
Monchique
Alto da Fóia
Aproaching the Alto do Malhão
Final Km in the Malhão
The Algarve is a very important region for Portuguese cycling and tourism is through the roof, the race's only TT, featuring 32Km in the flatland of the Algarve shore going through some of the main cities. The ITT being so early will set the race for what is gonna be a major challenge once the riders head north.
Spoiler
Faro
Algarve flatfields
Tavira
The Alentejo stage if we can call it that, the roads all being from that region. Not as punchy as stage 2 but the riders will face a major challenge with a big ammount of climbing the final part of the stage, finishing on the cliffside village of Marvão in a short but hard climb.
Spoiler
Alentejo's desert-like fields
Portalegre
Start of the Marvão climb
Marvão
Marvão
Return of the sprinters is what we will surely see here, begining by the Fátima sanctuary and a finish in Ovar after hitting the area of the country that provides the most professional riders. A ride through cycling lands.
A beautiful stage, through the northern part of the country. A wide set of climbs throughout the day but the general feeling is a pretty hard day. 2 steep 2nd category climbs and a couple of more, adding to a very technically hard descent for a final peak to the line. This day can easily see big gaps, but the question is how it will be raced, a group sprint is also a good possibility.
Spoiler
Viana do Castelo
Serra da Arada
Vila do Gerês
Starting in the far north the stage returns to sea level. A route through some of the Douro river, rolling but mostly descending terrain on the menu. The stage is fit for the sprinters but having a good hilly punch will definetely help, the stage does have some climbing and the final 2Km present a little drag that can put some into dificulties.
The race finally heads on into the center of the country, and the mountains. Freita, Arada and São Macário, 3 1st category climbs that will make a ferocious stage in terms of everything. A plateau and descent back into São Pedro do Sul where the stage will finish may allow some recovery and union, but the GC men must have their best legs or they will easily loose the race here.
Spoiler
Arouca
Serra da Freita
Frecho da Mizarela
Serra da Arada
São Macário
São Pedro do Sul
Finally the peloton arrives at the Serra da Estrela, the main and most famous mountain of all in the country. The day, massively hard, a slog through the mountain. The first climb of the day is from the mountain's hardest vertent from Covilhã where the stage will later finish, here they will almost go to the top, but then descend. Climb to Penhas Douradas though Seia, and then climb the Glacier Valley of the Zêzere river. A technical descent and some rolling terrain gets the riders back to Covilhã, where they will climb to the city center and sprint in the streets atop a 3rd category climb.
Spoiler
Covilhã
Penhas da Saúde
Cliffs, with the Torre in sight
Torre
Seia
Summit of the Glacier Valley climb
Turn into the Covilhã city center
The queen stage, even through yesterday's mammoth. The Aldeias do Xisto will host the final climbers showdown in what can only be described as a rollercoaster ride. The big ammount of climbs, both steep and long will set it up for the finale. Over the village of Piodão, the least used side, the riders will head up the Colcurinho peak, a brutally steep climb after 4000M+ of climbing in a mercyless day. The only reason why we might see someone smilling is cause they've gone over the final mountains.
Spoiler
Serra do Açor
Village of Piodão with the Colcurinho in the distance
Colcurinho
Colcurinho Summit
Finally some well deserved easy riding. The final stage is just a mere 90Km to compensate for the majority of the race's long stages, and it will be mostly flat, although having a tough pitch finishing only 2.5Km away from the finish. The center cities of Viseu and Coimbra are the proper ones to finish off this amazing and proper bit of riding.
Spoiler
Viseu
Mealhada, with Coimbra in the distance
Nasty incline in the Coimbra city
The GrandÃssima comes to a close by the Coimbra University
I have raced the whole Tour, still I'd love some feedback from you, both in terms of route and AI (although I didnt focus on making it as realistic, but making an exciting route, and from what I've seen it comes across as a very open and exciting race).
Out of curiosity some months later, has anyone tried the race? (btw can a mod pass this thread to PCM18:Stages? As it has actual stages now (2 months ago) I wanted to change )
Jorgerych wrote:
You will do the stages of Volta a Portugal 2019 in Future
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Jorgerych wrote:
You will do the stages of Volta a Portugal 2019?
Possibility, but only if the route is well made which was a sole case last year, plus lots of regions are ignored, hence why my route was so different from the usual. I'll see at the time.
This thread is in graphics - should be in stages. Think maybe they moved it to the wrong place when they moved this into the 18 section. Maybe a mod could move again.
