Today is the start of the 101st edition of the greatest cycling race in the world, the Tour de France! During three weeks, the 198 riders from 22 Pro Cycling teams will face the legend of the Grande Boucle and fight for the Maillot Jaune.
THE ROUTE
THE STAGES - Click on the stage for the profile
Stage 1: Leeds - Harrogate (190.5 km - flat stage) - Winner:
Stage 2: York - Sheffield (201 km - very hilly stage) - Winner:
Stage 3: Cambridge - London (155 km - flat stage) - Winner:
Stage 4: Le Touquet Paris Plage - Villeneuve d'Ascq Lille Métropole (163.5 km - flat stage) - Winner:
Stage 5: Ypres - Arenberg Porte du Hainaut (155.5 km - cobbled stage) - Winner:
Stage 6: Arras - Reims (194 km - flat stage) - Winner:
Stage 7: Épernay - Nancy (234.5 km - flat stage with hilly final) - Winner:
Stage 8: Tomblaine - Gérardmer La Mauselaine (161 km - medium mountain stage with top finish) - Winner:
Stage 9: Gérardmer - Mulhouse (170 km - medium mountain stage) - Winner:
Stage 10: Mulhouse - La Planche des Belles Filles (161.5 km - mountain stage) - Winner:
REST DAY
Stage 11: Besançon - Oyonnax (187.5 km - hilly stage) - Winner:
Stage 12: Bourg-en-Bresse - Saint-Étienne (185.5 km - hilly stage) - Winner:
Stage 13: Saint-Étienne - Chamrousse (197.5 km - mountain stage with top finish) - Winner:
Stage 14: Grenoble - Risoul (177 km - mountain stage with top finish)
Stage 15: Tallard - Nîmes (222 km - flat stage)
REST DAY
Stage 16: Carcassonne - Bagnères-de-Luchon (237.5 km - mountain stage)
Stage 17: Saint-Gaudens - Saint-Lary Pla d'Adet (124.5 km - mountain stage with top finish)
Stage 18: Pau - Hautacam (145.5 km - mountain stage with top finish)
Stage 19: Maubourguet Val d'Adour - Bergerac (208.5 km - flat stage)
Stage 20: Bergerac - Périgueux (54 km - individual time trial)
Stage 21: Évry - Paris-Champs-Élysées (137,5 km - flat stage)
THE KEYS
- A new route director: Thierry Gouvenou takes the succession of Jean-François Pescheux (Christian Prudhomme remaining the head of the Tour)
- A big start in the Yorkshire, with three stages including a very hilly one similar to the Liège-Bastogne-Liège classic on stage 2
- The comeback of cobbles from Paris-Roubaix in stage 5, having appeared in the Tour for the last time four years ago
- A reminder of the first World War, which started a century ago, by going through famous places marked forever by the war like the Chemin des Dames and Verdun
- Three stages in the Vosges, including the hardest stage ever designed in these mountains for the National Day towards La Planche des Belles Filles
- Two alpine stages only, but two mountain top finishes at Chamrousse and Risoul
- Three stages in the Pyrénées, with the comeback of famous climbs like Pla d'Adet, the mythical col du Tourmalet and Hautacam
- Only one time trial stage, which has not happened since 1953!
- Six mountain top finishes and 25 climbs ranked in 2nd, 1st, or Hors Catégorie, the highest climb being the col d'Izoard topping at 2,360 m
- The riders who reach the final stage will again turn around the Arc de Triomphe, like last year.
THE JERSEY HOLDERS
THE START LIST (courtesy of Escarabajo from the Cyclingnews forum)
Riders who abandon during a stage (DNF-x), withdraw between two stages (DNS-x) and finishing above the time limit (ATL-x) are in spoilers. x is the number of the stage.
