Tracey Gaudry Organise Aussie Cycling Amnesties !

No secret that UCI President , phat mc sqat , has dragged the UCI , through the mud once again ! Irks me to realise , that i was born in the same country ! YES , everybody has problems , but does the Road Race  Cycling Sport , deserve to continue to be treated , as the source of " Personal Benefit " , to heinous and phat, principal members of the Aigle tag team ?

The only light at the end of the tunnel , that i have seen , in recent times , has been the departure of the " tag Team's , lap dog , mike turtur ! Whether it was always in his best interests , to dance to the " tag team's " tune , or he genuinely thought that he was helping Australian Cycling , or the " Tour Down Under Event " , is unclear . What is clear is that when Tracey Gaudry , was proposed as a replacement , he stood aside before, it was necessary for the vote !

With Tracey taking the Presidency of the " Oceania Region of the UCI " , there are glimmers of a " Brighter Future " for Cycling in that region ! Also heard recently , that the Dane Presidency has changed , not yet taken the time to discover by whom , and whether this also will lead to the betterment of Cycling in that Country ?

Letter by Tweet to Tracey Gaudry !

@GaudryT

With the recent news , that the " Independent Commission of the UCI ( UCIIC ) " , has been terminated by the UCI , Cycling Sport , is once again thrown into confusion !

Strong leadership is a requirement for any Sports Federation . Regretably , this quality does not exist at the UCI !

As President of the Oceania Region , you are in a place , where you are able to gain the attention of the other Regional Presidents . No doubt , you are still trying to find your place amongst those , who have been involved for many years , however , as the CEO of the " Amy Foundation " for many years , you will have the " Street Smarts ", to be able to gain the attention of others and perhaps influence their decisions .

It is pertinent to add Travis Tygarts comment about the decision to close the " Independent Commission , yesterday :
  "The UCI blindfolded and handcuffed its independent commission and now hopes the world will look the other way while the UCI attempts to insert itself into the investigation into the role it played in allowing the doping culture to flourish."

Listed here below , are two " Petitions " that i created over the past months ! They are not perfect , indeed i am sure they could be written in a better way , but achieve similar results . Currently , i am reading of the Dutch Federation , conducting their own " Truth & Conciliation Process " , two Racers having been given a 6 month Sanction , as a result of their disclosures .  Could it not be possible for more countries to follow the Dutch example ?

With John Fahey , Chairman of WADA and Jaimie Fuller , Chairman of Change Cycling Now being Australians , i feel sure that as Australians , you will ALL , wish to act in a way , that helps Australian Cycling to benefit ?

My petitions for your perusal :


http://www.change.org/petitions/wada-create-an-amnesty-in-all-sports …
&
http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/office-of-the-governor-general-of-australia-create-the-means-for-a-sports-amnesty-in-australia#invite …

Sincerely 

Skippy Mc Carthy

NB

Some of the Press releases from " Stakeholders "!


John Fahey's Press Release begins with :

 " WADA is dismayed by the press release issued by UCI yesterday, both in terms of its content and its deceit."

The entire Press release here :

http://playtrue.wada-ama.org/news/statement-from-wada-president-john-fahey-in-response-to-uci-press-release-of-january-28-2013/


Jaimie Fuller of Change Cycling Now , has this to say :

  "  Change Cycling Now today calls on the general sport of cycling, its National Federations and other global stakeholders
to enforce the removal of a manipulative and contemptible administration that is content to drag cycling further into
disrepute in order to safeguard the positions of its leaders.

It is now clear, beyond all doubt, that the UCIIC was never independent"

read more here :

http://www.changecyclingnow.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/CCN_Press_Release_290113.pdf

Statement from " UCIIC " , just released , The Panel members , show their Integrity , with this :

  "  The Commission urges all those who have an interest in cycling to make sure that an independent TRC is established and remains willing to offer assistance in the process if required."

http://www.uciic.org/press-release-29-january-2013/


A Cycling Fan , attended last Friday's session of the " UCIIC Procedural hearing " , in London and reported to CNF Clinic , these observations : titling themselves as " Morbius ":

  "  UCI were due to present their proposals on T&R to WADA by the beginning of this week at the latest.

The UCIIC wanted evidence that WADA had bought into the UCI proposals for T&R before volunarily suspending activity - and at a serious level, not just in principle. UCIIC were very clearly not just going to take the UCI's word that T&R would go ahead on a sensible timescale and not be stalled by other issues.

