Strasbourg to start off 2006 Tour

LANCE ARMSTRONG’S anointed heir Ivan Basso will launch his bid for the vacant Tour de France throne in Strasbourg next July.

Tour chiefs have unveiled the course for the 2006 race the first since seven-times winner Armstrong quit the saddle with the Alsatian city getting the much-coveted honour of hosting the opening prologue on July 1 and the first stage a day later.

The peloton, presumably much depleted from its initial strength of 189 riders in the intervening three weeks, will reach the finishing line on July 23 at the traditional point on the Champs Elysees in Paris.

Basso, speaking at the launch of the www.gazzetta.it website, praised the course, saying: "I like the course and the absence of Armstrong will be an extra stimulation."

However, there are many potential pitfalls that must be avoided if the Italian is to become the first rider to wear the yellow jersey into Paris since Armstrong, who had recovered from cancer when he began his glorious if not always popular reign in 1999.

The early stages of the 2006 Tour will see the race visit the Benelux countries (Luxembourg, Holland and Belgium) before moving back to France and on to Brittany.

There will be five mountain stages two in the Pyrenees including a brief detour into Spain and three in the Alps, not least an ascent of the famous Alpe d'Huez climb.

Basso, who has already indicated he will not compete in the Giro d'Italia and instead concentrate exclusively on the Tour, admits he has several strong contenders including 1997 Tour winner Jan Ullrich of Germany.

He said: "Ullrich will be my main rival and then behind him will be (Alexander) Vinokourov, (Alejandro) Valverde and (Andreas) Kloeden."

However, Armstrong named Basso as the most likely man to succeed him when he accepted his final yellow jersey on the Champs Elysees in July.

There will also be two time-trials although there will be no team time-trial in the 2006 race, which is 3630km long in total.