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Cycling Weekly understands that a mountain time trial will be held on the Col du Tourmalet during the 2010 Tour de France.
Sources close to ASO say that a time trial will be held on the 16-kilometre Pyrenean climb. The Tour is set to mark the centenary of the race's first visit to the Pyrenees in style.
The Pyrenees were first used in the Tour de France in 1910, when a mammoth 325-kilometre stage from Luchon to Bayonne took the riders over the Col de Peyresourde, Col d'Aspin, Col du Tourmalet, Col du Soulor, the Col d'Aubisque and the Col d'Osquich.
To mark the anniversary, the 2010 Tour is set to have a stage from Luchon to the Col d'Aubisque, via the Peyresourde, Aspin, Tourmalet and Soulor.
The Tour de France route will be officially unveiled in Paris on October 14. The 2010 race will start on Saturday, July 3 with a prologue time trial in Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Sunday's opening road stage will head into Belgium.
A return to Alpe d'Huez looks on the cards. The famous climb was last used in the 2008 Tour, when Carlos Sastre won. It has not been absent from two consecutive Tours since the mid-1970s.
Reader comments
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ross
September 24 14:07
A TTT up the Tourmalet would be more exciting! Heard a rumour about Morzine/Avoriaz finish on July 12th? Anymore rumours?
Anni
September 24 21:22
A TTT up the Tourmalet would be very dangerous.... Or everything, but just not "exciting".
Cam
September 25 02:58
I have a hard time believing the Col d'Aubisque stage rumor. That collection of climbs in one stage would make for probably an 8 hour finishing time for the survivor.
ratfish
September 25 11:41
A Tour without Contador would be truly exciting. Otherwise: no mountaintop finishes, no time trials and the Wallers-Arenberg forest (Paris-Roubaix) in thelast few k's of a stage
Lionel Birnie
September 25 18:17
It's only 140 kilometres from Luchon to the Col d'Aubisque and the road goes directly over the Peyresourde, Aspin, Tourmalet and Soulour, which is more or less part of that side of the Aubisque anyway. The route was used in reverse in 1998 anyway, when Rodolfo Massi (hmm) won the 196km stage from Pau to Luchon over the Aubisque, Tourmalet, Aspin and Peyresourde. That day the stage took 5-49. I'd say that it would be a five-and-a-half-hour stage, but no more. It's not really that far. Anyway, I gather the Luchon-Col d'Aubisque stage will be on the route. It's not just a rumour.
Enzo
October 01 04:28
Alpe d' Huez would be great.. Especially with Armstrong in the race... I may head to the Pyrenees though out of Paris to see the ITT on the Col Du Tourmalet..
Chris Bigmore
October 02 01:51
Would the Tourmalet be used twice? Also which direction would the ITT take up the Tourmalet?
LT
October 07 20:26
Whoa can u Say a Tour Geared for Alberto to kill everyone Lance Doesnt stand a chance against this new breed of climbers