Bicycle .net :: Tour de France Stage 19 Preview – Cognac to Angoulême

Tour de France Stage 19 Preview – Cognac to Angoulême – Individual Time Trial (55km)

By VeloGuy on July 27th, 2007

Tour de France Stage 19 Preview
Individual Time Trial – 55km
Cognac to Angoulême
First rider departs at 10:43 a.m. (4:43 a.m. EST/U.S)
Final rider expected to finish at 4:20 p.m. (10:20 a.m. EST/U.S.)

LIVE TOUR TEXT by Cycling News

STAGE 19 MAP

COURSE: This closing time trial, on up-and-down country roads through the vineyards, could see another showdown to determine the Paris podium.

HISTORY: Cognac, where the world renowned brandy is produced, has never hosted a Tour stage, but the nearby town of Saintes saw two split stages (with stage fi nishes and starts) in both 1936 and 1937. A 75km team time trial from Saintes to La Rochelle in 1936 was won by the Belgian national team of overall winner Sylvère Maes at 42 kph, an excellent average speed for the era.

FAVORITES: With a possible west wind blowing in from the nearby Atlantic Ocean, the 2007 Cognac-Angoulême TT winner could match the record speed for a course of longer than 50km set at 53.986 kph by Armstrong over the 58.5km Freiburg-Mulhouse stage 19 in 2000. The time gaps between the GC contenders could be close enough that this final TT will decide the outcome of the whole race. Assuming none of the top guys dropped by the wayside, the stage should be closely fought between Evans and Leipheimer, though the stage could be won by a TT specialist like Saunier Duval’s Millar or CSC’s Cancellara.

STAGE 19 PROFILE