The 2007 Paris-Nice route has been announced, with a prologue in Issy-les-Moulineaux (just outside Paris, so it counts as Paris apparently) on March 11 and ending with the traditional final stage on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice on March 18.

This year, the race will take a new turn as the peloton will pass France’s central mountain range, using the Central Massif on its western side instead of heading straight towards the Côte d’Azur on the eastern side as it had been of use previously. The first three stages have been characterised typical sprinters’ stages, whereas the second part of the week will offer opportunities for breakaways and climbers. The first decisive ascension before the taking on the hinterland of Nice on the last day of the race will be the climb up the airport of Mende on stage four, which has been re-named ‘Montée Laurent Jalabert’ since the famous French cyclist won a Tour de France stage there in 1995.

Versus will be covering the race in two segments, on the 11th and 18th at 5pm ET. The stages themselves are as follows:

• Prologue - Sunday, March 11: Issy-les-Moulineaux, ITT, 4.7 km
• Stage 1 - Monday, March 12: Cloyes-sur-le-Loir - Buzançais, 186 km
• Stage 2 - Tuesday, March 13: Vatan - Limoges, 177 km
• Stage 3 - Wednesday, March 14: Limoges - Maurs, 215.5 km
• Stage 4 - Thursday, March 15: Maurs - Mende, 169.5 km
• Stage 5 - Friday, March 16: Sorgues - Manosque, 178 km
• Stage 6 - Saturday, March 17: Brignoles - Cannes, 200 km
• Stage 7 - Sunday, March 18: Nice - Nice, 129.5 km

Last year’s winner, Floyd Landis, is sitting this one out. Cyclingnews.com has listed the riders most likely to be considered favorites as Tom Boonen (Quickstep-Innergetic), Andrej Kashechkin (Astana), Stefan Schumacher (Gerolsteiner), Alberto Contador (Discovery Channel), Fränk Schleck and David Zabriskie (Team CSC), Philippe Gilbert (Française Des Jeux), Cadel Evans (Predictor-Lotto), Cyril Dessel (Ag2r Prévoyance), Juan Antonio Flecha (Rabobank), David Millar (Saunier Duval-Prodir), Michael Rogers (T-Mobile) and Sylvain Chavanel (Cofidis).