By Susan Westemeyer
The UCI has inspected the plans and course for the 2007 World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany, and pronounced itself satisfied. "We're sure that an excellent organized World Championships will be staged here," said UCI spokesman Enrico Carpani.
A delegation from the UCI was in the Stuttgart area to inspect the facilities, logistics, course and plans for the Worlds, to be held September 25 to 30. Charley Motet, who rode eight times in the Worlds for France, said of the road race, "The start and finish are in the same place -- that's ideal." He also praised the route itself, "It's the most difficult course over the past few years. The uphill stretches will add up to 5,600 metres of climbing, which is the equivalent of a mountain stage.
"The final three laps will be downright brutal," Motet continued. "You'll have to keep riding at the front as the rest of the field will definitely lose touch on those hills. I hardly think the terrain will suit a sprinter like Tom Boonen." Motet indicated that the parcours favours all-rounders like Paolo Bettini, Alejandro Valverde, or Alexander Vinokourov.
