by James Raia, Cycling Examiner

The 96th edition of the Tour de France will progress on its most international route in recent history. It will incorporate five countries after starting in one of the world’s most wealthy principalities.
Race director Christian Prudhomme unveiled the route Wednesday in Paris, offering what could be among the race’s most spectacular journeys.

The race will begin with a 15-kilometer time trial in Monte Carlo in Monaco on Saturday, July 4 and advance on a clockwise route that will take the peloton into Spain, Andorra, Switzerland and Italy before its traditional finish July 26 in Paris.

In addition to 10 flat stages, the route will include seven mountain stages, the most distinctive, a return to the “mysterious” Mont Ventoux on the next-to-last day of the race. The Tour de France hasn’t visited the bald mountain since 2002 when Frenchman Richard Virenque was victorious.

"The objectives of the race designers nevertheless remain exactly the same: to provide a varied terrain, in terms of both sport and aesthetics, in order to fire the imagination of champions and thrill enthusiasts, and to stimulate interest and suspense throughout the event," said Prudhomme in a luncheon press conference at the Palais des Congres.

The race will include 55 individual time trial kilometers as well as the return of a team time trial in stage 4 in Montpellier and then venture into Spain for a stage from Girona to Barcelona. The Tour de France hasn’t visited Barcelona since 1965.

The pleoton will encounter the difficulties of the Pyrenees before stages in the Alps and it will also feature a mountaintop in Andorra.

Well-known ascents to the Col de Tourmalet, a visit to Verbiers in Switzerland and then the Cols de Grand Saint-Bernard and Petit Saint-Bernard will unfold following a rest day and via a route through Italy.

The second individual time trial will occur in a 40-kilometer around Lake Annecy in stage 18. Two days later and one day before the celebratory trek to Paris, the race could be determined in the 20th stage from Montelimar to Mt. Ventoux.

"The stage is set for a dream of a landmark finale, exactly twenty years after the most extraordinary final in the history of the tour. Never, in over one hundred years, has a mountain been so close to Paris," said Prudhomme.

Carlos Sastre, Alberto Contador and Oscar Pereiro, the three previous winners of the race, attended the press conference. Also present was Johan Bruyneel, team director for Astana, the squad that employs Lance Armstrong. Bruyneel said he believes there’s a “50-50 chance” Armstrong would compete in the 2009 Tour de France. Armstrong is currently committed to ride in the Tour of Italy beginning May 9.

2009 Tour de France

Stage 1 - July 4 - Monaco-Monaco, 15km (individual time-trial)
Stage 2 - July 5 - Monaco-Brignoles, 182km
Stage 3 - July 6 - Marseille-La Grande-Motte, 196km
Stage 4 - July 7 - Montpellier, 38km (team time-trial)
Stage 5 - July 8 - Le Cap d'Agde-Perpignan, 197km
Stage 6 - July 9 - Girona (Spain)-Barcelona (Spain), 175km
Stage 7 - July 10 - Barcelona-Andorra 224km
Stage 8 - July 11 - Andorra-la-Vieille-Saint-Girons, 176km
Stage 9 - July 12 - Saint Gaudens-Tarbes, 160km
July 13 - Rest day at Limoges
Stage 10 - July 14 - Limoges-Issoudun, 193km
Stage 11 - July 15 - Vatan–Saint Fargeau, 192km
Stage 12 - July 16 - Tonnerre-Vittel, 200km
Stage 13 - July 17 - Vittel-Colmar, 200km
Stage 14 - July 18 - Colmar-Besanon, 199km
Stage 15 - July 19 - Pontarlier-Verbier (Suisse), 207km
July 20 - Rest day at Verbier
Stage 16 - July 21 - Martigny (Switzerland)-Bourg-Saint Maurice, 160km
Stage 17 - July 22 - Bourg-Saint Maurice-Le Grand Bornand, 169km
Stage 18 - July 23 - Annecy-Annecy, 40km (individual time-trial)
Stage 19 - July 24 - Bourgoin-Jallieu-Aubenas, 195km
Stage 20 - July 25 - Montélimar-Mont Ventoux, 167km
Stage 21 - July 26 - Montereau-Fault-Yonne-Paris Champs Elysées, 160km

Summary
10 flat stages, 7 mountain stages, 1 medium mountain stage, 2 individual time-trial stages, 1 team time-trial stage, 3 mountain finishes. 2 rest days, 55 kilometers of individual time-trials, 20 Category 1, Category 2 and hors categorie ascents.