UCIIC were also concerned that a broader T&R process would kick the investigation into UCI activity around Armstrong / USPS into the "long grass".

The purpose of the meeting due on Thursday was to review whether WADA and UCI had reached agreement. If there was no agreement, the meeting would continue to look at UCIIC evidence processes.

Now it appears UCI have pulled the plug unilaterally. There is no evidence in their press release that the detailed proposals for T&R have been agreed with WADA, or even presented to them. There is clearly no sign that UCIIC agree with UCI about the ending of the investigation.

I really hope that
1) we get comments from UCIIC commissioners,
2) the press follow up the specific concerns of the UCIIC including about the timing of the process, the commitment of WADA, agreements to fund the process and the continued focus on the behaviour of UCI.

I guess the Thursday Meeting , now cancelled , will not be the end of the matter , having just heard " Jaimie Fuller of CCN , speaking by phone , on the SKY TV News Sport segment !

MATT WHITE Resignation

Matt would appear to have done the “ right thing “ by resigning his posts in Cycling ! During this season he has held the post of “ Director Sportive “ at Orica/GreenEdge whilst the team achieved spectacular results in it’s first year of competition . He was also involved with the Australian Olympic Mens Cycling Team .



Articles covering his resignation :

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/more-sport/orica-greenedge-directer-matt-white-linked-to-lance-armstrong-drug-scandal/story-e6frfglf-1226494871368

http://www.news.com.au/sport/orica-greenedge-directer-matt-white-linked-to-lance-armstrong-drug-scandal/story-fnaqgujp-1226494871368#ixzz29AnQJa20

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cycling/not-proud-cyclist-matt-white-admits-doping-involvement-20121013-27k7e.html

This decision to stand down should not be too much of a surprise , since Cycling Australia , has been aware of his background with Garmin Team in 2010 . There was a dispute caused when Trent Lowe visited a Doctor in Valencia in 2010 , as a result of advice from Matt White . In January 2011 , Jon Vaughters sacked Matt , on the pretext that in sending Trent to this Doctor , he had breached some Team protocols . This story is covered extensively in another of my Blog posts  .

Matt follows Johan Bruyneel in standing down from their Management roles , after the release of the long awaited USADA report , on the decision to give Lance Armstrong a LIFE TIME BAN . The Bans came about as a result of Lance  not contesting the accusations made against him by that body . With 202 pages of “ evidence “ released last Wednesday , 10th October 2012 and a further 880 pages to be released , history has been created and the Cycling World will not be the same as before !

Some background info on recent events surrounding this matter as copied from Cyclingnews article :

 "  In May 2010, Cycling Australia received correspondence from the UCI in relation to Landis' allegations. In response to this, Cycling Australia then referred the matter to the Australian Sports Anti Doping Authority (ASADA) and on 27 May, Cycling Australia CEO Graham Fredericks publicly stated:

"Cycling Australia is aware of the allegations made by Floyd Landis both in the media and through correspondence from the International Cycling Union. As a result we have referred the matter to the Australian Sport Anti-Doping Authority as the appropriate agency to deal with the matter."

In February 2011, ASADA made the following statement to Cyclingnews:

- ASADA is aware of media reports about the doping claims made by Floyd Landis
- When and what we can say about any operational matter is strictly governed by our legislation
- Under our legislation ASADA is unable to provide further comment at this time

In a statement yesterday, Cycling Australia President Klaus Mueller said he was unsure of how, if any of Cycling Australia members were implicated.

"But it might now be time to consider a range of options including an amnesty for athletes who have cheated in the past to own up to any wrongdoing and have their confessions mitigate any subsequent penalties," he said. "This would be dependent on the nature and extent of any infraction/s.

"This case also provides an opportunity for the Australian Government to review the resources and powers of ASADA especially in light of the extensive investigation and action taken by USADA in their pursuit of this case."  "

WHY IOC & WADA do not decide to “ Clean House “ and institute an “ AMNESTY in ALL SPORTS so that ALL Athletes both Present and Retired can confess to their wrong doings remains a mystery ? There will be many more of the calibre of Matt & Johan that transgressed in the past and will not come forward until they are sought out and publicly  named and shamed !

JACQUES ROGGE are we to see a trickle of Scapegoats OR are you up to the task of managing a complete sweep of ALL the “ skeletons in those Closets “?

