Tour de France Guide

Route Summary | Rider list| Jerseys & classifications | Prizes | Unmissable stages | TV Guide | iCal download

Stage 1 |	Stage 2 |	Stage 3 |	Stage 4 |	Stage 5 |	Stage 6 |	Stage 7 |	Stage 8 |	Stage 9 |	Rest day
Stage 10 |	Stage 11 |	Stage 12 |	Stage 13 |	Stage 14 |	Stage 15 |	Stage 16 |	Rest day
Stage 17 |	Stage 18 |	Stage 19 |	Stage 20 |	Stage 21

Here’s the 2016 Tour de France guide. There’s a profile of every stage with a quick take on the day added. Use the links at the top of the page here to find your way around the stage previews, the start list and the other points.

In addition on the morning of every stage there will be a full preview.

Route Summary

A mix of terrain. The mountains dominate but at least eight pure sprint finishes. There are four summit finishes amid nine mountain stages and two time trials which are both hilly.

Stage 1 – Saturday 2 July

Two short climbs, roughly 1km at 5% each, offer an uphill sprint and a chance to take the polka-dot jersey before a flat coastal route and a likely sprint finish as the race commemorates the 1944 D-Day landings.

Stage 2 – Sunday 3 July

Another coastal stage and an uphill finish in two parts, 1.9km at 7% then a brief flat section before another 700m uphill to the line, we should see sprinters, classics contenders, puncheurs and some of the GC contenders in the mix.

Stage 3 – Monday 4 July

A long stage with little of tactical interest unless the wind gets up. The race passes through Renazé, home town of the Madiot family before a likely sprint finish in Angers, which is pronounced an-jay rather than the more angry version you had in mind.

Stage 4 – Tuesday 5 July

The longest stage of the race. There’s some hillier terrain later on, normally nothing to worry the sprinters but the finish is up a long drag, just long enough to rob momentum and mess up the timing of a lead train or two.

Stage 5 – Wednesday 6 July

Wednesday and the first mountain stage as the race heads into France’s slow beating rural heart, passing the home town of Raymond Poulidor before a day of lumpy roads that are other up or down . The finish is packed with some selective climbs, think Liège-Bastogne-Liège if it helps.

Stage 6 – Thursday 7 July

A scenic ride across the kind of terrain you’d like to cycle through with rolling roads, river gorges and, if summer gets a move on, sunflower fields. The early terrain suits the breakaway raiders but the flatter terrain and the few chances in the coming days are likely to make the sprint teams chase.

Stage 7 – Friday 8 July

The Col d’Aspin dominates the profile. At 12km at 6.5% it’s one of the more accessible climbs in the Pyrenees. It’s followed by a regular descent to the finish, a high pressure moment but the road is fine with just a few wide hairpin bends before a brief rise to the line.

Stage 8 – Saturday 9 July

The Pyrenees arranged in arpeggio, a day for the riders to scale four climbs before the descent off the Peyresourde to Bagnères-de-Luchon. This is classic Pyrenees with the best-hit Tourmalet and then some narrower, more irregular climbs and barely a metre of flat until the finish. The final descent off the Peyresourde sounds scary but it’s got a lot of long straight sections rather than anything too technical.

Stage 9 – Sunday 10 July

A macro stage into the microstate of Andorra on the way to the Arcalis summit finish all via Spain. The climb to La Comella and the Col de Beixalis are steep and awkward before the giant road to Arcalis, 10km at 7% which has been used twice before. Each time the winner’s career went downhill after, both Jan Ullrich (1997) and Brice Feillu (2009) looked to have a bright future, the German’s obviously more radiant, but neither managed to reach the same highs again.

Stage 10 – Tuesday 12 July

Back to France after a rest day and the race leaves the Pyrenees behind. It looks like a sprint stage, the climb at the end provides suspense and should root out any fatigued sprinters.

