THE ROUTE
CHRISTIAN PRUDHOMME
HIGH ON HISTORY
For the centenary of the yellow jersey, the Tour Director and
his team are serving up five summit finishes, three above
2 000m, and a stage in the Alps featuring three consecutive
climbs above this altitude. Christian Prudhomme explains
how they hope to keep the contest alive until the very last
Alpine pass. I N T E R V I E W B Y L O U I S D O U C E T
T
The 2019 route once
again has La Planche des
Belles Filles as its first
critical point. Has this
Tour classic developed a
‘personality’ of its own?
This year, it’s a real mountain
stage as it will be preceded
by the climb to the Col
des Chevrères, in a similar
way to the 2014 edition.
La Planche des Belles
Filles always reveals the
contenders. Although there
have been a few anomalies,
the finishing positions there
almost perfectly reflect the
final hierarchy, although not
necessarily in the right order.
It’s an ideal stage for the
Tour’s first week.
68 | TO U R
D E F R A NC E 2019
Are there any new
features that you’re
relishing in this Tour?
We don’t include the Vosges
and Massif Central in addition
to the Pyrenees and the Alps
every year! With so many
mountains in play, there
will never be more than two
consecutive stages that suit
the sprinters. I really like the
Stage 8 to Saint-Étienne
that Thierry Gouvenou has
put together. Using the
“stations of the cross” as
inspiration, it will feature a
wonderful succession of
steep gradients. This medium
mountain stage is perfect for
ambushes and attacks.
Why have you decided to
stick with time bonuses at
specific points?
This year, they will be spread
across the entire route,
including the final mountain
stages, and placed in
strategic locations. What’s
more, the bonuses have
been raised to eight, five
and two seconds. If Bardet,
Dumoulin or Roglic were
to attack 500m from the
summit of Galibier, they
could earn eight seconds
going over the pass, gain
perhaps 12 seconds on the
descent, then another 10
seconds for the stage win...
for a total gain of 30 seconds!
It’s more significant than
having bonuses of three,
two and one second. It’s not
going to turn the race upside
down, but it does open up
possibilities. At Paris-Nice
we saw the favourites fighting
like scavengers for bonuses
at intermediate sprints, which
was great. The favourites may
not end up contesting the
bonuses before the finish in
Épernay, but I’d be surprised
if they don’t do so on the Mur
de Péguère or the Col de
l’Iseran. As always, we come
back to the principle that ‘the
organisers set up the race,
the riders make it’.
Is there a general lack of
daring within the peloton?
In reality, when the will to
attack is there, anything
is possible, but when the
defensive catenaccio system
dominates, nothing can be
done, no matter what the
make-up of the route. But we
can’t be rigid. Between 1967
and 2007, the Tour’s first
day was always a prologue.
Now we sometimes have a
time trial, sometimes a road
stage, either for the sprinters
or a pure puncheur. And the
same goes for the time trials,
which can be close to the
finish or quite a way before
it, can be long or short, and
mountainous or not.
he Grand
Départ in
Brussels will be
the third from
Belgium in 15 years...
We’re starting in Brussels
in 2019 to celebrate the
centenary of the yellow jersey
and the 50th anniversary
of the first victory taken by
Eddy Merckx, the man who
symbolises the jersey better
than anyone. Belgium is the
heart of cycling, so it’s logical
to return so often. When I’m in
Brussels I’m always surprised
to see Eddy stopped in the
street by 15-year-olds. He’s
still as popular as ever.