I hate that there's no TTT.
'bout time they headed back into the Pyrenees, it's been a couple of years. All that time spent in the Alps this year was f'n gorgeous, though!
Tour de France 2010
Running from Saturday July 3rd to Sunday July 25th 2010, the 97th Tour de France will be made up of 1 prologue and 20 stages and will cover a total distance of 3,600 kilometres.
These stages have the following profiles:
1 prologue,
9 flat stages,
6 mountain stages and 3 summit finishes,
4 medium mountain stage,
1 individual time-trial stage (51 km).
Distinctive aspects of the race
le Tourmalet climbed twice,
a hint of the Classics and cobblestones,
2 rest days,
23 level 1, level 2 and highest level mountain passes.
Stage by Stage:
http://www.letour.fr/2010/TDF/COURSE/us/le_parcours.html
I understand their reasoning on the TTT. Although I don’t think any team will be able to do what Astana did last year on a TTT, eliminating it keeps any team from it. And to me the TDF is all about grinding it out in the mountains. As cool as seeing the technical and physical marvel the TTT is, the chance of seeing Lance or Alberto making a solo ride to the finish atop a mountain is irresistible to me. Alberto to the top of Verbier was amazing, the more chances I have to see similar chances to see it the more I like it.