The Stages of the 2017 Tour de France
Overall, this is one of the most wide-open Tour de France routes we’ve seen in decades—here's what makes it so (and what we can expect) ~ hehe I LOVE ... the tour !!! FRANCE u's lucky bas~ terds ( maybe 1 day OUR tour will B right up there ? :) ) Like the route this yr ....hope it is ex~cit~ing & SAFE !
Photograph courtesy of PHILIPPE LOPEZ/AFP/Getty Images
One has to think that the organizers had Chris Froome and Team Sky in mind when designing such a race. Froome showed us last year that he’s not afraid to take a risk or two himself. But this year’s course means he might be forced to do that more often. It’s also a route that looks—on paper at least—to favor Romain Bardet, the Frenchman who finished second to Froome last year. A wiry climber who’s also one of the sport’s better descenders, Bardet should have no trouble with the Tour’s mountains and certainly sees several stages that suit him. And even though he’s a weaker time trialist than Froome, fewer time trial kilometers should help him limit his losses against the clock.
Overall, this is one of the most wide-open Tour de France routes we’ve seen in decades, one that will certainly generate exciting racing and a few surprises. Here’s a stage-by-stage preview of what to expect.
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Bicycling
Stage 1 - Düsseldorf to Düsseldorf, 13km - July 1
For the third time in the last four years, the
Grand Depart of the Tour takes place outside of France. This year’s race
begins in Düsseldorf, Germany with a short individual time trial. The
stage looks tailor-made for the home favorite, Tony Martin,
a four-time world time trial champion who’s also won four time trials
at the Tour throughout his career. He’ll face stiff competition from men
like Rohan Dennis and Tom Dumoulin, both of whom finished ahead of
Martin when a similar stage opened the 2015 Tour in the Netherlands. And
don’t be surprised if Chris Froome’s name appears near the top of the
results. With only two short time trials in this year’s Tour, the Briton
will use Stage 1 to try and gain an early advantage over his General
Classification (GC) rivals.
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Bicycling
Stage 2 - Düsseldorf to Liège, 202 km - July 2
Stage 2 spends most of the day in Germany,
but bids Auf Wiedersehen! to the country on its long ride to Belgium.
Liège sits in the middle of the Belgian Ardennes, a hilly region that
traditionally suits climbers and attack-happy puncheurs. But Stage 2 has
a flat finale, which means the Tour’s field sprinters will get their
first chance to shine. Look for Germans Marcel Kittel and Andre Greipel to try and fight-off their homesickness by winning the first road stage of the 2017 Tour.
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3/21
Bicycling
Stage 3 - Verviers to Longwy, 202 km - July 3
Stage 3 starts in the Belgian town of Verviers,
but finally brings the Tour into France. Expect the sprinters to take a
backseat at the end of this 202km stage, as a short, steep climb
to the finish at the Longwy Citadel should determine the day’s winner.
Expect riders who excel in the Ardennes Classics to shine, men like
Movistar’s Alejandro Valverde and Quick Step’s Dan Martin. GC contenders
will need to pay attention as well: Froome finished second on a stage
with a similar finish in 2015. The time bonus he received was enough to
give him his first yellow jersey of that year’s Tour.
4/21
Bicycling
Stage 4 - Mondorf-les-Bains to Vittel, 203 km - July 4
After three straight 200+km days and with a
summit finish on tap tomorrow, Stage 3 could be a day in which the
peloton decides to take it easy. Soon after the start in Luxembourg,
expect a breakaway to gain a large gap before the sprinter’s teams—who
could care less about the next day’s finish atop la Planche des Belles
Filles—bring it all back together for a field sprint in Vittel, the home
of the Tour’s bottled water sponsor. Wind could also play a role late in the race, so teams will need to be attentive in case crosswinds break the race into echelons.
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5/21
Bicycling
Stage 5 - Vittel to La Planche de Belles Filles, 160 km - July 5, 2017
Perhaps in a bid to shake things up a bit
earlier than usual, the first major summit finish of the 2017 Tour comes
only five days into the race. La Planche des Belles Filles first made
its appearance in 2012, and it made an immediate impact by giving
Froome’s first Tour stage victory and Bradley Wiggins
his first yellow jersey. But with the climb coming so early this year,
tactics will play a major role. Defending the yellow jersey takes a toll
on a rider and his team. So with two-and-a-half weeks still to race,
don’t be surprised if the team that wears yellow by the end of Stage 5
tries to hand it over to a non-contender in the days to come. By doing
so they’ll save themselves for what’s still to come.
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6/21
Bicycling
Stage 6 - Vesoul to Troyes, 216 km - July 6, 2017
Stage 6’s gentler profile should give the
peloton a bit of a rest after Stage 5’s showdown on La Planche des
Belles Filles. A breakaway will certainly establish itself it early, but
expect teams with sprinters to ensure that any escapees are caught
before the stage finish in Troyes. With more mountains on tap for the
weekend, this is the first of two chances for the sprinters to win
another stage, so expect to see men like Kittel, Greipel, and Mark Cavendish giving it everything they have.
