2012 Tour de France

2012 Tour de France Route

Running from Saturday June 30th to Sunday July 22th 2012, the 99th Tour de France will be made up of 1 prologue and 20 stages and will cover a total distance of 3,479 kilometres.

Numbers of the Peloton

• 22 teams
• 198 riders
• 31 nations represented at the start
• 23 riders who are eligible for the youth classification (white jersey)
• Oldest rider: Jens Voigt (RNT) – 40 years, nine months and 13 days old at the start
• Youngest rider: Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) – 22 years, one month and one day old at the start

Distinctive aspects of the race

9 flat stages
4 medium mountain stages – one with a summit finish
5 mountain stages – two with a summit finish
2 individual time-trial stages
1 prologue
2 rest days

Previous Year Comparisons	2012	2011	2010	2009	2008	2007	2006
Flat Stages	9	10	9	10	10	11	9
Medium Mountain Stages	4	3	4	1	4	1	4
Mountain Stages	5	6	6	7	5	6	5
Categorized Climbs	25	23	23	20	19	21	22
Summit Finishes	3	4	3	3	4	3	3
Individual Time Trialing	101k	41k	59k	55k	82k	117k	116k
Team Time Trial	0	23k	0	39k	0	0	0
Overall Distance	3511k	3436k	3596k	3435k	3554k	3547k	3657k

 

No time bonuses

For this 2012 edition, no bonuses will be awarded in intermediate sprints and stage finishes. Official time remains the absolute reference.

A sole intermediate Sprint

As in 2011, the points for the green jersey classification will be awarded at stage arrivals and during the sole intermediate sprint in the straight stages.

Points scale increased in the mountains

For this 2012 edition, points will be awarded to the first ten riders who go over the top of the highest level mountain passes.
The points will be doubled for summit finishes.

100 kilometers of Time Trials

A prologue (6.1 km) and two individual time-trial stages will be featured on the programme of the 99th edition: 40 km between Arc-et-Senans and Besançon halfway through the Tour and 53 km between Bonneval and Chartres the day before the finish on the Champs-Élysées.

Prize Money

In total, around 2 million euros will be awarded to the teams and the riders, including 450, 000 euros for the winner of the general individual classification.

Prologue

Saturday 30 June
Liège > Liège 6.4 km

Christian Prudhomme’s Analysis

At the end of the 6-km long route, marked out in the city-centre of Liège, the Yellow Jersey will reward the master of an athletic feat. Pure power will be the best strategy on the course’s long straight stretches. And the Belgian public, who is always present for the Tour, will definitely encourage the riders to achieve excellence.

Stage 1

Sunday 1 July
Liège > Seraing 198 km

Christian Prudhomme’s Analysis

Like in Brittany in 2008 and in Vendée in 2011, the finish of the first online stage of the Tour will be judged at the top of a hill after an ascent of 2.5 km. “Puncheurs” (strong cyclists with explosive speed which they use on short, but steep gradients with sudden attacks), will be expected to perform better here than pure sprinters. At a time when the riders will still have lots of energy, their performances promise to be spectacular.

Stage 2

Monday 2 July
Visé > Tournai 207.5 km

Christian Prudhomme’s Analysis

As the route goes through Belgium, it will offer possibilities to fighters but it is highly likely that there will be a massive sprint finish at the end of the stage. Maybe those disappointed the day before will take their revenge. When the riders go through Tournai, it will provide us with an opportunity to remember Wouter Weylandt, who had the last victory of his career during the Circuit Franco- Belge in 2010.

Stage 3

Tuesday 3 July
Orchies > Boulogne-sur-Mer 197 km

Christian Prudhomme’s Analysis

The start of this stage will remind the riders of Paris-Roubaix, since the cobblestone experts regularly pass through Orchies, on the Chemin des Prières and the Chemin des Abattoirs which have such evocative names. Then in the Monts du Boulonnais -five hills with a gradient of around 10 %-, the “puncheurs” will have the opportunity, as they did in Seraing, to provide the spectators and viewers with an outstanding performance. The finish will be judged at the end of a 700m long ascent.

Stage 4

Wednesday 4 July
Abbeville > Rouen 214.5 km

Christian Prudhomme’s Analysis

Riders who regularly take part in the Tour of Picardy are familiar with the pitfalls that the region can hold in store for them. The experts of bordure formations may well take advantage of the wind that blows by the seaside during the whole first part of the stage, which will boasts very beautiful scenery. The favourite riders in the race will have to be extremely careful, as they know how hard it is to make up for lost time caused by their carelessness at the beginning of the Tour.

