Organisers aim for more open, clean race

CYCLING/Tour of France:The organisers of the Tour de France have unveiled the route of the 2008 edition, modifying the traditional format in order to boost the chances of a more aggressive, unpredictable race.

Starting in Brest on Saturday, July 5th, the race will forgo a prologue, opting instead for a 195km road stage to Plumelec. It's the first time since 1966 the opening day does not feature a race against the clock, and this should ensure a hectic battle for the first yellow jersey of the Tour.

In a bid to further spice up the opening stages, which take the riders in a generally southeast direction via stage ends in Saint-Brieuc, Nantes, Cholet, Châteauroux, the organisers have done away with time bonuses. In the past these have enabled the best sprinters to fight it out for the yellow jersey, but their absence will give a further incentive for breakaways and aggressive racing as more riders will be in the running for the race lead.

Of those, the stage to Cholet is a time trial, but, at 29km, it is far shorter than usual. That too will keep the time gaps tight.

Once through the Massif Central, the route winds south through Toulouse and on to two Pyrenean mountain stages that will give the first real indication of the true contenders. These are a 222km leg over the Col de Peyresourde and the Col d'Aspin en route to Bagnères-de-Bigorre, and then 154km from Pau to the summit at Hautacam.

Following a rest day back in Pau, the peloton recommences hostilities with a number of flatter intermediate stages. Finishes at Foix, Narbonne, Nîmes and Digne-les-Bains will give sprinters and breakaway riders some opportunities before the Tour hits the Alps on July 20th with a stage to Prato Nevoso in Italy. The riders stay there for the second rest day in Cuneo, then recommence their uphill battles on stage 16 to Jausiers and then the following day's leg to the legendary L'Alpe-d'Huez.

Next up are two flatter stages to Saint-Étienne and Montluçon. These will give those still in contention a chance to recover slightly before the final big battle, a 53km individual time trial from Cérilly to Saint-Amand-Montrond.

Of course, in addition to an exciting race the important consideration is to have a clean one. Recent positive cases have shown that the various authorities are determined to catch those cheating - eg, catching Alexandre Vinokourov using a test for homologous blood doping - and these measures will be stepped up next year with the introduction of a biological passport.

This longitudinal profiling of each rider's blood and urine profiles will help the UCI and Wada keep closer tabs on the competitors, as will the huge increase in tests which are scheduled.

In 2008, 8,000 in-competition, 7,000 out-of-competition and a number of pre-race hematocrit-level screens will be done.