JOHN FAHEY of WADA , are you happy to see Matt White treated as a “ scapegoat “ whilst those such as Neil Stephens MAY have questionable history , he was sent home from the Tour de France in 1998 as he was a member of Festina’s Team .

Would you not agree that 2006 was a strange year ? Certainly we saw the “ Le Tour “ for only the second time in it’s history , change the “ Winner’s Name “ , since evidence indicated that flandis was not a worthy winner , after he was found to have used PEDs during the event ! This week we saw just about ALL those confessing to the USADA , claim they stopped doping before they started the 2006 season ?

Hysterical to imagine that flandis was the ONLY Racer using in 2006 is it not ? Those with time should visit the recent blog of georgethecyclist ( http://georgethecyclist.blogspot.co.at/2012/10/christian-vande-velde-talks-to-his-fans.html
 ) to see his take on the visit of Chris Vdv & Tyler Farrer to the Garmin Store in Chicago this past week . During the Q & A , no one asked about the morning papers report of Chris’s confession to “ Doping “! Either a bunch of people who could not read or “ No one “ with the guts to ask uncomfortable questions ? Had anyone asked the “ Doping Questions “ would they have been ejected and the Q & A brought to a halt ? I think not ! However I was not there , so my query remains unanswered .

Would appear that it will be business as usual , for ALL those  US Racers that confessed , judging by the behaviour of those visiting , at the Garmin Store ! Wonder if the Teams will be allowed to re employ these racers since the normal situation is that the Racer that receive “ Suspensions “ are terminated by their teams ? Levi appears to have been terminated by the Quickstep management !

YOU can have your say about the USADA report and how it effects Aussie Cycling by emailing Senator Lundy , who has called for Information :

                                      mailto:Senator.Lundy@aph.gov.au

Mike Ashenden weighs in for Paul Kimmage !

Mike Ashenden resigned from " UCI " because they tried to " muzzle " him ! The odious creatures that control the " UCI " are since 1991 doing ALL they can to turn Professional Cycling into their version of " HELL ON EARTH " for the Racers ! Though the Racers in the top echelons are paid well , though in the lower ranks struggle through their first years to survive as they seek recognition .

Paul Kimmage used to be employed by " The Times " but it seems that he was laid off through Staffing Cuts . At least that is their story . Having written a well researched article for " The Times " and " L'Equipe " , Paul now faces a court in Switzerland in December , since two Employees of a Swiss Corporation are suing him . It matters not , that he has reported the truth ! What will matter to the Swiss Court is that he has " defamed/libelled " people working in Switzerland !  Guess what the verdict will be since the court and the Organisation are both in the same Canton ? YOU GOT IT !  GUILTY !

Mike Ashenden hearing of Paul's predicament wrote the following letter :

Dear Paul,
I was shocked to read today that you have received a subpoena related to defamation proceedings brought against you by Pat McQuaid, Hein Verbruggen and the UCI itself.

It is not clear to me what the basis for the proceeding is; to the best of my knowledge it has not been publicly disclosed. Regardless, I find it deeply disturbing that, amidst the current turmoil surrounding cycling, you have been singled out.

I do not believe that court is the appropriate remedy in the current circumstances. For example, I don’t expect that WADA will sue him after Pat McQuaid claimed that WADA had launched a ‘15-year long political campaign against cycling’. Although his comments certainly do not reflect well on WADA’s integrity, to their credit WADA have shown admirable restraint.

I sincerely hope that after a period of reflection the UCI will adopt a similar attitude regarding your comments too.

Nonetheless, today I have had a change of heart. Earlier this year one of the UCI’s Passport cases that I had worked on as a member of their expert panel had to be dropped after we had received the rider’s explanation and us group of three experts could not reach a consensus decision. At the time, I chose not to invoice the UCI for the hours and hours which I had spent working on that case since October 2011.

However, your subpoena gave me pause to reflect, and I have decided to invoice the UCI a token amount of 260 Euro (two hours at our expert rate) for my contributions on that case. I have simultaneously deposited that amount into your defense fund.

I sincerely hope you are not required to pay a fine. However in case you are, I hope it is some solace that to some degree you would be merely handing the UCI’s own money back to them.

Please keep up your good work – The Times They Are a-Changin’.

Best wishes,
Mike Ashenden

Currently trying to get the " Chip in link " onto my blogs as i did for the " Charles Pelkey " matter last year !