7/21
Bicycling
Stage 7 - Troyes to Nuits-Saint-Georges, 214 km - July 7, 2017
Another day for the sprinters, Stage 7 takes
the Tour through the vineyards of Burgundy. Crosswinds could be an issue
in the final hour of racing as the course changes direction five times
before the finish in Nuits-Saint-Georges. If the winds breaks the race
apart, a small, select group could battle for the stage win, making this
a perfect stage for Peter Sagan.
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8/21
Bicycling
Stage 8 - Dole to Station des Rousses, 187 km - July 8, 2017
The first of two hard stages in the mountainous
Jura region of eastern France, Stage 8 doesn’t count as a true summit
finish, but it might as well. The summit of the Category 1 Montée de la
Combe de Laisia Les Molunes comes only 12km from the finish line at the
Station des Rousses ski resort, and the roads the riders will take to
get there are rolling. So any gaps by the top of the climb will be tough
to close before the line. It’s a good day for a breakaway to go the
distance, especially if it’s filled with riders who lost a lot of time
during the Tour’s opening week. But this could also be a key GC battle
in a Tour that favors risk-taking opportunists.
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Bicycling
Stage 9 - Nantua to Chambéry, 181 km - July 9, 2017
With six categorized climbs including three
Hors Categorie or “Beyond Category” summits, Stage 9 is a monster. In
past Tours, a stage like this would have been the focal point of a
weekend in the Pyrenees or Alps, but in the Tour’s modern era, anything
goes. So the race stays in the Jura for this climb-fest, the first of
which summits only 3.5km after the race begins in Nantua. Riders hoping
to get into the day’s long breakaway will warm-up on trainers before the
start, readying themselves to attack from the gun in what could easily
be the most exciting stage of the Tour’s first week. With so much climbing
on tap, this could be a day for someone to try and build an early lead
in the Tour’s King of the Mountains competition. And if the Tour’s GC
favorites reopen their fight, expect it to take place on the final climb
of the day, the steep Mont du Chat, whose summit comes about 25km from
the finish line.
Rest Day 1 - Dordogne to July 10, 2017
Rest Day 1 - Dordogne to July 10, 2017
10/21
Bicycling
Stage 10 Périgueux to Bergerac, 178 km - July 11, 2017
After a plane ride and a Rest Day, the Tour resumes in Périgueux with a stage whose profile favors the sprinters.
That said, the last time a stage finished Bergerac (in 2014), a
breakaway succeeded when Garmin’s Raimunas Navardauskas held-off a
chasing bunch to take a thrilling stage victory. But that stage came
late in the race and was much longer, giving Navardauskas a better
chance to stay away from an weary peloton. This year’s stage is much
shorter and comes right out of a Rest Day, so the sprinters’ teams will
be fresh and ready to make the most of the opportunity.
11/21
Photograph courtesy of Bicycling
Stage 11 - Eymet to Pau, 202 km - July 12, 2017
Stage 11 brings the Tour to the foot of the
Pyrenees with a stage finishing in Pau, a town that’s hosted the Tour 68
times, third to only Paris and Bordeaux. Sprinters will certainly be
licking their lips at the stage’s gentle profile, but they need to be
careful as breakaways do succeed here. In 2012 France’s Pierrick Fedrigo
won Stage 19 in downtown Pau by out-sprinting his breakaway companion,
American Christian Vandevelde. And with a tough day in the mountains
coming tomorrow, many teams might be content to just sit back and let a
breakaway go the distance.
12/21
Bicycling
Stage 12 - Pau to Peyragudes, 214 km - July 13, 2017
Of the Tour’s two days in the Pyrenees
this year, the first is definitely the toughest. A long stage that
starts in Pau and doesn’t hit its first climb until about halfway
through the day, it’s a stage that could see a breakaway of
out-of-contention climbers fight for the stage win while the GC battle
wages behind them. While “only” finishing atop a Category 2 summit, it’s
what comes before that matters most: the Hors Categorie Port de Balès
and the Category 1 Col de Peyresourde. That’s three summits in a span of
only 45km. If men like Nairo Quintana, Alberto Contador, and Richie
Porte want to test the strength of Froome and Team Sky, today’s the day
to do it.
13/21
Bicycling
Stage 13 - Saint Girons to Foix, 100 km - July 14, 2017
Stage 13 is an interesting one that could
produce some of the most exciting racing we’ve seen so far this Tour.
First of all, it takes place on Bastille Day, France’s Independence Day,
which this year falls on a Friday (so the route should be packed with
vacationing fans). Secondly, it’s incredibly short (101km) which means
fast, aggressive racing from start to finish. Lastly, it features three
Category 1 climbs including the vicious Mur de Peguere, a climb whose
final 3.5km are some of the steepest in this year’s race. It’s the
perfect stage for someone like last-year’s runner-up Romain Bardet. The Frenchman will love both the climbs and the descents, and could provide an early start to the Bastille Day fireworks.
