le Tour de France, 2013

29 June - 21 July, 2013

the centenary year!

“le tour 100: 100% french”

The century edition of the Tour de France will be held entirely within France itself, starting in Corsica, never previously visited by the TDF. Then the Tour visits or passes near many of the wonders of France. This Tour will also offer new challenges to the climbers in the peloton, as in other recent Grand Slam races. The touristic progress includes ten of France’s many UNESCO world heritage sites.

This Tour also has a theme of water, with six stages by the sea: Porto-Vecchio, Nice, Cagnes-sur-mer, Marseille, Saint-Malo and Mont-Saint-Michel, and visits to the four major rivers of France: the Loire (1,010 km), the Seine (770 km), the Garonne (650 km) and the Rhône (522 km within France).

2013 tour de france route

From Saturday 30 June to Sunday 22th July, 2013, the 100th Tour de France will be competed during 21 stages, over a distance of 3,360 kilometres.

There will be:

• Seven flat stages
• Five hilly stages
• Six mountain stages with four summit finishes, three of which are in the Alps
• Two individual time trial stages
• One team time trial stage
• Two rest days

• There are ten towns not previously visited :
  * Porto-Vecchio, Corsica, 2A (start of 1st stage)
  * Bastia, Corsica, 2B (end of 1st stage and start of 2nd stage)
  * Ajaccio, Corsica, 2A (end of 2nd stage and start of 3rd stage)
  * Calvi, Corsica, 2B (end of 3rd stage)
  * Cagnes-sur-Mer, Alpes-Maritimes, 06 (start of 5th stage)
  * Saint-Gildas-des-Bois, Loire-Atlantique, 44 (start of 10th stage)
  * Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule, Allier, 03 (start of 14th stage)
  * Givors, Rhône, 69 (start of 15th stage)
  * Chorges, Hautes-Alpes, 05 (end of 17th stage)
  * Annecy-Semnoz, Haute-Savoie, 74 (end of 20th stage)

The 2013 Tour de France starts by spending three days in Corsica, visiting the main towns in both the northern département of Haute-Corse [2B] and the southern département of Corse-du-Sud [2A].

The first stage has a potential sprint finish, for the first time since 1996, which could enable Mark Cavendish to wear the yellow jersey from the first day of the Tour. Other stage finishes that favour sprinters are Marseille [stage 5], Montpellier [stage 6] and Saint-Malo [stage 11].

The fourth stage team time trial goes twice around the Côte d’Azur town of Nice.

world heritage tour around france

The centenary edition of the Tour de France will help show off some of France’s most special cultural heritage. Here are some of the ‘heritage’ stages:

• Stage 3: the Calanche [cliffs] of Piana, which together with the Gulf of Girolata and Scandola Reserve are part of the Gulf of Porto UNESCO site in the Regional Natural Park of Corsica
  
  
  
  
  
  Calanche de Piana
  image: Frederic Antoun licence Creative Commons
  
  
  
  
• Stage 7: the Episcopal City of Albi with its red brick cathedral
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Cathedral and episcopal palace, Albi
  image: Mairie, Albi
  
  
  
• Stage 11: Mont-Saint-Michel
  On this time trial stage, after 30 km, the riders go all but 300 metres along the causeway to Mont-Saint-Michel, then turn round and return so, at the finishing line, each rider is given a spectacular back-drop.
  
  “The magical site and the majestic decor will provide a stunning setting for the winner's photos.”
  
  
  
  
  
• Stage 14: the historic centre of Lyon
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Stage 20: gardens of the Château de Versailles
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Stage 21: Paris, Banks of the Seine
  
  The final day starts later than usual and will finish on the Champs-Elysees at night - 21:45 - to provide a glittering podium finish worthy of The City of Light.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

the stages for 2013

There will be 21 stages. These include 6 high mountain stages [Alps 3, Pyrenees 3], 4 medium mountain/hilly stages, as well as one team against-the-clock (stage 4) and two individual against-the-clock (stages 11 and 17) [contre-le-montre] time trials. There are 2 rest days (8th and 15th July). All other days are ‘on the plain’ - relatively flat days, almost touring through France. The total distance ridden will be about 3,360 kilometres, or roughly 2088 miles.

this year’s t-shirts

.
the Tour de France poster t-shirt : 20€


the Tour de France race route t-shirt : 20€


limited edition centenary t-shirts : 25€

the teams for 2013

team jerseys/colours

2013 TDF team jerseys - updated 29 June 2013

this year’s top ten seeded riders

watch tdf broadcasts

Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch every stage on Eurosport and ITV4.

Some web sites want you to pre-register, and even pay. Here are a few of the more reputable sites that were available for the 2012 TDF. They may well be broadcasting again in 2013. Of course, until the TDF is actually running, we cannot verify any links provided.

last year (2012): the first ten riders

the mountain stages

[Quotes from Christian Prudhomme, Tour de France directeur]

Stage 8: “The climb towards the Pailhères pass, one of the most formidable in the Pyrenees, will signal the start of the big moves by the star riders. The descent into Ax-les-Thermes, followed by the climb to the Ax 3 Domaines ski resort, will present an opportunity to shake up the hierarchy.”

Stage 9: “This is where those attacking riders who are at home at high altitude will get the chance to combine showmanship with efficiency. Five climbs figure in the day's programme.”

Stage 15: For Bastille Day, the French National day, up Mont Ventoux, the giant of Provence. with a 7,5% gradient during 20.8 km. This may be a key event of this Tour.

“... a day of contrasts. The initial stretch of this stage will be contested on the flat, where riders will need to pace themselves. This will be a determining factor in the final to be fought out on the formidable slopes of Mont Ventoux.”

Stage 18: riders will make a double ascent of the 21 hairpins on the Alpe d'Huez. The first passage at the top of Alpe-d’Huez 1 will take place 50 kilometres before the finish at Alpe-d’Huez 2. This has been made possible by an upgrade of a second road between the Alpe and the Col de Sarenne.

“This will, without doubt, be a long awaited and memorable day in the 100th edition of the Tour.”

Alpe d'Huez

Stage 19: The second alpine stage.

Stage 20: “The unprecedented finish in Semnoz involves climbs which are sharp enough to cause a last minute upset.” That final climb up Mont Semnoz is some seven miles long and extremely steep, with lengthy passages at over one-in-eight.

Some reference keywords/tags:

Le Tour de France,cycle race,colors,Mark Cavendish,Bradley Wiggins,contre-le-montre,par equipe,watching the Tour de France,record,le Tour de France 2013,cycling,exclusive photo,photograph,picture,étape,centenary,

email email_abelard [at] abelard.org

© abelard, 2013, 31 october


all rights reserved

the address for this document is https://www.abelard.org/france/le-tour-de-france_2013.php