The 2012 Tour de France is Set

The route is set and cyclists around the world are gearing up for yet another Tour de France. The prologue is set to take off on June 30 in Liege, Belgium. This will be the nineteenth year in TDF history that the race begins in a country other than France. The 3 week and 20 stage Tour will travel throughout France stopping in towns such as Rouen, Pau, and Bagnères-de-Luchon before the annual grand finale in Paris. The 2012 TDF will cover over 3400 km!

ASO, the race organizer, has not been the only ones working hard to arrange this annual tour, Discover France has also been busy putting together their own TDF cycling and non-cycling tours. With another year being an official tour operator of the TDF, our team knows what to expect and how to build the perfect tour for you. We are putting the finishing touches on our tours, which will offer VIP services to witness all the glory of the prologue, 2 individual time trials, 9 flat stages, 4 medium mountain stages and 5 mountain stages. Our tour details are scheduled to be released in November, however many Le Tour enthusiasts have already pre-booked their tours risk free. Don’t miss the opportunity to go on your dream TDF tour with us. Pre book now or get on our email list to be the first to know when our tours are posted.

In the mean time, study the Tour’s route below and narrow down what stage you most want to be at the finish line. With our help, you can!!

2012 Tour de France Route:

Prologue – Sat, June 30 – Liège > Liège (6.1 km)

Stage 1 – Sun, July  1 – Liège > Seraing (198 km)
Stage 2 – Mon, July 2 – Visé > Tournai (207 km)
Stage 3 – Tues, July 3 – Orchies > Boulogne-sur-Mer (197 km)
Stage 4 – Wed, July 4 – Abbeville > Rouen (214 km)
Stage 5 – Thurs, July 5 – Rouen > Saint-Quentin (197 km)
Stage 6 – Fri, July 6 – Épernay > Metz (210 km)
Stage 7 – Sat, July 7 – Tomblaine > La Planche des Belles Filles (199 km)
Stage 8 – Sun, July 8 – Belfort > Porrentruy (154 km)
Stage 9 – Mon, July 9 – Arc-et-Senans > Besançon (38 km)
Stage 10 – Wed, July 11 – Mâcon > Bellegarde-sur-Valserine (194 km)
Stage 11 – Thurs, July 12 – Albertville > La Toussuire – Les Sybelles (140 km)
Stage 12 – Fri, July 13 – Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne > Annonay (220 km)
Stage 13 – Sat, July 14 – Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux > Le Cap d’Agde (215 km)
Stage 14 – Sun, July 15 – Limoux > Foix (192 km)
Stage 15 – Mon, July 16 – Samatan > Pau (160 km)
Stage 16 – Wed, July 18 – Pau > Bagnères-de-Luchon (197 km)
Stage 17 – Thurs, July 19 – Bagnères-de-Luchon > Peyragudes (144 km)
Stage 18 – Fri, July 20 – Blagnac > Brive-la-Gaillarde (215 km)
Stage 19 – Sat, July 21 – Bonneval > Chartres (52 km)
Stage 20 – Sun, July 22 – Rambouillet > Paris Champs-Élysées (130 km)

Paris-Nice Is Up For Grabs

The UCI World Tour continues. The Union Cycliste International (UCI) World Tour brings together the world’s greatest cyclists to compete in the world’s legendary road races. The 18 UCI pro teams selected according to ethical, financial, administration, but above all sporting criteria will participate in the 2011 calendar events spanning over 10 countries. The most notable races include Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España, but others like Paris-Roubaix, Tour de Flandres and Tour Down Under are favorites of many cycling enthusiasts.

Peloton pushing the limits

The UCI started its season with the Tour Down Under in Australia on January 18-23. Racers journeyed over to France this week for the second event, Paris-Nice. This 8 stage tour began March 6 in Houdan and will finish Sunday, March 13 in Nice.  After riding almost 1000 km, Tony Martin (HTC-Highroad) leads the GC with Andreas Kloden (Team RadioShack) and Bradley Wiggins (Sky ProCycling) staying close to his wheel. The next two stages will be difficult with many challenging climbs. The tour win is still in reach for many of the top competitors.

Could this be a sign of what to expect in the Tour de France this July? Although Andy Schleck is not competing in this race, other possible TDF winners, like brother Frank Schleck, are looking strong and performing well as we near the most anticipated cycling event of the year. While you’re waiting for July don’t miss another exciting race in May, the Giro d’Italia.