The greatest bicycle race in the world is back. There may be others older, but this is the grand daddy of them all. My family on my dear late wife side are fanatics and I even purchase a bike myself couple years back. Not the biggest user of it, but we enjoy a leisure ride in the park once in a while. However, the Tour de France is it, we watch it wholly and it is superb. Even if not into bike the views of the race on TV are super. If you have the chance like us to go and watch it live, then you can tell the love for the sport here.
In my neck of the woods now, the Bretons are avid bikers and there are so many clubs and competitions all year around. The Tour is very much followed by all here and on my job too is big.
This year’s event will be no different. The Tour de France starts July 7 for its 105th edition. The first stage will begin in familiar local territory in the island of Nourmoutier (île de Noirmoutier), Department 85 of Vendée, region of Pays de la Loire and the final in Paris after 21 stages.
I will tell you the stages and their trajectory with a map to follow
1: Noirmoutier-en-L’Île / Fontenay-le-Comte (flat run of 201 km)
2: Mouilleron-Saint-Germain / La Roche-sur-Yon ( flat run of 182,5 km)
3: Cholet-Cholet ( against the clock of 35,5 km)
4: La Baule-Sarzeau (flat run 195 km)
5: Lorient-Quimper (average mountain run of 204 km)
6: Brest-Mûr de Bretagne Guerlédan (average mountain run of 181 km)
7: Fougères-Chartres ( flat run of 231 km)
8: Dreux-Amiens Metrópole (flat run of 181 km)
9: Arras Citadelle-Roubaix (stony road of 156,5 km)
10: Annecy-Le Grand-Bornand (high mountain run of 158,5 km)
11: Albertville-La Rosière (high mountain run of 108,5 km)
12: Bourg-Saint-Maurice Les Arcs / Alpe d’Huez (high mountain of 175,5 km)
13: Bourg d’Oisans-Valence (flat run of 169,5 km)
14: Saint-Paul-Trois-Chateaux / Mende (average mountain run of 188 km)
15: Millau / Carcassonne (average mountain run of 181,5 km)
16: Carcassonne / Bagnères-de-Luchon (mountain of 218 km)
17: Bagnères-de-Luchon / Saint-Lary-Soulan (mountain of 65 km)
18: Trie-sur-Baïse / Pau (flat run of 171 km)
19: Lourdes / Laruns (mountain run of 200,5 km)
20: Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle / Espelette (against the clock of 31 km)
21: Houilles / Paris Champs-Élysées (flat run to end of 116 km)
The end will be in Paris as always when in about 52 km of run the race will enter the city and inside Paris there will be 8 rounds in a circuit of 13 km . For this year’s race so far 22 teams are confirmed.
Looking at the schedule above , 4-7 stages will be in my Brittany and runs 4-5 will be in my dear department 56 of Morbihan so will see them lol!!! and sentimental previous experiences will be at 18 by Pau, and 21 Houilles (Yvelines dept 78) and Paris. All the big names will be there again so another very nice Tour coming up.
You can follow it in the official site in English (you can change to German and Spanish and of course French as well) : https://www.letour.fr/en/overall-route
Enjoy the race ,remember July 7 next Saturday be there or be square!
And remember, always my thanks, happy travels, good health and many cheers to all!!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 