30th edition...
The stages of the Ain Bugey Valromey Tour 2017
The steps!
Prologue Belley
Tuesday, July 11, 2017 - CLM individual 2 km
An individual time trial in the town of the Grand Départ "BELLEY", a 2 km course not necessarily suitable for a specialist, but rather for a highly technical rider. A great spectacle for spectators and young racers alike, who will soon be in the "VALROMEY" atmosphere.
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THE STAGES... Sporting aspect
Discover the route of the stages of the 30th edition of the Ain Bugey Valromey Tour.
Each step is described and analyzed by Vincent LAVENU & Bernard GAMBADE!
The prologue continues with 5 stages through the Ain, Bugey and Valromey regions.
Each step is described and analyzed by Vincent LAVENU & Bernard GAMBADE!
The prologue continues with 5 stages through the Ain, Bugey and Valromey regions.
Stage 1 - Belley / Culoz
Wednesday, July 12, 2017 - 96.2 km
For some years now, we've been trying to make the first stage as flat as possible. This year it will be shorter than in previous years. At 96.2 km, it will favor the road sprinters, but beware! The average speed will be very high, especially over the first 40 km, where the rouleurs will be going
start to wear down the climbers, who are the favourites for our event. At the first small bump, you'll have to change gear, and those with "big legs" will immediately find themselves in trouble. For the others, the second GPM will be the leg-breaking surprise in the middle of the course. The remaining half of the course will still be very tricky, allowing for a massive sprint finish.
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2nd stage - Outriaz / Champagne-en-Valromey
Thursday, July 13, 2017 - 99 km
It will start from the Combe du Val in the commune of Outriaz, which recently joined the Communauté de communes du Haut Bugey. This 99 km stage will follow in the tradition of the "VALROMEY", with a 3.4 km neutralized section before the real start in Vieu d'Izenave. With a 6 km warm-up on a downhill false flat to climb the first difficulty of the day, the 830 m bosse de Chevillard, this small (outlying) commune must not often have seen cycling races, and if it does, it'll owe it to its attachment to the Com. Next up is the Col de la Cheminée (925 m), after 23 km of racing, which is a very rolling climb for the strongest cyclists, but it will be hard for those who are left behind to catch up with the peloton, as they have to follow a hilly course with a 12 km descent to Le Poizat, where the first sprint will be contested. Then it's on to the Col de Berentin (1158 m), which has already been climbed three times in recent years. I don't think the riders will have time to enjoy the wild landscapes of the Retord plateau, the event's sponsor with its Syndicat Mixte. A 10 km descent takes us to Hotonnes for the second sprint of the day, before climbing the Col de Richemont ( golet du Four 966 m ). We're already past the halfway mark, and runners will have to take on a downhill finish with the last quarter of the course all hilly. The finish, however, will be terrible: after the last sprint in Artemare at km 93.7, there will still be 5.5 km to go to the finish in Champagne en Valromey, with the last 3.4 km at over 10%. This finish will count as a hors catégorie for the award of the mountain jersey. It's going to be a great day out, as we won't know the final winner, but we will know right away who has lost the overall classification.
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Stage 3 - Serrières-de-Briord / Charnoz
Friday, July 14, 2017 - 81.8 km
The real "Valromey" continues today, and I think the 2017 edition will be one of the toughest yet. This 3rd stage is intended to be very short (81.8 km), after 10 km of neutralized sections, and will include a 13 km ascent of a 1st category pass, so watch out for riders who haven't warmed up sufficiently. This will be followed by a 15 km descent to St-Rambert-en-Bugey (a new commune to join the plaine de l'Ain com) to climb the 2nd GPM of the stage. This stage will feature only two 1st category GPMs, after which there will be 29 km of flat to the finish. This flat section should allow some regrouping, but if there is regrouping, 250 m from the finish you'll have to negotiate a highly technical right-hand bend to win! And it'll be the smartest one!
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4th stage - Vonnas / Creys-Malville
Saturday, July 15, 2017 - 108.2 km
A 108.2 km stage for the road sprinters, entirely flat, it should allow a change of pace for the non-climbers and favour them for a possible stage victory. Nevertheless, at kilometers 40.9 - 47.7 - 58.2 - 61.6, there will be some small embankments to climb, but the finish at 46 K m will still be a long way off and regroupings will be very possible. The roads will be wide, making for great chases, but they still need to be organized, and it will be up to the Directeur Sportifs to be perceptive in positioning their sprinters on the 500 m straight before the finish.
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Stage 5 - Artemare / Hauteville-Lompnès
Sunday, July 16, 2017 - 106.5 km
(The final fireworks display). With a length of 106.5 km, this is the queen stage of the "Valromey", and only the least tired will be able to make the most of it. Indeed, yesterday's yellow jersey is likely to have heavy legs as he climbs the three first-category cols, and as in the past, an outsider may well put everyone in agreement. On the Valromey, nothing is decided until the last stage (except in 2013, when Mathieu VAN DER POEL took the yellow jersey on stage 1 and held it until Hauteville-Lompnès). But this exception (Mathieu has been a professional cyclocross world champion several times since) is unlikely to happen again. In fact, there's a real risk of an ambush rider taking the final overall classification at the finish line.
But on the first run, the riders will cross the town's historic center and take (after a first passage on the line) the rue de la Chapelle climb, which will prove to be very formidable before the Col de La Rochette. This is followed by the ascent of the Col de La Vieille Lèbe via BELMONT and VOGLAND, which is sure to wear out the body. As in the past, a lone man can set off at km 95 on the Lavant plain. At km 102.2, he'll still have the Charabotte climb to negotiate, then two bends at 300 and 200m to reach the new finish at Hauteville-Lompnès. But for sure, the winner will be a talented rider.
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But on the first run, the riders will cross the town's historic center and take (after a first passage on the line) the rue de la Chapelle climb, which will prove to be very formidable before the Col de La Rochette. This is followed by the ascent of the Col de La Vieille Lèbe via BELMONT and VOGLAND, which is sure to wear out the body. As in the past, a lone man can set off at km 95 on the Lavant plain. At km 102.2, he'll still have the Charabotte climb to negotiate, then two bends at 300 and 200m to reach the new finish at Hauteville-Lompnès. But for sure, the winner will be a talented rider.
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