The Climbing Cyclist

Tour of Australia: stage 14

Matt — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 22:00:42 +0000

It’s less than two weeks until the 100th edition of the Tour de France begins, which got David Blom and I thinking: what would an Australian Grand Tour look like?

We’ve put together a course for a three-week race that takes in some of the best roads in the country in an attempt to create cycling’s fourth Grand Tour: the Tour of Australia. We’re currently revealing one stage per day in the lead-up to Le Tour and this is stage 14.

Route: Perisher to Tathra
Distance: 224km
Climbing: 1,880m

Click here to see the route on RideWithGPS, including the KOM and intermediate sprint points.

There’s a very challenging bike ride in NSW called the Sea 2 Summit in which cyclists ride from the Tasman Sea in Merimbula all the way to Charlotte’s Pass — the highest sealed section of the road to Australia’s highest peak, Mt. Koscuisko. On stage 14 of the Tour of Australia the riders do almost the opposite, riding down from Perisher (just down the road from Charlottes Pass) all the way to Tathra, which is just north of Merimbula on the coast.

As you might expect, it’s a largely downhill stage, with several long descents to enjoy. But there’s also a bit of climbing.

There aren’t any categorised climbs for the riders to worry about, but by the time the stage ends they will have clocked up nearly 2,000m of climbing just from gentle rises and uphill drags along the way.

After retracing their steps from the previous day, the riders find themselves in Jindabyne after roughly 30km of riding, most of it downhill. It’s another 30km down the road to the first intermediate sprint point of the day in Berridale at which point the route swings north east towards Cooma.

There’s a brief descent heading into Cooma but after passing through town the riders head south east on the Monaro Highway which, over the next 50km, rises some 350m. After 146km of racing the road heads down a steep and technical descent which lasts for most of 20km. When the road flattens out it’s only 7km to the second and final intermediate sprint point of the day in Bemboka, 170km into the 224km stage.

From Bemboka the road is largely flat and downhill as the riders approach the finish line in the seaside town of Tathra. There is, however, one small obstacle to overcome in the run in to the line.

Just before Tathra there’s a climb roughly 2km long which, while not being particularly steep, could shake things up a little before a short, technical descent and flat run in to the finish. It’s the sort of finish that probably suits the likes of Peter Sagan to a tee. He’s strong enough to stay with the climbers on a short rise like this, and when it comes time to open up and dash for the line, he should have most people covered.

It’s hard to see a breakaway getting a winning lead on stage 14 and the GC contenders will likely be happy to take it easy after the previous day’s exertions in the Alps. Either way, all of the riders can breathe a bigger sigh of relief than usual when they cross the finish line as they’ve well and truly earned their second and final rest day of the Tour.

Click to view slideshow.

Stay posted for stage 15 of the Tour of Australia, coming soon.

Previous stages:

Tour of Australia: stage 13

Matt — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 21:00:51 +0000

It’s less than two weeks until the 100th edition of the Tour de France begins, which got David Blom and I thinking: what would an Australian Grand Tour look like?

Route: Corryong to Perisher Valley
Distance: 163km
Climbing: 3,980m

Click here to see the route on RideWithGPS, including the KOM and intermediate sprint points.

If this isn’t the hardest stage of the Tour of Australia then it’s very close. With four tough climbs — two of them hors categorie — and nearly 4,000m of climbing to contend with it’s a day that should be decisive in the battle for the general classification.

After finishing the previous day’s stage in the New South Wales border town of Albury the riders duck back over the Victorian border to begin stage 13 in Corryong. Heading east out of Corryong it’s only 14km before the Tour is back on the roads of New South Wales and only 28km before the stage’s first intermediate sprint point is contested in Khancoban.

The day’s first climb — a 1st category climb that rises at 4.7% for 14.6km — comes just a handful kilometres out of Khancoban, taking the riders south into the Koscuisko National Park. From the summit of that first stunning climb it’s most of 10km downhill before a few kilometres of rollers and the start of the day’s second climb at the 61km mark.

This second rise, a 3rd category, 5km-long rise at 6% tops out after 67km of racing before another flowing descent past Tom Groggin. At the 80km mark the road swings around to the left (east) and the riders face the first of two hors categorie climbs on the stage: the 17.8km rise at 6% to Dead Horse Gap. It’s another wonderfully scenic Alpine Way climb with a whole bunch of switchbacks, great views and native roadside flora to keep the viewers at home glued to their TV.

From the top of that climb, after 97km, the riders will enjoy a flowing 45km descent that’s very gradual and that takes them past the Thredbo ski resort after 100km and through an intermediate sprint point in Jindabyne after 135km. Heading north out of Jindabyne and past the lake bearing the same name, the riders re-enter the Koscuisko National Park and begin the final hors categorie climb to the end of the stage.

