The route for the 2009 edition of the Tour de France was announced Wednesday in Paris with a truly international flavour. Visiting 6 countries the Tour will start in Monaco before heading through France to Spain and the city of Barcelona. The Tour will also visit Andorra, Switzerland and Italy.

There are also some major changes to the way the Tour will be rode.  Timetrials are reduced to 55km forindividuals with an opening 15km prologue course around the streets of Monaco including sections of the Grand Prix circuit.  Stage 4 is a return to the Team Time Trial this time around Montpellier.  The Blue train of Lance Armstrong’s US Postal and Discovery teams may make a return in the form of Astana, especially given the World Class lineup.  The final timetrial which traditionally closes the Tour has moved to the day before with a 40km timetrial around Lake Annecy. 

Instead the final stage is now one for the climbers from Montelimar to the formidable Mont Ventoux.  This presents a challenge to the traditional Tour as the time trial will become even more important to the non climbers and the climbers now have a chance to pull the Tour out of the bag on the final day before the traditional cruise into Paris.  Carlos Sastre won the Tour this year on the final climbing stage and then with an amazing performance in the time trial to maintain yellow.  This year it is even more open and it could fall to whoever has the best recovery powers at the end of the Tour.  Especially as its early into the mountains rather than the usual first week warm up. 

2009 should be a great year.  Big names and a big course.