Le Tour De France

Le Tour De France is the most famous and gruelling cycling race on the planet. It typically has 21 days of racing and covers 3,200 kilometres or 2,200 miles with over 200 riders.

THE 2012 ROUTE

During the three weeks riders risk Alpine crashes, heat stroke, hypothermia and extreme fatigue with simply finishing being the main aim for most of the Peloton. The race alternates between clockwise and anticlockwise circuits of France travelling through France taking riders through the Alps and the Pyrennes.

The 2012 Tour will be clockwise and the full route is announced on the 18th of October

The New York Times said the “Tour de France is arguably the most physiologically demanding of athletic events.” The effort was compared to “running a marathon several days a week for nearly three weeks”, while the total elevation of the climbs was compared to “climbing three Everests”