Sunday Times has done this and the link is here :

http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/sport/

The " chip in " item is near the bottom of this page in Sunday Times Sport !

This items below ALSO came to my attention and Paul's book is on my list of " Christmas Presents "!

Buying Rough ride on iTunes or Amazon will get money to Paul also but I'm not sure how quickly. It's a great read!

CADEL WON THE 2005 Tour de France

Hein and Phat , listen up ! There are people doing the work that your minions have chosen not to do , YET ! As people will see , some are able to see the wood from the trees , and reach fairly logical conclusions from the existing information available . Of course that tome written by shamilton may change a few things in the information made available by their efforts !

Listed below in date order , are the blogs that i have found presenting their conclusions and worthy of your attention :

http://scotslawthoughts.wordpress.com/2012/08/25/if-not-armstrong-who-won-the-tour-de-france-or-tour-dutopia-from-1999-to-2005/

http://150wattsofawesome.blogspot.co.at/2012/09/lance-armstrong-aftermath.html

My coming across these blogs , came through a variety of resources , but i feel sure that the " Clinic " on CNF , had something to do with that . Seems the mushroom farm is good for something worthwhile occasionally .

What a pity that the " UCI " is such a mess of problems that both Cadel , as indicated by the conclusions drawn , for 2005 and Georg Totschnig  in 2004 , will not be presented with their wins when the 2013 edition of " Le Tour " begins on Corsica ! In celebrating the 100th Edition of  " Le Tour ", would it not be great to see ONLY those who are " Clean of Drugs " participate ?

Please take note of what was said by " Scotslawyer ":


 "  What this exercise does, I think, is demonstrate the futility of looking to change the record book by awarding titles, long after the fact, to people who did not win on the track or field.
This is different from disqualifying Ben Johnson the day after his 100m win at Seoul. “Fixing” the result within days, or weeks is probably in order, and in fact even within a year of the event would be possible.
However, going further than that risks creating strange results, not reflective of competition.
If, for example, the first seven finishers in the 2000 Tour had not entered, or had been disqualified as the race proceeded, then Escartín and his Kelme team would, in all probability, have had to ride the race in a totally different way, and the people who were just behind him in the General Classification would have attacked differently too. There is a big difference between how a rider races when 18 minutes behind the yellow jersey, and 18 seconds behind.
That is why my idea, which, when I started this piece, seemed a whimsical one, namely the Tour D’Utopia, could in fact have a place in sport. "


Some people think that the IOC is as badly run as the UCI and with the board of WADA having people like Phat as members of the Foundation Board of WADA , one wonders if there is not a taint of suspicion ? How much linkage is there between WADA and SportsAccord  when WADA funds the Salaries of SportsAccord personnel ?

Governments will listen to the IOC and WADA through their National Branches so it is not difficult to believe that these bodies have the power to seek their cooperation in instituting an " AMNESTY in ALL SPORTS "!  Would it not be worth while for Governments to allow Athletes to avoid " Double Jeopardy " when they choose to cooperate with a " Truth & Reconciliation  Commission " in the allotted Time Span , thus paving the way to discovering and destroying the resources and incomes of Criminals supplying the Products used in Doping ?

With WADA  conducting a meeting in Stockholm concerning " Doping as a Public Health Issues " , attended by World Health experts from the likes of  World Health Organization ( WHO ) , the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the United Nations Education, Science and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), INTERPOL and WADA . Link for more details here :

http://playtrue.wada-ama.org/news/wada-calls-for-increased-alliances-during-stockholm-symposium/

Earlier in the week there was another meeting in St Petersburg of the " Athletes Commission " regarding changes to the World Anti Doping Code , link here :

http://playtrue.wada-ama.org/news/athlete-committee-discusses-code-amendments/

Those at this meeting were concerned with the " Code review process " and their personal experiences will help to shape the 2015 version of the WADA Code ! People such as David Millar will be able to relate their experiences at the sharp end of the WADA experience ! In visiting the following website you will notice the background is of a Wheelchair race which no doubt will remind people that even Paralympians are involved in the collection of data needed to shape the 2015 WADA Code !

http://www.wada-ama.org/en/World-Anti-Doping-Program/Sports-and-Anti-Doping-Organizations/The-Code/Code-Review/

2012 London Paralympics detected several users of HGH , using new testing procedures , only recently introduced .  That they were not used at the 2012 Olympics , was a policy decision by those in the IOC , seeking to avoid controversy . Perhaps they  used the tests but decided not to publish the results ?  " Shamateurs " use whatever they can get their hands on for what purpose ? You guessed right ,  " BRAGGING RIGHTS "!  Of course Professional Athletes would not stoop to these means to inflate their income , prestige or EGO , would they ?  Some years ago i overheard Masters Cyclists " bragging about their " Supplements and bike weights " , they still continue , no doubt with the same methods , to attend events , thinking they need these underhand abilities to enhance their lives ?

