2008 Tour de France

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“'We want to create a race that is not predictable.'

So said Tour de France race director Christian Prudhomme Thursday in announcing the course for the 95th Tour, which takes place from July 5 to 27. Prudhomme should get his wish because the 21-stage, 3554km route he presented has a plethora of stages that hark back to the days when breakaways usually succeeded and the yellow jersey changed hands many more times than it does in modern times.

The 2008 Tour starts in Brest in the far west of France, and heads counterclockwise around the country, with the race first passing through the Massif Central and Pyrénées mountains, and then the Alps, before the traditional finish on the Champs-Élysées in Paris.

In contrast to the 2007 Tour, which started with a prologue on a spectacular city-center course in London, there will be no opening time trial next year. This is because for the first time in the history of the Tour, a whole region (Brittany) has bought the rights to the grand départ and not a single city. As a result, the Tour is opening with three straight road stages that crisscross the four départements that make up the Breton peninsula."

http://www.velonews.com/article/13572

Controversy this year as team Astana is banned for its role in doping during the 2007 TDF, preventing Alberto Contador from defending his title and several top riders from competing.

Live coverage daily on Versus from 8:30AM to 11:30AM; highlights from 8PM to 11PM EST.