2009 Tour de France - Polka Dots

The King of the Mountains Classification

2007 Winer Mauricio Soler is not riding this year, his team was not on the invite list.

I think this years race for the spotted jersey is a tough one to pick.

No doubt the French teams will throw riders at the KOM points in the early stages to get their sponsors on TV, the Euskaltel - Euskadi (little billy goats spaniards in orange) riders will go all out in the Pyrenees where they live, but in reality, it will be decided in the Alps in the last week. I am betting it is someone high up in the GC will win. The only thing surer is that Thomas Voeckler will be in just about every single breakaway chasing all the points and airtime he can get in the early stages. Good luck to him, he has led the KOM and tour overall in the past but i cant see him getting a look in once the real mountains hit. Its often good for a laugh though.

So i will throw the names out that are most likely.
Contador
A. Schleck
Kreuziger
F. Schleck
Sastre
Menchov

all the big guns - Enough said there and we wont know more until the hills hit.

Only a few that are not in the race favourites jump out at me.

David Moncoutié
Cofidis
Major Wins
2008 King of the Mountains Vuelta a España
2008 Vuelta a Espana, 1 stage
2006 Paris-Nice, Mountains Classification
2005 Paris-Nice, Mountains classification
2005 Vuelta al País vasco, 1 stage
2005 Tour de France, 1 stage
2004 Tour de France, 1 stage
1999 Dauphiné Libéré, 1 stage

A Frenchman on a French team - oh the pressure! He is a multiple mountain stage winner on this and other tours, was KOM at last years Spanish tour. no doubt he will go for it and the Frenchies will go ballistic, they have not had a KOM contender for a few years.

Franco Pellizotti
Liquigas
Major Wins
2006 - 1 stage Giro d'Italia (8th overall)
2008 - 1 stage Giro d'Italia (4th overall)
2009 - 1 stage Giro d'Italia (3rd overall)

I think Liquigas will have Kreuziger going for the highest GC position and and Pellizotti going out for KOM points, then dropping back to assist Kreuziger when thegoing gets tough. A climber with 3 Giro wins and consistently high finishes. Good to watch.




Robert Gesink
Rabobank
Major Wins
Tour of Belgium, 1 stage
Tour of California, 1 stage

A future star, he will be Mechovs main man in the mountains, possibly send him out for the points and then drop back for the help. Big things are expected by Rabobank but with Menchov and Freire on their team, going for all 3 jerseys is a long shot.
But really this is hard, the winner could come from anywhere. 2 years ago who had ever heard of Mauricio Soler? No one (except if you were Columbian). Every team is going to send racers out to take their chances, especially the french ones.


But a quick look through the results of the last few years......
2008 - Kohl - doping subsequently went to Sastre
2007 - Soler - not here
2006 - Rassmussen - doper
2005 - Rassmussen - doper
2004 - Virenque - 'reformed' doper
2003 - Virenque - 'reformed' doper

hmm - who is on the juice this year that will be able to take on the big guns, someone might jump out of the pack?

How the Points Work.
each Mountain Gets a category, from easiest to hardest it is 4,3,2,1 and 'Hors Category' (HC)
HC means beyond classification. Like the green jersey the points are awarded in the order the riders cross each peak.

Cat 4 - 3,2,1
Cat 3 - 4,3,2,1
Cat 2 - 10,9,8,7,6,5
Cat 1 - 15,13,11,9,8,7,6,5
HC - 20,18,16,14,12,10,8,7,6,5

If the Final climb of the day is a Cat 1 or HC then the points are doubled for that climb.

In the event of a countback the man with the most HC points wins.


The KOM may well be decided on the last mountain stage - in fact the whole tour will probably be decided here on this mountain - the famed and feared Ventoux