2005 TdeF route

fondriest

The 2005 route is due to anounced on thursday. It is rumored (sp) that a few changes are likely.

1. The prologue will be longer

2. There will be only one TT, this will be the penultimate stage.

3. Only three mountain finishes.

It seems to me that the organisers are trying to stop L A from winning, to prevent the race becoming a forgone conclusion.

A similar thing happened in formula 1 recently. The governing body started changing the format of the sport in an attempt to win back fans that were finding the sport boring with the same driver being so dominant (Micheal Schumacher) and winning the title year after year.

What does everyone else feel about these changes?

__________________
"SMELL MY CHEESE YOU MOTHER!!" Alan Partridge

fondriest

Dont know about the TTT, but i agree it should be kept in.

Heres a link to the article (remember none of this is official yet)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/oth...ing/3958427.stm

__________________
"SMELL MY CHEESE YOU MOTHER!!" Alan Partridge

musette

On the question of whether there will be a TTT, Velonews provides slightly different information on the "one TT" point. It refers to "one individual time trial".

"Sources close to the organizers said next year's race would feature only one **individual time trial** and three mountain finishes. The event normally includes two time trials and between four and six high-altitude finishes. The only time trial, other than a longer-than-usual prologue on July 2, will take place in St. Etienne on the penultimate day. The Tour will start from the island of Noirmoutier just south of Brittany and end on July 24 in Paris. Competitors will ride clockwise around France and climb the Alps before the Pyrénées. Another mountain stage in the Vosges mountains is also expected shortly after the Tour makes a short incursion into Germany."

musette

Cycling4all notes:

"Stage 1 is a Time Trial of 19 kms in Fromentine on the island of Noirmoutier, followed by the a stage between Challans and Les Essarts...."

So the prologue is longer than past years' prologues, more than 3x as long. This will be important for LA to win, relative to JU, etc.

2004 -- 6.1 km
2003 -- 6.5 km

hombredesubaru

The prologue will be similar to 2000 TdF which Lance missed winning by only two seconds to David Millar. Funny, when Lance crossed the line and saw the times he said "Whose David Millar?" We all know now!

I think that what the Tour is doing is wrong-headed, stupid and short sighted. All the classic Tours over many years are fought out in the time trials--Indurain, Ancqueteil--and mountains--Pantani or the combo--Lance, Hinault, Lemond. No one really wants to see the downhill finishes. It takes the drama out.

But the mountain stages themselves are where the real drama always happen, and removing mtn top finishes makes it boring. Even apart from watching the winners...watching climbers have at it is great excitement. Hampsten, Chiapucci, Robert Millar, etc etc

I think Lance made clear in cyclingnews that the Giro is out since the Italians are on a witch hunt and he doesnt want to give them the chance for a big photo op arrest. Really too bad since I think he was gonna do the Giro and not the Tour. Perhaps he'll go for something else this year as he has indicated. I think he may actually be waiting to see the course, since he stated he would do his schedule with Johan already but hasnt.

Oh well.

We'll see.

Roadrash Dunc

Only 3 mountain top finished would suck.

Dont mind the 1 ITT or even no TTT , but dont cut out the mountains.What a boring Tour it will become.

musette

Regardless of whatever ambiguity LA has expressed about doing the 05 Tour, he will participate in it. That's because LA is LA, and he would not be able to resist the prospect of a seventh consecutive Tour.

keydates

They should still have plenty of mountains...

Also, shouldn't the short TT/prologue benefit Lance? From what I've heard, Jan is better at the longer TTs, not the short ones.

musette

Well, nothing the Tour organizers can do will really impede LA, because he is good at everything (including on the TTT). So, I'm not worried, although I do feel the organizers' deliberate reduction of ITTs and mountain-top finishes (and the 04 cap on the amount of time that can be gained in a TTT) is a sign of a deliberate desire to have more suspense and an attempt to impede LA.

But, getting back to the question on length of ITT, that's a very good line of inquiry that I don't have a response to yet.

Even if there aren't a lot of mountain-top finishes, there will still be many mountains, because, without them, the Tour wouldn't be the Tour.

Frihed89

There is a TTT - stage 4: 66 km. There are 6-7 stages which the organisers classify as mountain stages, 3 of which are mountop finishes and two stages have a mountain near the end followed by a long descent to the finish (stages 11 and 16). This is still a rugged tour. The elimination of one long TT will help the Basso's of this world but won't hurt Armstrong. So, the gaps bewteen the top 5-8 riders may be closer this year. This will put more emphasis on the mountain stages as a whole and reward the teams with the best mountain support. Perhaps it means that Armstrong will have to attack on more mountain stages, or perhaps it means that he won't give any away.

Look at Team Discovery Channel. It is arguably stronger than last years. Look at the course. Armstrong is a year older, but a year wiser. It looked to me if as if he still had a lot in reserve at the end.

If I were a gambling man I don't see that this course creates any need to hedge my bets on the favourate.

Galibier

Like the look of Stage 11 - Courcheval to Briancon, going over the Madeleine, Telegraph and Galibier on the way, but since it's a downhill finish it's probably not one where one rider will take huge amounts of time (unless it's a Virenque-esque breakaway). Stage 15 on the other hand, could well be the decisive one with the Portet d'Aspet and Peyresourde en route to a finish at Pla-d'Adet.

Full parcours can be seen at http://www.letour.fr/2005/presentationfr/parcours.html

michaelpfogarty

It seems to be a very low key Tour this year. The stages in the Pyrenees will be great though.

The ITT in Saint Etienne I think favors LA--I hope this year's Tour is a thriller because last year really lacked a tight competition.

fondriest

I think the ITT being the penultimate stage will give us a thrilling finish. Even if it isnt that close by the time they reach the ITT it will still be tense with the posibility of puncture, mechanical failure, falling and bad weather. Add to that the fact they are riding alone and have no team mates to help out and the tour finishing the day after with no time to recover any loses.......... god! i`m getting excited already.

__________________
"SMELL MY CHEESE YOU MOTHER!!" Alan Partridge