At this time of year the cycling enthusiast is feverish with anticipation. Completely deprived of competitions for the last few months, he has remained alert to the team changes of the winter months, the training strategies and the start of season races. He is now waiting impatiently for the first of the head-on combat with a hint of novelty… and mimosa. Paris-Nice evidently plays a very special role in the performance of the cycling season: on the first important stage race on European soil, a provisional hierarchy is established.
Attached to these moments of emotion, we wished to pay tribute to this legacy of tradition and to visit some of the towns that have marked the history of Paris-Nice. Starting point for the first time, Amilly and the Montargoise and Rives du Loing areas this year participate in this pilgrimage which will take the riders notably to Nevers, Saint-Etienne and Sisteron, before a prestigious final stage on the Riviera.
If this year’s itinerary instantly appeals to fine wine specialists, the crossing of the Sancerrois, then the Beaujolais and the Ventoux vineyards will be a far cry from an initiatory test session for the sprinters in the pack. In order to attack the final climb on stage 4, on the “unexplored” side of the Mont Ventoux, even seasoned climbers will need to conserve their energy levels.
Honouring a legacy also means remaining loyal to values transmitted by generations of cyclists and supporters. Our ambition as we approach the 2008 season is to re-instate these values in all their glory. This has led us to open up the competition to several teams that have shown manifest enthusiasm and purpose in sharing this same objective. The pack hence formed assumes a collective responsibility. It is up to them, to us, to pave the way for a dynamic, intense and honourable cycling season.
Christian PRUDHOMME
Director of the Tour de France
