Le Tour de France – in a nutshell
You'd be hard-pressed to come across anyone who hasn't heard of the famous Tour de France, no matter their age, their nationality... Even if they don't ride a bike, chances are they know what this great race is all about!
The Tour de France and its Stages in 2014
Each year the Tour de France is comprised of a stage of cycling per day. Stages vary, from sprints to hills to mountains to time trials.
In a snapshot, we can expect from this year’s Tour de France:
1 x individual time trial stage
2 x rest days
5 x hill stages
6 x mountain stages (5 of which are altitude finishes)
9 x flat stages
The 2014 Tour de France Route
The Tour de France route changes each year – this is where it is rolling in 2014
Stage 1/ Saturday 5th July : Leeds to Harrogate, 191km
This year’s Tour de France starts spinning in Great Britain, and stage one’s flat profile means you can expect a sprinter to take the 101st Tour de France’s very first yellow jersey. Will it be Mark Cavendish on home soil?
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More Tour de France News Here - Who’s Going to Win The 2014 Tour de France?
Stage 2/ Sunday 6th July : York to Sheffield, 201km
Things start to get a bit more interesting and less predictable in stage two, with an undulating route that offers plenty of narrow, winding roads including a steep ascent up Jenkins Rd. This isn’t even five kilometres from the end, so we can expect a show of tactics and aggression from strong finishers.
Stage 3/ Monday 7th July : Cambridge to London, 155km
The last time the Tour wound its way to London was in 2007 when the prologue was won by Cancellara. This year no doubt we will see British riders or Team Sky vying to cross the line first to the thousands of Londoners anticipated to be waiting. Stage 3 also marks the end of the Tour’s time in Great Britain – from tomorrow onwards the showdown will be mainly in France, with some brief slices in Belgium and Spain.
Stage 4/ Tuesday 8th July : Le Touquet-Paris-Plage to Lille Métropole, 163.5km
We can expect plenty of patriotic flare and flamboyance today, with the Tour’s return to and first stage in France for 2014. Today is otherwise a flat profile of riding, so will no doubt appeal to the sprinters in the group.
Stage 5/ Wednesday 9th July : Ypres to Arenberg Port du Hainaut, 155.5km
The Tour de France moves briefly from France to Belgium’s Ypres, a commemorative choice that signifies the 100th anniversary of the start of WWI in a city that was decimated by the war. And hello cobblestones – here we see sections of the reverred Paris-Roubaix incorporated into the stage, so some 15-kilometres+ of cobblestone racing. This will be a day of reckoning for teams lacking in pavé experience.
Stage 6/ Thursday 10th July : Arras to Reims, 194km
Flat as a Normandy crepe is today’s profile! Expect this 194 stretch to be served up to a sprinter. Given Reims is located in the venerable Champagne-Ardenne region, we imagine today’s GC will be celebrating on the podium with some very fine bubbles indeed! Chin chin and ‘felicitations’!
See Also - What's Green White & Blue at Tour de France?
Stage 7/ Friday 11th July : Éparnay to Nancy, 234.5km
Although we can anticipate some quality rolling terrain in this stage, it is anticipated Nancy will see a bunch sprint for the finish line.
Stage 8/ Saturday 12th July : Tomblaine to Gérardmer La Mauselaine, 161km
Technical riding becomes paramount here with two short, steep, narrow mountain stages. Three sharp climbs feature in the last 25km of this stage, so although it’s a relatively short stretch by Tour standards, it’s going to pack a pinch. Indeed, Col de Grosse Pierre gets as steep as 16 percent towards its last three kilometres, whilst Gerardmer la Mauselaine keeps things interesting with an 11 percent ascent. If gaps open in the peloton during these stages, then it’s going to be one heck of a challenge to close them back in again.
Stage 9/ Sunday 13th July : Gerardmer to Mulhouse, 170km
Six climbs serve up plenty of undulation on today’s ride, and will be one for viewers with the beautiful lush expanses along the way.
