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Riders, managers react to `06 Tour route

Published: Oct. 27, 2005

The expansive Palais des Congrès came to life just as soon as the dimmed lights were turned back up following a slick, highly produced introduction to the 20-stage, three-week route of the 93rd Tour de France.

No team time trial, longer-than-usual individual time trials and a wide-open race without the presence of dominator Lance Armstrong were among the many topics on the tongues of cycling’s elite that gathered for the annual autumn rite.

VeloNews reporters Ben Delaney and Andrew Hood culled these reactions from the main protagonists. Here’s a sampling of what was said:

Floyd Landis (Phonak), 9th in 2005

I’m happy about this course, it’s good for me. It’s too bad about the team time trial, because that’s normally good for me, too. The Tour is never easy and it’s always going to be hard. I like the course better than last year.

Ivan Basso (CSC), 2nd in 2005

It’s obvious I need to do a good job in the time trials. There’s no team time trial, and that’s too bad for our team, because we would have liked to have won it. To win this Tour you have be strong in both the time trial and the climbs, so it’s 50-50. It’s a classic Tour course, I like it. It’s normal that I am considered a favorite. I was third, then second, so of course I would like to move up one more spot, but I have many Tours ahead of me. For me the favorite is Jan Ullrich. This year, without Armstrong, instead of just one rider as the favorite, you have three-four-10 riders who can win the Tour.

Michael Rasmussen (Rabobank), stage-winner, KOM and 7th overall in 2005

It’s a different Tour. It favors the time trial specialists and there are only three mountain-top finishes. The first Pyrenees climbs are not difficult, so I’ll do like I did last year, go for a stage victory and the mountain’s jersey and if the classification falls into my lap like last year, I’ll go for it again. If not, I’ll be there to help (Denis) Menchov. The favorites? The two guys who were on the podium last year, but it will be necessary for Basso to drop Ullrich on the climbs. Without Armstrong, it will be a different race. Someone will have to take control of the race in the first week. Maybe Liberty Seguros with Vinokourov will be the team to do it. Someone has to chase down the breakaways.

Johan Bruyneel, sport director of Discovery Channel

The clear favorites are clearly Basso and Ullrich. We are going to be in a different role. And CSC and T-Mobile will also be riding differently. Now we are going to sit three weeks on the wheel, and try to find some openings. Do I want to find another Lance? That’s not possible. But do I want to find another Tour contender in the next few years? Definitely. For six years it’s been everybody against us: riders, media and spectators. I must admit that I’m ready to be in another role. The Tour de France will still be our main goal of the year. We live for the Tour. It’s still a lifestyle that I like.

Patrick Lefevere, manager of Quick Step-Innergetic team

On first glance, there are 10 stages in the first part of the Tour that are good for Tom Boonen. Once again, we will race with Tom to try to win the green jersey and win as many stages as possible. It’s a shame about not having a team time trial because it gives a lot to the first week of the Tour. We’ve won it two times in the past and it’s a spectacle the fans enjoy. Overall, the Tour looks balanced and the race should be very open.

Alejandro Valverde (Illes Balears), stage-winner in 2005

It’s going to be a very open Tour, very different from the previous Tours when Armstrong was clearly the best. For me, with so many kilometers of time trials, it’s more bad than good. I can defend against riders like Basso, only Ullrich and the true specialists can take away a lot of time on me. It’s time for a new generation of riders to come up, riders like Cunego, Basso and maybe even me.

Bjarne Riis, manager of Team CSC

First impression? Well, there’s no team time trial, so of course that’s a disappointment for us. The first week is not really there, but the last week looks difficult. The Alps are not easy. To have a stage in the Pryenees with the finish 45km from the last climb is not really a mountain climb. There’s no Massif Central. Of course, in the Tour you have to be strong to win, that’s the most important thing. A course like this, the favorite is Jan Ullrich. We know now we have to work on the time trialing.

Gilberto Simoni, two-time Giro d’Italia champion

The Tour is always difficult, it doesn’t matter how the design the course. The Tour is the Tour, so you can’t say too much, it’s always the hardest race of the year. I think it’s a balanced course, maybe favoring the time trialists a little bit because the Pyrenees don’t look decisive. This year I will race the Giro and it’s likely I will go to the Tour to help Saunier Duval.

Rudy Pevenage, sport director T-Mobile

It’s going to be fair for everyone. There are difficult moments for all riders and not one specialist will be favored, so everyone will have their chance. The sprinter teams will likely control the first week. I don’t think the Pyrenees are as easy as everyone is thinking. Just like any Tour, you have to be good from the start if you want to win.

Erik Breukink, sport director at Rabobank

This year was the best for Rasmussen because it got hard early. Next year, it will be a long way for him to focus before the real climbing begins. We don’t have a team with a lot of time trial riders, so the exclusion of the team time trial no problem for us. It’s a traditional Tour, in that there are a lot of flat stages early then it gets really hard at the end.