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Stage 1 - London to Canterbury (203km)
Start: 11:00 a.m. (6:00 a.m. U.S. EST) - Estimated Finish: 3:37 p.m. (10:37 a.m. U.S. EST)
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COURSE: Stage 1 begins at the prologue finish line on The Mall with a processional opening that crisscrosses the River Thames on its way past St. Paul’s Cathedral and the Tower of London, before heading east out of the metropolis.
The start will be given at exactly 11 a.m. (noon in France) at the prime meridian in Greenwich. The rolling course passes the 1000-year-old Rochester Castle and loops through the county of Kent via Tunbridge Wells to Canterbury, where the finish is on a wide highway within sight of the historic cathedral.
HISTORY: The last time the race was in England, in 1994, thousands of spectators watched the Tour stage from Dover to Brighton pass through some of the same towns as this year’s route. That stage, 13 years ago, ended on a hilly circuit that saw Spain’s Francisco Cabello take a solo victory, 33 seconds ahead of the peloton. This year’s stage 1 is almost certain to have a mass finish.
FAVORITES: The Tour’s first field sprint is always tumultuous; after several near misses last year maybe Boonen will get it right this time. Assuming the sprinters’ teams keep the race together on the rolling roads of Kent, we should see a first showdown between green-jersey candidates Tom Boonen (Quick Step), Thor Hushovd (Crédit Agricole), Robbie McEwen (Predictor-Lotto) and Daniele Bennati (Lampre-Fondital). Doubtful starter Oscar Freire (Rabobank), even if he rides, will be in no condition to contest a sprint. The smart money is on Tour rookie Mark Cavendish (T-Mobile), who last August placed second on a stage of the Tour of Britain that ended in Canterbury.
With the Tour entering Belgium on Monday, expect Boonen to shoot for the maximum time bonuses in a bid to wear the yellow jersey into his homeland.
