On July 1 1903, 60 brave cyclists left Paris to start a 6-stage bike race in France. Since then the feat has been repeated on 98 occasions and in less than a week, 198 professional riders will set off in Corsica to start the 100th edition of the Tour de France. To celebrate the anniversary, organizers ASO have designed a truly spectacular course, offering legendary mountains, new climbs, two completely different time trials, a team time trial, numerous sprint opportunities and an evening finish to the race on the Champs-Elysees. The route requires the winner to be a truly versatile rider and will make sure that the final winner will be crowned no sooner than on the top of the Annecy-Semnoz climb on the penultimate day of racing. CyclingQuotes.com takes a look at each of the 21 stages that will make for a huge three-week celebration of cycling and the Tour de France.

 

OBS! This article will be updated with stage winner picks and outsiders ahead of each stage.

 

Having passed the 100th anniversary of the first edition of the race 10 years ago, Tour de France organizers ASO have had plenty to celebrate in recent years. That special 100-year edition made the historic context clear as it had stages that started and finished in the same cities as the very first edition of the world's biggest bike race. In 2010, it was time to celebrate the first passage through the Pyrenees and ASO did so by climbing the legendary Col du Tourmalet in two different stages and from both directions, one of the stages even finishing at the top of the mighty Pyrenean giant. One year later, it was the 100th anniversary of the inclusion of the Alps which made ASO send the riders up the Col du Galibier in two different stages and from both directions, once again with a summit finish on the climb.

 

This year, ASO had to come up with new ideas to make the 100th edition truly spectacular and make the perfect scene for a 3-week celebration of the world's biggest bike race. In general, they put together a tough, versatile course, featuring all of cycling's spectacular disciplines and plenty of both new and well-known terrain. Nonetheless, 4 innovative features were included to make this edition a very special one.

 

First of all the race will start on the Corsican island, the only French region which has never before been visited by the Tour de France. The foundations for the idea were already laid some years ago and it has required years of preparation to turn it into reality later this week. In 2010, ASO moved their small mini-Tour de France, Criterium International, form the Ardennes in Northern France to the Mediterranean island to see how the region would handle a big professional bike race. The move was a successful one and has since been repeated every year, thus proving that Corsica has what it takes to host an international sport event. Hence, the Tour de France plans were confirmed and will be turned into reality when the Tour peloton leaves Porto-Vecchio on Saturday. At the same time, Corsica has some beautiful hilly terrain with winding coastal roads, hard climbs and spectacular scenery and so we should see a grand depart like never before.

 

Secondly, ASO designed a stage that has drawn plenty of attention since the unveiling in October. The Alpe d'Huez plays a special role in the history of the Tour de France and ASO has introduced a tradition of mostly including the climb in the route every other year. To come up with something new this year, ASO will send the riders up the legendary slopes twice on the same day, using the Col de Sarenne and its subsequent descent to bring the riders back down to the bottom of the climb after the first passage. That section was tested in the 7th stage of the recent Dauphiné and while the safety of the descent was criticized by world time trial champion Tony Martin, it will take little away from the spectacle that has always been the intention by the construction of this truly innovative stage.

 

The third innovative feature is the decision to include two of the most spectacular mountaintop finishes, those on the Alpe d'Huez and the Mont Ventoux, in the same edition of the race. The two giants have both featured in the same route only once, in 1987 but on that occasion the Mont Ventoux was climbed during a mountain time trial, not a road stage. Never before has the Tour peloton faced summit finishes on both climbs during the same edition of the race, and there is little doubt that the 15th and 18th stages will play a crucial role in determining the overall winner of the race.

 

Finally, the race will make use of its traditional finishing circuit on the Champs-Elysees but for the first time ever, there will be no finish late in the afternoon. Instead, the final stage will start at the time when it usually reaches its conclusion and so we should be in for a spectacular sight when the Tour peloton races around the famous circuit during the evening and in light darkness. That finish will offer a beautiful end to what should be three-week of great racing.

 

ASO has not only designed a couple of innovative features to celebrate the anniversary, the organization has also created a truly versatile course, featuring most of the disciplines and different sorts of terrain that test the riders' general abilities as bike riders. After the hilly stages in Corsica, the peloton will tackle a team time trial and some potentially windy stages in the Mistral wind as they travel to the foot of the Pyrenees. Two Pyrenean stages will make the first real selection while a rest day allows the peloton to transfer all the way to Bretagne.