Stage 5

Thursday 5 July
Rouen > Saint-Quentin 196.5 km

Christian Prudhomme’s Analysis

The favourite sprinters in the peloton will definitely call on their team mates on the Saint-Quentin road. Those who are not sure of staying the course all the way to Paris will already have an opportunity to try their luck in the district of the Champs-Élysées provided that the train of sprinters arrives on time.

Stage 6

Friday 6 July
Épernay > Metz 207.5 km

Christian Prudhomme’s Analysis

Statistically, we have remarked that the stages favourable to sprinters are sometimes hindered by inspired attackers, who can take advantage of the peloton’s wait-and-see approach, of weather conditions which deteriorate or of a disruption in the chase of a breakaway. In Metz, like elsewhere, the daring riders are capable of creating the surprise. The finish will be judged a stone’s throw from the Centre Pompidou which has recently welcomed its millionth visitor.

Stage 7

Saturday 7 July
Tomblaine > La Planche des Belles Filles 199 km

Christian Prudhomme’s Analysis

Cyclosportive riders are already familiar with La Planche des Belles Filles, where the Trois Ballons race finishes, but the professionals will discover the imposing final climb which leads to the resort. The figures speak for themselves: an ascent which is almost 6 kilometres long, an average gradient of 8.5% and some sections that have a gradient of 13%. The Tour’s favourites will definitely be successful there!

Stage 8

Sunday 8 July
Belfort > Porrentruy 157.5 km

Christian Prudhomme’s Analysis

This medium mountain stage promises to be even more demanding as it will be short and difficult. The mere mention of these ascents, whose peaks crown the route in the Jura, illustrates how difficult it is: the Côte du Passage de la Douleur, the Col de La Croix, etc. This final ascent, about 20 kilometres from the finish will be a very decisive factor in the stage.

Stage 9

Individual time-trial
Monday 9 July
Arc-et-Senans > Besançon 41.5 km

Christian Prudhomme’s Analysis

It was natural to choose the «the City of time» to host a time-trail of which the 38 km could carry a lot of weight at the end of the race. Besançon and its majestic citadel are linked to Arc-et-Senans, which is also a listed Unesco World Heritage site. The peloton’s best flat racers will try to minimize their time in a prestigious setting.

Stage 10

High Mountains
Wednesday 11 July
Mâcon > Bellegarde-sur-Valserine 194.5 km

Christian Prudhomme’s Analysis

The rest day in Maçon will be necessary for the riders to attack this tenth, new and very promising stage. Before the descent to Bellegarde-sur-Valserine, the climbers who may have lost a few seconds in Doubs will have the opportunity to pull themselves together in the ascent leading to the summit of the Col du Grand Colombier. This is the first time that the peloton of the Tour de France has been there.

Stage 11

High Mountains
Thursday 12 July
Albertville > La Toussuire – Les Sybelles 148 km

Christian Prudhomme’s Analysis

Twenty years after the Winter Olympic Games, the riders will set off from Albertville for an alpine stage with a substantial agenda and marked out on a shorter distance. During 140 km, the peloton will go over the Col de la Madeleine, the Col de la Croix de Fer and the Col du Mollard before tackling the climb towards the resort of La Toussuire. This will certainly single out the potential winners.

Stage 12

Medium mountains
Friday 13 July
Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne > Annonay Davézieux 226 km

Christian Prudhomme’s Analysis

If they want to put themselves out of the reach of the sprinters, the fighters are advised to take advantage of the imposing Col du Grand Cucheron and the Col du Granier situated in the first part of the stage. The finish line will be marked out in Davézieux, in the “Communauté de communes” (federation of municipalities) of the Bassin d’Annonay.

Stage 13

Saturday 14 July
Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux > Le Cap d’Agde 217 km

Christian Prudhomme’s Analysis

For the many holidaymakers who go there in the summer, the road that leads to Cap d’Agde is very often peaceful, but in all probability it will be full of pitfalls for the Tour’s riders. On this part of the Mediterranean coast, the wind is unpredictable but it is nearly always present. Let’s remember for example, the Montpellier to La Grande-Motte stage during the 2009 Tour.

Stage 14

High Mountains – Welcome to the Pyrenees
Sunday 15 July Limoux > Foix
191 km

Christian Prudhomme’s Analysis

The Pyrenean series will begin with a day of discovery that the fittest climbers will appreciate. The steep slopes of the Port de Lers and above all of the Mur de Péguère may well cause a lot of harm. The Mur de Péguère, which was initially chosen for the Tour’s route in 1973, but was not featured in the end, boasts areas where riders face gradients of almost 14%.

Stage 15

Monday 16 July
Samatan > Pau 158.5 km

Christian Prudhomme’s Analysis

The riders who have had the good idea of entering the Route du Sud race will discover Samatan again, a stage town in 2011. Unfortunately they will have to miss out on its foie gras before they take part in the stage.The day will not present any major difficulties, but the teams of sprinters will be impatient to fight it out to win the stage.

