🔎 A look at some of the gravel roads of stage 9. Here is the Chemin de Baroville, 2nd sector of the day. 🔎 Un œil sur certains des chemins blancs au programme de l’étape 9 du #TDF2024, avec ici le Chemin de Baroville, 2eme des 14 secteurs du jour.
"I hope it will be a stage for men like Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel" - Tour de France course designer Thierry Gouvenou amidst criticism of gravel inclusion
CyclingFriday, 27 October 2023 at 17:00
Ever since the complete, stage-by-stage profile of the 2024 Tour de France was revealed on Wednesday, the talk of the cycling world has been stage 9 and the controversial inclusion of gravel.
Speaking to L'Equipe, ASO course designer responsible for working out how the Tour de France will look, Thierry Gouvenou has responded to this somewhat mixed reaction to this particular stage. “We have made the promise never to plan two sprint stages in a row again. So we had to come up with a smart way to cross the Alps," he reveals. "It's a bit like the cobblestone stage in 2010 (won by Thor Hushovd. ed.). Then it had also been 20 years since we had put cobblestones in the course."
Whilst criticism have come from such varied sources as Jumbo-Visma's Richard Plugge, Soudal - Quick-Step leader Remco Evenepoel and BORA - hansgrohe boss Ralph Denk, Gouvenou remains steadfast in his belief the stage will bring brilliant entertainment for spectators both on the roadside and watching on TV.
If a team decides to go all the way, it will be a draw. And that ribbon will eventually break. I hope it will be a stage for men like Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel. I hope they will create chaos," he explains.
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Plus MVDP now having basically done 4 seasons in 2 years might warrant a slightly longer rest than usual, although even then his will STILL be shorter than 98% of all other pro cyclists in any field.Mistermaumau15-11-2024
- Yes, I’d say they’ve done their job in CX.Mistermaumau15-11-2024
- C’mon, they need this kind of gooey content in winter to stop readers switching off. Medias sowing seeds to provoke discussion and rumours that lead to a self-defined legitimacy to introduce undesired questions during rider interviews in order to boast delivery of “original” contentMistermaumau15-11-2024
- By definition an analogy is always GERMANE, tganjs for pointing out the obvious and revealing you don’t understand its purpose.Mistermaumau15-11-2024
- The reason you don’t see these type of websites often and certainly not in cycling might be that they die before you find them. But tell us about it when you’re done I’ll visit to check it out.Mistermaumau15-11-2024
- Someone should do this: create a cycling news site that is free with no ads. Watch the subscriptions like up. Then carefully and slowly introduce ads. I might do it myself. Sites like CUTD are poorly conceived and consequently a mess. Readers will leave as soon as there is a better alternative.Renz15-11-2024
- Wout still recovering from injuries? Might be more of a factor than any attempted middle finger to the UCI?mobk15-11-2024
- We ll talk about all of this in 10 years - but for now lets stop the bullshitChrisBe14-11-2024
- This may very well be is the least germaine comment I've ever read online.verve82514-11-2024
- Yes! Clear up these gray areas before lives are lost or damaged!velodan14-11-2024