Tour de France Preview
Tour de France Preview
The 2009 Tour de France should be a straight fight between Alberto Contador, Carlos Sastre, Cadel Evans, The Schleck brothers, Dennis Menchov and the elephant in the room, Lance Armstrong.
We expect 2008 Giro d'Italia winner, Alberto Contador to win and after being denied entry in 2008 he has the desire to prove his status. He also has too much talent in all areas (He won the Spanish TT recently) and should be able to control the action even when 2008 winner Carlos Sastre makes one of his potentially race winning attacks. As he did in 2008 on Le Alpe d'Huez.
Next up is Cadel Evans, no matter what people say no one call the Australian a rider with flare, but what he lacks in outright speed he makes up for in determination and guts, thus he will be there or thereabouts throughout the race.
Frank Schleck had to play second fiddle to Sastre in 2008 and this year he will lead the Saxo Team, and if he fails his brother Andy may step up to take a top three spot.
Dennis Menchov seemed to get through the 2009 Giro d'Italia without having one of his customary very bad days to win. The Tour is a pressure event and a potential race winning position could be unraveled on any one of the climbs.
Lastly, Lance Armstrong either highlights whether Astana has too many chiefs or that he will be satisfied to not undermine team mate Contador's Tour bid by not going for the GC himself. We doubt if he will be after the Tour win and he will help the team first, especially after Alexander's Vinkorouv's vow to return to the team after his suspension for doping, and has been quoted as saying that Bruyneel and the team's management better not stop him.
There will be a number of Brit's in the race and Mark Cavendish will be the star of the flat stages and if he looks after himself could win the Green Sprinter's Jersey despite the best efforts of Thor Hushovd. He could also claim more than the four stages he claimed in 2008. Tom Boonen has been given a last minute reprieve and will race, his participation had looked in doubt when the Tour organisers decided not to invite him after his second brush with cocaine.
Key Moments (Stages)
The team time trial on stage four could provide a hiccup for the potential Tour winners and if it does they will hope that only seconds will be at stake and not chunks of time. Astana, Saxo, Cervelo and Rabobank should give their a team leader's a good ride and if there is disappointment it could come from Evan's Silence Lotto squad.
The individual time trial on 18 is another matter and after a number of mountain stages it will be a major obstacle for all.
In the mountains:
Stage seven sees an early debut of a mountain stage, but with so little miles done it shouldn't upset the apple cart too much. Stage 8 sees climbs early on and which should give all time to regroup for the stage finish Again, stage nine features a number of mountains and is once more unlikely to worry the big hitters.
Stage 13 may not upset the Tour leaders but it will see a reshuffle of the pack as the climbs and miles take their toll. The stage shouldn't be a defining moment.
Stage 15 is tough, but once more it will supply some great racing but not offer a knock out blow. After a rest day Stage 16 has a long decent to the finish and this will work against an attack by a rider high on GC, having said that tired legs will tell and someone may lose out big time.
Stage 17, fingers crossed this will be a biggy. This tough stage is very much on the cards to see a sort out at the top of the GC - keep everything crossed!
Stage 19 is hard, but most will want to keep their powder dry for the following stage, the climb up the infamous Mount Ventoux - fireworks? You bet!
Take note
Last year the Tour was blighted with positive dope tests of top riders and the authorities intend be even more ruthless this year, the very recent positive EPO test for Thomas Dekker from a two year sample has sent a strong signal to all.
Watch out for Tour specific kit such as Sastre's yellow cranks, his special bike and Cervelo's white clothing instead of the normal black. Columbia also tweak their kit and add a new headline sponsor in the form of HTC.
The decision by the organisers to ban team radio's on July 14 (Bastille Day) and then the Vittel to Colmar stage on July 17 has split cycle fans - many are very keen hoping it might put the onus on the riders to act instinctively rather than mechanicaly as they follow orders. The team manager's are not best pleased and are still hoping to overturn this decision. Bernhard Hinault joined the fray with typical aplomb. Velo News has this great quote from the 5 times winner Bernrad Hinault: “It is just a ‘Game Boy’ that has a gigolo attached at the end telling the racer when to take a piss." “With (Cyril) Guimard, we studied the map and the wind the morning before the stage.”