AS to the minor placings for the years that LANCE  won , do we need to bother ? Doubtful that anyone cares ! Only Contador seems to have been  replaced in the records and that by a suspected Racer who regularly follows the same training regime as his brother . Mud sticks , so it is not surprising that Andy has not taken the step of returning to racing after his Spinal problems mid year .

Off to watch the end of the Women Road Race and then out on the bike if the rain will only stop for a while .

YAHOO/Eurosport & CYCLINGNEWS items on 2011 TDF

This is Yahoo/Eurosport report on the 2011 Tour de France Presentation. Looks like i will be in Europe in July so will ride for the 14th consecutive year.

Whilst i ride alone, i am prepared to have others join me IF they have properly prepared and have their support to fall back on in adverse conditions. I don't mind people drafting when they are able to contribute to an improvement in the overall performance but over the years i have found too many looking to be passengers. Better to join me at Giro, Dauphinee or TDS as a warm up event.








Tour de France - 2011 Tour route to suit climbersTue, 19 Oct 11:22:00 2010

The 2011 Tour de France route will perfectly suit climbers such as Alberto Contador although it remains unclear whether the three-times champion will be allowed to take part.

Related Links2011 Tour de France route Saxo Bank to stay even if Contador is bannedThe Spaniard has been provisionally suspended pending further investigations into his positive test for the anabolic agent clenbuterol.

Should, however, the 2007, 2009 and 2010 champion take part next year he will find the route ideal.

There are four mountaintop finishes - two in the Pyrenees, two in the Alps - for 2011 with a prestigious mountain finale on the Alpe d'Huez two days before the Champs Elysees parade.

"We wanted a balanced route. We tried to keep the suspense for the Alps but also to have a big battle as early as the Pyrenees," Tour director Christian Prudhomme told a few selected reporters before the official unveiling ceremony.


Tour de France 2011 : Prés

The Tour will start on July 2 in Brittany, the heartland of French cycling and Prudhomme is hoping the opening week will be filled with action.

"That is why we have this finish at Mur de Bretagne (known as the Alpe d'Huez of Brittany)," Prudhomme said.

"I'm confident I'll have a strong team to help me win this tour," said this year's runner-up Andy Schleck of Luxembourg, who left Saxo Bank with his brother Frank to launch a new outfit starting next year.









Schleck, however, did not mention Contador as one of his rivals.

"A lot of riders want to win this Tour, with (Vuelta champion Vincenzo) Nibali, (Ivan) Basso and (Cadel) Evans being strong contenders," he said.

The peloton will then head south through the Pyrenees, where the riders will tackle the testing Col du Tourmalet and also the Col d'Aubisque.

Organisers said they wanted to celebrate the centenary of the Alps in the Tour, with the punishing Col du Galibier section twice on the menu.



The loss of Contador though would be hugely disappointing for organisers.

The Spaniard has claimed that the banned anabolic agent found in his test came from contaminated meat and the International Cycling Union and the World Anti-Doping Agency are investigating the case further before making a final decision.

"It's a very important case and we need to be compeltely sure (of the facts) when the decision is taken," UCI president Pat McQuaid said.

"It's quite complicated. We are waiting for the results to come back and I don't know how long it's going to take.

"In fairness to Contador, to the Tour de France, we need to go into the details to make sure the decision taken is the right one."

Contador was not seen at Tuesday's ceremony at the Palais des Congres in Paris.

Spain's Secretary of State for Sport Jaime Lissavetzky told Telemadrid he was hoping for a quick resolution to the case because any delay was "damaging for Contador, for cycling and for Spanish sport".

"Suspicion does not mean guilt. We are waiting for the conclusions of the UCI and WADA's investigation," said Prudhomme. "We strongly hope that we won't have to wait too long."

Prudhomme said the Tour would not be harmed if Contador fails to take part.

"We still have 250 cities who applied to host a stage, 50 of them being foreign cities. Barcelona, Salzburg, Krakow were candidates," he said.

