Tour de France 2012

According to my aimless browsing this afternoon, there is exactly one year until the 2012 Tour de France. This will be the 99th Tour de France, starting in Liège.

Tour de France 2007
Tour de France 2008
Tour de France 2009
Tour de France 2010
Tour de France 2011

Still, one more to go before then...

Can't wait to see the tour starting with the Prologue again (hopefully next year!!) felt a little let down this year..............

Can't wait to see the tour starting with the Prologue again (hopefully next year!!) felt a little let down this year..............

are you kidding? The first stage was great, prologues are (usually) dull, pre-events.

Opps.. ASO accidentally leaks route..

Looks like no London

http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/10051/Was-2012-Tour-de-France-route-accidentally-leaked.aspx

If any of this is true, it has to be Wiggins' biggest chance ever.

FrAndy will be right fucked off.

liege grand depart was discussed last week in the press.. never expected another london one.. how strange
http://www.letour.fr/2011/TDF/COURSE/us/grand_depart_2012.html

I found the screenshot of what ASO supposedly leaked on a Belgian news site:

http://www.standaard.be/artikel/detail.aspx?artikelid=DMF20111010_097

I find this a strange setup, so few genuine mountain stages with weird routes and, the Ventoux out yet again. Frankly, I hope that this is a spoof.

to be honest just organising the olympic road races, time trials and triathlon, marathon in london is proving fecking difficult.. suspect we don't need more of it three weeks prior

This.. I know the individual responsible for TFL sports event planning. ASO are keen to come back but was either going to be 2011 or nothing. 2012 is just too busy..

FrAndy will be right fucked off.

lol

Repped.

Google scraped the whole thing with graphics

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?sclient=psy-ab&hl=en&safe=off&nord=1&site=webhp&source=hp&q=cache:http://www.letour.fr/2012/TDF/COURSE/fr/le_parcours.html&pbx=1&oq=&aq=&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=&gs_upl=&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&fp=bc105aded0d6d9a5&biw=1440&bih=792&ion=1&ion=1

The couple of stages near the channel ferry ports could be popular

The pros do love a bit of duty free

i do hope Team Sky get it together for wiggo or froome

http://road.cc/content/news/45897-leaked-tour-route-suggests-2012-could-be-year-time-trialling-all-rounder

oh.. and cavendish too.. oops
http://www.teamsky.com/article/0,27290,17553_7235752,00.html

Simple as that!

Edvald Boasson Hagen plans to do well in both the Tour de France and the London Olympics, next summer, despite the fact that there is very little time between the two events. His solution to the problem: pretend that the Tour has another five or six stages.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/boasson-hagen-aiming-to-win-in-both-tour-de-france-and-olympics

Can't wait to see the tour starting...

Can't wait to see the result of the 2010 Tour...

Can't wait to see the result of the 2010 Tour...

;)

Edvald Boasson Hagen plans to do well in both the Tour de France and the London Olympics, next summer, despite the fact that there is very little time between the two events. His solution to the problem: pretend that the Tour has another five or six stages.

the big ring attitude.

The cynic in me thinks that Sky won't select EBH for the tour.

If they think he has their best shot at the CG they will, straight commercial decision. Sky have bigger fish to fry than pandering to the UK market, so they won't care what nationality of rider takes the Tour win as long as he's wearing a Sky jersey.

Saturday 30th June Prologue Liege > Liege 6.1km
Sunday 1st July Stage 1 Liege > Seraing 198km
**Monday 2nd July ** Stage 2 Vise > Tournai 207km
**Tuesday 3rd July ** Stage 3 Orchies > Boulogne-sur-Mer 197km
Wednesday 4th July Stage 4 Abbeville > Rouen 214km
**Thursday 5th July ** Stage 5 Rouen > Saint-Quentin 197km
**Friday 6th July ** Stage 6 Epernay > Metz 210km
Saturday 7th July Stage 7 Tomblaine > La Planche des Belle Filles 199km
Sunday 8th July Stage 8 Belfort > Porrentruy 154km
**Monday 9th July ** Stage 9 Arc-et-Senans > Besancon 38km
Tuesday 10th July Rest Day
Wednesday 11th July Stage 10 Macon > Bellegarde-sur-Valserine 194km
Thursday 12th July Stage 11 Albertville > La Toussuire - Les Sybelles 140km
Friday 13th July Stage 12 Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne > Annonay Davezieux 220km
Saturday 14th July Stage 13 Saint-Paul-Trois-Chateaux > Le Cap d'Agde 215km
Sunday 15th July Stage 14 Limoux > Foix 192km
Monday 16th July Stage 15 Samatan > Pau 160km
Tuesday 17th July Rest Day
Wednesday 18th July Stage 16 Pau > Bagneres-de-Luchon 197km
Thursday 19th July Stage 17 Bagneres-de-Luchon > Peyragudes 144km
Friday 20th July Stage 18 Blagnac > Brive-la-Gaillarde 215km
Saturday 21 July Stage 19 Bonneval > Chartres 52km
Sunday 22 July Stage 20 Rambouillet > Paris Champs-Elysees 130km

If they think he has their best shot at the CG they will, straight commercial decision. Sky have bigger fish to fry than pandering to the UK market, so they won't care what nationality of rider takes the Tour win as long as he's wearing a Sky jersey.

Is he really an overall GC contender though? Maybe in the future but I doubt next year. My uninformed guess would be that they'd still select him though even if he wasn't their GC focus.