Stage16

High Mountains
Wednesday 18 July
Pau > Bagnères-de-Luchon 197 km

Christian Prudhomme’s Analysis

The layout of the stage and the future stakes may well upset the order at the top of general classification, four days before the end of the race. No matter what the gap is, the major stage in the Pyrénées will be dreaded by the wearer of the Yellow Jersey, who will have to defend his position while climbing towards the Tourmalet, the Aubisque, the Aspin and the Peyresourde!

Stage 17

High Mountains
Thursday 19 July
Bagnères-de-Luchon > Peyragudes 143.5 km

Christian Prudhomme’s Analysis

No-one will be feeling out of danger in the morning of a stage that is just as difficult, where there will be no slack period, with, on the agenda, the Col de Menté, whose steepest slope will be climbed by the riders and the Col des Ares.Then from the start of the Port de Balès all the way to the red pennant there will not be any flat ground.

Stage 18

Friday 20 July
Blagnac > Brive-la-Gaillarde 222.5 km

Christian Prudhomme’s Analysis

The leaders of the general classification are advised to get their breath back, but it is unsure whether the teams of sprinters, who have not been able to express themselves for a long time, will let them have this luxury. The club of finishers capable of challenging Cavendish during a grouped confrontation is increasing: Brive appears to be a city that is there for the taking.

Stage 19

Individual time-trial
Saturday 21 July
Bonneval > Chartres 53.5 km

Christian Prudhomme’s Analysis

This will be the moment of truth. Let the climbers be warned: with a last 52-km long time-trial to tackle, they will have to gain a significant amount of time in the mountains. And the best flat racers know that, during a final attack, everything can be seen in a new light.

Stage 20

Sunday 22 July
Rambouillet > Paris Champs-Élysées 120 km

Christian Prudhomme’s Analysis

This promises to be a very emotional stage, with the memory of the final start in Yvelines and the last time-trial won by Greg LeMond in 1989. Although there may be slightly less suspense there, many thrills are guaranteed on the final circuit. An adventure will come to an end for all the riders who take this route, and the handful of sprinters who are competing for the victory will provide a performance that is always entertaining.

Tour de France Rider List

BMC RACING TEAM
1 EVANS Cadel
2 BURGHARDT Marcus
3 CUMMINGS Stephe
4 GILBERT Philippe
5 HINCAPIE George
6 MOINARD Amaël
7 QUINZIATO Manuel
8 SCHÄR Michael
9 VAN GARDEREN Tejay

RADIOSHACK-NISSAN
11 SCHLECK Frank
12 CANCELLARA Fabian
13 GALLOPIN Tony
14 HORNER Christopher
15 KLÖDEN Andréas
16 MONFORT Maxime
17 POPOVYCH Yaroslav
18 VOIGT Jens
19 ZUBELDIA Haimar

TEAM EUROPCAR
21 VOECKLER Thomas
22 ARASHIRO Yukiya
23 BERNAUDEAU Giovanni
24 GAUTIER Cyril
25 GENE Yohann
26 JEROME Vincent
27 KERN Christophe
28 MALACARNE Davide
29 ROLLAND Pierre

EUSKALTEL – EUSKADI
31 SANCHEZ Samuel
32 ASTARLOZA Mikel
33 AZANZA SOTO Jorge
34 IZAGUIRRE INSAUSTI Gorka
35 MARTINEZ Egoi
36 PEREZ MORENO Ruben
37 TXURRUKA Amets
38 URTASUN PEREZ Pablo
39 VERDUGO Gorka

LAMPRE – ISD
41 SCARPONI Michele
42 BOLE Grega
43 HONDO Danilo
44 KRIVTSOV Yuriy
45 LLOYD Matthew
46 MARZANO Marco
47 PETACCHI Alessandro
48 STORTONI Simone
49 VIGANO Davide

LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE
51 NIBALI Vincenzo
52 BASSO Ivan
53 CANUTI Federico
54 KOREN Kristjan
55 NERZ Dominik
56 OSS Daniel
57 SAGAN Peter
58 SZMYD Sylvester
59 VANOTTI Alessandro

GARMIN – BARRACUDA
61 HESJEDAL Ryder
62 DANIELSON Tom
63 FARRAR Tyler
64 HUNTER Robert
65 MARTIN Daniel
66 MILLAR David
67 VAN SUMMEREN Johan
68 VANDE VELDE Christian
69 ZABRISKIE David

AG2R LA MONDIALE
71 PERAUD Jean-Christophe
72 BOUET Maxime
73 CHEREL Mikael
74 DUPONT Hubert
75 HINAULT Sébastien
76 KADRI Blel
77 MINARD Sébastien
78 RIBLON Christophe
79 ROCHE Nicolas

