3 Stages of 05 TdF Announced

[musette]

Tour 2005: First three stages
Stage 1 - July 2: Fromentine - Île de Noirmoutier ITT, 19 km
Stage 2 - July 3: Challans - Les Essarts, 185 km
Stage 3 - July 4: La Châtaigneraie - ?

Interesting that Stage 1 is a flat ITT. Guess who that will help?

 

[homeycheese]

Tour 2005: First three stages
Stage 1 - July 2: Fromentine - Île de Noirmoutier ITT, 19 km
Stage 2 - July 3: Challans - Les Essarts, 185 km
Stage 3 - July 4: La Châtaigneraie - ?

Interesting that Stage 1 is a flat ITT. Guess who that will help?

Is that actually a stage or the "Prologue?"

 

[gntlmn]

Is that actually a stage or the "Prologue?"

Looking at the 2005 calendar, I see that Saturday is July 2. This tells me that indeed, July 2 is the prologue. Sunday, July 3 will be the first stage.

It looks like the prologue will be a little longer next year than this year. I hope they don't set up something that will result in a bunch of crashes around sharp corners. I hate to see riders injured on the first day.

 

[mojomarc]

Looking at the 2005 calendar, I see that Saturday is July 2. This tells me that indeed, July 2 is the prologue. Sunday, July 3 will be the first stage.

It looks like the prologue will be a little longer next year than this year. I hope they don't set up something that will result in a bunch of crashes around sharp corners. I hate to see riders injured on the first day.

It always seems like they do set them up that way, though. When you hold those things in the flatlands of Northern France or Belgium, I don't think you can really help it with all the roundabouts there. I think the best we can hope for is that we don't get rain (as usual).

 

[gntlmn]

It always seems like they do set them up that way, though. When you hold those things in the flatlands of Northern France or Belgium, I don't think you can really help it with all the roundabouts there. I think the best we can hope for is that we don't get rain (as usual).

Tour Director Luc Leblanc used to be a Tour de France rider. I imagine he has very strong feelings about what traditional aspects of the Tour should be preserved. Perhaps he feels that this early elimination risk is not something to be minimized, that it contributes to the greatness of the event.

 

[Craig Walsh]

Tour Director Luc Leblanc used to be a Tour de France rider. I imagine he has very strong feelings about what traditional aspects of the Tour should be preserved. Perhaps he feels that this early elimination risk is not something to be minimized, that it contributes to the greatness of the event.

What part of France is the first three stages to take place?

 

[musette]

There may not be a Prologue. The first stage, the flat ITT, is on an island called Noirmoutiers that, among other things, harvests Brittany sea salt (fleur de sel).

http://www.letour.com/2005/presentationus/parcours.html

 

[Miguel_garcia83]

Tour Director Luc Leblanc used to be a Tour de France rider. I imagine he has very strong feelings about what traditional aspects of the Tour should be preserved. Perhaps he feels that this early elimination risk is not something to be minimized, that it contributes to the greatness of the event.

you mean Jean Marie Leblanc???