In the last few hours, one of the most surprising cycling news has been the confirmation that all road stages in the Tour de France will include 10, 6 and 4 bonus seconds to the first three riders across the line.

"We have included bonus seconds to compensate for the time trial on the first day in Utrecht," race director Thierry Gouvenou told L'Equipe. "The idea is to give life to the first week. Organizers ASO know that not everybody likes the decision. Speaking to L'Equipe, race director Christian Prudhomme couldn't hide his dissatisfaction. "I still believe it is better to only take the real time," he said. However, he admitted that it will gave an impact on the outcome of the stages in the third week. "I have to be pragmatic," he said. "The bonuses are justified and this is the first time in several years that we have 10 flat days in the beginning."

With the confirmation of bonuses, the Tour also announced other small changes. Perhaps the most notable is a change to the rules in the teams classification where the team time trial will have greater weight. The idea is that the time taken of the fifth rider in the stage will be multiplied by five before being added to the overall time in this classification.

Other changes relate to the stages to Rodez and Gap. In Rodez (stage 13) the finish will be shortly after a 600 meters ramp of 8% and the finish in Gap will be made as planned after the Col de Manse but not using the usual route.