Full details of the 2010 Tour de France will not be known until the official launch on October 14th, but that hasn’t stopped the usual round of predictions and forecasts as regards the route for next year’s race.
Whispers continue to grow that the Col du Tourmalet will play a significant feature in the event. Several media sources had claimed that a time trial up the mountain would be held; according to the newspaper La Dépêche du Midi, the climb will be used not once but twice during the race, as was also the case in 1970 and 1974. This would mark the centenary of the first use of the climb in 1910.
La Dépêche du Midi appears to play down the time trial reports in favour of two road race stages. However the website Steephill.tv states that ‘a source at the top of pro cycling’ has indicated that a stage from Luchon to the Col d’Aubisque would be held and would cross the Tourmalet, and that a hillclimb from Luz to the summit would also take place.
It is likely that Alpe d’Huez will also feature, as it tends to be used every two years.
Rumours aside, what is certain thus far is that next year’s race will begin on July 3rd in Rotterdam with a nine kilometre prologue. Stage one will start in De Heuvelpark and will pass through Zeeland before dropping south into Belgium. The finish has not yet been announced.
The race will be the third consecutive cycling Grand Tour to begin in the Netherlands. This year’s Vuelta started there, as will next year’s Giro d’Italia.
Velonation will have full details of this year’s Tour de France on October 14th.