From Denmark to the Pyrenees via the cobblestones of the North and the Alps, this Tour de France 2022 promises to be thrilling. The fight between Primoz Roglic, Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard but also the French Romain Bardet, David Gaudu and Thibaut Pinot will keep the public on the roadside in suspense, like the millions of viewers around the world. It must be said that, with its very rhythmic route and stages rarely reserved for sprinters, this Grande Boucle leaves little respite for runners. Too little, right?
For Alexandre Bardin, columnist for Le Gruppetto, this Tour 2022 presents in any case several originalities. “It’s a course that is already not common, since there is a gap between the first three days of racing and the return to France, something that, from memory, has never happened. What we notice is that the flat stages reserved for sprinters are few in number, in favor of the hilly stages, which can appeal to adventurers. It is also the return of the cobblestones, which had not changed the face of the Tour during the last two passages (2015 and 2018). »
.@LeTour 2022 has just revealed its route! ��♀️ On the program: a stopover from @dunkerque and a 100% northern stage linking @lillefrance to @WallersArenberg. The plot of the
It’s this first week of racing that puts a lot of teams and riders on alert. It could create irreversible gaps if the Tour favorites are not vigilant, especially with unpredictable weather conditions, as Alexandre Bardin points out: “The first week offers race finishes that can trap. We can mention the stage of the bridge in Denmark, the outcome of which will depend on the direction of the wind, that of the cobblestones in the North or even the dynamic final of Longwy. If the elements get involved, the first two can be very perilous. But imagine that crossing the bridge in the second leg finale is headwind? It could be a wet squib. In the same way on the Tour, the cobblestones are not apprehended as on the classics. There is a leader to protect, the logic is to defend more than to win. “Caution will therefore be required within the peloton and the headliners.
The director of the Tour de France, Christian Prudhomme, had in any case explained, last October for L’Équipe, the principles of this route which does not favor sprints. ” I assume. When Mario Cipollini won four bunch sprints in a row in the 1990s, everyone was happy. Today, that’s not possible anymore, society has changed, everyone would be wondering, “What the hell is this?”… We are changing too. A priori, there will therefore be six finishes for pure sprinters. We have favored hill finishes to offer the most enthusiastic runners the opportunity to express themselves and liven up the race. A desire to give a new dynamic to the queen event of cycling, by reducing the hollow moments and increasing those which provide spectacle. This goes hand in hand with the Netflix documentary project that will cover this edition of the Tour.
We think back to what an exclusion from the Tour because of Covid would constitute an economic and sporting disaster. (Jérôme Pineau, manager of B
As far as the mountains are concerned, this 109th edition promises great moments with several summit finishes, like the Granon-Alpe d’Huez pass sequence on July 13 and 14. Then, after the Alps, the two Pyrenean stages will serve as a justice of the peace with the climbs towards Peyragudes and Hautacam. Repeated efforts far too heavy for the runners? “I don’t think this course is more demanding compared to other editions,” says Alexandre Bardin. We rarely exceed 200 kilometers and the mountain stages remain wisely around 150 kilometers. The endurance sector will be little used. »
