>+ 2002 TOUR DE FRANCE PRESENTATION > >Tour de France's Official Website at: http://www.letour.fr > >The 2002 edition of the Tour de France was presented today in Paris. >The next edition will be the shortest in the history of the race, >starting with a Prologue time trial in Luxembourg on July 6th and >with its traditional finish at the Champs de Elysees on July 28th, >after 20 stages. The Tour will include 21 mountain passes, 5 of >which will be mountain finishes, 3 individual time trials, 1 of them >a team time trial and only 3 stages with more than 200 kms. This last >measure in order to "humanize" the race, according to race dirctor, >Jean -Marie Leblanc. The total of 176 kms of events against the >clock, make this edition a race for the specialists in this >discipline. Instead of the mountain time trial, there will be two >flat time trials of 55 & 52 kms each. The first of them in the second >week of racing (Lanester to Lorient) and the second one, on the >penultimate day (Reginie Durette to Macon). > >Different from the last edition, the riders will face the Pirenees >first, where they will climb two mountain finishes (La Mogie and >Plateau de Beille). They will race 4 stages in the Alps, with 3 >mountain finishes (Mont Ventoux, Deux-Alpes and La Plagne). The >fourth Alpine stage is considered a middle mountain stage and will >climb the Roseland, Saises, Aravis and Colombier, before descending >to Cluses, where the finish will be located. > >Leblanc also confirmed that there will be 21 teams of 9 riders. The >first 16 teams will be selected according to the UCI classifications, >while the last 5 teams will be left to the discretion of the >organizer and will be announced on May 1st. > > >2002 TOUR AT A GLANCE > >Running from Saturday July 6th to Sunday July 28th, the 2002 Tour de >France will be made up of one prologue and 20 stages and will cover a >total distance of 3,300 kilometres. > >These 20 stages have the following profiles: >10 flat stages >1 medium mountain stage >6 high mountain stages >2 individual time-trial stages >1 team time-trial stage > >5 mountain finishes >2 rest days >108 kilometers of individual time-trials >68 kilometers of team time-trials >1 transfer by plane and 1 by train (TGV) >21 Category 1, Category 2 and highest level passes will be climbed. >8 new stop-over towns: Sarrebruck, Ch�teau-Thierry, Saint-Martin-de- >Landelles, Bazas, Lavelanet, Vaison-la-Romaine, Bourg-en-Bresse, >R�gni�-Durette. > > >THE STAGES > >July 6: Prologue = Luxembourg-Luxembourg (ITT) - 6,5 km >7: Stage 1 = Luxembourg-Luxembourg - 195 >8: Stage 2 = Luxembourg-Sarrebruck - 175 >9: Stage 3 = Metz-Reims - 185 >10: Stage 4 = Epernay-Chateau Thierry (TTT) - 68 >11: Stage 5 = Soissons-Ru�n - 198 >12: Stage 6 = Forges-les-Eaux - Alencon - 198 >13: Stage 7 = Bagnoles-de-l'Orne - Avranches - 173 >14: Stage 8 = Saint Martin de Landelles-Plouay - 214 >15: Stage 9 = Lanester-Lorient (ITT) - 55 >16: Rest Day >17: Stage 10 = Bazas-Pau - 147 >18: Stage 11 = Pau-La Mongie (MF) - 158 >19: Stage 12 = Lannemezan-Plateau de Beille (MF) - 198 >20: Stage 13 = Lavalenet-Beziers - 166 >21: Stage 14 = Lodeve-Mont Ventoux (MF) - 220 >22: Rest Day >23: Stage 15 = Vaison la Romaine-Deux Alpes(MF) - 226 >24: Stage 16 = Deux Alpes-La Plagne (MF) - 179 >25: Stage 17 = Aime-Cluses - 141 >26: Stage 18 = Cluses-Bourg en Bresse - 180 >27: Stage 19 = Regni� Durette-Macon (ITT) - 52,5 >28: Stage 20 = Melun-Champs de Elysees � 145 > > >U.S. POSTAL DIRECTOR'S OPINION > >"Next year's Tour de France is perfect for three time winner Lance >Armstrong", said U.S. Postal's team manager Johan Bruyneel at the >route unveiling today. "It looks like a good Tour for Lance. It >reminds me of the 2000 Grande Boucle with the Mont Ventoux and the >Alps", said Bruyneel. "As always, Lance will study the stages >closely. He has not decided yet if he will take part in the Dauphine >Libere or the Tour of Switzerland. But he will be at the start of >Milano-San Remo and the Tour of Flanders. He will certainly be at >Liege-Bastogne-Liege with the aim of winning it". > >Germany's Jan Ullrich, the 1997 Tour winner, is also happy with the >route, which will be the shortest in the event's history. "It's a >good Tour for everybody", said Telekom's team manager Rudy >Pevenage. "You will have to be at your best from the start in >Luxembourg. So far, Jan has not set up his schedule for the next >season". > >Marco Pantani (Mercatone Uno), the 1998 race winner, team was not >invited to compete in this year's race, could be set to make a >comeback. "This Tour with five mountain finishes suits me. I hope my >team will qualify, it's crucial. I'm going to work hard during the >winter to get good results early in the season". > >Frenchman Richard Virenque is also back after an eight-month ban for >his involvement in the Festina doping scandal at the 1998 Tour de >France. "I wanted a tough Tour de France and I'm happy the main >mountain stages are all in the last week of the race. My aim is to >win the polka dot jersey for the sixth time. For the overall >standings I'll take it on a day-to-day basis. With Armstrong in a >class of his own over the last three years, I'm certain we will know >the winner as soon as we leave the Pyrenees. Afterwards, the others >will fight for the two remaining places on the podium", finished >Virenque. _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ------ To unsubscribe, send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Club Office: [EMAIL PROTECTED], (613) 230-1064 Web/mailing list: [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.cyberus.ca/~obcweb Newsletter: [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.cyberus.ca/~obcweb/Newsletter ==^================================================================ EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?aVxiDo.a2i8p1 Or send an email To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] This email was sent to: [email protected] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
