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Date
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Distance
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Profile
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Description
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1
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Sun 1 July
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Liège > Seraing 198 km
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Plain
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Like in
Brittany in 2008 and in Vendée in 2011, the finish of the first online stage
of the Tour will be judged at the top of a hill after an ascent of 2.5 km.
“Puncheurs” (strong cyclists with explosive speed which they use on short,
but steep gradients with sudden attacks), will be expected to perform better
here than pure sprinters. At a time when the riders will still have lots of
energy, their performances promise to be spectacular.
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2
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Mon 2 July
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Visé > Tournai
207 km
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Plain
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As the route
goes through Belgium, it will offer possibilities to fighters but it is
highly likely that there will be a massive sprint finish at the end of the
stage. Maybe those disappointed the day before will take their revenge. When
the riders go through Tournai, it will provide us with an opportunity to
remember Wouter Weylandt, who had the last victory of his career during the
Circuit Franco- Belge in 2010.
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3
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Tue 3 July
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Orchies > Boulogne-sur-Mer
197 km
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Medium mountains
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The start of
this stage will remind the riders of Paris-Roubaix, since the cobblestone
experts regularly pass through Orchies, on the Chemin des Prières and the
Chemin des Abattoirs which have such evocative names. Then in the Monts du
Boulonnais -five hills with a gradient of around 10 %-, the “puncheurs” will
have the opportunity, as they did in Seraing, to provide the spectators and
viewers with an outstanding performance. The finish will be judged at the end
of a 700m long ascent.
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4
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Wed 4 July
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Abbeville > Rouen
214 km
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Plain
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Riders who
regularly take part in the Tour of Picardy are familiar with the pitfalls
that the region can hold in store for them. The experts of bordure formations
may well take advantage of the wind that blows by the seaside during the
whole first part of the stage, which will boasts very beautiful scenery. The
favourite riders in the race will have to be extremely careful, as they know
how hard it is to make up for lost time caused by their carelessness at the
beginning of the Tour.
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5
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Thu 5 July
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Rouen > Saint-Quentin
197 km
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Plain
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The favourite
sprinters in the peloton will definitely call on their team mates on the
Saint-Quentin road. Those who are not sure of staying the course all the way
to Paris will already have an opportunity to try their luck in the district of
the Champs-Élysées provided that the train of sprinters arrives on time.
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6
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Fri 6 July
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Épernay > Metz
210 km
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Plain
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Statistically,
we have remarked that the stages favourable to sprinters are sometimes
hindered by inspired attackers, who can take advantage of the peloton’s
wait-and-see approach, of weather conditions which deteriorate or of a
disruption in the chase of a breakaway. In Metz, like elsewhere, the daring
riders are capable of creating the surprise. The finish will be judged a
stone’s throw from the Centre Pompidou which has recently welcomed its
millionth visitor.
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7
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Sat 7 July
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Tomblaine > La Planche des Belles Filles
199 km
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Medium mountains
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Cyclosportive
riders are already familiar with La Planche des Belles Filles, where the
Trois Ballons race finishes, but the professionals will discover the imposing
final climb which leads to the resort. The figures speak for themselves: an
ascent which is almost 6 kilometres long, an average gradient of 8.5% and
some sections that have a gradient of 13%. The Tour’s favourites will
definitely be successful there!
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8
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Sun 8 July
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Belfort > Porrentruy
154 km
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Medium mountains
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This medium
mountain stage promises to be even more demanding as it will be short and
difficult. The mere mention of these ascents, whose peaks crown the route in
the Jura, illustrates how difficult it is: the Côte du Passage de la Douleur,
the Col de La Croix, etc. This final ascent, about 20 kilometres from the
finish will be a very decisive factor in the stage.
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9
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Mon 9 July
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Arc-et-Senans > Besançon
38 km
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Individual time-trial
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It was natural
to choose the «the City of time» to host a time-trail of which the 38 km
could carry a lot of weight at the end of the race. Besançon and its majestic
citadel are linked to Arc-et-Senans, which is also a listed Unesco World
Heritage site. The peloton’s best flat racers will try to minimize their time
in a prestigious setting.
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- Rest day -
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10
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Wed 11 July
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Mâcon > Bellegarde-sur-Valserine
194 km
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High Mountains
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The rest day in
Maçon will be necessary for the riders to attack this tenth, new and very
promising stage. Before the descent to Bellegarde-sur-Valserine, the climbers
who may have lost a few seconds in Doubs will have the opportunity to pull
themselves together in the ascent leading to the summit of the Col du Grand
Colombier. This is the first time that the peloton of the Tour de France has
been there.
