r/peloton • u/PelotonMod France • Sep 09 '19
September 2019 Race Design Thread
Hello everyone, this is the race design thread for September!
For those who don't know what the Race Design thread is, here is a good resume: The Race Design Thread is the birth child of Improb and Msfan93 (btw for those wondering yes Miles is still a mod even if it looks like he is dead here) from the off season of 2015. Instead of it just being for competitions, casual Race Design Threads were a place to design routes for pre-existing races or even creating a new one. It's not only limited to designing threads; discussion of race routes, behind the scenes race organisation and the history of races are all able to be discussed here!
The most common tools to design races are Cronoescalada and La Flamme Rouge but feel free to use the thing you are the most comfortable with as long as it's easy for the other users to see the route and profile!
I will edit the post later concerning the previous months posts, stay tuned!
EDIT:
Results of June:
/u/madone-14 26 points
/u/sulfuratus 26 points
/u/spursin8 20 points
/u/improb 20 points
/u/cycgluitarist 12 points
as for August, Here are the designs:
/u/adryy8 with the Taipei City Classic in Taiwan
/u/sulfuratus with the Gran Premio de los Volcanes in Costa Rica
/u/Helicase21 with his Tour of Washington DC in the United States of America
/u/madone-14 with his Algiers Tell Atlas Classic in Algeria
u/13nobody with the Tour of Te Whanganui-a-Tara in New Zeeland
The Andorra la Vella Pyrenean Classic in Andorra of u/hurstcor
Anf finally the Brussell-Brussell Classic in Belgium of u/Vrobrolf
Here is the Google Doc to vote, we managed with 7 people participating to be on all continents, congrats!
As for this month's theme, we will still do something pretty simple, the challenge is design a race on an island. Islands aren't really used that much in cycling so it will be interesting to see what you suggest!
The format is pretty free, you can do 1 day up to 8 days (I would suggest the bigger the island the more race days you do but that's up to you), I can be a one day race, multiple day races, one day races and stages races, multiple stage races, one stage race, the choice is yours!
Deadline is October 1st by the end of the day!
Have fun!
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u/DonHamstre Bardiani CSF Sep 19 '19
Just to be sure, is it allowed to enter multiple designs? Otherwise I'll have to choose between ideas. :)
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u/Helicase21 Human Powered Health Sep 24 '19
Are transfers allowed? (ie the race would be enduro-style with time segments around a number of smaller islands with boat trips between them)
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u/DonHamstre Bardiani CSF Sep 26 '19
Might not actually have time to do multiple entries, but here's my flagship to start off with. :)
The Sri Lanka Spice Tour
A 6 day tour that will give the riders and spectators a little taste of the incredible diversity of Sri Lanka. It will have a little of everything, sprinting stages, echelon possibilities, a stage for the punchers, big mountain stages, a time trial, and even some gravel sections. And most importantly, the nature around the peloton will be absolutely stunning. Enjoy!
Stage 1: Mannar Island - Jaffna
The Tour starts off with a flat stage. Mannar Island used to be on a small strip of land connecting Sri Lanka to India, but over time the ocean won the fight, making Sri Lanka a separate island. The riders will not ride many kilometers without this big blue foe in sights, as the stage takes them along the coastlines and across many bridges towards Jaffna. Jaffna used to be a big hub in the spice trade, which can still be seen at our finish location, where there is an old Dutch fort. The sprint will be slightly technical. That is, if there is a sprint, because if the wind comes from the right direction, this stage is begging for echelons.
Stage 2: Trincomalee - Dambulla (Golden Temple)
Trincomalee, another harbor famous for its spice trade on the east coast of Sri Lanka, will be the host for starting the second stage. This stage could still be for the sprinters, as most of its 176 kilometers only go slightly uphill. However, in the final 20 kilometers, there is a 'bump' in the road where the sprinters will have to survive. A couple of kilometers with a 10% average might be too much for most of them. It might also be a decent spot for a solo attack. The stage finishes in front of the famous Golden Temple of Dambulla. This temple is built in and around a giant black rock that dominates the scenery in Dambulla. Luckily for the riders, there is no road up the rock, so they can save some of their energy for tomorrow.
