le Tour de France, 2017

1st July - 23rd July, 2017

russian mountains on steroids

russian mountains on steroids

Les montagnes russes is the French for a roller coaster. This year's Tour de France is so extreme in the climbs and endurance required, that in the French mountains are rolling on steroids!

With the Grand Départ opening in Dusseldorf, Germany, this year's Tour de France starts with an individual time-trial (ITT) running along both banks of the River Rhine. The second ITT is in Marseilles (stage 20) , starting and ending in the legendary (Orange) Vélodrome football stadium, the route punctuated by  a climb up to the Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde cathedral.

The 104th Tour de France visits three neighbouring countries, Germany, Belgium and Luxemburg, and 34 départements in France.

For the first time since 1992, the Tour will visit the five main mountain ranges of France: the Vosges, the Jura, the Pyrenees, the Massif Central and the Alps. This includes the first ever stage finish at the top of the Col d’Izoard on stage 18.

Racing up the Col d’Izoard 1:20 mins

2017 tour de france route

From Saturday 1st July to Sunday 23rd July, 2017, the 104th Tour de France will be raced during 21 stages, over a distance of 3,540 kilometres.

Route map of the 2017 Tour de France

There will be:

• 9 flat stages
• 5 hilly stages with 1 hilltop finish (stage 3 Longwy)
• 5 mountain stages with 3 summit finishes (stage 5 La Planche des Belles Filles, stage 12 Peyragudes, stage 18 Izoard)
• 2 individual time trial stages
• 2 rest days

  The 2017 Tour de France includes a total of 23 mountain and hill climbs, and altitude finishes ranked in second, first or HC class.

  This year's race includes all five of France's mountainous regions:

• Vosges - 1 stage
• Jura - 6 stages
• Pyrénées- 8 stages
• Massif central - 2 stages
• Alps - 6 stages

There are 9 towns not previously visited:

• Düsseldorf (1st stage and start of stage 2)
• Mondorf-les-Bains (start of stage 4)
• Nuits-Saint-Georges (finish of stage 7)
• Nantua (start of stage 9)
• Eymet (start of stage 11)
• Laissac-Sévérac l’Église (start of stage 15)
• Romans-sur-Isère (finish of stage 16)
• La Mure (start of stage 17)
• Izoard (finish of stage 18)
• Salon-de-Provence (finish of stage 19)

There is also a special treat for lovers of French history and culture: stage 12. On the 12th July, before the six categorised climbs, the peleton passes through the rich vein that is the region of Bas Armagnac in the east of the département of Les Landes. The race rides through the fortified town of La Bastide d'Armagnac and passes by the very special Chapelle de Notre-Dame des Cyclistes. There is also an intermediate sprint at Aire-sur-Adour.

time bonuses and points continue

BONUSES
Reintroduced in 2015, time bonuses will be awarded at the finish of 'normal', flat, stages. These bonuses are 10, 6 and 4 seconds for the first three in each stage.

POINTS
The points system is said to add value to the stage wins, and to encourage more competition earlier on in the race. Points are awarded both for intermediate sprints during a stage, and at the stage finish of every 'normal' stage.

The green jersey is awarded to the leader of the points classification. These points will be given out at the finishes of each stage as well as on the unique intermediate sprints of normal stages.
The spotty (polka dot) jersey is awarded to the leader of the best climbers’ classification, the King of the Mountains. Points are be awarded at the top of each Col or Côte and the three altitude finishes :

• La Planche des Belles Filles (stage 5, 1035 m)
• Peyragudes (stage 12, 1580 m)
• Izoard (stage 18, 2360 m).

The 2017 route in 3D, 5:02 mins

the stages for 2017

[Note: blue links go to profile section on this page,
            yellow links go to associated pages at abelard.org]

There will be 21 stages. These include 5 high mountain stages, 5 medium mountain/hilly stages, and two individual against-the-clock (stages 13 and 18) [contre-le-montre] time trials. There are 2 rest days (10th and 17th July). All other days are 'on the plain' - relatively flat days, almost touring through some of France. The total distance ridden will be about 3,540 kilometres, or roughly 2,200 miles.

this year’s t-shirts

Continuing the trend to play safe, the souvenir t-shirts for this year are very tame. Here's a few.

