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It is the hundredth anniversary of the Tour’s first foray into the Pyrenees but also that of the broom wagon, which first appeared on the Tour in 1910.© Presse Sports
Anniversary celebrations for the publicity caravan too, which will be 80 years old in 2010. © Presse Sports
2010 marks the hundredth anniversary of the Tour’s first passage through the Pyrenees.
On this occasion, the Tourmalet, its most legendary mountain pass, will be climbed twice and the finish of the 17th stage will be judged at the summit of the mountain pass.
There will be a total of 21 level 1, level 2 and highest level mountain passes.
After the Start from Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, the race will pass through Belgium before returning to France.
The first stages of the 2010 Tour will pay homage to two of the greatest Classics races in the history of cycling: Liège-Bastogne-Liège, during the passage through Belgium, and Paris-Roubaix, on the cobble stones that will precede the finish in Arenberg Porte du Hainaut.
This will be one of the shortest total individual time-trial distances since the systematic introduction of timetrials in 1947: 8 kilometres during the prologue in Rotterdam and 51 kilometres between Bordeaux and Pauillac.
For this 2010 edition, no bonuses will be awarded in intermediate sprints and stage finishes. Official time remains the absolute reference.
For the points classification, intermediate sprints will be included in stages. The first three riders to cross the finishing line will respectively be awarded 6, 4 and 2 points.
A total of 3,2 million euros will be awarded to the teams and the riders, including 450,000 euros for the winner of the overall general classification.