 

A traditional road stage will offer some of the well-known Breton pitfalls ahead of the first time trial which will be one for the true specialists. The race then turns into a sprinter festival as the riders traverse the French mainland during their journey towards the Alps. Mont Ventoux will offer a really tough test on the day before the final rest day which will be appreciated in view of the final tough week in the Alps. A hilly intermediate stage and an extremely hard time trial will be followed by three consecutive mountain stages, the last one on the penultimate day of racing. On that evening, the race will travel all the way to Paris for its final spectacular evening stage where the winner will be crowned.

 

When Jean-Marie Leblanc served as race director, the race usually had two long time trials, thus favouring the versatile riders over the climbers. From 2008 onwards, new race director Christian Prudhomme started to limit the number of time trial kilometres to put the race into the hands of the climbers. 2009 was the most extreme example of a race where time trialling played a very little role in the outcome of the race.

 

Since then, the race has once again started to include more kilometres against the clock and last year the balanced tipped back into the hands of the time triallists. That course featured very few mountain top finishes and had two long time trials which ended up being crucial in determining the final general classification.

 

This year's course once again favours the climbers as the race offers no less than 4 summit finishes and a further two hard mountain stages. That being said, the race also offers a team time trial and two individual time trials which are both more than 30km long. That turns the course into one of the most versatile for years and it has potentially more decisive stages than we have seen for years.

 

Hence, it was no surprise that the climbers paid plenty of tribute to the course when it was unveiled in October. Alejandro Valverde and Andy Schleck both liked what they saw and Joaquim Rodriguez decided to deviate from his usual schedule to give the Tour his complete focus for the second time in his career. Nonetheless, Chris Froome has emerged as both the best time triallist and climber among the GC riders during the early part of the season and so the most versatile rider is - unsurprisingly - the big favourite to win on this year's versatile course.

 

Below we give an analysis of each of the race's 21 stages to find out where the race will be decided, where the sprinters will come into action and where the potential pitfalls are hidden.

 

Stage 1, Saturday June 29: Porto-Vecchio - Bastia, 213km

In 2008, ASO deviated from recent tradition by skipping the usual prologue and instead the Tour de France kicked off with a traditional road stage won by Alejandro Valverde. The organizers liked the idea and so it was repeated in 2011 when Philippe Gilbert rode into the first yellow jersey. This year we will see the third road race start of the race in just 6 years.

 

Unlike the two previous opening road stages which both finished on a short, sharp climb and thus suited punchy riders like Valverde and Gilbert, this year's long 213km stage in Corsica is almost completely flat. The stage starts in the coastal city of Porto-Vecchio and makes a short loop to hit the southernmost point of the island and heads a little bit inlands to include an early category 4 climb (1,1km, 5,9%) which will determine the first wearer of the polka-dot jersey. Having returned back to Porto-Vecchio after 60,5km, it's time to head north along the coastal road to Bastia which hosts the stage finish. As is typical for such roads, the stage is slightly undulating but nothing will be even close to putting the sprinters into difficulty. The only real danger will be the wind which has the potential to cause havoc on the peloton and we could easily see plenty of crashes and lost ambitions as a consequence of the nervousness that always rule during the first week of the Tour.

 

Since the bonus seconds were skipped in 2008, the sprinters have had no chance to overcome their early deficits to ride into yellow, and the last bunch kick expert to wear the coveted leader's jersey was Tom Boonen in 2006 (if you omit Thor Hushovd's stint in yellow in 2011 which was not due to his ability as a sprinter). This year's opening stage could present a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the fast finishers, and Mark Cavendish, Andre Greipel and Marcel Kittel have all targeted the first yellow jersey since the unveiling of the first three stages of this year's Tour. They will have to overcome a difficult 180-degree turn at the 2km mark but from then on the roads are all straight and flat, thus offering the perfect scene for a battle royale between the world's fastest sprinters.

 

 

Stage 2, Sunday June 30: Bastia - Ajaccio, 156km

For the first time in many years, we could see an early selection in this year's Tour as the riders will already tackle some tough climbing on the second day of racing. Corsica is a hilly island and when ASO plans to take the riders from its Northeastern to its Southwestern corner in a short 156km stage, they have to traverse its undulating interior. The first part of the route is slightly ascending but the climbing gets serious after 63,4km of racing when the peloton hits the bottom of the category 3 Col de Bellagranjo (6,6km, 4,6%). A short descent leads to a long climb which is broken into two by a small plateau at its midpoint and so consists of both the category 3 Col de la Serra (5,2km, 6,9%) and the category 2 Col de Vizzavona (4,6km, 6,5%). From the top, 60,5km remain and they mostly consist of a long, gradual descent.

