Le Tour de France Cycling Tour

Route of Tour de France 2010

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 jersey's 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

2010 welcomes the 97th Tour de France. This great cycle race begins with the Grand Depart on 4th July in Holland and concludes in great style on 25th July at the Champs d'Elysee in Paris.

The three week race will be made up of 20 stages and will cover just under 3600kms.

These stages have the following profiles: 1 prologue, 9 flat stages, 6 mountain stages and 3 summit finishes, 4 medium mountain stage, 1 individual time-trial stage (51 km).

Distinctive aspects of the race: le Tourmalet climbed twice, a hint of the Classics and cobblestones, 2 rest days,
23 level 1, level 2 and highest level mountain passes.

Tour De France 2010 Locations, Dates and Accommodation

These are the key stages within the 2010 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

L'Etape du Tour

L'Etape du Tour is French for 'stage of the tour' and as an organised event (by the Amaury Sport Organisation), allows amateur cyclists to race over the same route as a Tour de France stage. This will take place on Sunday the 18th of July 2009 and will follow the exact route of stage 17 of the 2010 Tour de France. Around 9500 riders will start from the city of Pau to climb 3 monuments of the Pyrénées : col de Marie-Blanque, col du Soulor and the giant Tourmalet. The distance total will be 174 km with imposing landscapes: Plateau de Bénou, Gorges de l’Ouzom and Gorges de Luz, summit of Soulor…this event is open to the public.

Great Places to Stay for Tour de France 2010

It would be a crime to visit France for the Tour de France and not sample the many delights that France has to offer. We suggest that you combine your passion for this tour de France history event with an unforgettable trip with friends or a family holiday that everyone can enjoy.

The location of the tour travel through some of the most beautiful parts of France. There are hundreds of different ways for everyone to enjoy the Tour de France 2010. So don't wait any longer and make your reservation for your accommodation today by exploring the nearby properties by clicking the place names above or by searching for holiday accommodation.