COFIDIS LE CREDIT EN LIGNE
81 TAARAMAE Rein
82 DI GREGORIO Rémy
83 DUMOULIN Samuel
84 EDET Nicolas
85 FOUCHARD Julien
86 GHYSELINCK Jan
87 MATE MARDONES Luis Angel
88 MONCOUTIE David
89 ZINGLE Romain

SAUR-SOJASUN
91 COPPEL Jérôme
92 DELAPLACE Anthony
93 ENGOULVENT Jimmy
94 FEILLU Brice
95 JEANDESBOZ Fabrice
96 LEMOINE Cyril
97 LEVARLET Guillaume
98 MARINO Jean Marc
99 SIMON Julien

SKY PROCYCLING
101 WIGGINS Bradley
102 HAGEN Edvald Boasson
103 CAVENDISH Mark
104 EISEL Bernhard
105 FROOME Christopher
106 KNEES Christian
107 PORTE Richie
108 ROGERS Michael
109 SIUTSOU Kanstantsin

LOTTO-BELISOL TEAM
111 VAN DEN BROECK Jurgen
112 BAK Lars
113 DE GREEF Francis
114 GREIPEL André
115 HANSEN Adam
116 HENDERSON Gregory
117 ROELANDTS Jurgen
118 SIEBERG Marcel
119 VANENDERT Jelle

VACANSOLEIL-DCM
121 WESTRA Lieuwe
122 BOECKMANS Kris
123 HOOGERLAND Johnny
124 LARSSON Gustav
125 MARCATO Marco
126 POELS Wouter
127 RUIJGH Rob
128 VALLS FERRI Rafael
129 VAN HUMMEL Kenny Robert

KATUSHA TEAM
131 MENCHOV Denis
132 CARUSO Gianpaolo
133 FREIRE Oscar
134 GUSEV Vladimir
135 HORRACH Joan
136 KUCHYNSKI Aliaksandr
137 PAOLINI Luca
138 TROFIMOV Yury
139 VORGANOV Eduard

FDJ-BIGMAT
141 CASAR Sandy
142 FEDRIGO Pierrick
143 HUTAROVICH Yauheni
144 LADAGNOUS Matthieu
145 PINEAU Cedric
146 PINOT Thibaut
147 ROUX Anthony
148 ROY Jérémy
149 VICHOT Artur

RABOBANK CYCLING TEAM
151 GESINK Robert
152 KRUIJSWIJK Steven
153 MOLLEMA Bauke
154 RENSHAW Mark
155 SANCHEZ Luis-Leon
156 TANKINK Bram
157 TEN DAM Laurens
158 TJALLINGII Maarten
159 WYNANTS Maarte

MOVISTAR TEAM
161 VALVERDE Alejandro
162 COBO ACEBO Juan Jose
163 COSTA Rui Alberto
164 ERVITI Imanol
165 GUTIERREZ José Ivan
166 KARPETS Vladimir
167 KIRYIENKA Vasil
168 PLAZA MOLINA Ruben
169 ROJAS Jose Joaquin

TEAM SAXO BANK-TINKOFF BANK
171 CANTWELL Jonathan
172 HAEDO Juan Jose
173 KROON Karsten
174 LUND Anders
175 MORKOV Michael
176 NUYENS Nick
177 PAULINHO Sergio Miguel Moreira
178 SORENSEN Chris Anker
179 SORENSEN Nicki

ASTANA PRO TEAM
181 BRAJKOVIC Janez
182 BOZIC Borut
183 FOFONOV Dmitriy
184 GRIVKO Andriy
185 IGLINSKIY Maxim
186 KASHECHKIN Andrey
187 KESSIAKOFF Fredrik
188 KISERLOVSKI Robert
189 VINOKOUROV Alexandre

OMEGA PHARMA-QUICK STEP
191 LEIPHEIMER Levi
192 CHAVANEL Sylvain
193 DE WEERT Kevin
194 DEVENYNS Dries
195 GRABSCH Bert
196 MARTIN Tony
197 PINEAU Jérôme
198 VELITS Martin
199 VELITS Peter

ORICA GREENEDGE
201 GERRANS Simon
202 ALBASINI Michael
203 COOKE Baden
204 GOSS Matthew Harley
205 IMPEY Daryl
206 LANCASTER Brett Daniel
207 LANGEVELD Sebastian
208 O’GRADY Stuart
209 WEENING Pieter

TEAM ARGOS-SHIMANO
211 KITTEL Marcel
212 CURVERS Roy
213 DE KORT Koen
214 FRÖHLINGER Johannes
215 GRETSCH Patrick
216 HUGUET Yann
217 SPRICK Matthieu
218 TIMMER Albert
219 VEELERS Tom