Stage 10/ Monday 14th July : Mulhouse to La Planche des Belles Filles, 161.5km
Vive la France! July 14 is of course Bastille Day, a national holiday – so plenty of reason to celebrate and for spectactors to be out in full, vocal support! Riders will have to endure five ascents before they make it to today’s finish line, with Planche des Belles Filles providing the final, gripping climb.
Tuesday 15th July
Rest Day in Besançon
Stage 11/ Wednesday 16th July : Besançon to Oyonnax, 187.5km
Although today’s stage starts near the Swiss border, sprinters in the peloton will be taking advantage of the fact this is one of the (rapidly-disappearing) flatter stages of the Tour.
Stage 12/ Thursday 17th July : Bourg-en-Bresse to Saint-Étienne, 185.5km
It’s a long, undulating terrain today.
Stage 13/ Friday 18th July : Saint-Étienne to Chamrousse, 197.5km
Bring in the climbers, because this is when they really start to work! Today’s profile will no doubt be new ground for many of the riders – the climb to Chamrousse hasn’t featured on the Tour for some 13 years, when back in 2001 it was an individual time trial. An 18km climb to a summit finish and an almost 200km distance overall heralds the moment when the peloton’s mountain goats hit their straps.
Stage 14/ Saturday 19th July : Grenoble to Risoul, 177km
Alpe d’Huez – it’s on many a rider’s bucket list as one of the Tour’s great climbs, but the peloton pass by it today! Instead, they’ll climb for 34km on relatively shallow gradients (3.9 percent) of Col du Lauteret. Once past here, they’ll reach the highest point of the race – Col d’Izoard at 2,360m. The final 12km climb to Risoul has never before featured as a Tour climb, so it’s going to be fresh for riders and spectators alike.
Stage 15/ Sunday 20th July : Tallard to Nîmes, 222km
This stage of the Tour is not so much difficult as it is long. Although it could be said today will be one for the sprinters to finish, it may well end up the scene of some interesting breakaways, with plenty of opportunity to make some strategic moves.
Monday 21st July
Rest Day in Carcasonne
Stage 16/ Tuesday 22nd July : Carcasonne to Bagnères-de-Luchon, 237.5km
Three days in a row of mountainous Pyrenees climbs will certainly test the peloton’s metal. Lucky for the riders they come off a rest day here, but they’re plunged straight back into the deep end with the Tour’s longest stage (and no more rest days until they cross the line in Paris). Riders have a solid 150km before this stage’s first categorised climb (Col de Portet-d’Aspet). But lurking in the distance is the real shocker – Port de Bale’s 20-km grind that is sure to throw all manner of spanners in the works! But its’ not a summit finish today – riders then need to fly down 27-km, which could deliver its own round of shake-ups. Today’s going to be positively gripping – don’t miss it!
Read More Here - Will Team Sky Win Again?
Stage 17/ Wednesday 23rd July : Saint-Gaudens to Saint-Lary-Soulan Plad’Adet, 124.5km
At first glance on paper, today might sound less taxing at 125-km, and clocking in as the Tour’s shortest road stage. Things couldn’t be further from the truth! Four categorised climbs sandwiched into the last 70-km means today’s going to be an absolute ripper as well. There’s a brief spell in Spain before riders make their return to France over Col du Portillon, before a climb up Col de Peyresourde. After reaching the top riders have a downhill section that serves them nicely into their next climb – Col de Val Louron-Azet and then the final summit up to Plat d’Adet. Call in the climbers - again.
Stage 18/ Thursday 24th July : Pau to Hautacam, 145.5km
Tourmalet and Hautacam… They’re on many a cyclist’s bucket list and considered two of the most reverred (read petrifying!) ascents in the Pyrenees. And after days like Tuesday and Wednesday, legs are going to be screaming. Thankfully riders get to warm up for a couple of hours before the stage starts its ascents.
