Mountains will dominate the 2009 Tour de France (Roundup)

Paris - The winner of the 2009 Tour de France, which was presented Wednesday in Paris, will above all have to be a first-rate climber, because next year's course comprises 20 difficult mountain peaks and passes. Arguably the most difficult climb, up the legendary Mont Ventoux at the edge of the Alps, has been scheduled for the next-to-last stage, the first time in the history of the Tour that a mountain stage has been programmed the day before the finish in Paris. The approximately 3,445-kilometre course also includes the first team time trial in four years and two unusually short individual time trials, which will serve to make the mountain stages even more important to the outcome of the race. The 96th running of the world's most prestigious cycling event starts on July 4 in the principality of Monte Carlo with an arduous 15-kilometre time trial through the hilly city of Monaco, and ends on July 26 on the Champs Elysees in Paris. Prince Albert II of Monaco, who attended Wednesday's presentation, said the start of the 2009 Tour in Monaco represented a large step in his desire to 'make the principality a world capital of sports.' In all, next year's race will run through four countries - France, Italy, Spain and Switzerland - and the principalities of Monaco and Andorra. The city of Barcelona will host a stage finish and a stage start, on July 6 and 7, respectively, only the third time the Tour has visited the Catalonia capital. According to Tour director Christian Prudhomme, Barcelona marks 'the southernmost destination in Tour history.' But the plans and expectations of riders and spectators will no doubt be focused on the penultimate stage, and the climb up to the 1,912-metre-high peak of the Mont Ventoux. An ascent of 21 kilometres at an average slope of 7.6 per cent, with strong, often violent winds on its final section, the mountain has been the scene of dramatic moments in past Tours. In 2009, it will almost certainly be the decisive stage in the race. The organizers of the Tour de France are no doubt counting on an exciting race to counter the effect of the doping cases that have plagued the event in recent years. The issue was not addressed in any detailed manner on Wednesday. Prince Albert said he had 'confidence in the organizers to put an end to this plague,' while Prudhomme said that the cyclists caught doping last year 'have no place in the big book of the Tour.' However, with five 2008 Tour stage winners and the winner of the King of the Mountain championship caught using banned substances, and the German television stations ARD and ZDF cancelling plans to show the race live, organizers will be under more pressure than before to catch the cheaters. In addition, the possible participation of the now-unretired seven-time Tour champion Lance Armstrong remains controversial. His name was not cited once on Wednesday. Suspected by many of having doped during his unprecedented championship run, though he was never caught, the 37-year-old Texas native would not be welcomed with open arms by everyone if he did decide to ride in next year's Tour. Former French sports minister Jean-Francois Lamour, currently vice-president of the World Anti-Doping Agency, recently called Armstrong's possible presence in the race 'a return to the dark years,' and described him as 'a troublesome guest of the Tour.' However, 2007 Tour winner Alberto Contador of Spain will be back, after sitting out this year's race because of the sins his Astana team committed. His contest against the 2008 champion, fellow Spaniard Carlos Sastre, may make fans forget all about Armstrong, whether he is there or not.