The organisers of the Dauphiné Libéré have announced the parcours of the 59th edition of the famous stage race in the Alpine south of France, taking place from June 10-17, 2007. Starting in Grenoble and ending in Annecy, the race named after its main sponsor, a regional newspaper, will be totaling 1,096 kilometres and serve as a final form check-up for many contenders before the Tour de France in July.
A highlight this year will again be a mountain top finish on the legendary Mont Ventoux in Northern Provence, preceded by an individual time trial in Anneyron. The penultimate stage from Gap to Valloire will be another decisive one for the final victory, with the Col du Bayard, Col d'Ornon, Croix-de-Fer, Mollard and Télégraphe on the program.
2006 overall winner Levi Leipheimer (Discovery Channel) has already announced his participation together with his teammate Alberto Contador, as well as Alejandro Valverde and Oscar Pereiro (Caisse d'Epargne), Alexandre Vinokourov and Andreas Klöden (Astana), Cadel Evans and Chris Horner (Predictor-Lotto) and many more.
The 2007 Dauphiné Libéré unfolds as follows:
Sunday, June 10 - prologue: Grenoble, 5 km
Monday, June 11 - stage 1: Grenoble - Roanne, 219 km
Tuesday, June 12 - stage 2: Saint-Paul-en-Jarez - Saint-Etienne, 157 km
Wednesday, June 13 - stage 3: Anneyron - Anneyron, 40,7 km (ITT)
Thursday, June 14 - stage 4: Hauterives - Mont Ventoux, 197 km
Friday, June 15 - stage 5: Nyons - Digne-les-Bains, 195 km
Saturday, June 16 - stage 6: Gap - Valloire, 198 km
Sunday, June 17 - stage 7: Valloire - Annecy, 129 km
