Tour de France 2016: And… they’re off! On July 2 2016, 198 riders competing in 22 teams of nine riders will start an epic jounrey that will take in France, Spain, Andorra and Switzerland. They will cycle an astonishing 3535km in just 21 days which will push them all to their limits and leave them exhausted. Accompanying the race will be 10 doctors and five nurses – this is not an easy ride.
The course comprises nine flat stages, one medium mountain stage, nine mountain stages with four mountain top finishes, two individual time-trials, 28 pass or climbs and top finishes.
It’s estimated that 3.5 billion people will watch the race on TV and as many as 12 million people will watch, wave and cheer from the roadside in France.
Here are the stages of the Tour de France 2016
Stage 1. Saturday July 2: Mont-Saint-Michel / Utah Beach Sainte-Marie-du-Mont – 188km
Stage Two: Sunday July 3, Saint-Lô / Cherbourg-en-Cotentin -183km
Stage Three: Monday July 4, Granville / Angers, 223.5km
Stage Four: Tuesday July 5, Saumur / Limoges, 237.5km and the longest stage of the Tour de France in 2016.
Stage Five: Wednesday July 6, Mountain stage Limoges / Le Lioran, 216km
Stage Six: Thursday July 7, Arpajon-sur-Cère / Montauban, 190.5km:
Stage Seven: Friday July 8, L’Isle-Jourdain / Lac de Payolle, 162.5km
Stage Eight: Saturday July 9, Pau / Bagnères-de-Luchon, 184km
Stage Nine: Sunday July 10, Vielha Val d’Aran / Andorre Arcalis, 184.5km. At 2408m, the Port d’Envalira mountain pass is the highest point of the 2016 Tour de France
Rest day: Monday July 11, Andorre
Stage 10: Tuesday July 12, Escaldes-Engordany / Revel, 197km
Stage 11: Wednesday July 13, Carcassonne / Montpellier, 162.5km
Stage 12: Thursday July: Montpellier / Mont Ventoux, 184km
Stage 13: Individual time trial, Friday July 15, Bourg-Saint-Andéol / La Caverne Du Pont-d’Arc, 37.5km
Stage 14: Saturday July 16, Montélimar / Villars-less-Dombes Parc des Oiseaux, 208.5km.
Stage 15: Sunday July 17, Bourg-en-Bresse / Culoz, 160km
Stage 16: Monday July 18, Moirans-en-Montagne / Berne, 209km
Rest day: Tuesday July 19, Berne
Stage 17: Wednesday July 20, Berne / Finhaut-Emosson, 184.5km
Stage 18: Individual time trial, Thursday July 21, Sallanches / Megève, 17km
Stage 19: Friday July 22, Albertville / Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc, 146km
Stage 20: Saturday July 23, Megève / Morzine-Avoriaz, 146.5km
Stage 21: Sunday July 24, Chantilly / Paris Champs-Élysées, 113km, the shortest stage of the Tour de France 2016.
More on the Tour de France
Fun facts about the Tour de France
Tour de France Trivia
Why the Tour de France is one of the greatest sporting events in the world
The day the Tour de France came to a small rural village in northern France
What’s with those jerseys in the Tour de France?!
