Le Tour de France Cycling Tour

The Tour de France 2012 takes place from Saturday June 30th to Sunday July 22nd 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 2012

 

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 20 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 99th Tour de France - has 20 stages, covering some 3,479kms. It starts on 30th June with the Grand Depart from Province de Liège in Belgium and ends on 22nd July with a big finish along the Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris.

These stages have the following profiles: 9 flat stages, 5 mountain stages - two with summit finishes, 4 medium mountain stages - one with a summit finish, 2 individual time-trial stages, 1 prologue and 2 rest days.

Distinctive aspects of the race: The 2012 Tour de France will have 25 mountain level two, level one or highest level mountain passes or summit finishes.

Tour De France 2012 Locations, Dates and Accommodation

These are the key stages within the 2012 Tour de France - click on each place name that is underlined, to find local self catering accommodation nearby.

Key: MM = Medium Mountains / HM = High Mountains / ITT = Individual Time-Trial / TTT = Team Time-Trial

Date	From	To	Distance	Notes
Saturday 30 June	Liège	Liège	6.1km	Prologue
Sunday 1 July	Liège	Seraing	198km	Plain
Monday 2 July	Visé	Tournai	207km	Plain
Tuesday 3 July	Orchies               Accommodation near Orchies	Boulogne-sur-Mer   Accommodation near Boulogne-sur-Mer	197km	MM
Wednesday 4 July	Abbeville Accommodation near Abbeville	Rouen Accommodation near Rouen	214km	Plain
Thursday 5 July	Rouen Accommodation near Rouen	Saint-Quentin	197km	Plain
Friday 6 July	Épernay	Metz	210km	Plain
Saturday 7 July	Tomblaine	La Planche des Belles Filles	199km	MM
Sunday 8 July	Belfort Accommodation near Belfort	Porrentruy	154km	MM
Monday 9 July	Arc-et-Senans	Besançon	38km	ITT
Tuesday 10 July				Rest Day
Wednesday 11 July	Mâcon Accommodation near Macon	Bellegarde-sur-Valserine Accommodation near Bellegarde-sur-Valserine	194km	HM
Thursday 12 July	Albertville Accommodation near Albertville	La Toussuire - Les Sybelles Accommodation near La Toussuire	140km	HM
Friday 13 July	Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne Accommodation near St-Jean-de-Maurienne	Annonay Davézieux	220km	MM
Saturday 14 July	Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux	Le Cap d’Agde                 Accommodation in Le Cap d’Agde	215km	Plain
Sunday 15 July	Limoux Accommodation near Limoux	Foix Accommodation near Foix	192km	HM
Monday 16 July	Samatan Accommodation near Samatan	Pau Accommodation near Pau	160km	Plain
Tuesday 17 July				Rest Day
Wednesday 18 July	Pau Accommodation near Pau	Bagnères-de-Luchon Accommodation near Bagnères-de-Luchon	197km	HM
Thursday 19 July	Bagnères-de-Luchon Accommodation near Bagnères-de-Luchon	Peyragudes	144km	HM
Friday 20 July	Blagnac Accommodation near Blagnac	Brive-la-Gaillarde Accommodation near Brive-la-Gaillarde	215km	Plain
Saturday 21 July	Bonneval Accommodation near Bonneval	Chartres	52km	ITT
Sunday 22 July	Rambouillet Accommodation near Rambouillet	Paris Champs-Élysées Accommodation in Paris	130km	Plain
Total Distance			3479km

L'Etape du Tour

This year once again, there will be two Etapes, the first taking place in the Alps and the second in the heart of the Pyrenees.

Acte I - Sunday 8th July - climbing approximately 4500m over 140km. The race will take on stage 13 of the Tour de France and will begin in Albertville. From here the race then heads up the Cols Madeleine and Croix de Fer, not forgetting the steep kick of the Col du Mollard before dropping to St Jean de Maurienne, then climbing back up from the valley floor to the ski resort of La Toussuire. A tough course even for the avid cyclist.

Acte II - Saturday 14th July - total climbing is approximately 5200m with the addition of a 197km route taking in some of the most famous Pyreneen climbs. It will start with the Cols d’Aubisque and Soulor, before under taking the mighty Col du Tourmalet in the middle, followed by the Aspin and the Peyresourde, before dropping to Bagnères de Luchon. One of the toughest Etapes yet.

Great Places to Stay for Tour de France 2012

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.