 

The run-in is punctuated by the steep category 3 Cote du Salario (1km, 8,9%) whose top is located just 12km from the finish. The final part of the stage follows a long, winding, slightly undulating coastal road and the riders only deviate from that pattern when they make a short trip inland to tackle the climb. There is a small 500m, 6% climb inside the final two kilometers of the stage which will make the finish even more tricky.

 

Only crashes and bad luck could provide any separation between the GC contenders but the stage should be raced at a furious pace. Many opportunists have marked this one out as an opportunity to ride themselves into the yellow jersey. Peter Sagan should have the same plans though, and we should see the Cannondale team try to make the race hard on the climbs to put pressure on the sprinters and reel in the escapees. However, it is not completely impossible that an in-form sprinter like Cavendish or Greipel could make it over the climbs and if so, Sagan could be denied what on paper should be an almost sure victory.

 

 

Stage 3, Monday July 1: Ajaccio - Calvi, 145,5km

The final Corsican stage is another hilly and short one as the riders travel from Ajaccio in the Southwestern corner to Calvi in the Northwestern corner and an early finish will allow the riders to head back to the European mainland shortly after the finish. Like stage 1, the stage mostly follows coastal roads but this time, the riders will make short trips into the interior of the island to tackle some tough climbs. The race will be off to a hard stage as the top of the category 4 Col de San Bastiano (3,4km, 4,6%) is located just 12km after the start. The descent is followed by a short undulating stretch before the riders tackle the sategory 3 climbs Col de San Martino (7,5km, 5,4%) and Cote de Porto (2km, 6,4%). Once again a section of undulating roads follow and these are extremely technical, thus making it hard to put up an organized chase.

 

In the final part, the roads are straight and more manageable and it is not unlikely that the sprinters have survived until now. That should, however, all change when the riders start to climb the category 2 Col de Marsolino (3,3km, 8,1%) whose top is located just 13,5km from the finish. A gradual, mostly non-technical descent follows and leads the riders to a difficult finish with two roundabouts inside the final 2km, the last one coming just 200m from the line.

 

This is another stage that has been marked out by the race's numerous opportunists as a possibility to take over the yellow jersey, and so we should see an extremely aggressive race. At the same time, the GC riders will be happy to save their energy for the team time trial and so would like a breakaway to take away some of the stress in the final. The final climb could be hard enough to try an attack but the main riders will probably keep their powder dry for later. That won't be the case for the attackers and we should be in for an aggressive finale on the Marsolino. The non-technical descent does not favour a breakaway but if a strong group goes clear, they could make it all the way to the finish.

 

While the pure sprinters should all have been dropped, Peter Sagan will, however, have marked this one out as another opportunity to ride himself into - or defend - the yellow jersey and gain an early advantage over Cavendish and Greipel in the points competition and as Omega Pharma-Quick Step has ambitions to ride Tony Martin into yellow in the team time trial, it will be hard to avoid a sprint from a select group at the end.

 

 

Stage 4, Tuesday July 2: Nice - Nice, 25km TTT

The Corsican stages may have been hilly but - barring accidents and a strong wind in stages 1 or 3 - should have done little to separate the race favourites. That will all change in the stage 4 team time trial which is held on a completely flat course in Nice. The route has a few corners but mostly consists of long, straight roads, thus making this one for the real time trial specialists, and it is completely different from the hilly, technical Giro team time trial that created quite a few surprises. As has been common in recent years, organizers have chosen to avoid making it too long and the time differences on such short courses are usually not very big.

 

Nonetheless, it should provide Chris Froome with an opportunity to move himself into pole position among the race favourites and deal his rivals an early psychological blow as his Sky team will be one of the big favourites to win the stage. They will have to overcome the might of the world champions Omega Pharma-Quick Step though, and world champion Tony Martin could almost single-handedly ride his Belgian team onto the top step of the podium and himself into the yellow jersey. All the race favourites have solid teams for a stage like this one and Froome should not be able to take too much of an advantage out of his rivals at this early point of the race.

 

 

Stage 5, Wednesday July 3: Cagnes-sur-Mer - Marseille, 228,5km

The first road stage on the European mainland is a long one and takes the riders in a Westerly direction as they start their journey towards the Pyrenees. Marseille has hosted stage finishes on numerous occasions and has seen both breakaway wins and bunch kicks with the attackers prevailing in the two most recent stages. It would be a mistake just to describe the route as a flat one as it is up or down most of the day, the stage offering four categorized climbs along the way. The top of the last one, the category 4 Cote des Bastides (5,7km, 3,1%), is located 30,5km from the finish and its descent is followed by the uncategorized Col de la Gileste and another 12,5km of downhill.

