Watch Andorre-la-Vieille - Saint-Girons Tour de France Live Online
The parcours of the 2009 Tour de France is definitely different. Observers often say that about the Tour's parcours, but for once, saying that La Grande Boucle's parcours is different is accurate. Several things will set the 2009 Tour apart from its recent predecessors. The first is the length of the race's two individual time trials. The two events will total 55 km. The time trial distance ridden will be the second shortest in the race's history; its shortness will give climbers a better-than-even chance of winning the race.
Second, the Tour will visit the second largest number of countries in the race's history. The riders will begin their odyssey in Monaco and will ride in France, Spain, Andorra, Switzerland, and Italy. Only the 1992 Tour, which visited seven countries, was more peripatetic than the 2009 Tour will be. From Missing Saddle: The Pyrenees continue through the weekend, with 176 kilometers and three climbs on tap for stage 8 on Saturday. The course profile won’t allow a rider to make a Tour-winning move, but a bad day for a contender could prove damaging to GC hopes. The road kicks up as soon as the flag drops, on the Port d’Envalira, a category 1 climb that spans 23 K at an average grade of about 5%. After a long descent, the category 2 Col de Port (11 K, 5.5%) comes about halfway through the stage. Finally, the Col d’Agnes is a category 1 that averages 6% over 11 kilometers. The main bunch of contenders should stay together to at least this point. Because of the long descent to the finish in Saint-Girons, a race-altering move is not likely to be made.
