Someone Likes The Tour de France's Course

Remember when I said that next year's Tour route was suited to time-trial specialists and climbers? Well, a noted time-trial specialist and climber is licking his lips in anticipation: Levi Leipheimer. The only stage he won in this year's Tour was the time trial on the second to the last stage. He finished second or third on most of the mountain-top finishes, but kept losing time to Rassmussen and Contador because of the time bonuses. So what is Levi all excited about in the tour route?

Leipheimer says the interesting mix of shorter time trials and four summit finishes represents a perfect recipe for what he expects will be victory for his new home at Astana.

Levi also complained about the elimination of the time bonuses, saying they will hurt the climbers, but that's only because there will be attacks in the middle of the course to make a gap, as opposed to attacking on the last climb to make up time or pad a cushion. Cadel Evans, who finished 23 seconds behind Contador, and 8 seconds ahead of Leipheimer, probably isn't missing those time bonuses at all. Expect Contador to do a lot of wind tunnel training during the winter.