Why no prologue in the 2008 Tour de France? Anyone know?

The RD, Prudhomme, says in a letter on the 'le Tour' website:

"The 2008 course reflects our aim to provide pace right from the start while ensuring the suspense is maintained as long as possible. For the first time since the Prologue was added in 1967, the traditional time trial will make way for a road stage. The fight for the yellow jersey should prove only the more disputed in Plumelec, with sprinters facing some stiff opposition."

I think it is a way to make it different, and a statement that the past is the past, and this year's Tour is a step in a new direction with all the controversy being put behind them.

Get out and ride.

The 'keep Cancelara down' is hilarious. . .and sadly belivable. . .like using a helicopter to push your favorite rider over a climb. . .

It's to keep Fabian Cancellara down.

jk, this year the organizers were striving to make the tour more exciting aggressive and 'open.' So they decided to forgo the prologue and they even eliminated time bonuses on the first couple of stages.

It's all in the interest of viewer excitement.

I promised myself that I wasn't going to watch the Tour this year after they hypocritically 'un-invited' team Astana (Anybody remember the Festina debacle...?). And then they had to do something really cool and make an otherwise routine and boring first stage unpredictable and exciting and now I can't help but watch despite myself. Curse you Prudhomme!!!