2009 Tour de France route

[classic1]

Barcelona stages will finish at Montjuich hill!

Excellent. It will look spectacular. Claude Criquelion may come out of retirement.

Strange looking route. Good for a change though. Got to mix the formula up IMO. Some of those stage towns invoke memories of the 50's or 60's I reckon.

July 4, stage 1: Monaco ITT, 15km
July 5, stage 2: Monaco - Brignolles
July 6, stage 3: Marseille - La Grande Motte
July 7, stage 4: Montpellier - Montpellier, TTT 38km
July 8, stage 5: Cap d’Agde - Perpignan
July 9, stage 6: Gerona - Barcelona, 167km (Spain)
July 10, stage 7: Barcelona - Andorra-Arcalis, 224km (uphill finish)
July 11, stage 8: Andorra-la-Vella - St-Girons
July 12, stage 9: St-Gaudens - Tarbes (via the Tourmalet)
July 13, rest day and transfer to Limoges
July 14, stage 10: Limoges - Issoudun, 192km
July 15, stage 11: Vatan - St-Fargeaud, 200km
July 16, stage 12: Tonnerre - Vittel, 200km
July 17, stage 13: Vittel - Colmar (via col de la Schlucht)
July 18, stage 14: Colmar - Besançon
July 19, stage 15: Pontarlier - Verbier (Switzerland)
July 20, rest day
July 21, stage 16: Martigny - Bourg-St-Maurice (via col du Grand-St-Bernard and Petit-St-Bernard)
July 22, stage 17: Bourg-St-Maurice - Le Grand Bornand (via 5 climbs, starting with Cormet de Roselend, finishing with col de la Colombière)
July 23, stage 18: Annecy, ITT 40km
July 24, stage 19: Bourgoin - Jallieu-Aubenas
July 25, stage 20: Montélimar - Le Mont Ventoux
July 26, stage 21: Montereau - Paris/Champs-Elysées

 

[El Loto]

Armstrong win on Ventoux? Then he can jet off to another planet before the test comes back non-negative: Texas.

 

[poulidor]

The real route

 

[Rolfrae]

Armstrong win on Ventoux? Then he can jet off to another planet before the test comes back non-negative: Texas.

It reads like an exciting, varied route. I like ASO having Ventoux on the penultimate day, and therefore having the last time trial before the last summit finish. It means a rider that's good against the clock and a lesser climber can gain an advantage and then try and limit the damage up to Ventoux. Will be up to the climbers to attack, without them having to reserve any energy for the final time trial. That's in theory, and assuming the previous 3 summit finish stages haven't blown away all the time trialists.

Let's just hope it can be raced minus the distraction of the Armstrong bandwagon.

 

[classic1]

From http://www.ladepeche.fr/article/2008/10/20/482888-Le-Tour-de-France-2009-pas-d-arrivees-dans-les-Pyrenees.html

Good scoop. Spot on.

 

[RdBiker]

Good scoop. Spot on.

This is pretty much the best possible route for Astana and Contador - and for CSC too. With Contador, Leipheimer, Klöden and possibly Armstrong Astana has a very good TTT squad + a TTT is far better for Contador than an ITT.

Do we see the return of time bonuses?

 

[slovakguy]

i'm a bit impressed with the nine days of racing to the first rest day. wondering what sort of pace the peloton will set with that ordeal in front of them.

 

[jonjungel]

This is pretty much the best possible route for Astana and Contador - and for CSC too. With Contador, Leipheimer, Klöden and possibly Armstrong Astana has a very good TTT squad + a TTT is far better for Contador than an ITT.

Do we see the return of time bonuses?

The official website says something like "only absolute time", and although that is about the TTT, I would think it implies no time bonuses.

The route won't favour the chances of Evans, Rogers, Kirchen and Vandevelde.

 

[Andrija]

Well, I'm not overwhelmed by the route, but I can't say it's boring nor bad.
It's interesting that uphill finish stages are arranged through entire race equally, which should keep the GC tension. Also, these stages feature only by one serious climb which is that last one. Time trials precede uphill finishes and aren't too long, which should put the pressure on TTists.
So, although it looks like it's tailor made for Contador and he will have slight advantage, I wouldn't completely discount Evans on this kind of route (weak team could again prove decisive, especially in that TTT). Andy Schleck could do well too and there's Valverde, but somehow he always disappoints, even when the route suits him.
And, having said that, I realized how stupid it sounds... Like I've forgotten there's going to be an alien in the race with his super team and master mind DS.

Edit:
Only one out of three mountain top finishes is in France... But it's last one and it's Ventoux.

 

[slovakguy]

and j.b.'s on form with his comedy act. his comments actually made me snort a laugh or two.

"If [armstrong] doesn't feel an atmosphere of respect and serenity, he won't do it," Bruyneel said. "For him, the goal of a comeback is not linked to an obsession to win an eighth Tour[emphasis added]."


the cbc article link

 

[guncha]

Looks like this route is worse than in 2007 and 2008.

