Tour de France 2011 route announced

Tour de France organisers unveiled a climb-heavy 98th edition of the world's biggest bike race in 2011 as the absence of defending champion Alberto Contador weighed on the presentation here Tuesday.

Contador, a three-time winner of the coveted yellow jersey, is currently provisionally suspended after testing positive for trace amounts of the banned substance clenbuterol.

As the Spaniard awaits a decision regarding a possible sanction, race organisers gave a spectacular show of just what he could be missing next year.

A total of six stages will be held in the high mountains, four of which will finish on the summits so beloved of the thousands of fans who line the route in July.

Although a number of well-known ascensions pepper the second half of the race, the Galibier - first climbed in 1911 - was given a special place by race director Christian Prudhomme.

At Serre-Chevallier, it will host the finish of stage 18, when the race starts in Italy and first takes in the difficult Col d'Agnel and the Col d'Izoard.

"This will be a key stage," said Prudhomme.

The following day, the peloton will climb the Col du Telegraphe, and cross over the Galibier before riding to the foot of the legendary 21 hairpin bends of the Alpe d'Huez, which has not featured since 2008.

In the final three stages in the mountains, the peloton will climb a total of 130km on stages 17, 18 and 19.

"This will really go down to the wire. It's a real climber's course," said Frank Schleck, the older brother of 2009 and 2010 runner-up Andy, who crashed out in July after a spill on the cobblestones.

"For climbing specialists like us it's great, because we're going to expend a lot less energy than the bigger guys.

"And with only one time trial, over 41km in the final week of the race, I can tell you I'm really happy with this course."

American Jonathan Vaughters, who runs the Garmin-Transitions team, has outlined what will be required from his two leaders, American Christian Vande Velde and Canadian Ryder Hesjedal.

Vande Velde crashed out last year, leaving Hesjedal to go on and secure an impressive seventh place finish.

"He'll (Hesjedal) go into the Tour de France looking to fight in the classification, although Christian is going to be strong as well. We have multiple options," Vaughters told AFP.

"It's a Tour for a consistently strong rider who recovers well every day, and has a strong team."

Although there are 10 'flat' stages, the opportunities for bunch sprints in 2011, five of which were won by British sprint king Mark Cavendish, will be limited.

However Cavendish was upbeat.

"It's a difficult Tour again, but that's the Tour," Cavendish told AFP.

"I've got to grab every opportunity for a sprint I can. Difficult doesn't necessarily mean every day is hilly. It just means the hard days are hard.

"But if it was up to me, I'd have 21 sprints."

Time trial specialists were left down in the mouth at the lack of victory opportunities. Breaking with tradition, there will be no time trial prologue to start the event, a team time trial of 23km on stage two and only one long individual time trial, a 43km race against the clock, on the penultimate stage 20.

This year Contador secured victory over Andy Schleck in the penultimate time trial. Whether he is absent or not next year, potential rival Ivan Basso, the 2010 Giro d'Italia winner, was rubbing his hands in anticipation.

"It's a very very nice course for me, especially with so many climbs and not so many time trials. I'm really happy," Basso told AFP.

The Italian's bid for victory, five years after being thrown off the race for suspected doping, could be boosted by the presence of Liquigas teammate Vincenzo Nibali, who recently won the Tour of Spain.

The 2011 Tour de France stages

• Stage 1, July 2: Passage du Gois-Mont des Alouettes, 191km
• Stage 2, July 3: Les Essarts-Les Essarts, TTT, 23km
• Stage 3, July 4: Olonne-sur-Mer-Redon, 198km
• Stage 4, July 5: Lorient-Mûr-de-Bretagne, 172km
• Stage 5, July 6: Carhaix-Cap Fréhel, 158km
• Stage 6, July 7: Dinan-Lisieux, 226km
• Stage 7, July 8: Le Mans-Châteauroux, 215km
• Stage 8, July 9: Aigurande-Super Besse Sancy, 190km
• Stage 9, July 10: Issoire-St-Flour, 208km
• Rest day , July 11: Le Lioran/Cantal
• Stage 10, July 12: Aurillac-Carmaux, 161km
• Stage 11, July 13: Blaye-les-Mines-Lavaur, 168km
• Stage 12, July 14: Cugnaux-Luz Ardiden, 209km
• Stage 13, July 15: Pau-Lourdes, 156km
• Stage 14, July 16: Saint-Gaudens-Plateau de Beille, 168km
• Stage 15, July 17: Limous-Montpellier, 187km
• Rest day , July 18: Province of Drôme
• Stage 16, July 19: Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux-Gap, 163km
• Stage 17, July 20: Gap-Pinerolo, 179km
• Stage 18, July 21: Pinerolo-Galibier/Serre-Chevalier, 189km
• Stage 19, July 22: Modane-Alpe d’Huez, 109km
• Stage 20, July 23: Grenoble-Grenoble, ITT, 41km
• Stage 21, July 24: Créteil-Paris/Champs-Elysées, 160km