Samu analyzes Tour route

On the face of it, the Tour de France 2012 route has got something for everyone: one prologue, nine stages for the sprinters, two long individual time trials, five high-mountain days, four medium-mountain days and three summit finishes. Popular opinion has it that it favours the likes of Evans and Wiggins; riders strong against the clock and decent in the mountains. Here's Samu's take on it:

• The mountains: The stages in the Alps will suit me to a tee I reckon. I really like the stage ending atop the Toussuire. The climbs preceding the final one - the Madeleine, Glandon and the Cruz de Hierro - are all long and hard but not overly steep. And in the Pyrenees we've got the Peyragades and the Bagneres de Luchón, with the Peyresourde also in there. I think I'll do well there.


• The time trials: The two individual time trials total almost a 100 kilometres, and I feel that's an advantage for me as a lot of riders will lose loads of minutes there, maybe up to five in each one. I like the fact that they're long. Though, it's also an advantage for the crono specialists like Martin, Wiggins, Evans and, above all, Contador.


• The lack of a team time trial: We've never really performed well in the TTTs (so it's a good thing there's no TTT this time around). The other teams gained a lot of time on us in that discipline.


• The pre-race favourites: Evans, Wiggins and especially Contador are, to me anyway, the big favourites.


• The lead-up to the Tour: I'll do the Dauphiné next year. And when I'm there I'll recce some of the stages for the Tour.


• His overall impression of the route: I really like it. I'll aim to do as well as I did this year, or perhaps even better. The course is suited to an all-rounder who's good on the climbs.

Source: www.lne.es