Cold Turkey

Don’t worry, there’s only 344 days to go until the Tour de France starts again. The presentation of the 2011 route takes place in late October. If that’s too long to wait, here’s some conjecture on the route for next year:

  • The start will be in the Vendée region, that’s been announced already.
  • A team time trial will be included.
  • Brittany must feature, the region is a hotbed of cycling in France.
  • My guess is that the race will adopt an anti-clockwise stance as the race tends to alternate from year to year on whether the Pyrenees or the Alps come first.
  • 1911 saw the first mountain finish in the Alps. Just as 2010 celebrated the Pyrenees, 2011 must surely have a nod at the Alps and in particular the mighty Galibier. When the raced crossed over in 1911 only three riders rode up, the rest had to walk.
  • Alpe d’Huez should be back on the menu and why not as a mountain TT?
  • Corsica is being mentioned, especially since ASO have taken the Critérium International there. But the logistics of going on and off the island mean a grand départ makes more sense than a couple of stages on the “Island of Beauty”.