Foldable Bikes Party: Tour de France 2017 route revealed

Tuesday, 18 October 2016

Tour de France 2017 route revealed

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The 2017 Tour de France route was revealed today, and it looks like a cracker. Starting in Düsseldorf on July 1 and finishing – bien sur – in Paris, it gets a series of new steeper climbs, a finish at the summit of the Col d’Izoard and a final time trial in Marseille.

For all the key info on next year's race, visit our friends at Cyclingnews. We'll be bringing you galleries of the most exciting bike tech spotted when La Grand Boucle rolls around again, but for now we thought we'd take another look at the tech highlights from this year's edition, won by Chris Froome.

2017 Tour de France route highlights

The innovative route will include some short but intense mountain stages and visit all five mountain regions of France – the first time in 25 years – with a transfer from the east on the first rest day meaning the Vosges and Jura will be followed by the Pyrenees, the Massif Central and the Alps. There is no team time trial again this year with the route seeming tipped in favour of the climbers and aggressive overall contenders.

Race director Christian Prudhomme seems to have taken inspiration from the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana by searching out steeper, little-known climbs and reducing stage distances. He also called on the UCI to allow him to reduce team sizes to end what he called a ‘catenaccio’ racing style.

2016 Tour de France winner Chris Froome was in Paris for the route presentation and would certainly have smiled when he saw the many climbs and the Marseille time trial.