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11
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Thur 12 July
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Albertville > La Toussuire - Les Sybelles
140 km
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High Mountains
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Twenty years
after the Winter Olympic Games, the riders will set off from Albertville for
an alpine stage with a substantial agenda and marked out on a shorter
distance. During 140 km, the peloton will go over the Col de la Madeleine,
the Col de la Croix de Fer and the Col du Mollard before tackling the climb
towards the resort of La Toussuire. This will certainly single out the
potential winners.
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12
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Fri 13 July
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Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne > Annonay Davézieux
220 km
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Medium mountains
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If they want to
put themselves out of the reach of the sprinters, the fighters are advised to
take advantage of the imposing Col du Grand Cucheron and the Col du Granier
situated in the first part of the stage. The finish line will be marked out
in Davézieux, in the “Communauté de communes” (federation of municipalities)
of the Bassin d’Annonay.
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13
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Sat 14 July
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Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux > Le Cap d’Agde
215 km
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Plain
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For the many
holidaymakers who go there in the summer, the road that leads to Cap d’Agde
is very often peaceful, but in all probability it will be full of pitfalls
for the Tour’s riders. On this part of the Mediterranean coast, the wind is
unpredictable but it is nearly always present. Let’s remember for example,
the Montpellier to La Grande-Motte stage during the 2009 Tour.
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14
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Sun 15 July
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Limoux > Foix
192 km
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High Mountains
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The Pyrenean
series will begin with a day of discovery that the fittest climbers will
appreciate. The steep slopes of the Port de Lers and above all of the Mur de
Péguère may well cause a lot of harm. The Mur de Péguère, which was initially
chosen for the Tour’s route in 1973, but was not featured in the end, boasts
areas where riders face gradients of almost 14%.
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15
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Mon 16 July
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Samatan > Pau
160 km
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Plain
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The riders who
have had the good idea of entering the Route du Sud race will discover
Samatan again, a stage town in 2011. Unfortunately they will have to miss out
on its foie gras before they take part in the stage.The day will not present
any major difficulties, but the teams of sprinters will be impatient to fight
it out to win the stage.
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- Rest day -
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16
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Wed 18 July
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Pau > Bagnères-de-Luchon
197 km
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High Mountains
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The layout of
the stage and the future stakes may well upset the order at the top of
general classification, four days before the end of the race. No matter what
the gap is, the major stage in the Pyrénées will be dreaded by the wearer of
the Yellow Jersey, who will have to defend his position while climbing
towards the Tourmalet, the Aubisque, the Aspin and the Peyresourde!
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17
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Thur 19 July
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Bagnères-de-Luchon > Peyragudes
144 km
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High Mountains
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No-one will be
feeling out of danger in the morning of a stage that is just as difficult,
where there will be no slack period, with, on the agenda, the Col de Menté,
whose steepest slope will be climbed by the riders and the Col des Ares.Then
from the start of the Port de Balès all the way to the red pennant there will
not be any flat ground.
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18
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Fri 20 July
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Blagnac > Brive-la-Gaillarde
215 km
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Plain
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The leaders of
the general classification are advised to get their breath back, but it is
unsure whether the teams of sprinters, who have not been able to express
themselves for a long time, will let them have this luxury. The club of
finishers capable of challenging Cavendish during a grouped confrontation is
increasing: Brive appears to be a city that is there for the taking.
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19
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Sat 21 July
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Bonneval > Chartres
52 km
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Individual time-tria
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This will be
the moment of truth. Let the climbers be warned: with a last 52-km long
time-trial to tackle, they will have to gain a significant amount of time in
the mountains. And the best flat racers know that, during a final attack,
everything can be seen in a new light.
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20
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Sun 22 July
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Rambouillet > Paris Champs-Élysées
130 km
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Plain
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This promises
to be a very emotional stage, with the memory of the final start in Yvelines
and the last time-trial won by Greg LeMond in 1989. Although there may be
slightly less suspense there, many thrills are guaranteed on the final
circuit. An adventure will come to an end for all the riders who take this
route, and the handful of sprinters who are competing for the victory will
provide a performance that is always entertaining.
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Analysis
provided from and further details available at http://www.letour.fr
