2009 Tour Route released

[Blue York]

http://www.letourdefrance.com/2009/TDF/COURSE/us/le_parcours.html

A 15k prologue in Monaco, a 40K TT and a 38K Team TT. Very light on for ITT (only 55K) next year and if Lotto give Evans a junk team he will lose time in the TTT against Astana, how much will depend on how they allocate time on TTT results.

3 mountain top finishes and no L'Alpe d' Huez.

Check out the Ventoux on the penultimate stage. 21K at 7.6% gradient. I am crying just looking at the profile. Lots of suffering to be had there. Expect Contador to clinch it up that monster.

Evans might as well start looking elsewhere for results next year. He will not beat Contador on that course.

 

[Arsene Wenger]

Seen this... Im actually going to see a few stages. Correct me if im wrong, there is no stage with the famous Alp dHuez?

shattered if that is the the case.

Anyone with a good knowledge of French geography could tell me what what would be the best high mountain stage to see on next years tour would be ...

 

[waspy]

Word is that its real time for the TTT, with the 2008 theme of "real time" being enforced again (no time bonuses for any stages).

I think Lotto will be fine with the TTT.
Check out the 2009 signings so far:
Dekker - potential TT and climbing star.
Elizjen - strong TT, can't climb too well
Lang - Strong TT, again can't climb
Scheirlinckx/Gilbert/Stubbe/Wegelius - are all decent riders

Popovych and Van Summeren are decent and hopefully Van den Broeck and Lloyd get a ride in 09. Need to turf out Vansevenant and Brandt ASAP.

Possible team: Evans, Van Summeren, Popovych, Dekker, Lloyd, Van den Broeck, two of Aerts/Cioni/Hoste, new guy (Gilbert?). Throw in Lang if they feel he will help enough in the TTT to make it worthwhile.

Maybe lose a bit of time to Astana if they load up with stars.

 

[waspy]

Seen this... Im actually going to see a few stages. Correct me if im wrong, there is no stage with the famous Alp dHuez?

shattered if that is the the case.

Anyone with a good knowledge of French geography could tell me what what would be the best high mountain stage to see on next years tour would be ...

Mont Ventoux is your destination.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2009/tour09/?id=stages/tour0920
21.1km at 7%

Armstrong is 0/2 there and rates it as the hardest he's faced.

And, it's on the penultimate day, so the man in yellow at the top will win the Tour the next day. Apparently it's a very barren mountain with less hairpins than Alp d'Huez so it's basically just a long grind to the top. Combined with strong wind and a hot sun it could be the sort of stage where a guy 3-4 minutes back could steal it.

 

[blackcat]

Word is that its real time for the TTT, with the 2008 theme of "real time" being enforced again (no time bonuses for any stages).

I think Lotto will be fine with the TTT.
Check out the 2009 signings so far:
Dekker - potential TT and climbing star.
Elizjen - strong TT, can't climb too well
Lang - Strong TT, again can't climb
Scheirlinckx/Gilbert/Stubbe/Wegelius - are all decent riders

Popovych and Van Summeren are decent and hopefully Van den Broeck and Lloyd get a ride in 09. Need to turf out Vansevenant and Brandt ASAP.

Possible team: Evans, Van Summeren, Popovych, Dekker, Lloyd, Van den Broeck, two of Aerts/Cioni/Hoste, new guy (Gilbert?). Throw in Lang if they feel he will help enough in the TTT to make it worthwhile.

Maybe lose a bit of time to Astana if they load up with stars.

Eljizen wont be on the Tour team, probably coming cos a mate of Dekker. Done nothing. won a GP Merckx with Wigga, and a wet prologue at Benelux which meant riders starting after him had no chance.

Team'll be
Evans
Dekker
Popo
Vandenbroeck
Wegelius
Cioni
Aerts
Lang
Van Avermaet

Lloyd won't ride unless Evans personally requests him. I don't see Evans doing that. Greg VA will ride, because he will get a big result in Spring, and Coucke will insist. I reckon Hoste will miss out, because GVA will get the spot.

This route was made to hurt Armstrong. I knew they would try and kill him in the mountains, and keep tt miles down.

Gilbert said he was going to ride the Giro and the Vuelta. Evans and Gilbert are not chummy. And I dont think Gilbert would be the best worker.

Vansummeren is a horse and one of my favourite riders, but think he will be left out, as they gamble on someone else controlling the race.

