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2015 Tour de France Route Revealed
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| roturn |
Posted on 15-04-2015 21:28
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The Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a Espana 2015 routes got revealed in past weeks. Now it`s up to the biggest of all stage races to present the route. The Tour de France is without any question the most important stage race in cycling and when looking on the podiums of the MG Tour history you see, that only top top riders stay on the highest steps.
| Year | 1. | 2. | 3. | | 2014 |  A.Schleck |  Pluchkin |  Spilak | | 2013 |  Madrazo |  Cunego | A.Schleck | | 2012 | Cunego | Madrazo | Pluchkin | | 2011 | Spilak |  Dekker |  Popovych | | 2010 |  Fothen |  Devolder | Spilak | | 2009 | Devolder | F.Schleck |  Gadret | | 2008 | F.Schleck | Di Luca | Valverde | | 2007 | Moreau |  Vinokourov |  Leipheimer |
Also you will realize that so far no rider was able to win more than one edition. Except for the gigantic huge Luxembourg country, even there was never a country getting a 2nd win. So the Schleck brothers might be the biggest GC stars ever in this race with a win and another podium each.
From todays biggest stage racers we see Giro dominator Cunego also in the winner list and next to the Schlecks also Spilak and Madrazo. So one name is surely missing: Pluchkin was 3rd in 2012 and 2nd in 2014, but (so far) he never was able to win and the question is if he is going to try again in 2015?
Also the French riders are under pressure. Since the opener in 2007, where Moreau was on the highest step (and Gadret`s 3rd in 2009) the home Nation is waiting for another podium here. Last year all eyes were on their biggest hope Romain Sicard but the time he needed to get to his best, the others have used to improve and extend the gap even more. So right now it`s not looking good for them. Eventually until younger prospect Lecuisinier is ready to shine here.
With so many GC riders on the FA market, it`s impossible to get a proper idea of a possible startlist just yet. So there are lots of questionmarks. Will Schleck defend his title and become the first rider ever to do this?
Can Pluchkin win his first TdF? Are Madrazo and Spilak coming back to France? First to prove his 2013 form instead of his 2014 fail and 2nd to get his 4th podium (the most of all riders!).
And last but not least. Can Thomas Dekker finally win the Tour de France?
The Grand depart 2015 will be in Bern, Suisse. With the improved cycling in this region (UBS, Vontobel, Actavis), it was time to start here.
It starts with a short 7,2km prologue in Bern, where the specialists fight for the first Maillot Jaune. Also the 2nd stage stays in Switzerland and goes mainly flat from Zürich to Bregenz and offers a first of quite a few chances for the sprinters. It`s the fight for yellow in between sprinters and prologue riders.
It takes until the 3rd stage and also not immediately until the peloton heads towards France. It starts in one of Germany`s biggest cycling regions in Freiburg and after the first KoM of the race in the Massif des Vosges it`s going to be another sprinter opportunity in Epinal.
To the anger of the Bretagne and most of West France actually, the race goes South already and does not visit the Western half of France really. From Epinal we get more sprinter battles and it seems as if the race itself won`t only have a huge GC start list but also a great sprint competition. After a stop in Besancon, where the sprinters though need to show some first "climbing" legs in the end, the next stage to Bourg-en-Bresse is also interesting for the KoM hunters.
So after 5 days the sprinters and pure prologue specialists should be high in the GC for the last time.
The first GC fights will be seen in the Massif Central. On 2 days the first attacks should be expected. The harder one leads from Lyon to Les Estables. A Cat.1 and HC climb wait for the riders but as the finish is behind the last climb after a descent, it might not be the best chance for a huge selection. Also the next stage from Le Puy to Aurillac could very well lead to a bigger favourite group coming to the finish together. It might be a good opportunity for a breakaway actually. A nice amount of KoM points on the route could see another change in this ranking and after the 6th stage seveal riders should have a good gap already and might no longer be seen a risk for the Maillot Jaune.
First opportunity to rest a bit. After the first climbs we are back to the flat stages for the sprinters. First with a length of 128km also one of the shortest. Most fast men should be fresh enough still to fight for 2 more stages. The question is if the flat stages are being shared or if 1-2 dominators are seen in those sprint finishes. With the amount of flat stages a dominator could actually have a fair chance for a big gap in the sprinter jersey fight. From Aurillac to Cahors and further to Toulouse it continues the South direction towards the Pyrenees.
The first mountain top finish are coming in the Pyrenees in the ski region Gavarnie. If the Central Massiv was not selective enough, this double climb on the 10th stage should finally see the biggest GC favourites showing themselves. The 11th stage from Pamiers to Borderes-Louron already finishes the short trip to the French-Spanish border. It could eventually prove the form of the GC riders or show a one-time-wonder and see some riders dropping in the GC.
