The biggest event on the cycling calendar is drawing ever nearer. The traditional preparation races – the Critérium du Dauphiné, Tour de Suisse and others – are all done and dusted and we have now well and truly entered countdown territory.
With just a week and a half to wait until the Grand Départ of the 102nd Tour de France, Cyclingnews and Procycling magazine bring you comprehensive previews of each of the 21 stages that pave the way from Utrecht to the Champs Élysées.
We have stage descriptions, maps, and profiles, along with dashes of history, tactical explanations, stats and facts. We also have Greg LeMond, Bernard Thévenet, Robert Millar, Jens Voigt, and Hennie Kuiper, experienced former pros who have been there and done it all, giving their expert insights into what to expect from each day in the saddle.
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This year’s route has the potential to produce one of the most varied and gripping Tours in recent years. The first week might look fairly flat at a glance but in reality is anything but straight forward. Crosswinds on the Dutch coast and exposed roads of northern France, leg-sapping finishes atop the Mur de Huy and the Mûr de Bretagne, and cobbles that formed part of this year’s Paris-Roubaix are all ingredients in a recipe for carnage. Add in the hilly 28km team time trial on stage 9 and it’s clear the general classification men will have a battle on their hands before they can even think about the mountains and the five hefty summit finishes that await in the latter half of the race.
You can sink your teeth into it all and wet your appetite using the links below, or via our Tour de France homepage.
Stage 1: Utrecht (ITT), 13.8 km
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
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