 

It should be one for the sprinters though but the climbing - and hard riding by Cannondale and Orica-GreenEdge - could send some of the fast men out the back. We doubt that it will be enough to take Greipel and Cavendish out of contention and we should see another exciting bunch sprint at the end of the day. The sprinters will have to negotiate a technical finale with two 90-degree left-hand turns inside the final 2km and the last of those is located only 500m from the line. For the GC riders it should be a day of staying safe but the strong Mistral wind has the potential to cause havoc and we should see an extremely nervous day in the saddle.

 

 

Stage 6, Thursday July 4: Aix-en-Provence - Montpellier, 176,5km

 The nervousness won't be any less prominent on the next day which takes the riders another 176,5km in a Westerly direction towards the Pyrenees. Stages finishing in Montpellier are famously known for their potential to create echelons due to the strong Mistral wind. The last time that happened was in 2007 when Astana attacked into the crosswinds, thus putting an end to the GC aspirations of Christophe Moreau. The route is almost completely flat and only punctuated by a small category 4 climb near its midpoint and so we are certain to see a sprint finish in the end.

 

Whether the whole bunch will be present, will be determined by the wind but the nervousness could produce crashes, carnage and lost ambitions for race favourites as we saw it in Metz last year and in Chateauroux one year earlier. The final 2,5km are completely straight with a very slight incline inside the final kilometer, and we could very well see a big battle between the giants Kittel, Cavendish and Greipel if they have survived the potential selection made by the wind.

 

 

Stage 7, Friday July 5: Montpellier - Albi, 205,5km

The GC riders only have one more stage to survive until the Pyrenees should produce a natural selection and put an end to the prevailing nervousness. It is another long one, bringing the riders to Albi just North of the mountains, and that city is known for its hilly terrain. Stages finishing in Albi are mostly won by escapees and depending on the GC and points competition standings, that could once again be the case. A flat start leads the riders to the stage's toughest section which consists of the category 3 Col des 13 Vents (6,9km, 5,9%) and the category 2 Col de la Croix de Mounis (6,7km, 6,5%). From the top of the latter, 111km of undulating but mostly descending roads remain and the category 3 Cote de la Quintaine (6,5km, 4%) and Cote de Teillet (2,6km, 5%) which will be tackled along the way, are not overly difficult. The final 34,5km are almost all downhill or flat and the sprinters' teams are still fresh and so unlikely to miss their final opportunity before the Pyrenees. The final 5 kilometers are on a dead-flat, almost completely straight road and we are most likely to see another big bunch kick.

 

 

Stage 8, Saturday July 6: Castres - Ax 3 Domaines, 195km

The GC riders have mostly bided their time until this point but stage 8 will show the first signs of who's hot and who's not in this year's Tour. The first 131km are dead-flat - only punctuated by a small category 4 climb early on - as the riders travel South from Castres to the foot of the Pyrenees. Then the road starts to gradually ascend and the climbing gets serious at the 150,7km mark. From then on, there will be no time to recover as the category HC Port de Pailheres (15,3km, 8%) and category 1 Ax 3 Domaines (7,8km, 8,2%) follow in quick succession with no flat valley roads in between.

 

The final of the stage is a copy of the 14th stage of the 2010 race when Christophe Riblon rode away from an early breakaway to take the first of three French stage wins in a row while Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck almost had a track sprint match on the final climb which allowed Samuel Sanchez and Denis Menchov to slip up the road.

 

The Pailheres is the harder of the climbs and is a regular one with no time to recover. As is always the case on the first mountain in a grand tour, some GC riders will lose all hopes already on the very first climbing opportunity as Sky is expected to hit the front and ride their usual torturous tempo and we could very well see a rather small group crest the summit. The Ax-3-Domaines is a short climb which is most difficult in its lower part while the KOM points will be handed out 1,5km from the finish as the final stretch is almost completely flat. We should see the first time gaps on GC open up but the stage is more likely to be one where you can lose the race than one where you can actually win it.

 

 

Stage 9, Sunday July 7: Saint-Girons - Bagneres-de-Bigorre, 168,5km

The second and final stage in the Pyrenees takes in some classical Pyrenean terrain and takes the riders over some of the most legendary mountains. No less than 5 climbs are on the menu - 1 in the 2nd category, 4 in the 1st - thus making it a crucial day for riders with mountains jersey ambitions. A gradual ascending start brings the riders to the bottom of the first climb, the well-known category 2 Col de Portet d'Aspet (5,4km, 6,9%) which is sadly most known for the fact that Fabio Casartelli tragically crashed on its descent. After a short descent, the riders will climb the category 1 Col de Menté (7km, 7,7%) which is followed by a downhill section and a flatter stretch. It is now time to climb the legendary category 1 Col de Peyresourde (13,2km, 7%) which is followed by the category 1 climbs Col de Val Louron-Azet (7,4km, 8,3%) and La Hourquette d'Ancizan (9,9km, 7,5%). From the top, a long 30,5km non-technical descent takes the riders to the finish in Bagneres-de-Bigorre for an early finish, allowing the riders to travel all the way to Saint-Nazaire in the Northeastern part of the country. The run-in to the line is very technical with two sharp turns inside the final kilometer, and the finishing straight is only 140m long.

