July 1, 2005 – The 93rd edition of the Tour de France starts tomorrow – Saturday, July 2, and will carry on for a full three weeks before arriving
in Paris on July 24. After last year’s record-breaking win to become the
first cyclist ever to win six Tours, Lance Armstrong (Discovery) has let
the world know this will be his last Tour.

Already, some are wondering if he has waited to long to retire. After a
spring which saw some good results, and some bad (such as a disappointing Tour of Georgia), many are speculating Armstrong does not have what it
takes to take the yellow jersey for the seventh time. However, bear in mind this is not the first time the press has said this about the Texan.

The Tour begins with a fairly long ITT-19km, which might see the favourites put time into the sprinters and others who might wish to wear yellow during the first week.

Definitely, the rivals this year for Armstrong include the T-Mobile triple
entente of Alexandre Vinokourov, Jan Ullrich and Andreas Kloden. Then
there’s a few Americans who might spoil the parade: Phonak’s Floyd Landis
and Gerolsteiner’s Levi Leipheimer, both having upped their worth this
spring with solid wins and solid showings. Could there be more than one
American on the podium this year? Many have speculated this over the past
few years with Tyler Hamilton or Bobby Julich (CSC) but now, more than
ever, this seems quite possible. And never forget Spain’s Roberto Heras, a
former lieutenant to Armstrong, who after a few Tour of Spain victories
must be keen to add France to his belt.

There will be several key stages to this year’s Tour. As always, the Team
Time Trial, a 66km test on Stage Four, should separate the strong from the
weak. Following that, look for some selection on the first truly hilly
stage – Stage Seven – a 225km route to Karlsruhe. But Stage 9 is the first
test of the mountains, and should make clear who is a contender and who
isn’t.

The following week will see a bit of rest before the riders hit the hills
again, but the second and final ITT (reduced from three in previous years)
could be a major factor – Saint-Etienne-Saint-Etienne – a 55km test.

Pedalmag.com will have daily reports and great photos from Cor Vos…so let the Tour begin!

Tour de France 2005

Stage 1: Saturday, July 2
Fromentine – Noirmoutier-en-l’Ile ITT
19 km

Stage 2: Sunday, July 3
Challans – Les Essarts
181.5 km

Stage 3: Monday, July 4
La Ch̢taigneraie РTours
212.5 km

Stage 4: Tuesday, July 5
Tours – Blois TTT
67.5 km

Stage 5: Wednesday, July 6
Chambord – Montargis
183 km

Stage 6: Thursday, July 7
Troyes – Nancy
199 km

Stage 7: Friday, July 8
Lun̩ville РKarlsruhe
228.5 km

Stage 8: Saturday, July 9
Pforzheim РG̩rardmer
231.5 km

Stage 9: Sunday, July 10
G̩rardmer РMulhouse
171 km

Rest Day: Monday, July 11
Rest day – Grenoble

Stage 10: Tuesday, July 12
Grenoble – Courchevel
192.5 km
Results

Stage 11: Wednesday, July 13
Courchevel РBrian̤on
173 km

Stage 12: Thursday, July 14
Brian̤on РDigne-les-Bains
187 km

Stage 13: Friday, July 15
Miramas – Montpellier
173.5 km

Stage 14: Saturday, July 16
Agde – Ax-3 Domaines
220.5 km

Stage 15: Sunday, July 17
Lézat-sur-Lèze – Saint-Lary Soulan (Pla d’Adet)
205.5 km

Rest Day: Monday, July 18
Rest day – Pau

Stage 16: Tuesday, July 19
Mourenx – Pau
180.5 km

Stage 17: Wednesday, July 20
Pau – Revel
239.5 km

Stage 18: Thursday, July 21
Albi – Mende
189 km

Stage 19: Friday, July 22
Issoire – Le Puy-en-Velay
153.5 km

Stage 20: Saturday, July 23
Saint-Etienne – Saint-Etienne ITT
55 km

Stage 21: Sunday, July 24
Corbeil-Essonnes – Paris Champs-Élysées
144 km