Image credit: Lee Hewett
Stage 19/ Friday 25th July: Maubourguet Pays du Val d’Adour to Bergerac, 208.5km
Was that a collective sigh of relief from all the sprinters in the peloton, or are they completely smashed after such a succession of mountains these past few days? Whatever the case, today marks the end of the serious climbs; the pointy end is now Paris, which is but two days away!
Stage 20/ Saturday 26th July : Bergerac to Périgueux, 54km
Now this is interesting. On the second last day of this year’s Tour we see a single Time Trial; a chance for those who aren’t Kings of the Mountain to try and claw back some of the time lost in the hills. A 54km TT is a significant enough distance to shake the applecart, made even more dramatic given we’re but a day out from cruising into the Champs- Élysées and seeing who’s to take out the overall GC….
Stage 21/ Sunday 27th July : Évry to the Champs-Élysées in Paris, 137.5km
The GC winner will be a foregone conlcusion well before the peloton makes its way along the iconic Champs- Élysées. Not at all taking from the brilliance of the final day’s racing, today also marks a historical moment for the Tour de France – ‘La Course’ welcomes a day of pro female cycling and an opportunity for women to race alongside their male counterparts at what is arguably world cycling’s greatest and most iconic finish.
La Course by Le Tour de France
What’s the Tour de France done this year to tick a big box?
On 27th July 2014 history will be made and women’s cycling will be all the better, popular and powerful because of it. At least that’s what we hope! On this day just hours before the men’s peloton is due to zoom into Paris, the world’s elite women cyclists will battle it out on a circuit of the city, with a final sprint stage on the Champs-Élysées. This event will be followed by TV audiences in 190 countries and we have no doubt at all that the world’s strongest, fastest, most talented female cyclists will show us all just how competitive and inspiring women’s cycling has become.
Read Me! - Enter La Course
Teams Participating in the 2014 Tour de France
AG2R La Mondiale, France
- Jean-Christophe Peraud (fra)
- Romain Bardet (fra)
- Mikael Cherel (fra)
- Samuel Dumoulin (fra)
- Ben Gastauer (lux)
- Blel Kadri (fra)
- Sébastien Minard (fra)
- Matteo Montaguti (ita)
- Christophe Riblon (fra)
Belkin Pro-Cycling Team, Netherlands
- Bauke Mollema (nld)
- Lars Boom (nld)
- Stef Clement (nld)
- Laurens ten Dam(nld)
- Steven Kruijswijk (nld)
- Tom Leezer (nld)
- Bram Tankink (nld)
- Sep Vanmarcke (bel)
- Maarten Wynants (bel)
BMC Racing Team, USA
- Tejay van Garderen (usa)
- John Darwin Atapuma (col)
- Greg van Avermaet (bel)
- Marcus Burghardt (ger)
- Amaël Moinard (fra)
- Daniel Oss (ita)
- Michael Schär (sui)
- Peter Stetina (usa)
- Peter Velits (svk)
Bretagne-Seche, France
- Brice Feillu (fra)
