Preview: Tour de France
30 June 2009
Stage profiles:
Official website:
http://www.letour.fr/
Selection Team Saxobank:
Andy Schleck
Frank Schleck
Fabian Cancellara
Stuart O'Grady
Jens Voigt
Nicki Sørensen
Chris Anker Sørensen
Gustav Larsson
Kurt-Asle Arvesen.
Just like last year, Team Saxobank has selected Andy to participate in this year's Tour de France. There is no doubt about it that Andy and Fränk Schleck are going to be the leaders of this year's Saxobank team.
The first test is going to be the opening time trial of 15,5km. With Fabian Cancellara, Olympic time trial champion, it is possible for Saxobank to take the yellow jersey in Monaco. After the small time trial, there are a few relative flat stages. The next test is going to be the Team Time Trial in Montpellier. The team has already done a lot of training for this stage. They also went to Montpellier to ride the whole stage as a preparation.
The other stages in the first Tour week are relatively flat. If there is going to be a lot of wind, all the riders for the general have to ride with attention so they aren’t loosing too much time.
Stage 7, 8 and 9 are going to be the first real mountain stages. With cols like: La cortinada, Port d’Enva lira, Col de Port, Col d’Agnès, col d’Aspin and Col du Tourmalet the riders can battle around. The first differences can be made in these stages. No noubt about it that riders like Alberto Contador, Lace Armstrond, Roman Kreuziger, Robert Gesink, Cadel Evans, Andy and Fränk Schleck, Carlos Sastre, Denis Menchow and others are going to try and take as much time as possible to have a bit distance for the upcoming stages.
Stages 10, 11 and 12 are excellent for early breakaways and even sprinters could take there chances to win. When we here the word sprint we automatically say: ‘Mark Cavendish.’ Also names like Thor Hushovd, Danilo Napolitano, Oscar Freire, Daniele Bennati, Koldo Fernandez, Tyler Farrar, Gerald Ciolek and Allan Davis are riders who could take one or more stages.
The second last stage is a real thriller with arrival on the Mont Ventoux. With this stage the riders get a last chance to make the difference. One last time the riders of the general can battle around. Andy Schleck can easy take the stage. At the age of 12, he climbed it for the first time. Later on vacations he did the climb several times, so we can say he can ride it up with his eyes closed. Also an important matter is that the Mont Ventoux is in the third week of the tour, the week were Andy is at his best. There is only one disadvantage: the stage starts at 9 o’clock, this means getting up early, around 6 o’clock.
The last stage is normally a parade stage. On the way to the Champs Élysées, the team of the yellow jersey is riding in front for a while and also all the different jerseys are riding next to each other so photographers can take some great shots. When riders turn up on the Champs then the seriousniss is starting. Some riders try to get away, normally not for long because at the end of the stage, it’s always a royal sprint.
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