 

[bigburger]

Eljizen wont be on the Tour team, probably coming cos a mate of Dekker. Done nothing. won a GP Merckx with Wigga, and a wet prologue at Benelux which meant riders starting after him had no chance.

Team'll be
Evans
Dekker
Popo
Vandenbroeck
Wegelius
Cioni
Aerts
Lang
Van Avermaet

Lloyd won't ride unless Evans personally requests him. I don't see Evans doing that. Greg VA will ride, because he will get a big result in Spring, and Coucke will insist. I reckon Hoste will miss out, because GVA will get the spot.

This route was made to hurt Armstrong. I knew they would try and kill him in the mountains, and keep tt miles down.

Gilbert said he was going to ride the Giro and the Vuelta. Evans and Gilbert are not chummy. And I dont think Gilbert would be the best worker.

Vansummeren is a horse and one of my favourite riders, but think he will be left out, as they gamble on someone else controlling the race.

Thats such a crap team for the mountains going on this years performance. This is very sad news for Evans imo he won't win this year and thats just about it for him imo. The prologue will hurt him as will the mountains. I can see his position sliding this year. Suits contador down to a tee.

 

[Arsene Wenger]

Mont Ventoux is your destination.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2009/tour09/?id=stages/tour0920
21.1km at 7%

Armstrong is 0/2 there and rates it as the hardest he's faced.

And, it's on the penultimate day, so the man in yellow at the top will win the Tour the next day. Apparently it's a very barren mountain with less hairpins than Alp d'Huez so it's basically just a long grind to the top. Combined with strong wind and a hot sun it could be the sort of stage where a guy 3-4 minutes back could steal it.

Cheers for that mate... I think il have to do one of the earlier mountain stages tho... Which one of stage 7,8 or 9 would you suggest ?

 

[groverjones]

Cheers for that mate... I think il have to do one of the earlier mountain stages tho... Which one of stage 7,8 or 9 would you suggest ?

Personally, I'd go for stage 7, simply to experience the massive Basque influence there will be on the slopes in Andorra. The amount of orange that will be leading up that climb will be just incredible.
Sad to see no Alpe d'Huez this year, and really disappointed with the lack of ITT miles, but on the other side of the coin, a climb up Ventoux on the penultimate day will be just so simply awesome! As someone has already said, if anyone is within 5 minutes going up there, then they will all be in with a chance.
I'm not sure I buy the whole anti-Lance bias of the route. I think they've just decided to spice things up to take a little spotlight away with the perceived problems that get so much mention in the media.
If he's fit, and Astana is let in, then I can't see Contador getting beaten.

 

[swuzzlebubble]

'09 tour made for rivals: Evans:

http://www.theage.com.au/news/sport/09-tour-made-for-rivals-evans/2008/10/23/1224351448953.html

 

[SlainteO'Hailpin]

Damn 21km with a 7 degree incline.

I'm gonna have $10 on Soler as a roughie to win the tour by killing em on that day.

 

[groverjones]

Damn 21km with a 7 degree incline.

I'm gonna have $10 on Soler as a roughie to win the tour by killing em on that day.

Assuming, of course, he can make it through the first week...

 

[Warsaw]

Why lose tradition though? I don't understand it. What's worked for them in the past still works i think. Creating more intrigue? Is it really worth it??

 

[bigburger]

Why lose tradition though? I don't understand it. What's worked for them in the past still works i think. Creating more intrigue? Is it really worth it??

It gets higher TV ratings mate.

 

[seanoff]

Ventoux is BRUTAL.

desolate, windy and can be either frying hot or bitter cold.

has a scalp too, Tom Simpson died there in 1967 (too much speed + 115F not a good mix)

good to see the TDF back at the giant of provence.

 

[coughs2richo]

Evans aint going to finish in the top 5 next year, his time is sadly oover

 

[rodda]

Thats such a crap team for the mountains going on this years performance. This is very sad news for Evans imo he won't win this year and thats just about it for him imo. The prologue will hurt him as will the mountains. I can see his position sliding this year. Suits contador down to a tee.

Are you serious?? thats much better then this year
Dekker will be a workhorse in the mountians as will Popo if he can get his act together better then last year, wegelius is also a strong climber.

Cioni had a fantastic result in the Giro a little while back and finished pretty high up over all from memory and Aerts is getting on a bit these days but he can climb as well.

add to that vandenbroek and perhaps a van huffel and you have a much better team then last year.

