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Cheers, guess I'll join komoot and see what I can see. Preferred it when it was just Gmaps.
I want to run more durable tyres, sod speed. I was paranoid about cutting mine up on CP4 last year. I'd love something to fit and forget. Any suggestions? I can only go up to maybe 32mm on the Mason.
I'm also looking for friendlier roads this time. Big, fast roads might be fast, but if you need to stop for a lie down after the stress of riding them I'd rather stick to smaller shit these days.
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Tyres: I'm debating what to use.
I am trying out gp5000, but found them a pig to mount. I actually fucked one of my rims trying to put them on with a metal tyre lever as a last resort. So I am not actually trying them out yet as my front wheel is away getting a new rim put on. If they are OK and I get another set that aren't so tight, I might use them. Although some people have said they're not very durable.
Im not bothered either way about tubeless vs tubed. I've had disasters with both, but I won't use gp4000 as the sidewalls are too fragile for offroading.
Schwalbe Pro ones are a possibility. I've still got the set I bought for TCR last year and not used yet.
A more durable option is IRC formula Pro X guard from cycleclinic (that's the one he recommends), but they won't be the fastest.
Friendlier roads are all very well, but its not so easy to tell if the paths are good enough. I remember my screw up in 2016 when I thought it would save me some climbing to take the cycle path through the woods to neuchatel. It didn't, map was wrong, and it was fucking steep. And it was a dark, narrow, gravely path through a forest at night. Got lost, had meltdown, etc. Cost me 3-4 hours vs staying on fast main road with no traffic.
Yes, the start and end point of each stage is now finalised (apart from the start of the stage in Austria, but they have said almost where it will be) so you can plan the free routes between now.
If like to know what the plan is for alpe d'huez parcours so I can decide on tyres.
The hardest bit is trying to decide whether to go on cycle path or main road in Austria where they tend to run parallel, and you haven't got enough local info to know which is better at any given point.