14/21
Bicycling
Stage 14 - Blagnac to Rodez, 181 km - July 15, 2017
The first half of Stage 14 is bone-flat. But
after the intermediate sprint in Rabastens, the going gets much more
difficult, as a relentless series of hills and valleys will keep the
pack from getting into a good rhythm. This could make it hard for the
peloton to catch any breakaways. If it does, expect a reduced bunch to
fight for the win on the uphill finish in Rodez. It’s a perfect day for
men like Peter Sagan, Michael Matthews, and Greg Van Avermaet, who took his first Tour stage victory here in 2015.
15/21
Bicycling
Stage 15 - Laissac-Sévérac l’Église to Le Puy-en-Velay, 189 km - July 16, 2017
Like many stages in the 2017 Tour de France,
Stage 15 offers a profile that’s hard to characterize. It begins with a
tough Category 1 climb up to the Aubrac Plateau, which should provide
the perfect launchpad for a breakaway to escape. It then undulates
across the top of the plateau before descending back down to the town of
Prades. Then it’s back up again—this time to the summit of the Category
1 Col de Peyra Taillade. The Tour’s organizers put this stage on a
Sunday for good reason: it will be aggressive, tough, and unpredictable.
The riders will be thankful for Monday’s Rest Day.
Rest Day 2 - Le Puy-en-Velay - July 17, 2017
Rest Day 2 - Le Puy-en-Velay - July 17, 2017
16/21
Bicycling
Stage 16 - Le Puy-en-Velay to Romans sur Isère, 165 km - July 18, 2017
Coming out of the Tour’s second Rest Day and
looking ahead to the Alps, the sprinters’ teams will be eager to try and
take advantage of this stage’s relatively flat run to the finish in
Romans. But the day begins with 20km of climbing followed by another
50km of undulating roads. A breakaway might establish a lead that’s too
big to close, which could leave men like Kittel, Greipel, and Cavendish
waiting until Paris for their last chance to win a stage.
17/21
Bicycling
Stage 17 - Le Murre to Serre Chevalier, 183 km - July 19, 2017
Stage 17 may not be a summit finish, but with
four categorized climbs on tap including the infamous Col du Galibier,
it doesn’t have to be in order to shape the outcome of the Tour. This
should turn out to be a typical Alpine slugfest with the Tour’s GC
favorites doing everything they can to separate themselves on the
Galibier. A 28km descent to the finish ends the stage but the Galibier
is long enough and hard enough that riders might not rejoin the leaders
if they’re dropped. It’s the third week, so we could see a group of
out-of-contention climbers escape to fight for the stage and points in
the King of the Mountains competition. Poland’s Rafal Majka has won
three mountain stages and two polka dot jerseys in the last three
Tours—he’s probably had this stage marked since the Tour route was
announced last year.
18/21
Bicycling
Stage 18 - Briançon to Izoard, 178 km - July 20, 2017
The Tour’s last day in the Alps
brings the race’s final summit finish—and it’s a doozy. The Izoard
isn’t as long as the Galibier, but it features a steeper average
gradient. As the riders climb higher the road gets steeper, and the
landscape takes on an eerie, desert-like quality. If the race is close,
expect to see deeper teams—like Movistar—try and send riders on the
attack on the Category 1 Col de Vars, the penultimate climb of the day,
in an attempt to put pressure on whichever team is leading the race and
perhaps isolate the rider wearing the yellow jersey. On the Izoard it
will be every man for himself as the Tour’s climbers try and capitalize
on their last chance to gain time before the Tour’s final time trial. If
Froome ends the day in yellow, it’s game over. As the strongest time
trialist of the Tour’s GC favorites, if he avoids losing time here, the
Tour will be his.
19/21
Bicycling
Stage 19 - Embrun to Salon de Provence, 220 km - July 21, 2017
Imagine being one of the 150 or so riders left
in the Tour. You’re two days away from finishing the race. You’ve
survived five mountain ranges. Yesterday’s stage ended with one of the
most fearsome climbs in the Alps. So what does the Tour give you? The
longest stage of the race. And it’s not easy. The tired peloton won’t
see a flat road until about Kilometer 200. By then it might be too late
for the sprinters’ team to reel in the day’s long breakaway.
20/21
Bicycling
Stage 20 - Marseille (ITT), 23 km - July 22, 2017
The past few Tours have ended in the mountains,
but this year’s concludes with a short individual time trial in
downtown Marseille. Tour organizers hope that the the Tour’s
unpredictable parcours will mean a few riders start this stage with a
chance to win the Tour. Anyone who hopes to be successful will have to
have at least a minute or two on Froome, the fastest of the Tour’s
remaining GC contenders.
21/21
Bicycling
Stage 21 - Montgeron to Paris Champs-Élysées, 105 km - July 23, 2017
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