The presentation of the route of the Tour de France
immediately gives the favourites of the race an idea of the possible
scenarios that they could expect next July. The mountain stages,
boasting unprecedented routes, seem inspiring for Chris Froome and
Romain Bardet, while Thibaut Pinot will focus on the time-trial in
Marseille! For his part, Richie Porte confessed his particular liking
for the Paris stage.
Chris Froome: “Very curious to discover Izoard”
“I really like this moment, it allows for looking back at what happened during the Tour with a little bit of hindsight. And it is also an occasion to look towards the following season. It gives me an enormous amount of motivation to see the route unveiled. It is a nice surprise to see the Planche des Belles Filles on the programme, it is a climb I appreciate. One of the best finishes will be at Izoard. It is a world-class ascension and it will certainly be a determining stage, especially at this moment of the race. I have never climbed it and I am very curious to discover the Izoard. I will have to take the time to learn during the reconnaissance rides. In total, there are three mountain top finishes, but it is not sure the Tour will be won on these stages.”
Romain Bardet: “Chambéry, a Queen stage on Le Tour”
“There are many novelties on the 2017 route. Personally, there are several climbs that I simply don't know, I will have to study that closely. But it is interesting to see that there are 5 mountain ranges on the programme. The stage in Chambéry could be very important, it will be a Queen stage on Le Tour. The Mont du Chat – Grand Colombier sequence should be tough on the pack. Then comes a 100km stage in the Pyrenees, which could turn out to be decisive. Shorter stages sometimes make the riders more edgy, although they also allow punchers to show what they have in store. The least I can say is that we're getting off the beating tracks, which will make the race interesting to watch.”
Richie Porte: “Paris… the stage that I've always dreamed about”
“I see that there are not too many mountain top finishes on this route, but it still seems quite difficult. For example, the Planche des Belles Filles climb comes early and it will be very hard. Then, with a short mountain stage in the Pyrenees, there will be a lot of movement, it will be fast and very difficult. I don't know what I will be capable of but I am aiming for Paris. After all, it is the stage that I've always dreamed about, the one in which I got up at 2 in the morning in Australia when I discovered the Tour de France on television.”
Thibaut Pinot: “As a PSG fan, I am aiming for the Marseille time trial”
“It is a route that interests me, it is balanced. Naturally, I really like the Planche des Belles Filles stage, we will be competing on the same roads I train on. But there will be a lot of opportunities, because we will ride in five mountain ranges. There are no rest periods, which I like. Given that I like time trials a lot and as a PSG fan… I am aiming for the Marseille time trial.”
Dan Martin: “I will be in the best shape of my career”
“I find this route rather interesting for me, it is good that there are not too many mountain top finishes. This year, I really understood that I am capable of finishing at the sharp end of the general classification. So it will be my objective in 2017, I think I will be in the best possible condition of my career. There will certainly be opportunities to shake up the hierarchy on the short mountain stages. I hope this will be conducive to movements, it would be rather favorable for me.”
Chris Froome: “Very curious to discover Izoard”
“I really like this moment, it allows for looking back at what happened during the Tour with a little bit of hindsight. And it is also an occasion to look towards the following season. It gives me an enormous amount of motivation to see the route unveiled. It is a nice surprise to see the Planche des Belles Filles on the programme, it is a climb I appreciate. One of the best finishes will be at Izoard. It is a world-class ascension and it will certainly be a determining stage, especially at this moment of the race. I have never climbed it and I am very curious to discover the Izoard. I will have to take the time to learn during the reconnaissance rides. In total, there are three mountain top finishes, but it is not sure the Tour will be won on these stages.”
Romain Bardet: “Chambéry, a Queen stage on Le Tour”
“There are many novelties on the 2017 route. Personally, there are several climbs that I simply don't know, I will have to study that closely. But it is interesting to see that there are 5 mountain ranges on the programme. The stage in Chambéry could be very important, it will be a Queen stage on Le Tour. The Mont du Chat – Grand Colombier sequence should be tough on the pack. Then comes a 100km stage in the Pyrenees, which could turn out to be decisive. Shorter stages sometimes make the riders more edgy, although they also allow punchers to show what they have in store. The least I can say is that we're getting off the beating tracks, which will make the race interesting to watch.”
Richie Porte: “Paris… the stage that I've always dreamed about”
“I see that there are not too many mountain top finishes on this route, but it still seems quite difficult. For example, the Planche des Belles Filles climb comes early and it will be very hard. Then, with a short mountain stage in the Pyrenees, there will be a lot of movement, it will be fast and very difficult. I don't know what I will be capable of but I am aiming for Paris. After all, it is the stage that I've always dreamed about, the one in which I got up at 2 in the morning in Australia when I discovered the Tour de France on television.”
Thibaut Pinot: “As a PSG fan, I am aiming for the Marseille time trial”
“It is a route that interests me, it is balanced. Naturally, I really like the Planche des Belles Filles stage, we will be competing on the same roads I train on. But there will be a lot of opportunities, because we will ride in five mountain ranges. There are no rest periods, which I like. Given that I like time trials a lot and as a PSG fan… I am aiming for the Marseille time trial.”
Dan Martin: “I will be in the best shape of my career”
“I find this route rather interesting for me, it is good that there are not too many mountain top finishes. This year, I really understood that I am capable of finishing at the sharp end of the general classification. So it will be my objective in 2017, I think I will be in the best possible condition of my career. There will certainly be opportunities to shake up the hierarchy on the short mountain stages. I hope this will be conducive to movements, it would be rather favorable for me.”
