So it is two weeks away, but you can do some preliminary research seeing no Omloop Het Volk/Nieuwsblad & Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne (campaigning for them to included in 2013 season).
Offical website with parcours: http://www.letour.fr/2012/PNC/COURSE/us/le_parcours.html
Partial starting list:http://www.cyclingfever.com/editie.html?detp=view&_ap=startlijst&editie_...
Stage 1 9km ITT (prologue) includes cat 3 1.1km @ 6.6 climb after 500m
Stage 2 flat sprinters stage.
Stage 3 Finishes on a Cat 3 climb 5.2km @ 2.9%
Stage 4 lumpy day 2 Cat 2 & 3 Cat 3 last 500m @ 8% 2 km before line, last km is at 4%
Stage 5 even lumpier 3 cat 1, cat 2 & 2 * cat 3, finish is cat 1 3km @ 10%
Stage 6 less lumpy cat 2, 5 * cat 3, last 20km before finish
Stage 7 lumpy cat 1, 2 * cat 2, cat 3, 20km downhill after cat 1, the 20km flat
Stage 8 ITT Col d'Èze 9.6km @ 4.7%
Start with solid ITT riders, then roulers and escape artists and finish with good ITTs
Likely starters
AG2R LA MONDIALE
PERAUD Jean Christophe France
ROCHE Nicholas Ireland
ASTANA PRO TEAM
BRAJKOVIC Janez Slovenia
SEELDRAYERS Kevin Belgium
BMC RACING TEAM
HUSHOVD Thor Norway
MOINARD Amaël France
PHINNEY Taylor United States
VAN GARDEREN Tejay United States
COFIDIS LE CREDIT EN LIGNE
DI GREGORIO Rémy France
DUMOULIN Samuel France
MONCOUTIE David France
TAARAMAE Rein Estonia
EQUIPE CYCLISTE FDJ-BIGMAT
FEDRIGO Pierrick France
JEANNESSON Arnold France
ROY Jérémy France
EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI
ANTON HERNANDEZ Igor Spain
ASTARLOZA CHAURREAU Mikel Spain
SICARD Romain France
GARMIN - BARRACUDA
FERNANDEZ DE LARREA Koldo Spain
HAUSSLER Heinrich Australia
LE MEVEL Christophe France
MILLAR David United Kingdom
RASMUSSEN Alex Denmark
GREENEDGE CYCLING TEAM
DAVIS Allan Australia
GERRANS Simon Australia
KATUSHA TEAM
GALIMZYANOV Denis Russia
MENCHOV Denis Russia
LAMPRE - ISD
BOLE Grega Slovenia
CUNEGO Damiano Italy
ULISSI Diego Italy
LIQUIGAS - CANNONDALE
BASSO Ivan Italy
SZMYD Sylvester Poland
VIVIANI Elia Italy
LOTTO - BELISOL TEAM
BAK Lars Ytting Denmark
HENDERSON Gregory New Zealand
MOVISTAR TEAM
ARROYO DURAN David Spain
CASTROVIEJO NICOLAS Jonathan Spain
ROJAS GIL Jose Joaquin Spain
VALVERDE BELMONTE Alejandro Spain
OMEGA PHARMA - QUICKSTEP CYCLING TEAM
BOONEN Tom Belgium
CHAVANEL Sylvain France
LEIPHEIMER Levi United States
MARTIN Tony Germany
PROJECT 1T4I
DEGENKOLB John Germany
KITTEL Marcel Germany
RABOBANK CYCLING TEAM
MOLLEMA Bauke Netherlands
RENSHAW Mark Australia
SANCHEZ GIL Luis Leon Spain
RADIOSHACK - NISSAN
DIDIER Laurent Luxembourg
HORNER Christopher United States
IRIZAR ARANBURU Markel Spain
KLÖDEN Andreas Germany
MONFORT Maxime Belgium
SCHLECK Andy Luxembourg
SCHLECK Frank Luxembourg
SAUR - SOJASUN
COPPEL Jerome France
FEILLU Brice France
GALLAND Jérémie France
HIVERT Jonathan France
SKY PROCYCLING
FROOME Christopher United Kingdom
PORTE Richie Australia
THOMAS Geraint United Kingdom
WIGGINS Bradley United Kingdom
TEAM EUROPCAR
GAUDIN Damien France
ROLLAND Pierre France
VOECKLER Thomas France
TEAM SAXO BANK
AAEN JORGENSEN Jonas Denmark
KROON Karsten Netherlands
MORKOV Michael Denmark
NAVARRO GARCIA Daniel Spain
NUYENS Nick Belgium
TOSATTO Matteo Italy
VACANSOLEIL - DCM PRO CYCLING TEAM
DE GENDT Thomas Belgium
FEILLU Romain France
LEUKEMANS Björn Belgium
LIGTHART Pim Netherlands
MORTENSEN Martin Denmark
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80 comments
Unless your Belgian is actually a Brit I'm thoroughly confused. I reckon he'll do well but if Porte puts in a cracking TT he might get the support instead as he's been in some good form.
