[Skip Madness]

Well it is pretty much as was predicted - including the most eye-catching detail, the 120 km penultimate stage up to Mont Ventoux.

Here are the stages:

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: Girona - Barcelona, 167km (Spain)
July 10, stage 7: Barcelona - Arcalís, 224km (Andorra)
July 11, stage 8: Andorra-la-Vella - St-Girons
July 12, stage 9: St-Gaudens - Tarbes
July 13, rest day
July 14, stage 10: Limoges - Issoudun, 192km
July 15, stage 11: Vatan - St-Fargeau, 200km
July 16, stage 12: Tonnerre - Vittel, 200km
July 17, stage 13: Vittel - Colmar
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
July 22, stage 17: Bourg-St-Maurice - Le Grand Bornand
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

It is a very international Tour, with visits to Monaco, Spain, Andorra, Switzerland and Italy. I will post up the details of the mountain stages in a minute.

[jasper]

Where did you get the info from skip?

[Frustruck]

Expanded Dauphinee-Liberee more like: a bit in the middle and the rest in the Alps and Pyrenees. Nothing in the rest of the country or the south-west. Quite a strange route.
www.letour.fr

[Tetedelacourse]

eh, pyrenees are in the south-west, no?

Is an odd route, seems to criss-cross around the bottom half and it's deux fingres to Brittany and the north. They'll have to get well juiced up for Mont Ventoux

[Skip Madness]

Here are the mountain stages:

Stage 7 - Barcelona - Arcalís (224 km)
Port d'Oliana (7.7 km at 7.1%)
Arcalís (10.6 km at 7.1%)


Stage 8 - Andorra-la-Vella - Saint-Girons (176 km)
Port d'Envalira (23.2 km at 5.1%)
Col de Port (11.4 km at 5.5%)
Col d'Agnès (12.4 km at 6.5%)


Stage 9 - Saint-Gaudens - Tarbes (160 km)
Col d'Aspin (12 km at 6.6%)
Col du Tourmalet (17 km at 7.5%)


Stage 13 - Vittel - Colmar (200 km)
Col de la Schlucht (8.9 km at 4.1%)
Col du Platzerwasel (8.7 km at 7.6%)
Col du Firstplan (8.4 km at 5.4%)


Stage 15 - Pontarlier - Verbier (207 km)
Col des Mosses (13.8 km at 4%)
Verbier (8.8 km at 7.1%)


Stage 16 - Martigny - Bourg-Saint-Maurice (160 km)
Col du Grand-Saint-Bernard (24.4 km at 6.2%)
Col du Petit-Saint-Bernard (22.6 km at 5.1%)


Stage 17 - Bourg-Saint-Maurice - Le Grand-Bornard (169 km)
Cormet de Roselend (18 km at 6.1%)
Col des Saisies (15.1 km at 6%)
Côte d'Arâche (6.3 km at 7%)
Col de Romme (8.8 km at 8.9%)
Col de la Colombière (7.5 km at 8.5%)


Stage 20 - Montélimar - Mont Ventoux (167 km)
Mont Ventoux (21.2 km at 7.6%)




I think these stages are pretty well measured. There are only 55 km of individual time-trialling next year, which might give the rouleurs something to whinge about, but many of the mountain stages look like they have been designed to provide action without being decisive. The first mountain-top finish at Arcalís we have seen many times in the Vuelta - it is stiff enough to drop many, but the favourites almost always arrive at the finish together. With the two subsequent Pyrenean stages topping out a long way from the finish, the favourites aren't likely to bother attacking and they will surely be days for breakaways, although any big names who do get dropped may find the other big teams trying to punish them on the long finish.

The Vosges stage is interesting. The Col du Platzerwasel is clearly not an easy climb, and with only 20 km to go from the top of the Col du Firstplan some riders may consider a surprise attack, but I suspect it is more likely that the big guns will wait for the proper Alps.

I like the stage to Verbier - it is a lot like the one to Arcalís, or this year's stage to Prato Nevoso. The following stage through Switzerland and Italy looks great on paper, although we said the same thing about this year's second Alpine stage over the Lombarde and Bonette. There is no doubt that the third stage in the Alps is the most difficult of the Tour, in particular the last two climbs. Normally you would have to describe it as the queen stage of the race, and it could well close the GC, but if it doesn't then Mont Ventoux is obviously what everyone is waiting for.

Frustruck said:

Expanded Dauphinee-Liberee more like: a bit in the middle and the rest in the Alps and Pyrenees. Nothing in the rest of the country or the south-west. Quite a strange route.

Yes, it is strange, but then I quite like the Tour to do something a bit different each year. Don't forget of course that there are five stages which are outside or mostly outside of France.

One question on a point which no-one seems to have mentioned - for two years in a row we will have had the Pyrenees first and the Alps second. When was the last time the Tour went the same way round in consecutive years?

[kennykool]

Am I reading that correct???? Is there gonna be a Team Time Trial next year??

Is this in honour of the Second Coming of King Lance?????

I love Team Time Trials

[Skip Madness]

kennykool said:

Am I reading that correct???? Is there gonna be a Team Time Trial next year??

Is this in honour of the Second Coming of King Lance?????

I love Team Time Trials

Yes, 38 km in and out of Montpellier. I am glad to see it back, too, although I think I would have preferred for them to go down the Giro/Vuelta route and keep it under 25 km.

[gavintc]

38 km of TTT at (edit - Montpellier) -Day 4

http://www.cyclingwe...cle_270485.html

[kennykool]

Gonna go out on a limb and predict that Team Astana (if invited) will win the TTT. Especially if Lance is in the mix

I hope they do get an invite with Lance being involved in some capacity. I do however want Alberto to win TdeF.

BTW - Tete Britanny was given an awful lot of the Tour last year I'm sure they won't mind missing out this year!!!

[Tetedelacourse]

poo, I like the drama of mountain top finishes. It seems counter climber, counter roleur. They're getting all bogged down in accessibility and practicalities.

Hoots, just end half of those stages 50km early and I will be happy.