Perhaps incredibly, the best of the crop is the back of the t-shirt derived from this year's poster:

'Poster t- shirt : 20€

The Grand Départ provides these two:

Grand Départ t- shirt : 30€	Grand Départ t-shirt : 25€

the teams for 2017

team jerseys/colours

2017 TDF team jerseys

this year’s top ten seeded riders

last year (2016): the first ten riders

mountain stages, uphill and summit finishes

Stage 3, 3rdJuly - Belgium : Verviers  to France : Longwy- the final 1.6 km

At the end of this flat stage there is a sudden short, sharp shock of a 1.6 km climb. While the average gradient is 5.8%, there is an intermediate portion at 11% , ready to challenge and maybe surprise at the end of this fast stage.

Stage 5 final 1.6 km

Stage 5, 5th July - Vittel  to La Planche des Belles Filles

Starting with relatively minor climbs, this stage builds in difficulty with an intermediate sprint at the start of the Category 3 climb. The race's end is a gruelling Category 1 climb, emphasised by a near-impossible 20% gradient last kilometre.

Stage 5 profile

Stage 5, final 6 km

Stage 8, 8th July - Dole to Station des Rousses, including la Combe de Laisia-Les Molunes (1 202 m)

After two introductory category 3 and 2 climbs comes the 11.7 kilometre-long climb to the summit of la Combe de Laisia-Les Molunes (1 202 m). This ascent averages 6.4%, before an undulating 11 km to the stage finish.

Stage 8 profile

Stage 8, final 23 km

Stage 9, 9th July - Nantua  to Chambéry

A grinding day of seven categorised climbs, including three Hors catégorie climbs. The second - up le Grand Colombier - has 3 km of a gravity-defying 22% gradient amongst the 8.5 km ascent averaging 9.9%.

Stage 9 profile

Stage 9, the two Hors Categorie (HC) climbs

Stage 9, final Hors Categorie (HC) climb

Stage 12, 13th July - Pau  to Peyragudes

Another gruelling day of six categorised climbs- it's les montagnes russes (a rollercoaster) on steroids.

Km 64.0 - Côte de Capvern: 7.7 kilometre-long climb at 3.1% - category 4
Km 111.5 - Col des Ares (797 m): 7.4 kilometre-long climb at 4.6% - category 2
Km 139.5 - Col de Menté (1,349 m): 6.9 kilometre-long climb at 8.1% - category 1
Km 184.0 - Port de Balès (1,755 m): 11.7 kilometre-long climb at 7.7% - category H
Km 209.5 - Col de Peyresourde (1,569 m): 9.7 kilometre-long climb at 7.8% - category 1
Km 214.5 - PEYRAGUDES (1,580 m): 2.4 kilometre-long climb at 8.4% - category 2.

Stage 12 profile

Stage 12, final Hors Categorie (HC) climb

Stage 18, 20th July - Briançon  to Izoard

A surprisingly hard day, with another crescendo of difficulty and stamina demands. First, the category 3 Côte des Demoiselles Coiffées, a 3.9 kilometre-long climb at 5.2%. Then up to the 2,109 m category 1 Col de Vars, with its 9.3 km climb at 7.5%. The climax of today's cycling performance is the 14.1 km climb up to the 2,360 m summit of the Col d'Izoard. This Hors Categorie climb averages 9%, with three sections of 9.5%, 9%, and 10%.

Stage 18 profile

Col de Vars, - 9.3 km at 7.5%	Col d'Izoard - 7.1 km at 7.8%

Stage 20, 22nd July - Marseille to Marseille, individual time trial

The second individual time trial starts and ends at the famous Vélodome football stadium, recently renamed for its new sponsors. Added to the fierce drum of cycling agaiinst the clock is the sharp climb up to Marseille's cathedral, Notre Dame de la Garde.

Second ITT, Maerseilles

Safety 'clip' 2016, 30 secs

watch tdf broadcasts

We will provide this information when it is available, closer to the race start.

email email_abelard [at] abelard.org

© abelard, 2017, 18 June


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