Paris, France. October 18th, 2011.
1. 00:00 Alberto Contador arriving for presentation of the Tour de France 2012.
2. 00:08 Wide of Contador seated, surrounded by photographers and cameramen.
3. 00:14 Zoom out Andy Schleck seated, surrounded by photographers and cameramen.
4. 00:24 Wide shot of stage and audience to zoom in to Christian Prudhomme arriving on stage.
5. 00:35 Animated graphic on screen showing the route of the beginning of the Tour de France 2012.
6. 00:53 Mid shot of Cadel Evans watching.
7. 01:00 Animated graphic on screen showing the route of the end of the Tour de France 2012.
8. 01:24 Tilt down map of France with route of the Tour de France 2012.
9. 01:31 Mid shot of famous Tour de France racing cyclists on stage.
10. 01:36 Pan of famous Tour de France racing cyclists on stage.
11. 01:44 Christian Prudhomme talking to journalists.
12. 01:50 SOUNDBITE: (French) Christian Prudhomme, Director of the Tour de France.
13. 02:29 Mid shot of Prudhomme and other officials on stage.
14. 02:34 SOUNDBITE: (English) Cadel Evans, Winner of the 2011 Tour de France.
15. 02:56 Panning shot of officials on stage.
16. 03:02 SOUNDBITE: (English) Alberto Contador, Winner of the 2010 Tour de France.
17. 03:27 Wide of stage with cyclists and officials, map of France with route of the Tour de France 2012 in the background.
The 2012 Tour de France promises steeper climbs, longer stages and more time trials it was revealed when the official route was unveiled at a glittering ceremony in Paris on Tuesday (October 18th).
The Tour's 99th edition, which starts June 30th in Liege, Belgium, will feature nearly 100 kilometres (62 miles) of individual time trials and 25 tough mountain climbs over a total of 3,479 kilometres (2,162 miles).
Following the announcement competitors quickly analysed the route, and tried to gauge their chances.
SUGGESTED VOICEOVER:
The route that the 2012 Tour de France will take was unveiled at a glittering ceremony in Paris on Tuesday.
The Tour's 99th edition, which starts June 30th in Liege, Belgium, will feature nearly 100 kilometres (62 miles) of individual time trials and 25 tough mountain climbs.
The super-steep Planche des Belles Filles in eastern France, with a patch of a staggering 20-degree gradient, is but one of nearly a half-dozen new mountain climbs for the Tour.
Riders will also struggle up the Col de la Croix in the Jura mountains of Switzerland - a 3.7-kilometre climb with an average gradient of 9.2 percent.
A group of cycling stars lined the front row of the glitzy presentation; with defending Tour de France champion Cadel Evans in attendance, alongside new world champion Mark Cavendish of Britain, brothers Andy and Frank Schleck - who finished this year second and third behind Evans - and Belgium's Philippe Gilbert, the top-ranked rider this year in the International Cycling Union scale.
SOUNDBITE: (French).
"It is a Tour de France that was built with lots of new things. We are between historical editions: on one hand, the 2010 centenary of Pyrennees, the 2011 centenary of the summit Col du Galibier and on the other hand the 100th edition of the Tour in 2013. And here we clearly are on the chapter of novelty, with new passes in some mountains like the Jura or the Vosges where you don't necessarily expect to have some mountain passes so difficult, so high gradients. So, this Tour is really designed for attackers, for people who attack from farther out. There are a bit more mountains passes, fewer summit finishes, more time trials. It is really done in a way so people will have to fight hard if they want to win de Tour de France. It was designed for this matter anyway."
SUPER CAPTION: Christian Prudhomme, Director of the Tour de France.
Following the announcement competitors quickly analysed the route, and tried to gauge their chances.
SOUNDBITE: (English).
"On paper it looks like a mix of everything - especially the first week and around Liege and those stages it is a little bit Amstel Gold Race, it's a little bit Bastogne-Liege style of racing and then you get into bigger mountains and, of course, longer and probably flatter Time Trials I'm assuming. So you come to a different style of racing there."
SUPER CAPTION: Cadel Evans, winner of the 2011 Tour de France
However, 2010 Tour de France champion Alberto Contador didn't seem too keen on the route.
SOUNDBITE: (English).
"No, but it is not the best for me. Maybe it is better for Cadel Evans, it is more for the rider that goes very very strong in the time trials and, maybe for me, I need to attack before the time trial and not for the other riders. Okay, this is the race and we need to be training hard to fight for the victory."
SUPER CAPTION: Alberto Contador, winner of the 2010 Tour de France.
The 2011 Tour de France gets underway in Liege, Belgium on June 30th.