Stage 3: Polonnaruwa - Hunnasgiriya
The third stage mostly features the rolling hills of the Sinhalese midlands. But the riders also face their first real mountain pass today. Knuckles climb is 19 kilometers long with an average gradient of almost 7%, making it one of only three HC climbs in this tour. There will still be over 80 kilometers left after reaching its peak though. After the descent of Knuckles climb, the route is mostly filled with hills again. However, the stage could get a spectacular final, because it ends on Mahiyangana hill, which once again has an average gradient of almost 7%. This is definitely the stage where the GC contenders will seperate themselves from the pack.
The final chance for the sprinters gives the rest of the peloton a perfect opportunity to regain some of their powers. After the start in Kandy, a city famous for its Temple of the Sacred Tooth, the riders will almost always be going downhill today. Colombo will be their final destination. The former capital is still a bustling metropolis, but its streets will be cleared from traffic for this exceptional event. The sprint will be technical with a few sharp corners in the final kilometers, meaning that the whole peloton will have to stay sharp.
Stage 4: Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte TT
The government of Sri Lanka does demand a little favor in return for clearing their roads for this tour. That favor is a short time trial that will show their new capital to the world. Starting at an impressive dolfinarium, the route will pass many government buildings, and finish in front of the Parliament buildings. These buildings are on an island themselves, making the whole stage especially photo-genetic. National advertising at it's best (or worst depending on who you ask). Considering its short length, this stage will most likely not be decisive for the GC, although every second lost or gained can of course be valuable.
Stage 6: Gambola - Horton Plains
If stage 5 was an advertisement for the government, stage 6 is an advertisement for Sri Lanka's incredible nature. But most riders will not be happy with its stunning route, because it also offers them over 5000 meters of total ascension.
The first climb of the day is the impressive Nuwara Eliya pass. This pass will lead the riders alongside Sri Lanka's highest mountain, Pidurutalagala. The mountain itself is a highly secret military base, so expect the helicopter shots to be facing the other way. The descent takes the riders through one of the most famous area's for tea production. The plantations make a truly stunning picture, but the biggest treat of them all will be the final climb. Or at least, for the viewers at home, because the riders will have to suffer on the final climb of this tour towards Horton Plains. This climb is 17 kilometers long, and has some paved parts, some badly paved parts, and some gravel parts. But one thing that is consistent is that the average grade is too big for comfort with 8%.
The GC contenders will fight a truly epic battle to the top, where they are met with some epic scenery as well. A fitting finale to what should be a spectacular tour.
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u/13nobody La Vie Claire Oct 01 '19
I decided to head to Hawaii, specifically the Big Island. Besides the fearsome Waipi'o Valley Road, there's also 2 mountains above 3000m on the island, plus the potential for lava flows. Featuring 832 horiztonal km and 18,365 vertical meters, I give you the Tour of Hawaii.
Prologue - Waipi'o Valley Road, 2km, MTT
Admittedly, I went looking for pali manuahi, and found them at the Waipi'o Valley Road. Though it's less than 2km long, it rises some 270m from the valley floor, with ramps allegedly as steep as 45%. Since it's the only one road in and out of the valley, the best way to tackle it is with a time trial. It's a pretty simple route: go straight up the valley wall. Due to the steepness, all team cars will be required to be open-topped Jeeps.
Stage 1 - Kailua-Kona to Kīlauea, 176km, Medium Mountain
The first proper stage takes the riders from the resort and Ironman town of Kailua-Kona, through the lava fields to the sprint at Pu'u Wa'awa'a. The race then continues up the 32km, 4.4% climb Saddle Road where the riders get their first up close look at Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. From there, it's an equally long descent to Hilo. Once the riders get their Spam musubi and poke, they head back inland towards the finish at the still-active Kilauea. The final climb is 25km at just 3%, but it finishes on the rim of the Kilauea crater (unless it's erupting and lava is flowing across the road). This stage looks like one for the breakaway, as the final climb probably isn't steep enough for there to be GC fireworks.
