- Title: FRANCE: CYCLING: Tour de France celebrates centenary with prestige route
- Date: 24th October 2012
- Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (OCTOBER 24, 2012) (REUTERS) ( ** BEWARE FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY **) VARIOUS OF TOUR DE FRANCE PRESENTATION VARIOUS OF FANS WITH VETERAN BELGIAN CYCLIST EDDY MERCKX
- Embargoed: 8th November 2012 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: France
- Country: France
- Topics: Sports
- Reuters ID: LVAERRRGDE6GKTGIWTL8US5JDYKQ
- Story Text: Tour de France organisers unveil a mountainous route for the 100th edition of the world's greatest cycling race.
While the sports world struggles to come to terms with the Lance Armstrong doping scandal, Tour de France organisers unveiled on Wednesday (October 24) a mountainous route for the 100th edition of the world's greatest cycling race.
The 2013 Tour, which starts from Corsica, will take l'Alpe d'Huez's 21 hairpins twice in the same stage, ascend the gruelling Mont Ventoux and end at dusk on the Champs Elysees.
But with nine of the last 14 title wins wiped out because of doping, it remains to be seen how much credibility this year's race will retain.
Seven of those titles belonged to Armstrong, who was stripped of his 1999-2005 victories when the International Cycling Union ratified the United States Anti-Doping Agency's decision to nullify the American's results from August 1998 onward.
In a passionate outburst during the ceremony, director Christian Prudhomme, said the sport will come out stronger after the ordeal.
"The Tour de France is part of our heritage, it brings together people of all ages, and all conditions, it is venerated, it has social values. The Tour de France will be stronger than doping and stronger than the cheats - which is also attacking other sporting disciplines. Doping is the enemy," Prudhomme said.
He praised the member teams of the MPCC (Movement for Credible Cycling), who "have stricter anti-doping rules than the UCI and WADA".
The MPCC was created in 2007 and four teams (IAM, Sojasun, Lotto Belisol and NettApp-Endura) joined the seven existing members (French teams FDJ, Europcar, Bretagne-Schuller, Cofidis, AG2R, as well as Gamrin-Sharp and Argis Shimano) on Tuesday (October 23).
MPCC teams have pledged not to hire a rider who has been banned for more than six months over a doping offence.
Andy Schleck, Thibault Pinot and Sky team manager Dave Brailsford welcomed the sanctions against Armstrong, saying it would help rid cycling of its the reputation it had earned.
Next year's route is expected to suit top climbers with Spain's Contador and Briton Chris Froome the likely favourites, while defending champion Bradley Wiggins might find it tough to contain the attackers throughout.
The route will quickly go uphill as the peloton makes its way towards Calvi in northern Corsica.
Following a short team time trial around Nice, the Tour will visit Marseille and Montpellier en route to the Pyrenees, with two mountain stages on the menu, to Ax 3 Domaines and Bagneres de Bigorre.
The peloton will be transferred to Brittany, where the riders will battle it out on a 33 kms time trial to Mont St Michel, one of 10 UNESCO World heritage sites on next year's route.
Organisers hope the Tour will be decided in the Alps.
A couple of climbs up l'Alpe d'Huez and a summit finish on the Ventoux should sort the men from the boys before a final, gruelling and hilly time trial.
The last stage will start from Versailles palace gardens and finish on the Champs Elysees at dusk, with the podium ceremony being held at night. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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