This is going to be more of a test of the difficulty of the new game setup than these pancake flat stages in the Oman/Qatar races.
But strongmen that can TT is surely the way to go, and holding back transfers
Born in Ghent - does he hold dual nationality
I dont believe he does hold dual nationality, he was born in Ghent but raised in London, I think the reason he was born there was down to his dad (An Aussie) living there as a Pro cyclist aswell, Born in 1980, Wiggo moved back to London in 82 when his parents split
We all agree he is British but having lived there until he was 2 he possibly does qualify, but thats not the point, i think he will storm the tt course and may not look back.
Has anyone led for the whole of a race before from stage 1 / prologue through to the end ?????
I can only get from 2004-2011 but it seems Jörg Jaksche did it in 2004, the only other result is from 1933 when Alfons Schepers did it
Nice pick, but I don't see him on the official race start list (http://www.letour.fr/2012/PNC/RIDERS/us/engages.html) but as a substitue.
He does appear on the game (!) start list, though... Hmmm... Which list is right?...
By the way, thanks for the research! Mighty helpful!
How is Pierre Rolland's time trialling? I'm thinking that Europcar might be taking this kind of race more seriously since they didn't get a Tour invite...
...although he's not on that ASO start list but is in the game list for the next stage.
Rolland is out with a knee injury, that's confirmed.
List of riders for the game is based on the provisional start list and as usual will be updated before the race begins once the final start list is published.
MSW - not sure where your information Europcar hasn't got a Tour invite comes from, the list of teams hasn't been published yet?
With Voeckler and Rolland's performances last year and it being a French team it would be a major surprise if they were not invited.
Are you confusing it with the Giro? They're not taking part in that - because they didn't apply for a wild card in the first place.
Whoops. Actually I half-remembered that they didn't have ProTour status so didn't have a 100% guaranteed Tour spot. And now I'm can't remember if ProTour status does guarantee that any more, anyway, or if it's still called that. Excellent work all round from me.
Heh! Well, the UCI's constant changing of things serves to confuse! As things stand, all WorldTour teams aka ProTeams have the right to an automatic invite to WorldTour races, as well as an obligation to compete in them.
The rules were introduced ahead of 2011 season - in 2010, for example, RadioShack chose not to race the Giro to focus on the Tour of California instead and they weren't invited to the Vuelta.
So one of the highest profile teams in the sport missed two of the three Grand Tours...
Thank heavens it all went well for them in the TDF
It may have just been the rumour mill, so dont listen to me, but I understood the same as MSW that Europcar didn't have a place on the Tour this year either
There's certainly been nothing official.
Not much surprises me in this sport any more but I'd be gobsmacked if Europcar weren't at the Tour.
The sans-cuissards would probably re-erect the guillotine in Place de la Concorde and I reckon Christian Prudhomme would be first up
I agree. Inconceivable not to have Europcar, Voeckler and their lovely traditional French bikes. No, wait....
Anyway, sans-cuissards? I thought they were sans-culottes or is that something else? Google Translate says 'sans-cuissards' means 'without waders.' WTF!
Sans-culottes, soixante-huitards, "sans-cuissards"... *bof*.
Cuissards = bibshorts - thought I'd give it some added relevance
Don't let anyone tell you road.cc isn't educational...and that the French don't have a sense of humour. I'll never be able to look at my bibshorts again without thinking of waders.
Surprised no-ones talking about Luis Leon Sanchez for Paris-Nice?
Shhhhhhhhhhhhhht
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