On the eve of the presentation of the course for the 2014 Tour de France, the rumours about the layout of the 101st edition of the world's biggest race are intensifying. According to a report in La Depeche, the race will include three time trials and the Pyrenees will play a bigger role than the Alps.

Tomorrow Tour de France organizers ASO will unveil the course for the 2014 edition of the French grand tour in the Palais des Congres in Paris but as usual the official presentation has been preceded by plenty of speculation and rumours. Several medias and observers have tried to piece together the puzzle by doing research into local media outlets, hotel bookings etc.

Until now, the only thing that has been confirmed is that the first three days will take place on British soil before crossing the English channel to enter France. Rumours have indicated that the race may include its first stage on cobbles since 2010 where Frank Schleck crashed out of the race and his brother Andy teamed up with Fabian Cancellara to gain crucial time on pre-race favourite Alberto Contador.

The first stage on the European mainland is set to feature paves as it finishes in Villeneuve d’Ascq, a suburb of Lille just to the south of Roubaix. There could even be more cobbles on the next day which will take the riders from Lille to Bouvines while the race will enter Belgium one day later.

The race is set to commemorate World War I which started in 1914, with a start in Ypres which saw some of the heaviest fighting, and a finish in Reims. The next day the race will pass Verdun where France saw some of their worst casualties druing the war, while the race will emphasise the peace by entering Germany on the same stage.

This year the Pyrenees mainly served as an appetizer for the Alps where the race was decided in a brutally hard third week. As usual, the mountain ranges will swap roles in 2014 with the Alps being set to precede the Pyrenees. According to a report in La Depeche, there will be two summit finishes in the Alps: one in Risoul where Nicolas Vogondy and Alessandro De Marchi have won stages of the Criterium du Dauphiné, and one in Chamrousse where Lance Armstrong won a mountain time trial in 2001.

According to La Depeche, the race will include three stages in the Pyrenees. The first of those will include the Port de Bales before the fast downhill run to the finish in Bagneres-de-Luchon. This was the scene of the famous "Chaingate" in 2010 when Andy Schleck lost his chain while launching a furious attack.

One day later the race will finish on the Pla d'Adet where George Hincapie won a stage in 2005 while the final Pyrenean stage will head out from Pau. It will finish on the Hautacam climb which will be back in the race for the first time since 2008 when Leonardo Piepoli crossed the line first ahead of teammate Juan Jose Cobo before testing positive for CERA.

The number of time trials are uncertain. Until now, most rumours have indicated that there will only be one race against the clock, on the penultimate stage, but La Depeche claims that there will no less than three individual time trials. Unusually, two of those will come on consecutive days with the first one starting in Mulhouse and finishing in the German city of Fribourg-en-Brisgau. One day later, the riders will once again start in Mulhouse but head in the opposite direction to finish on the La Planche des Belles Filles climb where Chris Froome won his first Tour stage in 2012.

The third time trial is rumoured to be held on a 50km course between Bergerac and Perigeux on the penultimate day and will remember Miguel Indurain who laid the foundations for his 1994 win by crushing the opposition in a mammoth 64km race against the clock in Bergerac. Twenty years ago, the race also visited Britain and included a stage to Hautacam and so the course will have some resemblance with the one that allowed Indurain to take the fourth of his five consecutive wins.

Whether the rumours are correct, will be confirmed tomorrow at 11.30 CEST in the Palais des Congres. CyclingQuotes will have a reporter at the presentation and will bring you reactions from the expected main stars in the 2014 edition of the world's biggest bike race.