"Last week I was in Shanghai and I was amazed by the Chinese's knowledge of the Tour, by their passion for the race.

"The Tour is huge. It is broadcast in 137 countries. In France, it is viewed twice more than Roland Garros (French Open tennis), for example."

Prudhomme, who took over the running of the race in 2006, believes the fight against doping is showing results.

"Pierre Bordry, the former head of the French Anti-Doping Agency, said himself that he thought the vast majority of the peloton is clean," he said.

"Cycling is doing more than any other sport in the fight against doping. If (bloodboosters) EPO, CERA are being detected, it is because cycling is a pioneer in the fight against doping."

Tuesday's ceremony began with a video tribute to former Tour champion Laurent Fignon, who died of cancer earlier this year, with the 4,000 spectators applauding after being shown highlights of the Frenchman's career.highlights of the Frenchman's career.

Reuters

Stage 1Saturday, July 2 2011
Location:
Passage du Gois La Barre-de-Monts - Mont des Alouettes Les Herbiers
Distance:
191 km
Stage 2Sunday, July 3 2011
Location:
Les Essarts (TTT)
Distance:
23 km
Stage 3Monday, July 4 2011
Location:
Olonne-sur-Mer - Redon
Distance:
198 km
Stage 4Tuesday, July 5 2011
Location:
Lorient - Mûr-de-Bretagne
Distance:
172 km
Stage 5Wednesday, July 6 2011
Location:
Carhaix - Cap Fréhel
Distance:
158 km
Stage 6Thursday, July 7 2011
Location:
Dinan - Lisieux
Distance:
226 km
Stage 7Friday, July 8 2011
Location:
Le Mans - Châteauroux
Distance:
215 km
Stage 8Saturday, July 9 2011
Location:
Aigurande - Super-Besse Sancy
Distance:
190 km
Stage 9Sunday, July 10 2011
Location:
Issoire - Saint-Flour
Distance:
208 km
Rest Day 1Monday, July 11 2011
Stage 10Tuesday, July 12 2011
Location:
Aurillac - Carmaux
Distance:
161 km
Stage 11Wednesday, July 13 2011
Location:
Blaye-les-Mines - Lavaur
Distance:
168 km
Stage 12Thursday, July 14 2011
Location:
Cugnaux - Luz-Ardiden
Distance:
209 km
Stage 13Friday, July 15 2011
Location:
Pau - Lourdes
Distance:
156 km
Stage 14Saturday, July 16 2011
Location:
Saint-Gaudens - Plateau de Beille
Distance:
168 km
Stage 15Sunday, July 17 2011
Location:
Limoux - Montpellier
Distance:
187 km
Rest Day 2Monday, July 18 2011
Stage 16Tuesday, July 19 2011
Location:
Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux - Gap
Distance:
163 km
Stage 17Wednesday, July 20 2011
Location:
Gap - Pinerolo
Distance:
179 km
Stage 18Thursday, July 21 2011
Location:
Pinerolo - Galibier Serre-Chevalier
Distance:
189 km
Stage 19Friday, July 22 2011
Location:
Modane - Alpe-d’Huez
Distance:
109 km
Stage 20Saturday, July 23 2011
Location:
Grenoble (ITT)
Distance:
41 km
Stage 21Sunday, July 24 2011
Location:
Créteil - Paris Champs-Élysées
Distance:
160 km








CYCLING NEWS COMMENTARY




The 2011 Tour de France map

A centenary celebration of the Alps

After a 2010 edition dedicated to the centenary of the Pyrenees, the 2011 Tour de France will celebrate the centenary of the first time the race climbed the Alps.

At the launch of next year's event in Paris, race director Christian Prudhomme unveiled a parcours ideal f climbers, with only 64 time trial kilometres of which 23 are a team time trial. Again, there will be no time bonuses on the road from the Vendée region to Paris, while a testing third week in the Alps sees the Tour return to the Galibier and L’Alpe d’Huez: two of its most legendary climbs.

A diverse start

The 2011 Tour's Grand Départ is in the windy Vendée region in Western France, on the Atlantic coastline. The first stage will see the peloton cross the famous Passage du Gois before the first uphill finish on the Mont des Alouettes in Les Herbiers, famous for organising the Chrono des Nations time trial.

