The route for the 2016 Tour De France was unveiled in Paris this morning.
2015 race winner Chris Froome was amongst those who saw the route which has no prologue or team time trial unveiled and the Team Sky rider felt that " it's a great route, very well balanced."
The race will start on July 2nd with a 188km stage from Mont-Saint-Michel in the Northern Manche region to Utah Beach.
Stage Two is six kilometres shorter and sees the riders travel from Saint-Lô to Cherbourg-Octeville before a third 222km stage from Granville to Angers.
The fourth stage will be a 232kms long stage from Saumur to Limoges and is followed by a 216km stage from Limoges to Le Lioran.
Stage six is 187kms long from Arpajon-sur-Cère to Montauban before the race heads towards the Pyrennes with a 162km stage from L'Isle-Jourdain to Lac de Payolle, taking in The Col d'Aspin.
Pau is again hosting a stage depart and stage eight will see the riders head out on a 183km stage to Bagnères-de-Luchon, followed by the race leaving France and finishing in Andorra on a 184km stage from Vielha Val d'Aran to Andorre Arcalis with a stage the features the Col du Tourmalet, La Hourquette d'Ancizan, Col de Val Louron, Azet and Col de Peyresourde climbs.
The rest day is in Andorra before the racing starts again on July 12th with a stage 198km tenth stage from Escaldes-Engordany to Revel.
Stage eleven takes the riders to Montpellier with a 164km stage from Carcassonne with one of the climbs being the 2403m The Port d'Envalira, which will be the highest point of the race.
The climbing continues with a 185km stage twelve finishing on Mont Ventoux after starting out in Montpellier on Bastille Day.
The first time trial comes with a hilly and difficult 37 kilometre stage thirtteen from Bourg-Saint-Andéol to Caverne du Pont d’Arc and is followed by a 208km stage on July 16th from Montélimar to Villars-les-Dombes.
Stage fifteen will be 159kms long and from Bourg-en-Bressse to Culoz and on stage sixteen, the race heads into Switzerland with a 206km stage from Moirans-en-Montagne to Berne.
The second rest day takes place in Berne before the action starts with a 184km stage seventeen from Berne to Finhaut-Émosson, which will see a 23km uphill climb to the finish with average gradients of 8%.
Stage eighteen is a second time trial from Sallanches to Megève and is followed by a trip up Mont Blanc with a 146km stage from Albertville to Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc.
Stage twenty will be another testing affair for the climbers with four climbs with a 146km stage from Megève to Morzine.
The race ends on July 24th with a final 113km stage from Chantilly to Paris Champs-Élysées.
Source: DSG
