It’s bizarre to think that you could write about three potentially decisive stages of a Tour de France and none of them are in the Alps or Pyrenees, but with this 2014 route, that’s exactly what’s possible.
In July, there are only two days in the Alps and an intense triple-header in the Pyrenees in the final week, but with these parcours, we can’t be certain the final destination of the yellow jersey will be decided by then.
Why? Because there’s a time trial on the penultimate day and, unlike last year’s 33 kilometre, this one goes for 54km and mostly over false flats.
But more about that later, because there’s a lot of road to travel over before the delights of a race against the clock can be considered.
Once away from three days in England, in particular the Liege-Bastogne-Liege style parcours of stage two from York to Sheffield, the peloton begin the clock-wise lap of France.
As the race heads into Belgium, one of three ‘foreign’ countries le Tour will visit next year, stage five will take centre stage.
With 15.4km of cobbles broken up into nine sectors, the riders are already talking about it.
Heaven only knows what Frank Schleck is thinking, after he crashed out when the race was last here in 2010.
All the cobbles the peloton will rattle over on July 9 were a part of last year’s Paris Roubaix, but in some cases, the race will travel in the opposite direction.
The longest sector is the penultimate one (140km), between Wandignies and Hamage, covering 3.7km.
As yet the sectors haven’t been rated for difficulty, but given some of the pave has been renovated, the ratings will have a different context anyway.
The first sector on this 156km stage between Ypres and Arenberg Porte du Hainaut comes at 87km and lasts for 1100m.
Gruzon au Carrefour de l’abre was a two star sector in this year’s Paris-Roubaix but was longer than it will be in July.
Sector two is a 1400m stretch at 96km, before sector three hits at 103.5km (1100m).
Sector four, 1400 m is at 110km and then there’s 14km of respite before sector five at 125.5km.
The second longest pave section of 2.4km comes at 131km and barely are the riders over it than the bones are set for another 1400m rattle at 135km.
The final sector begins at 149km and lasts for a testy 1600m.
As is often said in cycling, you won’t win a race on a day like this but you can easily lose it.
Defending champion Chris Froome is not alone in being a Tour heavyweight with basically no experience on cobbles.
“I haven’t done much on the cobbles, it’s going to be a challenge,” he told Cyclingnews at the Tour route presentation in Paris.
“It’s something we’re going to have to look at specifically but I don’t think I’m any worse than Nairo Quintana or Alberto Contador on the cobbles.
“I probably wouldn’t be able to follow the likes of Fabian Cancellara or Tom Boonen but as long as I’m within reach of the GC riders, it’s an exciting challenge to take on.”
Thor Hushovd won the cobble stage of the 2010 TDF, on a day when Alberto Contador did quite well until he had a mechanical problem and lost 20 seconds in the final two kilometres.
But as Contador told Cyclingnews, he isn’t best pleased about a return to the rocky roads.
“On the cobbles you can lose everything, the risk of crashes, mechanical problems with bikes, you don’t know what will happen.”
Depending on the weather, we can be certain on at least one occasion the peloton will be in a frenzied rush to reach the most crucial sectors of pave ahead of as many riders as they can. That’s when the fun starts.
Five days later, immediately before the first rest day, the peloton will tackle what many are saying will be an epic stage in this the 101st edition.
On Bastille Day no less, which always adds to the sense of occasion and drama, this final day in the Vosges Mountains features six categorised climbs before the final ascent to La Planche de Belles Filles.
Six of these climbs are first or second category ‘bergs and some will hit more than 15%.
Throw in a summit finish at the end of 223km and the picture becomes a little clearer.
On paper, none of the climbs look too daunting.
The Firstplan (722m) is an 8.3km ramp averaging 5.4%. They hit that after 30km.
Next is the Petit Ballon (1163m, 9.3km at 8.1%) at 54.5km.
Platzerwasel… typical of the names in this very Germanic part of France, rises barely 1200m above sea level, but is still a 7.4km climb at 8.4%. Ouch!
The Odern follows at 77km, before the Col des Odern at 104.5km.
The Col de Croix (692m) comes at 125km, while the Col de Chevreres (914) features a 14.9% section in its average 9.5% incline.
Des Belles Filles tops off the day.
Chris Froome won when the Tour last visited in 2012. On that day, Froome smashed Cadel Evans and helped put teammate Brad Wiggins in yellow.
Make no mistake, with the road to des Belles Filles, having sections at 11%, 13% and right at the end 20%, this is a day for the pure climber. Time gaps established here will be hard to recover.
Fast forward ten days and we arrive in Bergerac for the 54km individual time trial to Perigueux.
This stage honours five time Tour winner Miguel Indurain, who won here in 1994 when the race was held in the opposite direction.
It’s a day of false flats and, given the inevitable fatigue that will be there on the penultimate day of a grand tour, the GC will certainly be turned upside down.
As Chris Froome told Cyclingnews, “If you look at this year’s 30km ITT and the time gaps we had then, you can just imagine what time gaps will be like on a 54km ITT. The gaps could be quite substantial.”
Alberto Contador, who finished only nine seconds shy of Froome and second in this year’s ITTs, agrees.
“The last TT is very long and there’ll be big differences,” the Spaniard told Cyclingnews.
To refresh your memory, on both this year’s ITTs at the Tour, more than 1:50 separated the top 10 riders.
In 2012, the equivalent ITT over 53km saw Brad Wiggins beat Chris Froome by 1:16, with Luis Leon Sanchez next at 1:50 and Peter Velits fourth at 2:02.
So, three key stages and not an Alp or Pyrenees between them.
1987 champion Stephen Roche says this route is a “soft one”, while Chris Froome argues it’s “well balanced”.
It is unusual to not see an Alpe D’Hue, a Ventoux, a Gallibier, a Madeleine or Glandon, but to have such an intriguing route without those monuments only shows the true quality and beauty of this race.
Just 252 sleeps to go.
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