The team time trial is back after a one-year absence, around the town Les Essarts, the home of Jean-Rene Bernadeau's team. The collective test against the clock has a totally flat profile and will certainly re-shuffle the general classification, even if the distance of 23 kilometres might not open up significant time gaps.

Stage three (Olonne-sur-Mer to Redon) will see the riders gear up for a probable bunch sprint as the Tour heads northwest from Vendée towards Brittany. On the next day, an uphill finish on the steep Mûr-de-Bretagne in central Brittany will suit the Classics riders and strong finishers, with the yellow jersey probably again up for grabs.

The Tour will then move northwards on stage five from Carhaix to Cap Fréhel, finishing on a windy and especially treacherous section of coast line. On the next day, the bunch will move over into Normandy for stage six from Dinan to Lisieux, the Tour’s longest stage with 226 kilometres.

Moving south: the medium mountains

After the first week in north-western France, the Tour route heads south into France's central mountain range via Châteauroux. The stage starts in Le Mans and is another sure bet for a bunch sprint. The first "real" uphill finish is scheduled for Saturday, July 8 in Super-Besse Sancy, followed by a perfect day for audacious escapists on the hilly stage nine from Issoire to Saint-Flour on Sunday July 10. Three Category 3 climbs await the riders, with the Puy Mary located more than 1500 metres above sea level.

The riders will be able to enjoy the first rest day on July 11 in Le Lioran in the Cantal cheese region. Two transitional stages will then pave the way south to the Pyrenees on July 12, with stage 10 from Aurillac to Carmaux and then stage 11 from Blaye-les-Mines to Lavaur. Many expected a first individual time trial at this point in the race but the 2011 Tour is set to feature even less time trialling than in 2010, with Prudhomme sticking to one race against the clock only as opposed to two in the past.

The Pyrenees: more than an appetizer

Three days in the Pyrenees with two mountain top finishes will provide plenty of climbing action in the second week and will reveal who has a real chance of victory before the Grande Finale in the Alps in the third week.

Stages 12 and 14 will end on top of Luz-Ardiden and the Plateau de Beille respectively, with the hard day from Pau to Lourdes surely to tempt the climbers to chase mountain points for the polka-dot jersey.

Stage 12 to Luz-Ardiden also has the famous Tourmalet on its profile, and stage 14 includes a total of four passes before the final ramps of the Plateau de Beille: Portet d’Aspet, Col de la Core, Latrape and Agnes.

After another transitional stage 15 from Limous to Montpellier, a day that should be marked green on the sprinter’s calendars, the race will head east across the south of France for the second rest day in the Drôme region on July 18 before the 2011 Tour reaches its climax in the Alps in the third week of racing.

A centenary in the Alps: the big showdown

The Tour De France climbed the Alps for the first time in 1911, with a 366km-long stage from Chamonix to Grenoble taking the riders over four testing passes: the Aravis, Télégraphe, Lautaret and Galibier.

100 years later, stage 16 from Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux to Gap serves as a taste of the pain to come and three days in the high mountains begin on July 20 as the peloton departs on a 179km-journey from Gap to Pinerolo in Italy. Three categorized climbs are on the menu: Col de Montgenèvre, Sestrières and the Côte de Pramartino.

Italy will be the only foreign country visited by the 2011 Tour. Riders will return to France on the next day for back to back mountain-top finishes. Stage 18 – the queen stage, no doubt - will finish on the prestigious Galibier (2645m), after crossing some of the most challenging climbs of the Alps: the Col d’Agnel (2774m) and the Izoard (2360m).

The Galibier will be re-visited on the next day via its northern side as the 109km-long 19th stage finishes with the climb to L’Alpe d’Huez. Although a short stage, it seems this one could be just as decisive as the 41km-long individual time trial that will follow on the race’s penultimate day in Grenoble.

No time bonuses, but secondary classifications changed

Again, Prudhomme has prefered a “real-time” general classification without any time bonuses. But the Tour organisers have altered the points systems in the hope of intensifying the fight for the green and polka-dot jerseys.

Prudhomme announced there one single intermediate sprint per stage, awarding half the points on offer at the stage finish. This way, the sprinters will have to sprint twice a day if they want to be a contender for the green jersey. The changes will surely change the pattern of the racing on most days and affect the chances of breakaways making it to the finish.

The mountains classification will also be changed, with double points up for grabs at the four mountain-top finishes of the race. This may be an additional lure for the strong climbers to show off their talent in the high mountains.