This however will be nothing like the team that astana will bring.

it will probably include
Contador
Leipheimer
Kloden
brajkovic
perhaps horner or paulinho

and you have a team which can not only dominate a TTT (if they arent kicked out for doping before then) but also TTT up a mountain, destroying everyone else, I've left armstrong out of there because it seems he may not make it to the tour at this stage as he has commited to the Giro and is also planning to ride a lot of the major classics.

 

[bigburger]

Cioni has done nothing for Cadel since being on his team you cannot seriously rate him as a strong tour de france rider. In the Giro yes but he is riding for himself there. Aerts is past it now (will be almost 35 next year).

Dekker and Poppa are the key to any Evans success. In regards to Dekker imo he needs to finish top 15 if hes to have any impact at all. I put that beyond him at the moment (Don't forget Rabobank didn't even select him for the tour this year). Same goes for Poppa who on face value appeared to be the most selfish domestique in the peleton last year.

Considering the team you put up there rodda (Astana), you honestly think they compare?!?! You have got to be kidding...Silence-Lotto is a one man show and no one man is good enough to go up against a whole pack of GC working together and win.

 

[rodda]

Cioni has done nothing for Cadel since being on his team you cannot seriously rate him as a strong tour de france rider. In the Giro yes but he is riding for himself there. Aerts is past it now (will be almost 35 next year).

Dekker and Poppa are the key to any Evans success. In regards to Dekker imo he needs to finish top 15 if hes to have any impact at all. I put that beyond him at the moment (Don't forget Rabobank didn't even select him for the tour this year). Same goes for Poppa who on face value appeared to be the most selfish domestique in the peleton last year.

Considering the team you put up there rodda (Astana), you honestly think they compare?!?! You have got to be kidding...Silence-Lotto is a one man show and no one man is good enough to go up against a whole pack of GC working together and win.

I thought Cioni was actually pretty good on a few mountain stages in the tour, and at least better then popovych, who i think was, rather then selfish, just plain bad.

Dekker has the potential to finish pretty high, but the lack of long TT miles in this tour are gonna hurt him, and from memory wasnt it some dispute with the Rabobank Management about a contract or blood values or something that lead to him being left out of the squad?

No i don't think they compare, especially on this course, as shown by my "nothing like the team Astana will bring" and the ever suspicious Astana helmed by the ever wily Johan Bruyneel look pretty set to be able to dominate imo

Its true Silence's effort as a team was dismal, but you should'nt have to rely on your team mates to win, guys like menchov and kohl werent getting a lot of help either. (or at least not from humans in kohls case..) Cadel had looked set to be a lot more agressive in this years tour going on his early season performances, but the crash and carrying an injury saw him fall back to his incredibly unattractive wheel sucking style which is not how one goes about winning a tour de france, strong team mates or weak team mates.

 

[Arsene Wenger]

im booked in for the last two stages - Ventoux here i come... pumped already.

 

[bigburger]

I am so jealous of you mate. Hopefully in a couple of years once this uni business is done with that will be me .

P.S. Enjoy it.

 

[rodda]

knock armstrong over for me if he rides would you

 

[Arsene Wenger]

Ha ha - My mates have challenged me to see if i can get on TV. Il post in here day before and do something stupid or be one of those idiots that runs 1 km up the mountain with the leader of the race !!! see if you dudes can spot me. Hopefully il be sporting an Aussie flag...

In all seriousness have wanted to do it for a while and bit the bullet and decided when Lance was back i had to go. also doing barcelona, dubrovnik, Santorini, New York, Cancun, Las Vegas.... i still think Le tour will be the highlight !!

 

[Hodges 153!]

Ha ha - My mates have challenged me to see if i can get on TV. Il post in here day before and do something stupid or be one of those idiots that runs 1 km up the mountain with the leader of the race !!! see if you dudes can spot me. Hopefully il be sporting an Aussie flag...

In all seriousness have wanted to do it for a while and bit the bullet and decided when Lance was back i had to go. also doing barcelona, dubrovnik, Santorini, New York, Cancun, Las Vegas.... i still think Le tour will be the highlight !!

And a Port guernsey plz.

 

[rodda]

Popovych has now signed with Astana, meaning he will have an awesome year and furthering weakening cadels team for the Tour

 

[Arsene Wenger]

And a Port guernsey plz.

Great call mate - I will definately don the Port gurnsey - il make sure its a bright teal one (ie clash one).....