Le Tour de France Cycling Tour

The Tour de France 2013 takes place from Saturday June 29th to Sunday July 21st and covers almost 3,500km. Find out more about the Tour route, and find accommodation along the way.

Map of Route of Tour de France 2013

 

Introduction to Le Tour de France

As with most cycling races, competitors enter as part of a team. The race consists of 20 to 22 teams with nine riders each. Traditionally, entry is extended to invitation only, with invitations granted only to the best of the world's professional teams.

The Tour is a stage race, each stage being a one day race and this year there will be 21 stages. The time each rider takes to complete each stage is accumulated. Riders are often awarded time bonuses as well as their prize for finishing. Riders who finish in the same group are awarded the same time. Two riders are said to have finished in the same group if there is less than the length of a bike between them. A rider who crashes in the last three kilometres is given the time of the group in which he would have otherwise finished.

The ranking of riders by accumulated time is known as the General Classification. The winner is the rider with the least accumulated time after the final day.

There are subsidiary competitions within the race, some with distinctive jerseys for the best rider. The classification for the famous Leaders' jerseys are:

• Yellow Jersey for the General Time Classification.
• Green Jersey for the General Points Classification.
• White and Red Polka-Dotted Jersey for the Best Climber Classification.
• White Jersey for the Best Young Rider, for riders no more than 25 years old in the year of the race.

Tour de France Route

This year's race - the 100th Tour de France - has 21 stages, covering some 3,360kms. It starts on 29th June with the Grand Depart from Porto-Vecchio in Corsica and ends on 21st July with a big finish along the Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris.

These stages have the following profiles: 7 flat stages, 5 hilly stages, 6 mountain stages - 4 with summit finishes, 2 individual time-trial stages, 1 team time trial stage and 2 rest days.

Distinctive aspects of the race: The 2013 Tour de France will commence in Corsica and cover the Corse-du-Sud and Haute-Corse, the only two departments in metropolitan France that had never before hosted the Tour. Then once back on the mainland, the race will continue and finish in France, without covering any other country. The last time this happened was in 2003.

These are the key stages within the 2013 Tour de France - click on each place name that is underlined, to find local self catering accommodation nearby.

Tour de France 2013 Route

29 June - Stage 1: Porto Vecchio - Bastia, 212km

30 June - Stage 2: Bastia - Ajaccio, 154km

1 July - Stage 3: Ajaccio - Calvi, 145km

2 July - Stage 4: Nice - Nice, team time trial, 25km

3 July - Stage 5: Cagnes sur Mer - Marseille, 219km

4 July - Stage 6: Aix en Provence - Montpellier, 176km

5 July - Stage 7: Montpellier - Albi, 205km

6 July - Stage 8: Castres - Ax 3 Domaines, 194km

7 July - Stage 9: St Girons - Bagneres de Bigorre, 165km

8 July - Rest day, St Nazaire

9 July - Stage 10: St Gildas des Bois - St Malo, 193km

10 July - Stage 11: Avranches - Mont St Michel, individual time trial, 33km

11 July - Stage 12: Fougeres - Tours, 218km

12 July - Stage 13: Tours - St Amand Montrond, 173km

13 July - Stage 14: St Pourain sur Sioule - Lyon, 191km

14 July - Stage 15: Givors - Mont Ventoux, 242km

15 July - Rest day, Vaucluse

16 July - Stage 16: Vaison la Romaine - Gap, 168km

17 July - Stage 17: Embrun - Chorges, individual time trial, 32km

18 July - Stage 18: Gap - Alpe d'Huez, 168km

19 July - Stage 19: Bourg d'Oisans - Le Grand Bornand, 204km

20 July - Stage 20: Annecy - Annecy Semnoz, 125km

21 July - Stage 21: Versailles - Paris

Total distance = 3,360 kms

L'Etape du Tour

Unlike previous years where there have been two Etapes, this year there will be just the one Acte taking place in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region and the second in the heart of the Pyrenees.

L'Etape will take place on Sunday 7th July - The race will take on stage 20 of the Tour de France and will reach at its heighest 1655m and cover 130km. Essentially a loop as it will begin and finish in Annecy. The route will be as follows: Annecy (D1508) – St-Jorioz – La Chapelle St Maurice – Bellecombe en Bauges – Le Chatelard – Aillon le Vieux – Thoiry – St Jean d’Arvey – La Féclaz – Trévignin – St Offenge Dessus – Pont de l’Abîme – Gruffy – Quintal – Montée du Semnoz.

Great Places to Stay for Tour de France 2013

If you're visiting France to follow the Tour, be sure to sample all the delights that the country has to offer. We suggest that you combine your passion for this iconic cycling event with a family holiday or sightseeing with a group of friends. You may even be inspired to enjoy cycling holidays in France.

The route of the Tour takes in some of the most beautiful regions of France, with glorious scenery, historic towns and fabulous wine and food. So don't wait a moment longer to explore nearby properties and book your accommodation. Simply click on the place names above or search for holiday accommodation.