Zomegnan praises Tour's 2010 course

The Giro d'Italia director Angelo Zomegnan praised the design of the 2010 Tour de France, giving it a score of 10 out of 10. The Tour organiser ASO presented the race route in Paris today, 10 days ahead of the Giro d'Italia route presentation.

"I always give a vote of ten on the others' designs," Zomegnan told Cyclingnews.

ASO presented a 3600-km course that starts in Rotterdam, Netherlands on July 3, and heads over the roads of Liège - Bastogne - Liège and Paris-Roubaix in the first week. The first mountains come in the Alps at Morzine and Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne. There are four Pyrenean mountain stages in the final week, with the Col du Tourmalet stage only four days before the finish in Paris on July 25.

"It is a more complicated course than the past, and more demanding. There's the Tourmalet, the celebration of 100 years since its introduction into the Tour de France."

It is only the second time since 1974 that the a stage will finish on the Tourmalet. Frenchman Jean-Pierre Danguillaume won on the race's last visit. The climb is also included in stage 16 to Pau.

Zomegnan and Giro organiser RCS Sport will present their race October 24 in Milano. RCS sport announced last week that it will hold the presentation at East End Studios, recording set of Italian television show X-Factor.

Like the Tour de France, the Giro will start in The Netherlands. It will hold three stages there, all starting in Amsterdam.