 

The stage has of course breakaway written all over it, and we are very likely to see a big, strong group go clear on the first two climbs. It will probably make it all the way to the finish and only two things could really prevent it. The first is an unexpected crisis from a race favourite which would force his rivals into action to ride him out of the GC battle for good. The second is Alejandro Valverdo who - very much depending on the race situation - could target this stage as a day to keep the Movistar streak of winning stages in the grand tours alive. The Spanish team is, however, most likely to try their hands in a breakaway. The final climbs are sufficiently difficult to produce a separation among the race favourites but the long, easy descent makes it unlikely to happen. Riders like Thibaut Pinot, Pierre Rolland and Jurgen Van Den Broeck who are likely to have lost some time in the team time trial, could, however, try to regain some lost ground by an attack on the final climb.

 

 

Rest day, Monday July 8: Saint-Nazaire

 

Stage 10, Tuesday July 9: Saint-Gildas-des-Bois - Saint-Malo, 197km

The race has seen a change of scenery as the riders have left the Pyrenees and Southern France to move up to Bretagne. The day after a rest day can be a tricky one and so the GC riders will be happy to get back into action on a day that seems to be tailor-made for the sprinters. Only a single category 4 climb at the 142km mark breaks the monotony as the riders travel from one end of the peninsula to the other but stages in Bretagne can always be a tricky affair. It's slightly up or down most of the day and the weather can have a big influence in the region.

 

That will especially be the case towards the end of the stage as the final 18km follow a coastal road. If the wind is strong, it could cause havoc on the peloton and we will certainly see a very nervous peloton speed towards Saint-Malo. That should, however, not prevent some kind of sprint at the end and the final 5km follow an almost completely straight road while the final kilometer is completely flat, thus making it a perfect opportunity for the biggest sprinters to go head to head.

 

 

Stage 11, Wednesday July 10: Avranches - Mont-Sant-Michel, 33km ITT

It's time for Chris Froome to deal his rivals a serious blow as July 10 will be the day of the first of two individual time trials in the race. The route is lightly undulating in its first part but the final half is almost completely flat, thus making it one for the true specialists. There will be plenty of long straight roads on the way to the extremely spectacular finish on the rocky tidal island Mont-Sant-Michel where the riders will take a U-turn before heading the final 500m back to the finish line.

 

As this is one for the really powerful riders, it is hard to imagine the winner being any other than world time trial champion Tony Martin who has crushed the opposition whenever he has had the opportunity in a flatter time trial this year. The German usually fades towards the end of a grand tour but as the Pyrenees are to be tackled already at the end of week 1, it is not impossible for him to limit his losses sufficiently to ride himself (back) into the yellow jersey and if he does, he can keep it all the way to the Mont Ventoux. However, the most likely race leader at the end of the stage is Froome who has made it clear on numerous occasions that he is also an outstanding time triallist on a flat course, most recently at the Dauphiné but also at last year's Olympics. For his rivals, it will be all about limiting their losses and the pure climbers will be delighted to get this one out of the way rather early in the race, thus allowing them to know how much time they need to take back in their favoured terrain.

 

 

Stage 12: Thursday July 11: Fougères - Tours, 218km

The riders are in the Northwestern France and the race is set to be decided in the Alps in the Southeastern part of the country. Hence, the peloton faces a long journey though the French mainland and that travel starts off with a long, completely flat stage from Fougères to Tours. The finishing city is most known as the site of arrival in the sprinters' classic Paris-Tours and so it is no wonder that this stage will end in a guaranteed bunch sprint. The organizers have not even found a single categorized climb on the course and nothing should prevent the sprinters from showing their fast finish.

 

However, they will be challenged in the finale as they have to negotiate two 90-degree right-hand bends inside the final kilometer. The finishing straight is only 450m long and any rider with stage win ambitions will have to enter the final turn in one of the first positions. Tom Boonen is the most recent stage winner in Tours and the honour of succeeding the Belgian classics specialist will be hotly contested.

