The 99th Tour de France begins on Saturday with a prologue in Liege, Belgium, and will end at the Champs-Elysees in Paris, France, on July 22, but what awaits the riders in between those two stages? After the prologue, the first two stages of the race remain in Belgium, with the last stop at Tournai. The race in France proper begins with a medium mountain stage from Orchies to Boulogne-sur-Mer on July 3.
Tour de France 2012 Route And Map: From Liege To Paris, Cyclists In For A Challenge
After the initial stage in France, the course heads to and then along the English Channel. At that point, the race heads to Rouen and begins a clockwise ride around the country. A mix of plain, medium mountain and high mountains awaits the cyclists as they travel the eastern side of France.
The race shifts to the southern coast beginning on Stage 13, but the cyclists will have a rest day before they face back-to-back high mountains on July 18 and 19 for Stages 16 and 17. The last three stages are then a move north up to Paris. An individual time trial from Bonneval to Chartres is wedged in between two plain stages.
Here is a map of the Tour de France route (via letour.fr):
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