Race Entry:
Cervelo TestTeam
Manager: Theo MAUCHER
1. Carlos Sastre (ESP)
2. Inigo Cuesta (ESP)
3. José Angel Gomez Marchante (ESP)
4. Volodymyr Gustov (UKR)
5. Heinrich Haussler (GER)
6. Thor Hushovd (NOR)
7. Andreas Klier (GER)
8. Brett Lancaster (AUS)
9. Hayden Roulston (NZL)
Silence-Lotto
Manager: Marc SERGEANT
11. Cadel Evans (AUS)
12. Micka‘l Delage (FRA)
13. Sebastian Lang (GER)
14. Matthew Lloyd (AUS)
15. Staf Scheirlinckx (BEL)
16. Greg Van Avermaet (BEL)
17. Jurgen Van den Broeck (BEL)
18. Johan Vansummeren (BEL)
19. Charles Wegelius (GBR)
Astana
Manager: Johan BRUYNEELe
21. Alberto Contador (ESP)
22. Lance Armstrong (USA)
23. Andreas Klöden (GER)
24. Levi Leipheimer (USA)
25. Dmitriy Muravyev (KAZ)
26. Sergio Paulinho (POR)
27. Yaroslav Popovych (UKR)
28. Gregory Rast (SUI)
29. Haimar Zubeldia (ESP)
Team Saxo Bank
Manager: Bjarne RIIS
31. Andy Schleck (LUX)
32. Kurt-Asle Arvesen (NOR)
33. Fabian Cancellara (SUI)
34. Gustav Larsson (SWE)
35. Stuart O'Grady (AUS)
36. Frank Schleck (LUX)
37. Chris Sørensen (DEN)
38. Nicki Sørensen (DEN)
39. Jens Voigt (GER)
Rabobank
Manager: Harold KNEBEL
41. Denis Menchov (RUS)
42. Stef Clement (NED)
43. Juan Antonio Flecha (ESP)
44. Oscar Freire (ESP)
45. Juan Manuel Garate (ESP)
46. Robert Gesink (NED)
47. Grischa Niermann (GER)
48. Joost Posthuma (NED)
49. Laurens ten Dam (NED)
Garmin - Slipstream
Manager: Jonathan VAUGHTERS
51. Christian Vande Velde (USA)
52. Julian Dean (NZL)
53. Tyler Farrar (USA)
54. Ryder Hesjedal (CAN)
55. Martijn Maaskant (NED)
56. David Millar (GBR)
57. Danny Pate (USA)
58. Bradley Wiggins (GBR)
59. David Zabriskie (USA)
Euskaltel-Euskadi
Manager: Miguel MADARIAGA
61. Mikel Astarloza (ESP)
62. Igor Anton (ESP)
63. Koldo Fernandez (ESP)
64. Egoi Martinez (ESP)
65. Juan José Oroz (ESP)
66. Alan Pérez (ESP)
67. Ruben Pérez (ESP)
68. Amets Txurruka (ESP)
69. Gorka Verdugo (ESP)
Team Columbia-HTC
Manager: Bob STAPLETON
71. Mark Cavendish (GBR)
72. Bernhard Eisel (AUT)
73. Bert Grabsch (GER)
74. George Hincapie (USA)
75. Kim Kirchen (LUX)
76. Tony Martin (GER)
77. Maxime Monfort (BEL)
78. Mark Renshaw (AUS)
79. Michael Rogers (AUS)
Ag2r-La Mondiale
Manager: Vincent LAVENU
81. Vladimir Efimkin (RUS)
82. Jose Luis Arrieta (ESP)
83. Cyril Dessel (FRA)
84. Hubert Dupont (FRA)
85. Stéphane Goubert (FRA)
86. Lloyd Mondory (FRA)
87. Rinaldo Nocentini (ITA)
88. Christophe Riblon (FRA)
89. Nicolas Roche (IRL)
Liquigas
Manager: Roberto, AMADIO
91. Franco Pellizotti (ITA)
92. Daniele Bennati (ITA)
93. Roman Kreuziger (CZE)
94. Aliaksandr Kuschynski (BLR)
95. Vincenzo Nibali (ITA)
96. Fabio Sabatini (ITA)
97. Brian Vandborg (DEN)
98. Alessandro Vanotti (ITA)
99. Frederik Willems (BEL)
Francaise Des Jeux
Manager: Marc MADIOT
101. Sandy Casar (FRA)
102. Jérôme Coppel (FRA)
103. Anthony Geslin (FRA)
104. Yauheni Hutarovitch (BLR)
105. Sébastien Joly (FRA)
106. Christophe Le Mével (FRA)
107. Jérémy Roy (FRA)
108. Benoît Vaugrenard (FRA)
109. Jussi Veikkanen (FIN)
Caisse D’Epargne
Manager: José-Miguel ECHAVARRI
111. Oscar Pereiro (ESP)
112. David Arroyo (ESP)
113. Rui Costa (POR)
114. Arnaud Coyot (FRA)
115. Ivan Gutierrez (ESP)
116. Luis Pasamontes (ESP)
117. José Joaquin Rojas (ESP)
118. Luis Leon Sanchez (ESP)
119. Rigoberto Uran (COL)
Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
Manager: Éric BOYER
121. David Moncoutié (FRA)
122. Stéphane Augé (FRA)
123. Samuel Dumoulin (FRA)
124. Leonardo Duque (COL)
125. Bingen Fernandez (ESP)
126. Christophe Kern (FRA)
127. Sébastien Minard (FRA)
128. Ama‘l Moinard (FRA)
129. Rémi Pauriol (FRA)
Lampre - N.G.C.
