The world's greatest cycling race and France's biggest sporting event

The stages 10 flat stages 3 medium mountain stages 6 mountain stages with 4 summit finishes 1 individual time-trial stage 1 team time-trial stage 2 rest days 100 candle s for the Gali bier The Tour de Frances cyclists first climbed the Col du Galibier in 1911. To mark this hundredth anniversary in the appropriate way, in 2011, the Galibier will be climbed twice after an interval of 24 hours. The finish of the 18th stage will be judged at the summit, which will be the highest finish in the Tours history, at an altitude of 2, 645 metres. LAlpe -dHuez of Britta ny This will provide one of the highlights of the first week of the race. Indeed, the finish of the 4th stage will be judged at the summit of the ascent of the Mr-de-Bretagne, after a climb of 2 kilometres with an average gradient of 6.9%, with some sections that have a gradient of 15%. And so it is with good reason that this ascent in nicknamed LAlpe-dHuez of Brittany. Stage towns for the first time Blaye-les-Mines Cap Frhel Carhaix Carmaux Cugnaux Galibier Serre-Chevalier Limoux Modane Mont des Alouettes Les Herbiers The Mr-de-Bretagne Olonne-sur-Mer Passage du Gois La Barre-de-Monts Pinerolo (Italy) Redon Saint-Paul-Trois-Chteaux Two countries for one Tour After the Grand Dpart (Official Start) in Vende, almost all of the 2011 Tour will take place in France. The only foreign country visited will be Italy during the 17th and 18th stages in Pinerolo. No bonuses For this 2011 edition, no bonuses will be awarded during the intermediate sprints and stage finishes. Official time remains the absolute reference. Time-trial s covering a total of 64 kilometre s Two time-trials will be featured on the programme of the 98th edition. One of them will take place at the beginning of the Tour, on the second day of the race in Les Essarts: a team time-trial covering 23 kilometres. The other one will be held in Grenoble. It will be the 20th and second last stage, an individual time-trial covering 41 kilometres.