It’s 23.2km at 3.5% from the Thredbo River to the stage’s end at the Perisher ski resort and there are a couple of descents and steep sections to contend with along the way.

After the sprinter-friendly stage the day before this is a stage for the GC contenders, the climbers and the breakaway riders. You could imagine a handful of riders getting away early in the stage in search of the KOM points on offer on the first three climbs. But the long descent to Jindabyne would be the perfect opportunity for the bunch (or what’s left of it) to work together to reel in a break.

It could be very interesting to see a breakaway brought back into the fold in Jindabyne leaving the GC contenders to battle it out on the final climb ahead of the final week of racing. It’s a stage that’s perfect for TV audiences with a wealth of winding alpine roads, beautiful views and Australia’s highest mountain, Mt. Kosciusko, all featuring.

Click to view slideshow.

Stay posted for stage 14 of the Tour of Australia, coming tomorrow.

Previous stages:

Tour of Australia: stage 12

Matt — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 22:30:18 +0000

It’s less than two weeks until the 100th edition of the Tour de France begins, which got David Blom and I thinking: what would an Australian Grand Tour look like?

Route: Bright to Albury
Distance: 175km
Climbing: 1,080m

Click here to see the route on RideWithGPS, including the KOM and intermediate sprint points.

After finishing stage 11 atop Mt. Hotham the teams and the Tour caravan will transfer to the beautiful alpine town of Bright. You could argue that Bright is the cycling capital of Victoria, particularly if you like climbing, and it only seems right that a Tour of Australia stage would visit this popular town.

Rolling north west out of Bright along the Great Alpine Road the riders will enjoy a flat start to stage 12. The road barely rises in the first 30km to Myrtleford at which point the riders will contest an intermediate sprint point before turning right and heading north east.

There’s a long but gradual rise on the way to the quaint historic town of Yackandandah from which the riders continue north east towards the tiny township of Tangambalanga. After contesting an intermediate sprint here, after 93km, it’s on to Tallangatta at which point the riders take a left-hand turn and follow a small bridge over Lake Hume.

After 120km of racing and after crossing the bridge the riders head west along the shores of the lake and take on a couple of 2km-long uncategorised climbs. The first of these climbs is on a 7.4km long unsealed section of road but if the Tour were to happen, it’s not unreasonable to expect this road would be sealed specifically for the race.

After descending back to the shores of Lake Hume at the 150km mark, which, at this point is also the Murray River, the riders head north and into New South Wales for the first time in the Tour.

Just over the border, in the tiny community of Bellbridge, the riders take a left over a stunning little bridge. From there it’s only 20km to the finish in Albury and apart from a couple of short rises just after the river crossing, the run in is virtually all flat.

The stage finishes in the centre of Albury, in front of the old post office on the corner of Dean Street and Kiewa Street.

It’s hard to see this stage ending in anything but a bunch sprint, despite the two short climbs roughly 40km and 30km from the finish. They’re both about 2km at 5% which isn’t insignificant, but with plenty of time for dropped sprinters to get back on terms, it’s bound to be a stage for the fast men.

Then again it’s the sort of stage that might suit a bold breakaway attempt on one of those two short rises. Imagine Fabian Cancellara throwing everything at the first climb, hitting the second climb with a small group behind him, cracking his pursuers at the top of that rise, then time-trialling into Albury for the win. Kinda like he did in the Tour of Flanders earlier this year.

Click to view slideshow.

Stay posted for stage 13 of the Tour of Australia, coming tomorrow.

Previous stages:

Tour of Australia: stage 11

Matt — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 22:30:48 +0000

It’s two weeks until the 100th edition of the Tour de France begins which got David Blom and I thinking: what would an Australian Grand Tour look like?

Route: Omeo to Mt. Hotham
Distance: 180km
Climbing: 3,800m

Click here to see the route on RideWithGPS, including the KOM and intermediate sprint points.

After finishing stage 10 in the rural community of Omeo the riders are up for a very challenging 11th stage. The route is essentially a shorter version of the popular but very tough 3 Peaks Challenge, albeit with different starting and finishing points.

Rolling out of Omeo the riders will hit the first climb of the day after less than 10km. It’s a 4th category, 4km rise at 4.2% but in the context of the stage it’s barely a warm-up. It’s certainly the easiest climb of the day.

From the top of that short climb the riders snake their way past Anglers Rest along the stunning Omeo Highway with views of Big River to their right. It’s a gorgeous section of road and one that is positively flat compared with what’s to come.