When I created the thread I inserted in graphics cause I was only making routes not stages, only in my last one did I actually make PCM stages out of it, I wish I had the time and patience to do all of them tho
Colombia GT has been made some time ago, I'll make a brief presentation when I can. In the meanwhile, I'll also make a Vuelta a Las Canarias, on the iconic Spanish Islands
The Grand Depart takes part in Brussels, the opening stage goes through it's historic center, and coming out of Bruxels it goes through the small towns of Meise, where Merckx built the factory in which Eddy Merckx Bycicles began, those that are currently used by the AG2R team, and also by Zellik, where later he moved the company, that to this day hosts the headquarters of the iconic bike brand.
Starting in Brussels, the race heads south via Normandie and Loire and will ride along the massif central for two hilly stages before a team time-trial. After that the race will come down to the Pyrinees for two stages in the high mountains, will have a transition through the mediteraneen with two flat stages before a hard day in the Nice region, and after another flat stage comes the Alps, two stages purely in the main Alpine center and the queen stage in the Jura mountains. A time-trial will follow in Besançon before the final mountain stage in the Vosges. It's a climbers Tour, despite some long ITT kilometers there are big mountain stages where the climbers can really play into their advantage.
Stage 1, the Grand Depart in Brussels, land of Eddy Merckx. The start of the stage takes place in the Brussels' historic center, and goes through Meise, the town where he created Eddy Merckx Cycles, and also Zellik where later the company was moved, and to this day has it's headquarters, the bike brand currently is one of the big names in cycling manufacturing and supplies bikes for example for the AG2R team.
Pra-Loup was a turning point in Eddy Merckx's career, after being punched by a "fan" in the previous stage to Puy-de-Dôme, Merckx set out for stage 15 of the 1975 Tour in the yellow jersey, and suffering from the consequences of the injury that left him with an inflamed liver, it was in the climb to Pra-Loup that he cracked, was overtaken by his rivals and lost the Yellow jersey. Pra-Loup was the last climb Merckx ever did in the Maillot Jaune, hence why it's nicknamed the place of "Le Tombeur du Cannibale"
Stage 17 brings the race to one of the biggest cycling centers of the Alps in the Maurienne valley, but before the Galibier will be climbed via the Lautaret. And in what will be a very short stage, the Croix de Fer will be climbed with it's start in Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, one of the least convential sides.
Stage 18 is the queen stage, flowing around the Jura mountains, a full mammooth stage in the mountains including some of the region's most iconic climbs. Part of the Alps but in the Jura, the Mont du Chat, Mont de Semnoz and Grand Colombier will be climbed, but there are even more climbs in the way to Bellegarde-sur-Valserine, in a day that will be both the longest with 246Km and the stage with most climbing, with 6200 meters of climbing.
Stage 19 is the final time-trial of the race, it's a rolling 37.6Km challenge, not easy at all but not one for the GC men. It features a bit of climbing in it's early part and then returns to Besançon.
Stage 20 is the final point where the Tour can be decided. The race came north into the Vosges where the weather can become dreadful, and goes through some of the most iconic climbs of the region in another shark-tooth profile day. The Grand Ballon, the Petit Ballon, the Platzerwasel and the Ballon d'Alsace are some of the climbs that really show some of the best of the final mountain range in the race.
Stage 8 brings another Eddy Merckx reference, it's where in 1971, he was in contention to win his 3rd Tour but had a rough start to the second week. It was here in Albi where he won a time-trial, and in the next day he got the Yellow Jersey back from Luis Ocaña who abandoned, and kept it all the way to Paris. Stage 16 finishes in Pra-Loup, it was a turning point in Eddy Merckx's career, after being punched by a "fan" in the previous stage to Puy-de-Dôme, Merckx set out for stage 15 of the 1975 Tour in the yellow jersey, and suffering from the consequences of the injury that left him with an inflamed liver, it was in the climb to Pra-Loup that he cracked, was overtaken by his rivals and lost the Yellow jersey. Pra-Loup was the last climb Merckx ever did in the Maillot Jaune, hence why it's nicknamed the place of "Le Tombeur du Cannibale". And the final climb of the race, the summit finish in Ballon d'Alsace is the place where in 1969 Eddy Merckx won his first ever Tour stage and began there a legacy, he set up for the win in his debut Grand Boucle that set up for 4 consecutive Tour wins.
This race features:
8 sprint stages (spread around the race and country)
3 hilly stages (all with slight uphill finishes)
7 mountain stages with 5 summit finishes
2 ITT's total of 64.6Km and a TTT of 33.2Km
2 lumpy stages in Massif Central, 2 in Pyrinees, 1 in Côte d'Azur, 2 in the Rhône-Alpes, 1 in the Jura and 1 in the Vosges. At least a stage in every mountain range and main cycling region.
you would've never guesses that one right.. Now, America is pretty big, I could literally start anywhere, and I can in theory make lots of variants.. But so far I have only one planned traced out, the race will start in the Maine district and finish in California. Where it will go through, no idea yet..