Stages 12-15 are a mix of breakaway and sprinter material. In theory a strong sprinter can go for all four stages. More likely though the first two are more chances for breakaways or even the GC riders want to fight for it.
There is no question though that the stages 14 and 15 are good chances for the sprinters to defend their point jersey ranking. From Digne to Marseille and Marseille to Nimes the peloton is in the South-East of France and slowly heading towards the Alps.
So far it was a very sprinter friendly GT with only a few chances to change the GC a lot. The last week though has a lot to offer for an exciting finish. First three Alps stages. First might not be the hardest climb but it`s going uphill almost the whole day for more than 200km. The finish in Orcieres could see lots of selection.
With the Giro and Vuelta visiting France this year, it`s no surprise to see the Tour de France visiting Italy for two days. First stage from Gap to Pragelato goes over 3 difficult climbs and ends in a descent finish.
The 18th stage couldn`t be much tougher. From Bussoleno it`s going over two HC climbs and then finishing on a short climb in Les Deux Alpes not far from Alpe d'Huez actually.
If you are asking yourself, where the time trials are or that the mountains so far looked a bit too easy for very big gaps, then the next two stages might answer this.
So far the prologue was the only time trial kilometers. And also the 19th stage is just offering 33,4km of the individual fight against the clock. Half of it on a downhill as well. So it`s a very friendly race for the mountain goats and weak time trialists.
Stage 20 then is without any question the hardest of this years edition. From Allemond the riders go North and immediately have a HC climb ahead of them. And just having done this one and being in the valley, the next HC climb waits for them. This is enough already you think? No way. After some lower slopes it`s going up again to a Cat.1 climb. And it`s still not over yet as the final climb up the Mont Bisanne is the 4th big climb of the day. Surely one of the hardest stages all year for the pro peloton and a worthy stage to end the GC fight here. A stage to win or lose it all. So no matter the gaps. Until stage 20 the GC is everything but secured.
Last years 20th stage was also one of the hardest and it saw the reincarnation of Madrazo, who came in solo with a huge gap to the rest. Surely this stage offers another opportunity for big gaps.
The final stage with the usual Champs Elysees finish offers a 2nd highlight with the start at Versailles.
Last year a couple of sprinters made it over the mountains with Leigh Howard proving by far the strongest in Paris. With the tough 20th stage it needs a lot of energy for them to make it inside the time limit. But all sprinters left at this point get the last chance to win a stage or even still fighting for the green jersey.
So this Tour de France route might be a good one for sprinters with good climbing legs actually.
In total the 2015 Tour de France has several opportunities for the sprinters but also stages for the best climbers. With the small amount of time trials, it`s a perfect course for the mountain goats. Is it actually the perfect route for Andy Schleck to defend his title? More than possible. Madrazo, Spilak, Pluchkin & Co. surely want to stop him from doing that though.
In short this route offers
2 ITT (40km in total)
9 flat
4 hill (1 uphill finish)
6 mountain (4 MTF)
Huge credits to tethestar12, who created most of the stages |
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| SportingNonsense |
Posted on 15-04-2015 21:31
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After a couple of seasons of the GTs generally suiting different riders, I deliberately picked routes this year so that the Giro and TdF would be pretty similar. Hopefully will lead to some interesting planning decisions for teams!
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| valverde321 |
Posted on 15-04-2015 21:34
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World Champion
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Really like this route. Starts off nicely for the stage hunters but we do get a bit of a teaser mountain stage in the first week. Not many TT kms is also probably better for us, and that queen stage looks brutal. It will definitely come down to the final week.
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| Scorchio |
Posted on 15-04-2015 21:40
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Another excellent GT design for Man-Game 2015. Look forward to spectating on the various sprint and mountain battles served up.
Following SN's comment, the split of TT's across the 3 GTs also indicates that a certain type of rider will potentially be most interested in La Veulta - expecting some really interesting start-lists across all 3, perhaps more mixed around than normal!
Manager of ISA - Hexacta in the MG |
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| alexkr00 |
Posted on 15-04-2015 21:40
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SportingNonsense wrote:
After a couple of seasons of the GTs generally suiting different riders, I deliberately picked routes this year so that the Giro and TdF would be pretty similar. Hopefully will lead to some interesting planning decisions for teams!
Easy - send Brambilla to both of them 
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| jph27 |
Posted on 15-04-2015 21:50
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Reelly like this route - suits pure climbers and stage hunters, which is exactly what my team will likely rely on. Great job SN, roturn and tethestar12  |
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| knockout |
Posted on 15-04-2015 21:59
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Grand Tour Champion
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Very interesting routes for All three GTs. Will be quite interesting to see how the startlists are looking.