After 40km, the riders take a left-hand turn and start climbing the Back of Falls. That first turn is affectionately known as “WTF Corner” due to it’s intimidatingly steep start (above 15%). The gradient for the first 9km of the climb is 9% on average.

In all it’s a 23km-long hors categorie climb that gets easier towards the end. But that doesn’t mean it won’t tear the field apart. The sprinters and any other non-climbing specialists will likely have fallen off the back and it will only be a select group is able to push through the ski resort of Falls Creek and into the long descent to Mt. Beauty.

There’s an intermediate sprint point in Mt. Beauty 106km into the stage, after which the field takes a left turn to head up the Tawonga Gap. It’s a 2nd category climb and while it’s not as steep as the opening kilometres of the Back of Falls, it’s steep enough to force a split in the field.

From the top of the climb (and the KOM point) it’s a speedy 13km descent to the Great Alpine Road at which point the riders take a left. The flat run into Harrietville (which arrives after 150km) is one of the only flat sections on the entire stage and you can expect the pace to be high.

There’s an intermediate sprint point in Harrietville after which there’s just one more climb until the end of the stage. That climb just happens to be 30km long.

The Mt. Hotham climb can be broken down into three distinct sections: a sustained opening of 11km, a flatter 9km and then a 10km finale that includes a couple of fast descents and some very steep sections.The summit of the climb and the end of the stage comes at the end of one particularly steep section of climbing, called the Diamantina.

Stage 11 will likely see a breakaway group formed on the Back of Falls climb (if not before) and they might even get a big enough lead to make it up and over Tawonga Gap. If the GC contenders aren’t worried about the riders in the break they might be allowed to take out the stage — if they’ve got the legs. But it’s not hard to imagine a break being swept up on the lower slopes of the hors categorie Mt. Hotham climb before the GC contenders come to the fore.

This stage really is a showcase for the Victorian Alps and spectators, at home and on course, won’t be disappointed. There’s no shortage of sweeping vistas, twisty mountain roads, tough climbs and beautiful native flora to serve as a backdrop to what could be a key stage in the race.

Click to view slideshow.

Stay posted for stage 12 of the Tour of Australia, coming tomorrow.

Previous stages:

Tour of Australia: stage 10

Matt — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 22:30:15 +0000

It’s only about two weeks until the Tour de France kicks off and it got David Blom and I thinking: what would an Australian Grand Tour look like?

Route: Bairnsdale to Omeo
Distance: 189km
Climbing: 2,200m

Click here to see the route on RideWithGPS, including the KOM and intermediate sprint points.

Stage 10 of the Tour of Australia starts in Bairnsdale in Victoria’s Gippsland region, and takes the riders up the Great Alpine Road into the foothills of the Victorian Alps before ending the stage in the rural community of Omeo. It’s not the longest or most challenging stage of the race, but with most of the day being gradually uphill, and with a couple of challenging climbs to contend with, this stage shouldn’t be underestimated.

The stage starts gently enough, following the mostly flat Princes Highway to the popular seaside holiday destination of Lakes Entrance where the riders will contest an intermediate sprint after 36km. Heading north east out of Lakes Entrance, the peloton heads to Nowa Nowa before turning west towards Bruthen.

At Bruthen the riders turn right and join the Great Alpine Road and, after about 11km, they begin the first categorised climb of the day: a 4km, 3rd category climb with an average gradient of around 5%. From the summit of the day’s first KOM competition there’s a welcome 7km descent.

There are no sustained climbs of note for the next 60km but with plenty of short rises, and a gradient that’s every so slightly uphill the riders will find this section of the course to be tough going. After passing through Ensay the riders will ready themselves for the intermediate sprint point in Swifts Creek after 158km before taking a left turn, away from the Great Alpine Road.

It’s an uphill drag for much of the 31km remaining to Omeo including two categorised climbs: a nasty 2.1km-long, 3rd category climb that averages 9.7% and tops out at the 176km mark, and a 2km, 4th category climb at around 6%.

When the riders reach the top of this final climb there’s just 8km remaining in the stage and nearly 6km of it is downhill. This descent will deliver the riders right into Omeo but before they reach the finish line there’s one challenge remaining: a steep 600m uphill drag that touches 10% in a couple of places.

Of all the stages in the Tour of Australia so far, this is arguably the one most suited to a breakaway. The sprinters will have a hard time dragging themselves up the climbs — particularly the steep 2km rise about 12km from the finish — and so there’s likely to be little effort from the sprinters’ teams to drive the chase. And with the long climbs of the Victorian Alps looming the GC contenders will likely be looking to save their energy, particularly if the riders in the breakaway aren’t a threat to the GC.

Click to view slideshow.

Stay posted for stage 11 of the Tour of Australia, coming tomorrow.