Tour 2007: One for Iban?

Prior to today`s unveiling of the Tour de France parcours 2007, I prayed for a mountainious route. My prayers were partly answered. With 6 mountain stages on the menu, it could have been a lot worse, but also a lot better. The chances for Iban shining like in 2003 are definetely there, but he won`t go for the overall I`m afraid, as next year`s route looks very similar to the one this year. Two long TTs, both over 50 km, will probably be decisive for the final outcome. And even though Iban has improved remarkably in this descipline, he`s still bound to lose some minutes to the specialists.

With three summit finishes, Iban`s chances of winning a stage seems rather big if he finds the form. Especially the queen-stage to the Col d`Aubisque seems tailor made for Iban. Four big mountains to climb, with the Aubisque ending in the Pyreenes, should be an objective for Iban come July. In the Pyrenees he`s bound to be cheered on by thousands and thousands of crazy Basques, cheering on their biggest hero. A win there would be absolutely amazing. Picture your self Iban winning the queen-stage in the Tour surrounded by orange-clad Basques shouting his name. Then, once again, Iban would be on top of the world. That would be a dream come true. Aupa Iban!