The Tour Mediteraneen is one of the traditional warm-up races in Europe and will again offer the riders a rare chance for a summit finish in February. The feared Mont Faron will again bring the race to a close while the riders will tackle a time trial on the penultimate stage.

Cold and snow mean that there are few changes for the climbers to test themselves in a summit finish when the European season kicks off in late January and early February. However, one race always offers the uphill specialists a chance to gauge their form right from the beginning of the season as the Tour Mediteraneen usually has a summit finish on the feared Mont Faron on the outskirts of Toulon in Souther France.

This will again be the case in 2014 as the course which was unveiled in the weekend, will include a 192,7km final stage from Bandol to the top of the climb. As always, the stage is expected to be the main decider in the race that is hugely popular among the riders but has often been plagued by very cold and even snowy conditions.

The race will kick off on Thursday, February 13, with a 196,3km stage from Argeles sur Mer to Montagnac. The next day the riders will tackle 170,6km from Cadolive to Rousset, with the opening stages expected to suit the sprinters.

That will also be the case for the 65km third stage from Lambesc to St. Remy de Provence which will take place in the morning on Saturday, February 15. The first important stage for the GC will be the 18,2km time trial in St. Remy de Provence later in the day, with the individual discipline being back for the second year in a row after several years of absence. The race will end one day later on Mont Faron.

The 2013 edition of the race was won by Thomas Löfkvist who gave his IAM team the best possible start by winning the race ahead of Jean-Christophe Peraud who conquered the Mont Faron. One year earlier, Jonathan Tiernan-Locke kicked off his fabulous season by winning two stages and the overall in an edition that was cut short by cold and snow.