This weekend the 80th edition of the Critérium International will take place in the south of Corsica, around the city of Porto-Vecchio.
With globally the same stages as last year, when the Critérium International visited Corsica for the very first time, the race route is however slightly different for the first stage and for the individual time trial which is the third stage.

In this article you'll find all details about the Critérium International 2011 race route on Google Maps/Google Earth.

1/ Porto-Vecchio > Col de l'Ospedale - 198 km - Saturday 26 March 2011

The first stage is similar to the one we saw last year and connects the city Porto-Vecchio with the final climb of the Col de l'Ospedale. This is a mountain stage which this time will not go through Bonifacio but cut short directly via Sotta and Figari before following the coast line with the sprint in Pianottoli-Caldarello.

The second half of the stage is harder with the climb of the Col de Celaccia and more importantly the Col de Saint-Eustache (1008 meters). After the descent and the climb of the Côte d'Aullène, the riders will climb the Col de Bacinu before descending back to Porto-Vecchio where they'll battle again for a new sprint. They will then start the final steep climb towards the finish on top of the Col de l'Ospedale.

Pierrick Fédrigo (BBox Bouygues Telecom at that time, FDJ now) put up the basics of his overall victory of the Critérium International 2010 in this stage.

The organisor of the Critérium International talks about the changes in this stage compared to last year as an even more demanding race route. Indicating furthermore: the changes made for 2011 mean that the riders will be tackling a genuine mountain stage, holding in store a session on the saddle that will last almost six hours.

According to Laurent Bezault, the Critérium International's sports manager at ASO, the first intention was to extend this stage. In comparison to last year, we've added almost 25 kilometres. The race will be attritional right from the start on Saturday. The island's relief dictated these changes, because by heading further northwards, we came across tougher routes. The ascensions of the Col de Celaccia and Col de Saint-Eustache passes both account for around 10 kilometres of climbing. It's therefore an invitation to attack, so the most offensive riders won't have to wait until the Col de l'Ospedale pass to get stuck in.

Below you'll find the time and route schedule, the stage profile and the race route on Google Maps for this stage. Click on each of the images to see the full size.

2/ Porto-Vecchio > Porto-Vecchio - 75 km - Sunday 27 March 2011 matin

The second stage will take place on Sunday morning and forms a double loop around Porto-Vecchio. This stage will be exactly the same as last year when it was won by Russell Downing (Team Sky).

In the 75 kilometer long stage an early breakaway could well continue up to the finish and offer the stage victory to one of the riders in it. It could thus be enough to seize the right bon to attack and, depending on the gap with the peloton, maybe even take an option on the overall victory.

The start of this stage will be on Quai Pascal Paoli in Porto-Vecchio at 9.00AM and the riders will follow theRue Commandant l'Herminier, the Voie Romaine, the Rue du 9 Septembre 1943, the Rue Maréchal Juin, the N.198, and finally a road without a name where the real start will take place. The finish will be on the Rue Maréchal Juin, at the end of a straight line of 1 km.
1 intermediate sprint is on this stage's programme, when crossing through Porto-Vecchio after the first loop south of the city. The only climb of this stage is the climb of Pagliaggiolo.

Below you'll find the time and route schedule, the stage profile and the race route on Google Maps for this stage. Click on each of the images to see the full size.

3/ Porto-Vecchio > Porto-Vecchio - 7 km - individual time trial - Sunday 27 mars 2011 afternoon

The last part of the triptych of the Critérium International for its 2011 edition will take place in the city of Porto-Vecchio: an individual time trial over a 7 kilometer long route. A time trial specialist could thus well seize this final occasion to get back the time he lost in the two previous stages (just like David Millar did last year) and, maybe, even go away as the overall winner of the Critérium International 2011!

The time trial doesn't cross the city center of Porto-Vecchio this time due to local votes. The start ramp will be on the Quai Pascal Paoli while the finish will be on the Avenue Georges Pompidou after a 400 meter long straight line.
The first rider will leave at 1.50PM and the last one around 3.53PM. Based on an average speed of 48 km/h the time the riders will need is estimated at 9 minutes.

The Critérium International 2011 full race route in Google Earth

You've just discovered all details of the parcours for the 80th edition of the Critérium International including the route and time schedules, the stage profiles and for each of the stages the race route on Google Maps.

If you'd like to check out the complete race route for Critérium International 2011, I would recommend you to download the KML file below and open it in Google Earth.
> Download the Critérium International 2011 race route in Google Earth

This file will not only allow you to see the complete race route in Google Earth but also to make a virtual fly-over of one or each of the stages.

Looking back at the Critérium International 2010

The stages of the Critérium International 2011 are pretty similar to the ones of the 2010 edition. Therefore, you might want to look back on the Critérium International 2010 and discover the photos of the race! If so, please check out the links below:
> Pierrick Fédrigo wins the first stage of the Critérium International 2010
> the photos of the first stage

> The second stage of the Critérium International 2010: Russell Downing wins the stage in a sprint
> an original stroy about the second stage: When Lance Armstrong helps young cyclists to progress in the Critérium International 2010
> the photos of the second stage

> Pierrick Fédrigo wins the Critérium International 2010
> the photos of the third stage

Also, as I mentioned during Paris-Nice this year, the Cadets Juniors will be present in the Critérium International for the very first time in 2011.

door Thomas Vergouwen
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this publication is published in: Critérium International | OpenStreetMap/Google Maps/Google Earth

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