- Jean-Marc Bideau (fra)
- Anthony Delaplace (fra)
- Romain Feillu (fra)
- Armindo Fonseca (fra)
- Arnaud Gerard (fra)
- Florian Guillou (fra)
- Benoit Jarrier (fra)
- Florian Vachon (fra)
Cannondale, Italy
- Peter Sagan (slo)
- Maciej Bodnar (pol)
- Ted King (usa)
- Kristjan Koren (slo)
- Marco Marcato (ita)
- Alessandro De Marchi (ita)
- Jean-Marc Marino (fra)
- Fabio Sabatini (ita)
- Elia Viviani (ita)
Cofidis Solutions Credits, France
- Daniel Navarro (spa)
- Nicolas Edet (fra)
- Egoitz García (spa)
- Cyril Lemoine (fra)
- Luis Angel Mate (spa)
- Rudy Molard (fra)
- Adrien Petit (fra)
- Julien Simon (fra)
- Rein Taaramäe (est)
FDJ.FR, France
- Thibaut Pinot (fra)
- William Bonnet (fra)
- Mickaël Delage (fra)
- Arnaud Démare (fra)
- Arnold Jeannesson (fra)
- Matthieu Ladagnous (fra)
- Cédric Pineau (fra)
- Jérémy Roy (fra)
- Arthur Vichot (fra)
Garmin-Sharp, USA
- Andrew Talansky (usa)
- Janier Acevedo (col)
- Jack Bauer (nzl)
- Alex Howes (usa)
- Benjamin King (usa)
- Sebastian Langeveld (nld)
- Ramunas Navardauskas (lit)
- Tom Jelte Slagter (nld)
- Johan Vansummeren (bel)
IAM Cycling, Switzerland
- Sylvain Chavanel (fra)
- Martin Elmiger (sui)
- Mathias Frank (sui)
- Heinrich Haussler (aus)
- Reto Hollenstein (sui)
- Roger Kluge (ger)
- Jérome Pineau (fra)
- Seb. Reichenbach (sui)
- Marcel Wyss (sui)
Kathusha Team, Russia
- Joaquim Rodríguez (spa)
- Vladimir Isaychev (rus)
- Alexander Kristoff (nor)
- Luca Paolini (ita)
- Alexander Porsev (rus)
- Egor Silin (rus)
- Gatis Smukulis (lat)
- Simon Spilak (slo)
- Joeri Trofimov (rus)
Lampre-Merida, Italy
- Rui Costa (por)
- Davide Cimolai (ita)
- Kristijan Durasek (cro)
- Chris Horner (usa)
- Sacha Modolo (ita)
- Nelson Oliveira (por)
- Maximiliano Richeze (arg)
- Jose Serpa (col)
- Rafael Valls Ferri (spa)
Lotto-Belisol, Belgium
- Jurgen vanden Broeck (bel)
- Lars Bak (den)
- Bart de Clercq (bel)
- Tony Gallopin (fra)
- André Greipel (ger)
- Adam Hansen (aus)
- Gregory Henderson (nzl) News Update - Greg Henderson crashed out in stage 4
- Jürgen Roelandts (bel)
- Marcel Sieberg (ger)
Movistar Team, Spain
- Alejandro Valverde (spa)
- Imanol Erviti (spa)
- John Gadret (fra)
- Jesús Herrada (spa)
- Beñat Intxausti (spa)
- Ion Izagirre (spa)
- Ruben Plaza (spa)
- Joaquin José Rojas (spa)
- Giovanni Visconti (ita)
Omega-Pharma – Quickstep, Belgium
More Info Here - Who's in the Saddle for Omega
- Mark Cavendish (gbr)
- Jan Bakelants (bel)
- Michał Gołaś (pol)
- Michal Kwiatkowski (pol)
- Tony Martin (ger)
- Alessandro Petacchi (ita)
- Mark Renshaw (aus)
- Niki Terpstra (nld)
- Matteo Trentin (ita)
Orica-GreenEDGE, Australia
- Simon Gerrans (aus)
- Michael Albasini (sui)
- Simon Clarke (aus)
- Luke Durbridge (aus)
- Mathew Hayman (aus)
- Jens Keukeleire (bel)
- Christian Meier (can)
- Svein Tuft (can)
Simon Yates (gbr)
Michael Matthews an early withdrawal due to injury.
