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Philippe Gilbert won an almost identical stage finish to kick off last year's Tour in France
June 29 update: The Stage 1 uphill finish in Seraing, Belgium is almost identical in length and steepness (2.4 km @ 4.7 %) to last year's opening stage easily won by Philippe Gilbert on Mont des Alouettes in France. But, 2012 hasn't been good to Gilbert after his move to BMC so it should be a closer finish. Simon Gerrans, Alejandro Valvarde and Cadel Evans, Gilbert's new BMC teammate and last year's stage 1 runner-up, are also good at these short, punchy finishes. Tour de France debutant Peter Sagan, has shown great versatility in his young career, and he'll be a favorite on any of the flat, rolling and lumpy stages at this year's Tour that end with a sprint finish of any kind.
In 1995, Johan Bruyneel and Miguel Indurain successfully escaped on a similar but less hilly course that finished in Liége where we'll start this year...
... Amazingly, the day following his 30k break in 1995, Miguel Indurain won a 54 km ITT that finished in Seraing
In 1995, on a similar but less hilly Ardennes loop, Johan Bruyneel sat on Miguel Indurain's wheel for 30k in the break before passing him at the line to take the win and the yellow jersey. The next day, Miguel Indurain took revenge by winning a 54 km individual time-trial in Seraing where this year's Stage 1 finishes. Miguel Indurain also took the Yellow Jersey (photo above) that day and went on to claim his fifth and final Tour de France title. The other time Seraing hosted a Tour stage was in 2001 when Erik Zabel won a sprint finish. — Steve