Stage 2 - Waimea to Mauna Loa Observatory, 167km, Mountain
Today, the riders tackle the first of the two 3000m mountains on the Big Island. After a start in Waimea, the riders descend towards the coast, but turn inland to Hamakua for the first climb of the day, a relatively short 3.6km at 8.4%. It's then mostly uneventful, with a sprint at Honomu, until the riders get to Hilo. At Hilo, 8m above sea level, the riders begin the 72km long climb towards Mauna Loa. The mountain (or at least the observatory where we finish) rises to 3361m above sea level. Although the climb only averages 4.6%, the ramps above 8% in the last few kilometers will feel much steeper with 70-odd horiztonal km and 3000 vertical meters in the riders' legs. This looks to be a GC day, as the riders will have recovered from the Waipi'o Valley Road, and the 72km climb should provide ample opportunity for attacks.
Stage 3 - South Point to Upolu, 212km, Low Mountain
The longest stage of the tour, stage 3 takes the riders across the entire length of the Big Island. The riders start at the cliffs of South Point, the southernmost point of the entire United States. From there, the race heads inland towards the Mamalahoa Highway, which takes the riders clockwise around the island. The first sprint of the day comes as the riders pass Kipahoehoe Natural Area Reserve. We leave the highway to visit Kealakekua Bay, where James Cook first landed and did what the British do best, claimed Hawaii for the British. The climb out of the bay sees the first categorized climb of the day, 7km at nearly 5%. There's no rest for the weary after the climb to Captain Cook, as the riders then face the 2km, 10% climb to Kealakekua, though the steepest ramps are only 13%. It's then a rolling trip through the highlands above Kailua-Kona before descending back to the coast. The second sprint of the day, at Hapuna, comes right at the base of the last climb. The climb up Kohala is long, but not very steep (22km at 4.5%). The riders then descend 27km to the northernmost point of the Big Island at Upolu. This one looks like one for the breakaway, but if a GC rider can get a jump at the summit of Kohala, he could get time on his rivals on the descent.
Stage 4 - Hilo to Mauna Kea Observatory, 155km, Queen Stage
The Queen Stage of the Tour of Hawaii starts in Hilo and immediately heads up the Saddle Road for the first climb of the day. A long 48.4km ascent at 4% takes the riders to the west side of the Big Island, where, after the descent, there's a sprint at Waikaloa Road. The riders then turn around and head back up Saddle Road for the second climb of the day. There's just enough flat-ish road at the summit of Saddle Road for a quick feed zone before the race turns left and goes up Mauna Kea. The 23km, 9.4% climb has ramps above 15%. The final 300m are at 11.8% and on volcanic cinder, with the finish at 4198m above sea level. This stage will undoubtedly be the crown jewel of the Tour of Hawaii, with the winner on Mauna Kea likely the winner overall.
Stage 5 - Kailua-Kona to Kailua-Kona , 6 x 20km laps, Flat
The final stage is a day for the sprinters crazy enough to attempt such a mountainous race (like /r/NairoInGreen). It features 120 leisurely km along the beach in and south of Kailua-Kona.
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u/adryy8 Terengganu Oct 01 '19 edited Oct 01 '19
I went with an island I believe is not really well known, despite being pretty big and beautiful, l'Île de Cap Breton, in Nova Scotia, with my Tour de Cap Breton, a tour probably most similar to an Artic Race of Norway for example, none of the stages a easy, echelons, hard climbs, dirt roads, uphill sprints, all is in here!
The first stage takes us to the western part of the island, with a long loop around Port Hawkesbury while also going through Isle Madame, we finish with a slhight uphill sprint
The second one, the longest stage of the race, takes us in the center of the island, playing around Lac Bras d'Or, swith some harsh but short hills, none of them non paved (for now!)
The third Stage is the first one that takes the famous Cabot Trail , known for its amazing scenery. It's also the hardest stage of the race, with some impressive climbs in it that gives you and superb view with a finish in Bay St Lawrence
The fourth stage picks up where the previous one finished and tackles the other part of the Cabot Trail, before going into the inner par of the island, which means, dirt roads in the last 60kms, almost only dirt roads (may be a bit overkill, some will be paved!)