This tour route promises a very close GC fight until the last stages with the decision likely being delayed to the epic mountain stage to the Mont Bisanne. Nice!
A Big Thank You To All MG Reporters! |
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| cio93 |
Posted on 16-04-2015 01:32
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A few interesting stages for Demare, no clashes with major PCT races, and there's practically no way any pure sprinters will make it to Paris...should I give it a try?
Nah, probably not going to, if there only was no Trofimov/Ponzi/Phinney etc. around...but if I have the spare money, a late night fateful decision might be in the cards.
Edited by cio93 on 16-04-2015 01:37
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| Bjartne |
Posted on 16-04-2015 06:21
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Starting in Bern, cool.
Stage 20 should be massive. Hope there is some kind of suspense in regards of the yellow jersey during that stage. Looks good! |
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| Ad Bot |
Posted on 22-11-2024 16:23
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| Avin Wargunnson |
Posted on 16-04-2015 06:43
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Fantastic presentation roturn, but to be honest i am not so happy about the route, as it is second GT purely for mountain goats and there will be no interesting race planning,as all the complete stage racers will head to Vuelta, rest will choose both Giro and Tour or one+week long races.
That 20th stage looks insane. 
As with every other GT route presented, we dont have many rider who can do something, so we need to buy them. 
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| ggDonovan |
Posted on 16-04-2015 08:24
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The question isn't who's gonna win, the question is who's gonna be at Champs Elysees!
Cool route and very nice presented Roturn
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| roturn |
Posted on 16-04-2015 09:23
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Avin Wargunnson wrote:
Fantastic presentation roturn, but to be honest i am not so happy about the route, as it is second GT purely for mountain goats and there will be no interesting race planning,as all the complete stage racers will head to Vuelta, rest will choose both Giro and Tour or one+week long races.
That 20th stage looks insane.
As with every other GT route presented, we dont have many rider who can do something, so we need to buy them.
And there starts the interesting race planning, doesn`t it? 
Would it be smart for all riders going to Vuelta only finishing 15th only when you could finish 5th normally?
Hence with some managers eventually not trying to go to the other two GT`s, some managers could get a better than expected result there and go the risk.
Plus TdF is giving more points than the other two GT`s.
So lots of planning possibilities. |
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| Avin Wargunnson |
Posted on 16-04-2015 09:42
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roturn wrote:
[quote]Avin Wargunnson wrote:
Plus TdF is giving more points than the other two GT`s.
Oh, i was not aware of that.
And yes, once you will start thinking too much, there is ton of possibilities, but i tend to send riders to races according to their abilities, not worrying much about competition, as i see it only as best was to overthink that and failing. In the end, it is just about luck anyway, cos you cant judge 20 leaders and their schedule.
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| Heine |
Posted on 16-04-2015 12:30
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Interesting route. The sprinters will be having a nice time, and then BOOM! Here comes the climbing.
Interesting to see, I can see many teams sending sprinters to fight for early stage wins.
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| sgdanny |
Posted on 16-04-2015 12:32
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Great preview Even though I'm not gonna participate, surely it will be fun to watch from the sideline
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| Crommy |
Posted on 16-04-2015 23:17
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Holy shit, that last mountain stage
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| wackojackohighcliffe |
Posted on 17-04-2015 08:44
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Tough route that, great to see Gavarnie, superb climb, specially up above Gedre.
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| ember |
Posted on 18-04-2015 07:53
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That stage 20 to Mont Bisanne... If the sprinters make it throug there, I don't know what to say
Lots of opportunities for the fast men the first 15 stages though, which makes me think a lot of the greatest of them in the Pro Tour will show up.
Thinking of the GC guys, I fully expect Schleck to show up to try to defend his win, and the route should suit him very well.
And thanks both to tethestar12 for making the route and roturn for putting it together!
Edited by ember on 18-04-2015 07:54
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| Miguel98 |
Posted on 18-04-2015 08:00
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That thing is a monster, and it should not be killed with fire.
It should be a hell of a Tour, with lots of mountains. Better pray for decent AI. |
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| roturn |
Posted on 18-04-2015 08:01
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ember wrote:
That stage 20 to Mont Bisanne... If the sprinters make it throug there, I don't know what to say
Lots of opportunities for the fast men the first 15 stages though, which makes me think a lot of the greatest of them in the Pro Tour will show up.
Thinking of the GC guys, I fully expect Schleck to show up to try to defend his win, and the route should suit him very well.
And thanks both to tethestar12 for making the route and roturn for putting it together!
Well. SN made most work deciding the route. I only decided those 4 stages that come from other variants.
So kudos to SN mainly. |
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