Team Europcar, France
- Thomas Voeckler (fra)
- Yukiya Arashiro (jpn)
- Bryan Coquard (fra)
- Cyril Gautier (fra)
- Yohann Gene (fra)
- Alexandre Pichot (fra)
- Perrig Quemeneur (fra)
- Kévin Réza (fra)
- Pierre Rolland (fra)
Team Giant-Shimano, Netherlands
- Marcel Kittel (ger)
- Roy Curvers (nld)
- John Degenkolb (ger)
- Dries Devenyns (bel)
- Tom Dumoulin (nld)
- Cheng Ji (chn)
- Koen de Kort (nld)
- Albert Timmer (nld)
- Tom Veelers (nld)
Team Netapp-Endura, Germany
- Leopold König (cze)
- Jan Bárta (cze)
- David De La Cruz (spa)
- Zakkari Dempster (aus)
- Bartosz Huzarski (pol)
- Tiago Machado (por)
- José Mendes (por)
- Andreas Schillinger (ger)
- Paul Voss (ger)
Team Sky, Great Britain
- Chris Froome (gbr) News Update - Chris Froome crashed out in stage 5
- Bernhard Eisel (aus)
- Vasil Kiryienka (blr)
- David Lopez (spa)
- Mikel Nieve (spa)
- Danny Pate (usa)
- Richie Porte (aus)
- Geraint Thomas (gbr)
- Xabier Zandio Echaide (spa)
Tinkoff-Saxo, Denmark
- Alberto Contador (spa)
- Daniele Bennati (ita)
- Jesús Hernández (spa)
- Rafal Majka (pol)
- Michael Mørkøv (den)
- Sérgio Paulinho (por)
- Nicolas Roche (irl)
- Michael Rogers (aus)
- Matteo Tosatto (ita)
Trek Factory Racing, USA
- Andy Schleck (lux) News Update - Andy Schleck crashed out in stage 5
- Matthew Busche (usa)
- Fabian Cancellara (sui)
- Markel Irizar (spa)
- Danny van Poppel (nld)
- Gregory Rast (sui)
- Fränk Schleck (lux)
- Jens Voigt (ger)
- Haimar Zubeldia (spa)
Some Tour de France history
Ohh! Là! Là! National mega pride, sporting glory, lasting legacies and controversty to boot – when it comes to the Tour de France, it’s jam-packed with history.
It has been said that the whole idea behind the very first Tour de France was to inspire more people to buy magazines. A journalist with L’Auto magazine came up with the seemingly hairbrain plan of a bike race around the country, and his editor got behind him and made it a reality. So on 1st July 1902, sixty riders embarked on the inaugural Tour de France. Six epic stages later and only 21 riders, led by Maurice Garin, made it to the end. The public’s attention and curiosity was captured, and so began an annual event that has not only snowballed in popularity year-on-year, but endured history to rightfully earn a reputation as the single greatest, most well-known bike race in the world.
With that title has come celebrity as well as notoriety, and the Tour de France has not been without its share of controversy. Enter search terms for this incredible race and you’ll undoubtedly stumble across links to doping in sport.
Despite the shadow this has cast on cycling in recent years, the Tour de France continues to capture the world’s attention, and we cannot wait for it to roll around again in 2014!
The Tour de France Jersey Code
What’s with all these jerseys and what on Earth do they mean? And what makes yellow such a special colour? Get the jersey low-down here.
Quick French class - the French word for jersey is maillot.
Yellow Jersey, Le Maillot Jaune
Sponsored by LCL since 1987, the yellow jersey or le maillot jaune is worn by the rider who is leading the general time classification.
Green Jersey, Le Maillot Vert
Sponsored by PMU since 1992, the green jersey or le maillot vert is word by the rider who leads classification points. These are won on intermediate sprints and at the stage.
Red Polka Dot Jersey, Le Maillot à Pois Rouges
Sponsored by shopping centre Carrefour, the red polka dot jersey or le maillot à pois rouges is won by the best climber of any classified slope, or in other words, the King of the Mountain (KOM).
White Jersey, Le Maillot Blanc
Sponsored by Skoda since 2004, the white jersey, or le maillot blanc, is worn by the best rider in the general individual time classification aged 25 and under.