Riders remaining: 173
Sky (7/9)
FROOME Christopher
ZANDIO Xabier
Movistar (9/9)
VALVERDE Alejandro, ERVITI Imanol, GADRET John, HERRADA Jesús, INTXAUSTI Beñat, IZAGIRRE Ion, PLAZA Rubén, ROJAS José Joaquín, VISCONTI Giovanni
Team Katusha (7/9)
RODRIGUEZ Joaquim, ISAYCHEV Vladimir, KRISTOFF Alexander, PAOLINI Luca,
PORSEV Alexander
SILIN Egor
Tinkoff-Saxo (7/9)
CONTADOR Alberto
HERNÁNDEZ Jesús
Astana Pro Team (9/9)
NIBALI Vincenzo, FUGLSANG Jakob, GRIVKO Andriy, GRUZDEV Dmitriy, IGLINSKIY Maxim, KANGERT Tanel, SCARPONI Michele, VANOTTI Alessandro, WESTRA Lieuwe
Cannondale (8/9)
SAGAN Peter, BODNAR Maciej, DE MARCHI Alessandro,
KING Edward
Belkin-Pro Cycling Team (8/9)
MOLLEMA Bauke, BOOM Lars,
CLEMENT Stef
Omega Pharma - Quick Step (8/9)
CAVENDISH Mark
AG2R La Mondiale (9/9)
PERAUD Jean-Christophe, BARDET Romain, CHEREL Mikaël, DUMOULIN Samuel, GASTAUER Ben, KADRI Blel, MINARD Sébastien, MONTAGUTI Matteo, RIBLON Christophe
Garmin Sharp (7/9)
TALANSKY Andrew
ACEVEDO Janier Alexis
Giant-Shimano (9/9)
KITTEL Marcel, CURVERS Roy, DE KORT Koen, DEGENKOLB John, DEVENYNS Dries, DUMOULIN Tom, JI Cheng, TIMMER Albert, VEELERS Tom
Lampre-Merida (7/9)
COSTA Rui, CIMOLAI Davide, DURASEK Kristijan, HORNER Christopher,
MODOLO Sacha
RICHEZE Maximiliano
FDJ.fr (8/9)
DÉMARE Arnaud, BONNET William, DELAGE Mickaël, JEANNESSON Arnold, LADAGNOUS Matthieu, PINEAU Cédric, PINOT Thibaut, ROY Jérémy,
VICHOT Arthur
Lotto-Belisol (7/9)
VAN DEN BROECK Jurgen, BAK Lars Ytting,
DE CLERCQ Bart
HENDERSON Gregory
BMC Racing Team (8/9)
VAN GARDEREN Tejay,
ATAPUMA John Darwin
Europcar (9/9)
ROLLAND Pierre, ARASHIRO Yukiya, COQUARD Bryan, GAUTIER Cyril, GENE Yohann, PICHOT Alexandre, QUEMENEUR Perrig, RÉZA Kévin, VOECKLER Thomas
Trek Factory Racing (6/9)
SCHLECK Fränk, BUSCHE Matthew,
CANCELLARA Fabian
SCHLECK Andy
VAN POPPEL Danny
Cofidis (7/9)
NAVARRO Daniel
GARCIA Egoitz
Orica GreenEdge (8/9)
GERRANS Simon, ALBASINI Michael, CLARKE Simon, DURBRIDGE Luke,
HAYMAN Mathew
IAM Cycling (8/9)
FRANK Mathias
NetApp - Endura (8/9)
KÖNIG Leopold, BÁRTA Jan,
DE LA CRUZ David
Bretagne - Séché Environment (9/9)
FEILLU Brice, BIDEAU Jean Marc, DELAPLACE Anthony, FEILLU Romain, FONSECA Armindo, GÉRARD Arnaud, GUILLOU Florent, JARRIER Benoît, VACHON Florian
THE MAIN CONTENDERS
- Vincenzo Nibali (ITA - Astana)
He skipped the Giro this year to focus on the Tour de France. He really wants to prove that he can get the Maillot Jaune and show he is one of the best racers in the world. His descending skills are known from all the peloton, so can he nail them in the descents?
- Alejandro Valverde (ESP - Movistar)
Being unlucky last year due to a flat tire and crosswinds, Valverde is hungry for revenge and really wants to make history this Tour. But will he live up to the expectations? Can he prove he can be skilled like Nairo Quintana, who won the Giro one month ago?
- Thibaut Pinot (FRA - FDJ.fr)
After a very 2012 Tour, and an abysmal 2013 one, Thibaut Pinot is back better than he ever was. After proving what he was capable of in the 2013 Vuelta, he makes the 2014 Tour his main objective this year. Will he manage to get on the podium?
- Romain Bardet (FRA - AG2R La Mondiale)
He was the best french rider in 2013 after his leader, Jean-Christophe Péraud, abandoned in a crash. But he gains more and more talent and popularity race after race, and he's now part of the best riders in the world. Can he be part of the top 3?
The other contenders:
- Bauke Mollema (NED - Belkin)
- Tejay Van Garderen (USA - BMC)
- Pierre Rolland (FRA - Europcar)
- Jurgen Van Den Broeck (NED - Lotto-Belisol)
The former contenders
- Christopher Froome (GBR - Sky) - DNF STAGE 5
Vanquished by the rain and the crashes before and during stage 5. He didn't even ride the cobbles.
- Alberto Contador (ESP - Tinkoff-Saxo) - DNF STAGE 10
One crash was enough in the descent of the Petit Ballon to transform his hopes into dust.
- Joaquim Rodriguez (ESP - Katusha)
He's now way too far in the GC to try something - he'll go for the polka dot jersey.
- Andrew Talansky (USA - Garmin-Sharp) DNS STAGE 12
The winner of the Dauphiné lost over thirty minutes on the road to Oyonnax, weakened by some crashes before this stage, and abandoned the race the next day.
You can find all the stage details, profiles and routes on the official website of the Tour de France. As always, France Télévisions will be the official broadcaster to over 190 countries in the world, bringing the live images of the Tour in front of 3.5 billion people.
Let the show begin!