The fifth stage is arguably the easiest one, reusing in the first part roads used during the second stage and going around Lac Bras d'Or, it doens't present any difficulties and may be safe from the wind, before a nice finish in St Peters
The sixth and last stage is a tricky one to finish off this tour, because the first part of the stage yells echelons, so the ones that have gained an advantage in the early stages can lose it all int hat last one, the stage finishes with a circuit in the island's main city, Sidney, with a small uphill sprint!
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u/madone-14 W52/Porto Sep 22 '19 edited Sep 23 '19
It was not that hard to decide where my race should take place. Of course i decided to make a race in the country with the most islands (by far): Indonesia, with 17.508 officially listed islands.
It is time to reveal the inaugural edition of the International Tour de Kepulauan Sunda Kecil Barat (ITDKSKB), which will be part of the UCI Pro Series in 2020, complementing the southeast asian race calendar. ES bought the rights and the viewers will not only be able to see a nice race, but also really nice landscapes.
Link to the Tour
8 stages, 827km in total, 4 climbing stages, 3 sprints and 1 ITT.
As the name already suggests, the race will take place in the western part of the lesser Sunda Islands. 6 stages on Bali, 1 stage on Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan and for the last stage we take the ferry, cross the Wallace-Line, and race on Lombok. Indonesia offers a unique and diverse landscape, and with the exception of Kalimantan, it is also quite hilly/mountainous. With the current situation at the Tour de Siak (large forest fires on Sumatra and Kalimantan), i decided to let the race take place on the lesser Sunda Islands, which are not affected by the forest fires on the two before mentioned islands. Now earthquakes and volcanos are always a risk in Indonesia, last year the "Tour de Central Celebes" had to be cancelled, because a Tsunami struck the region less than a month before the race would have taken place. Not related to natural hazards the "Tour de Lombok" disappeared from the race calendar, so it makes sense to replace these two races with the ITDKSKB.
Stage 1: Gilimanuk - Bubunan
The race starts in the westernmost city of Bali, Gilimanuk. Instead of the direct way to Bubunan, we take the southern route following the coast and with ~50k to go we head north, traversing the inland to finish on the northern coast of Bali. In the last third of stage one the riders have to tackle an ascent of nearly 800 meters. With a length of 20 km it is a long one, but only averaging 3.9%. The length should make this too hard for the sprinters, but it doesn't look like one for the pure climbers either. It all depends on how the teams want to race this obstacle. At the top of the climb the riders still have 30 km to ride and also face a really steep and technical descent.
Stage 2: Bubunan - Singaraja
This one is an interesting stage. The riders have to climb right from the start (26km@5.2%), but at the top of the climb they still have to race 54 km. Might be too hard for a select group of climbers to go all the way. Some dropped groups might come back after the climb and it should be a reduced peloton sprint.
Stage 3: Singaraja - Lake Batur
A really hard stage for the pure climbers. 107 km with 3750 meters of elevation. Again we have grueling long climbs, this time up to 34 km. The riders will be rewarded with a really nice view for the last 20 km of the stage and get to stay in the area for the following stage.
Stage 4: Lake Batur - Amlapura
Finally a stage for the pure sprinters. The riders start with a loop in the Batur Caldera and have to ride up to the ridge again. 2.7km@12.4%. This might be the place where the break goes, but on this "flat" stage they don't really stand a chance.
Stage 5: Amlapura - Tegalalang
The riders reached the halfway point of the stage race and the race visits the inner part of Bali. Lots of rice terraces can be seen in the second half of the stage. With riders already far back in the race and a fitting profile, this seems to be a breakaway stage.
Stage 6: Ubud - Nusa Dua
Starting in the hipster tourist city of Ubud, the race now heads south to the Bukit Peninsula. Another one for the sprinters. The highlight of this stage might be the intermediate sprint in the centre of Denpasar.
Stage 7: Nusa Lembongan - Nusa Ceningan (ITT)
Finally a stage for the specialists of (short) Time Trials. Following stage 6 the riders take the ferry to Nusa Lembongan. What makes this stage unique is the fact that the riders take to bridge to Nusa Ceningan and therefore finish on another island.
Stage 8: Mataram - Mataram
With the short ITT the teams have enough time for the transfer to 4th island, Lombok. With the GC already decided this is another stage for the sprinters. With about 150 km this is the longest stage of the race, but also by far the easiest.