 

 

Stage 13, Friday July 12: Tours - Saint-Armand-Montrond, 173km

The sprinters have to make the most of their long journey through the flat French mainland as the final week only offer them one stage win opportunity: the Champs-Elysees. Hence, they are unlikely to miss out in the almost completely flat 13th stage. Unlike yesterday, there is a small category 4 climb near the midpoint of the stage but otherwise the only thing which could potentially trouble the sprinters is an uncategorized hill inside the final 10km. It is unlikely to produce any major shake-up and the pure sprinters all look forward to this opportunity which could be their last before Paris.

 

Once again they will have to deal with a tricky finish as there will be two sharp turns and a roundabout inside the final kilometer and the finishing straight will only be 470m long. As it was the case in the previous stage, positioning will be the key to the honour of winning in the city that saw Carlos Sastre defend his lead over Cadel Evans in the final time trial in 2008.

 

 

Stage 14, Saturday July 13: Saint-Pourcain Sur-Siole - Lyon, 191km

The riders continue their journey towards the Alps but while the previous stages have been completely flat, the 14th will briefly touch the outskirts of the Massif Central, thus offering a much more hilly route. The first part is slightly undulating but the difficult section comes around the midpoint as the riders will tackle two category 4 and two category 3 climbs. The finale is easier but the riders still have to overcome the category 4 Cote de Lozanne (2,5km, 4%) with 30km to go. To spice things up, ASO has chosen to deviate from the direct route to Lyon and the final part of the stage winds around the city as the riders are set to tackle two late category 4 climbs. The Cote de la Duchere (1,6km, 4,1%) and the Cote de la Croix-Rousse (1,8km, 4,5%) are located with 15 and 9,5km to go respectively but after a short descent from the latter, the final part is completely flat and the final 2,1km completely straight.

 

On paper, this could be a good opportunity for a breakaway, and if a big group goes clear, it could very well end up being the case. As Orica-GreenEdge are unlikely to have won a stage at this point of the race, the Australian team could very well have marked this one out as their final realistic opportunity for success and so the Australian team could decide to bring it all back together. Depending on the standing in the points competition, they could get assistance from a number of other sprinters' teams and the most likely outcome is another bunch sprint. The final climbs should not be enough to trouble Cavendish and Greipel and we could very well see a bunch kick with almost all sprinters present.

 

 

Stage 15, Sunday July 14: Givors - Mont Ventoux, 242,5km

It's Bastille Day but the 15th stage won't be one for the Frenchmen unless they are able to distance the very best climbers on the mighty Mont Ventoux. On the race's longest stage, the riders head South on slightly undulating roads with three category 4 and one category 3 climb along the way but it is all just a warm-up for an exciting finale. The 20,8km giant of Provence has an average gradient of 7,9% but the numbers are deceptive as the first 5km are rather easy while the final 15,8km are really tough. The most difficult section comes right after the 5km mark as the riders climb a very steep stretch in the forest in often sizzling heat. When they exit the forest at the 13km mark, the climb becomes slightly easier as they enter the famous moonlike landscape before the road becomes steeper again towards the top. This is the toughest finishing climb in the entire race and the stage has the potential to open up huge time gaps among the favourites.

 

An early breakaway won't have much of a chance as the biggest riders want to win on this mythical climb. That being said, Juan Manuel Garate and Tony Martin defied expectations when the climb was last included in the race in 2009 as they held off the favourites in a highly anticipated penultimate stage that never lived up to expectations. This will be the time to find out if anyone has what it takes to beat Froome in the mountains as the riders battle to join the likes of Louison Bobet, Charly Gaul, Raymond Poulidor, Eddy Mercx, Bernard Thevenet, Marco Pantani and Richard Virenque on the list of stage winners on this mighty giant.

 

 

Rest day, Monday July 15: Vaucluse

 

Stage 16, Tuesday July 16: Vaison-La-Romaine - Gap, 168km

The Tour peloton made a small deviation from its journey to the Alps when they headed South to tackle the Mont Ventoux but after the rest day, it is time to travel the final short distance to the foot of the mighty mountains. That will happen on a lumpy 168km route to Gap and the hard terrain around that city is famously known for its many successful breakaways.

 

The first part of the stage offers the perfect launch pads for attacks as the category 3 Cote de la Montagne la Bluye (5,7km, 5,6%) and the category 2 Col de Macuègne (7,6km, 5,2%) are both located inside the first 48km of the stage. From then on, the route becomes way easier but that all changes when the riders reach Gap to start a very difficult circuit containing a hard climb. From the top of the category 2 Col de Manse (9,5km, 5,2%), 11,5km of technical descending remain and only the final kilometer is almost flat. The last 2 kilometers follow a straight road that is only punctuated by two roundabouts.