I don't understand the reason they have two stages in Pyrenees with a final climb 43,5km and 70km before the finish respectively. Tourmalet in stage 9 is a waste of time. Petit-Saint Bornard in the Alpes more than 30km before the line doesn't make sense as well. In Armstrong era they had stages like that. I thought the era of such stages are over because we didn't have stages like in the previous two years...

Apart from Ventoux the other two mountaintop finishes aren't very difficult.

However, I am very impressed by the stage to Grand Bornard with 5 hard climbs including the set of two steep monsters near the finish.

It is fair that there is less ITT because of the return of TTT.

 

[Jan the man]

Looks like this route is worse than in 2007 and 2008.

I don't understand the reason they have two stages in Pyrenees with a final climb 43,5km and 70km before the finish respectively. Tourmalet in stage 9 is a waste of time. Petit-Saint Bornard in the Alpes more than 30km before the line doesn't make sense as well. In Armstrong era they had stages like that. I thought the era of such stages are over because we didn't have stages like in the previous two years...

Apart from Ventoux the other two mountaintop finishes aren't very difficult.

However, I am very impressed by the stage to Grand Bornard with 5 hard climbs including the set of two steep monsters near the finish.

It is fair that there is less ITT because of the return of TTT.

They've always had stages with mountains 50-60km from the end. It's the riders who make the racing interesting not the parcours.

Scrap team radios, and the stages will be back to their former grandeur.

The Alsasce stage will cause problems for a few as well.

 

[Trev_S]

I really like the TTT but I think the GC has been a better race without it.
It's good that they have limited it to 38km this time so that should at least keep time gaps a lot smaller.

 

[Trev_S]

Bump.
(because of Flyer)

 

[classic1]

They've always had stages with mountains 50-60km from the end. It's the riders who make the racing interesting not the parcours.

Scrap team radios, and the stages will be back to their former grandeur.

The Alsasce stage will cause problems for a few as well.

Not in this case. Mountain stages with the last col 50-60km from the end are usually ****. Stages from the Pyrenees that finish in Pau are almost always rubbish with some break of journeymen drudging along. I want to see the main contenders smash the **** out of one another in a mad dash for the finish line.

The only half interesting instance I can think of where the last climb was 50-60kms from the finish was the stage into Pamplona in 1996, but they climbed a stack of cols early and the stage was ridiculously long IIRC (Dufaux won it)

 

[limerickman]

Not in this case. Mountain stages with the last col 50-60km from the end are usually ****. Stages from the Pyrenees that finish in Pau are almost always rubbish with some break of journeymen drudging along. I want to see the main contenders smash the **** out of one another in a mad dash for the finish line.

The only half interesting instance I can think of where the last climb was 50-60kms from the finish was the stage into Pamplona in 1996, but they climbed a stack of cols early and the stage was ridiculously long IIRC (Dufaux won it)

I remember that stage in 1996 : the last 50 kms were panflat after a fearsome
amount of climbing in the earlier part of the stage.
Dufaux won that stage from Bjarne Riis in a sprint finish!

 

[Rolfrae]

I remember that stage in 1996 : the last 50 kms were panflat after a fearsome
amount of climbing in the earlier part of the stage.
Dufaux won that stage from Bjarne Riis in a sprint finish!

Do you think having the big climbs so far from the finish is a move intended to aid the breakaways? These are the stages that tend to see breaks staying away as the big guns just shadow each other over the climbs. Even though people are saying the route is perfect for Contador I get the feeling it has in some way been designed to make it harder for Astana to control.

 

[limerickman]

Do you think having the big climbs so far from the finish is a move intended to aid the breakaways? These are the stages that tend to see breaks staying away as the big guns just shadow each other over the climbs. Even though people are saying the route is perfect for Contador I get the feeling it has in some way been designed to make it harder for Astana to control.

That's an interesting view, Rolf.

The modern GT contenders tend to shadow each other on the climbs in recent years.
Unless you have an exception like Merckx who would go out to win the stage regardless of the parcours is flat, steep etc.

Would the ASO design stages just to negate one team???

 

[Rolfrae]

Would the ASO design stages just to negate one team???

They've thrown in a team time trial - perfect on paper for Astana - but they've kept it short at 38km. There are no time bonuses once again - let's not forget that Contador won the Vuelta with bonuses. Many of the mountain stages are front loaded, which at least mentally favours the lesser climbers, the breakaway enthusiasts and encourages teams to attack Astana/CSC.

 

[classic1]

I remember that stage in 1996 : the last 50 kms were panflat after a fearsome
amount of climbing in the earlier part of the stage.
Dufaux won that stage from Bjarne Riis in a sprint finish!

Yeah, Neil Stephens nearly got over the last climb with the big hitters on that stage.