Summit finish on 'toughest stage'

Tour de France organisers hope they have a thriller on their hands after unveiling the route map for next year's cycling showpiece event yesterday.

Tour director Christian Prudhomme, who takes over from the departing Jean-Marie Leblanc, has designed his first Tour de France route, the only legacy from Leblanc being the departure from London on July 7th at the start of a 3,500km race.

"For the first time in 20 years, the last mountain stage will finish at the summit," he told reporters. And the stage comes after a rest day, when riders never know how they will feel. The yellow jersey holder better not be having a bad day at that point of the race.

"After the Alps, nothing will be done. We will have the answer later as the difficulties will crescendo in the Pyrenees with the summit finish at the Col de l'Aubisque," said Prudhomme. It is going to be the toughest stage of the Tour."

Prudhomme denied the 2007 Tour de France would be tougher than last year's, even though it features six mountain stages instead of five.

"There are more mountain stages but no more first or second category passes. Actually, there will be 21 of them to last year's 22," he said.

Prudhomme said he hoped doping would not rear its head next year but admitted it was a problem whenever money and medals were on offer.

American Floyd Landis tested positive for an excessive amount of the male hormone testosterone on his way to victory after an incredible comeback last year.

Landis, who remains determined to prove his innocence at an American Arbitration Association hearing early next year, will be stripped of his title and banned for two years if his appeal fails.

One notable change from previous tours was the scrapping of the traditional transfer day taking the riders closer to the mountains at the end of the first week. The first individual time trial will be staged at the end of the second week in Albi, and there will be no team time trial like last year.

The opening eight kilometre prologue in London will start on Whitehall, near Trafalgar Square, and finish on The Mall.

A day later, the riders will travel out of London through the city's financial district to Kent and finish the stage in the historic cathedral city of Canterbury.

After leaving England, the 2007 Tour will pay Belgium a brief visit before heading to Burgundy and then the Alps, where the first rest day will be taken in Tignes.

The riders will then head for the Pyrenees with the final and potentially decisive time trial held on July 28th, the penultimate day of the Tour, over 55 kilometres between Cognac and Angouleme.

The traditional run in to the Champs-Elysees will start outside Paris in Marcoussis, home of the national rugby team's training camp, in recognition of the 2007 World Cup being held in France later in the year.

The Tour's chief organiser said he hoped cycling could win the war against cheats even though last year's race was marred by doping.

"I have often said doping was cycling's number one problem," Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) chief executive Patrice Clerc said yesterday.

"I'm not pleased for being right about this but I feel that the succession of doping scandals in 2006 carries some hope, in that the fight (against doping), cycling has scored points."

Several leading riders were also withdrawn on the eve of the 2006 race after links to a blood doping investigation in Spain.

"Cheats will find it harder and harder to get away with it," Clerc added.

""The fight against doping is everyone's fight. And the foolish mistake of one rider does not change everything.

"However, we must not drop our guard even if we want to present the fans with a beautiful, clean and fascinating Tour de France."