 

This year's Tour has potentially very few stages for the escape artists and so every opportunist has made a big X on the July 16 page in their calendar. While the attackers are happy to see Gap back on the route map, Andy Schleck had certainly preferred to skip it. When a stage last finished in the city in 2011, it also ended with the same circuit featuring the Col de Manse and on that occasion Alberto Contador launched a furious attack in an attempt to regain some of the time, he lost in the Pyrenees. While eventual winner Cadel Evans was able to match his speed, both Schleck brothers were dropped and they lost plenty of time on the subsequent, rain-slickened descent. Afterwards, they heavily criticized the parcours, claiming that the race should be decided on the climbs and not on the descents but nonetheless ASO has decided to return to the famous scene. Up ahead, Thor Hushovd beat compatriot Edvald Boasson Hagen and teammate Ryder Hesjedal in a sprint to win his second stage in what was a splendid Tour for the then-world champion. On that occasion, the breakaway went clear very late in the race, and as this could be the final opportunity for many teams to take a stage win, we could very well see a similar scenario this time.

 

 

Stage 17, Wednesday July 17: Embrun - Chorges, 32km

With the 2009 race as a notable exception, recent tradition has dictated that the time triallists have the upper hand at the end of the race as the final crucial stage for the GC has always been one against the clock. That won't be the case this year as the riders will tackle the final individual time trial before they have even raced their first road stage in the Alps. At the same time, the 32km route is not your usual one suiting the powerful specialists. There won't be a single meter of flat road on this course which consists of two tough category 2 climbs and their subsequent descents. The Cote de  Puy-Sanières (6,4km, 6%) and the Cote de Réallon (6,9km, 6,3%) offer some serious climbing and their descents are also rather difficult. Technical director Jean-Francois Pescheux who has had the responsibility for the course since 2005, claimed at the route presentation that he had never designed such a tough time trial and looking at his previous routes, he is certainly right.

 

Many riders have already had the opportunity to the ride the course during their recon of the key Alpine stages and most have indicated that this is certainly not one for the usual time trial equipment, the riders mostly preferring to use a standard road bike. World time trial champion Tony Martin was unpleasantly surprised when he checked out the course on the final day of the Dauphiné, saying that he would have little chance to win. Instead, everything points to Chris Froome as the big favourite to win the stage and it is hard to see anyone else than potentially Martin beat the Brit on this difficult course. On the other hand, the route also suits the pure climbers much more than the first time trial in Bretagne and they should lose less time than they did one week earlier. At the same time, they will be happy to know exactly how much time they need to take back in the final three stages in the Alps.

 

 

Stage 18, Thursday July 18: Gap - Alpe-d'Huez, 172,5km

As this is the 100th edition of the race, ASO always had the task of inventing something spectacular to celebrate the anniversary and they surely did so when they designed the 18th stage. At the route presentation, that stage almost attracted all the attention and it was almost completely overlooked that a giant like the Mont Ventoux was also included in the race. With the absence in 2009 and 2010 being the major exception (the Tour wanted to tackle the Pyrenees at the end of the 2010 edition to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the inclusion of that mountain range in the race), the Alpe d'Huez has made an appearance on the race route every other year and as the legendary climb was last included in 2011 when Pierre Rolland became a surprise winner and Andy Schleck briefly rode himself into yellow, it was always obvious that the Alpe would be back this year.

 

What was far less obvious was that ASO will send the riders up the legendary slopes twice on the same day, thus creating a hugely spectacular and highly anticipated stage. The riders start off by climbing the category 2 Col de Manse (6,6km, 6,2%) which was also included at the end of stage 16, from the other direction, thus offering a perfect launch pad for an early attack but from then on the roads are only slightly undulating, offering a category 3 and a category 2 climb along the way. With 62,3km to go, the expected drama is set to begin as the riders climb the legendary Alpe (12,3km, 8,4%). For the first time ever, they will continue to climb to the top of the category 2 Col  de Sarenne (3km, 7,8%) before they take on a highly technical descent. The riders had the opportunity to test out this double climb and the downhill section in stage 7 of the recent Criterium du Dauphiné and Tony Martin used the opportunity to criticize ASO, saying that the descent was way too dangerous to include in a bike race.

 

While we probably won't see any attacks from the favourites on the climb, the descent could be used to put Sky under pressure. Having finished the downhill part, there will be a very short flat section in the valley and then the riders will climb back up to the top of the Alpe. This time they follow the traditional route to the usual finishing line, thus making it a 13,8km, 8,1% climb. The ascent is toughest in the beginning while the final 3km are not overly difficult with a gradient of mostly around 5%. The stage will certainly have a crucial influence on the final overall GC and we are set to enjoy a great spectacle. All the big riders want to win on this climb and so a breakaway will have very little chance of making it all the way to the finish.

