Le Tour 2008: One for Les Grimpeurs

by Chris Fontecchio on Oct 26, 2007 12:57 AM EDT in News

Voila! The Tour didn't waste any time this offseason stamping their brand on 2008. I'm just getting back from an all-airplane day, so I know nothing of the rollout, but I doubt anyone is complaining too loudly about the 2008 parcours. Right?

Well, maybe the prologue specialists, but they're pretty low on the list of people the sport should be catering to. Frankly, I love the idea of ditching the prologue and letting the bunch sprinters race for yellow. They deserve it more.

Including the Massif Central (if I remember my French geography, circa 1986) is a nice touch. With one hand the Tour gives the sprinters their real day in the sun, and with the other they take away the monotony of ten straight days of sprints. As far as entertainment value is concerned, this is a hit.

The first ITT is very early and a bit short, but I'm still excited about it, for one reason: it's going to mess with people's strategy. Levi Leipheimer almost stole the show last year by staying conservative and peaking in week 3, not unlike Sammy Sanchez' Vuelta. This is almost conventional wisdom in recent grand tours. But the Giro showed folks that early challenges can disrupt the predictable strategies, and that's exactly what the Tour has done. I don't think the race will be won in this ITT or the Massif Central, but it could be lost, and it will definitely challenge the top riders to stretch out their form.

The mountain stages and final ITT are classic Tour; not much to say. I like the Pyrenees lineup for its difficulty and the Alpes for the odd choices and the finale on the Alpe. They kinda speak for themselves.

There's less of a cloud over the Tour at the moment, at least compared to last year. Resolution of the Landis case (if you can call it that) brings a small measure of peace, as well as the lack of concrete suspicion over this year's podium. The UCI rift is dead, and the doping controls are tightening the vise on the cheaters. Might all fall apart again, but there's reason to look at this course and get really excited about the Tour.

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The ITT

I love this ITT in combination with the Massif and Pyrenees for the fact that it will call some folks to the fore (hel-lo Levi and Cadel! Welcome to the first week!) as well as get some good but not great climbers a real chance to be a factor at least well into the final week. Guys like Gusev, Karpets, and Devolder could well become major players this time. Imagine say the new Astana and Contador and LL riding to protect Gusev. Cool.

by ursula on Oct 26, 2007 11:05 AM EDT reply actions

Exactly

This route should also favor a guy like Menchov. As someone else mentioned, there is quite a bit of descending, and a guy like Sanchez could also be in the mix.

This is the best route we've seen in many years, maybe since 1987, and will certainly be more exciting for the fans than recent editions. The action should be interestesting right from the start. Future Tour routes, which normally hit the Alps first, could utilize this same format and hit the Vosges Mountains within the first week instead of the Massif. All told, a great start for Prudhomme.

by Eric V on Oct 26, 2007 1:42 PM EDT up reply actions

Tour = Giro

Well, a lot of guys need not apply to this one. It looks custom-made for Contador/Andy Schleck, assuming that Skeletor will not be permitted to start.

What made the Tour different from the Giro was the lower emphasis on TTing at the Giro, and now the Tour is shortening the TTs at a time when climbers were already taking over. I guess Prudhomme likes 'em skinny . . .

by Softie on Oct 26, 2007 12:21 PM EDT reply actions

re. Giro

You're right in one respect, the de-emphasis on time trials. I thought last year's relative lack of uphill finishes placed too much emphasis on time trialling, and now they've swung the other way.

But it's still a 3500km parcours, and likely to be a lot faster than the Giro on a daily basis, so I'd bet it will still feel more like the Tour as far as the riders are concerned.

by Chris Fontecchio on Oct 26, 2007 2:20 PM EDT up reply actions

Speaking off time trialing!

I really miss the Team Time Trial in the Tour dee France.

Will they include the TTT any time soon?

They need to bring sexy back!

by Keithfbcyl on Oct 29, 2007 11:49 AM EDT reply actions

They will keep it off the parcours

just to punish Bjarne for foolishly admitting to using stronger stuff than mineralwater to win the Tour. That man has an unnatural love for the discipline, if asked I think he'd sacrifice his firstborn son to win a Tour-TTT.

by Jens on Oct 29, 2007 1:16 PM EDT reply actions

I have a (mildly) funny story about Bjarne

I was a the Tour of California at the final stage in Long Beach.
I was at the CSC motorhome taking pictures with the riders.

I happened to be wearing a CSC sweatshirt...so a local journalist approached me and asked if I was part of the team. I was tempted to say yes, but though better of it, and said no I was not.

He asked me if I knew who Bjarne Riis was, and if I could point him out to him...he had a scheduled interview with him.
Wanting to be helpful, I turned around and pointed to Riis and said, "There he is, that's Bjarne."

The reported shook his head and said, "I just spoke with that man and I asked him if he knew who Bjarne Riis was. He pointed over here and said I think I saw him over there a few minute ago!"

I just had to laugh. Bjarne had just punked this local newpaper journalist!
I followed the journalist over to Bjarne and listened to the interview that took place.
The reporter was pretty clueless, but Bjarne was nice enough to answer all his questions.

In my opinion...if you walk up to the man and ask him who Bjarne Riis is...you lose your privilege. "NO, INTERVIEW FOR YOU!"

by Keithfbcyl on Oct 30, 2007 11:38 AM EDT up reply actions