Manager: Fabrizio Bontempi
131. Alessandro Ballan (ITA)
132. Marco Bandiera (ITA)
133. Marzio Bruseghin (ITA)
134. Angelo Furlan (ITA)
135. David Loosli (SUI)
136. Daniele Righi (ITA)
137. Mauro Santambrogio (ITA)
138. Marcin Sapa (POL)
139. Simon Spilak (SLO)
Bbox Bouygues Telecom
Manager: Jean-René BERNAUDEAU
141. Thomas Voeckler (FRA)
142. Yukiya Arashiro (JPN)
143. William Bonnet (FRA)
144. Pierrick Fédrigo (FRA)
145. Saîd Haddou (FRA)
146. Laurent Lefvre (FRA)
147. Alexandre Pichot (FRA)
148. Pierre Rolland (FRA)
149. Yury Trofimov (RUS)
Quick Step
Manager: Patrick LEFÉVÈRE
151. Sylvain Chavanel (FRA)
152. Carlos Barredo (ESP)
153. Allan Davis (AUS)
154. Steven De Jongh (NED)
155. Stijn Devolder (BEL)
156. Jérôme Pineau (FRA)
157. Sébastien Rosseler (BEL)
158. Matteo Tosatto (ITA)
159. Jurgen Van De Walle (BEL)
Team Katusha
Manager: Stefano FELTRIN
161. Vladimir Karpets (RUS)
162. Alexandre Botcharov (RUS)
163. Joan Horrach (ESP)
164. Mikhail Ignatiev (RUS)
165. Serguei Ivanov (RUS)
166. Danilo Napolitano (ITA)
167. Filippo Pozzato (ITA)
168. Nikolai Trusov (RUS)
169. Stijn Vandenbergh (BEL)
Agritubel
Manager: David FORNES
171. Christophe Moreau (FRA)
172. Maxime Bouet (FRA)
173. Sylvain Calzati (FRA)
174. Brice Feillu (FRA)
175. Romain Feillu (FRA)
176. Eduardo Gonzalo (ESP)
177. David Le Lay (FRA)
178. Geoffroy Lequatre (FRA)
179. Nicolas Vogondy (FRA)
Team Milram
Manager: Gerry VAN GERWEN
181. Linus Gerdemann (GER)
182. Gerald Ciolek (GER)
183. Markus Fothen (GER)
184. Johannes Frøhlinger (GER)
185. Christian Knees (GER)
186. Niki Terpstra (NED)
187. Peter Velits (SVK)
188. Fabian Wegmann (GER)
189. Peter Wrolich (AUT)
Skil-Shimano
Manager: Iwan SPEKENBRINK
191. Cyril Lemoine (FRA)
192. Fumiyuki Beppu (JPN)
193. Koen De Kort (NED)
194. Simon Geschke (GER)
195. Jonathan Hivert (FRA)
196. Thierry Hupond (FRA)
197. Piet Rooijakkers (NED)
198. Albert Timmer (NED)
199. Kenny van Hummel (NED)