 

 

Stage 19, Friday July 19: Bourg d'Oisans - Le Grand-Bornand, 204,5km

The second of three consecutive days in the Alps is a tough one as it contains two of the legendary giants in its early part and is rounded off by three shorter climbs in quick succession. After 12km of flat roads, the riders hit the bottom of the category HC Col du Glandon (21,6km, 5,1%) whose descent and a short flat stretch is followed by the mighty category HC Col de la Madeleine (19,2km, 7,9%). After the downhill section, there is a little time to recover as the riders travel along valley roads for around 25km until they hit the bottom of the category 2 Col de Tamié (8,6km, 6,2%).

 

From this point, it will be up or down almost all the way to the finish as the climb is followed by the category 1 Col de l'Epine (6,1km, 7,3%) and the category 1 Col de la Croix Fry (11,3km, 7%). The latter is a regular climb with a rather constant gradient and from its top only 13km of the stage remain, almost all downhill. The stage has a small sting in its tail as the final 500m ascend with a gradient around 7%, thus offering an explosive finish to a very hard stage.

 

The stage is of course extremely important for any rider with ambitions to step onto the podium in Paris to receive the polka-dot jersey and on a route like this one, a breakaway has a very good chance of making it all the way to the finish. Whether there will be a breakaway ahead or not, we are, however, almost guaranteed to see a big showdown between the race favourites as a rather modest climb like the Croix Fry has the potential to do some damage at the end of such a hard stage and after 18 hard days of racing. We could very well see a team ride a hard tempo on the earlier climbs to make this one a very tough day in the saddle.

 

 

Stage 20, Saturday July 20: Annecy - Annecy-Semnoz, 125km

Nothing will be decided until the end of the penultimate stage as the short, sharp 125km route offers a final opportunity to shake up the GC. The stage starts with a flat run along the shores of the lake Annecy - where Alberto Contador famously beat Fabian Cancellara in a time trial in 2009 - but when the riders leave the lake after 7km of racing, they immediately start to climb. The category 2 Cote du Puget (5,4km, 5,9%) could be a launch pad for an early attack and is followed by numerous kilometers in undulating terrain with three category 3 climbs along the way. A 10km descent leads to the bottom of the category 1 Mont Revard (15,9km, 5,6%) and then it is time for a downhill section and a little more than 20km of flat roads.

 

The battle for the overall win will come to a dramatic conclusion as the stage finishes with a brand-new climb, the HC category Annecy-Semnoz (10,7km, 8,5%). It is a really hard one with few places to recover and a constant, high gradient. Short stages are generally fast stages - just recall the fantastic 19th stage of the 2011 Tour which finished atop the Alpe d'Huez - and we should be in for a really aggressive race. Due to the long flat stretch towards the end of the stage, the race favourites will probably keep their powder dry for the steep final climb but we are guaranteed to see a dramatic end to the mountain stage in the 100th edition of the Tour de France.

 

 

Stage 21, Sunday July 21: Versailles - Paris Champs-Élysées, 133,5km

ASO had the task of coming up with a spectacular finish to the 100th edition of the race and that was never an easy one. At one point, it was rumoured that the race was set to finish at the top of the Alpe d'Huez but that was of course never likely to happen. Instead, the organizers chose to keep with tradition by ending their race with a rather short stage in the outskirts of Paris, finishing with the usual 10 laps on the well-known finishing circuit in the heart of Paris.

 

To offer the required spectacle, the organizers have included two features that make it an unusual experience despite its apparent familiarity. Firstly, the stage will start in front of the famous Versailles castle, thus offering some fantastic opportunities for the photographers. Secondly, the stage will be held in the evening with the departure set for 17.45 and the expected bunch sprint will end the race no sooner than 21.30. It may take something away from the after-party but it will be truly spectacular to see the riders race in light darkness (sunset will be at 21.44).

 

The stage will of course pan out as it usually does with the first part raced at a leisurely pace while the riders enjoy the time to congratulate each other, take a sip from a champagne glass and pose for the photographers. Racing gets serious when they approach the finishing circuit with the team of the race leader set to gradually pick up the pace before the first passage of the finish line. From then, it will be full-on racing which will in all likelihood come down to a bunch sprint that may even determine the winner of the points classification and in all cases will be a fitting end to what promises to be a phenomenal 100th edition of the world's biggest race.