Stage 11 – Wednesday 13 July

A start in Carcassone, the town famous for its walled ramparts which look like something out of a Disney set. The route is flat but watch out for the le vent d’Autan, the local wind that can blow in this area and which could split the race apart.

Stage 12 – Thursday 14 July

It’s all about the summit finish on Mont Ventoux, the legendary climb that is used sparingly, partly to protect the myth but mainly because the local authorities don’t need to pay for a finish every year to keep the place on the map and also because it’s so selective it risks entrenching the overall classification. It’s as hard as it is famous, a steep section though the forest for 10km at almost 10% and if the gradient eases for the next six kilometres the road is exposed to the wind which often howls at the top. If the wind doesn’t blow the crowds will roar on Bastille day.

Stage 13 – Friday 15 July

Hours after an hour long summit finish comes the The first time trial stage and a difficult course which suits the GC contenders and the more versatile time trial specialists like Dumoulin and Martin. The uphill start has 300m of vertical gain to begin with and the fast plateau section across the top which rolls up and down. There’s a fun descent into the Ardèche river gorge by the Pont d’Arc, a giant rocky arch made by the river and then an interminable uphill drag to the finish line.

Stage 14 – Saturday 16 July

A long ride north up the Rhone valley before a likely sprint finish in Villars-les-Dombes which has hosted sprint finishes in the Dauphiné before.

Stage 15 – Sunday 17 July

A fun mid-mountain stage with the Grand Colombier which is climbed twice, sort of. The Col du Berthiand is generously listed as a first category climb before a course that is up and down with several long climbs that are not labelled above. It all leads to the Grand Colombier, the race first tackles the easier side before a long and sketchy descent and then a second climb, this time up the exposed southern flank of the Grand Colombier, steep and awkward with its corkscrew hairpins, before rejoining the risky descent and the run back to the finish line.

Stage 16 – Monday 18 July

A start in the middle of the remote Jura mountains before the race crosses to the Swiss capital city for likely sprint and the second rest day.

Stage 17 – Wednesday 20 July

A air of déjà vu with the final climb used in the 2014 Critérium du Dauphiné. Before that two solid climbs and a ride by the UCI HQ. The Col de la Forclaz is hard, 13km at a regular 7.9% before a brief descent and the 10km climb to the Emosson dam where the upper slopes are well over 10%.

Stage 18 – Thursday 21 July

Not quite a mountain time trial, in fact this is harder. A straight ride up a mountain would be more of a linear effort but the Domancy climb – 3km often at 10% – and later on a back road to Megève with 17% slopes is an awkward test with regularly changing gradients and twisting roads.

Stage 19 – Friday 22 July

Don’t let the lack of famous climbs put you off, in fact this is the charm of this short mountain stage as it takes a series of steep, irregular climbs including the nasty Bisanne climb, sister to the Col des Saisies, 12.4km at 8.2% on a narrow road and closer to 10k% for the upper parts. But it’s still some distance from the finish. The final climb leads to a ski station only they use a short cut on the early slopes which no tour bus would dare, a narrow road with 13% sections. When it was first used in the 2015 Dauphiné Vincenzo Nibali cracked on this steep section while in the yellow jersey.

Stage 20 – Saturday 23 July

The final Alpine stage, just 146.5km meaning those valley sections are not as long as they look meaning it’s hard to get a chase going in between. The Aravis and Colombière are climbed from their easier sides before the long and awkward Col de la Ramaz, a high speed descent and then the race speeds to the final climb. A Hollywood script says the final climb and descent get to pick the overall winner. The last time it featured in a major race, the 2012 Dauphiné, Nairo Quintana dropped the Team Sky train to solo to the win in Morzine.

Stage 21 – Sunday 24 July

Ah Paris! As ever a bizarre event, a parade that mutates into a criterium. It begins in elegant Chantilly and once again the race will use the entire length of the Champs Elysées, circling the Jardin des Tuileries at one end and the Arc de Triomphe at the other for a full lap in the evening.

Rider list – updated every day

TEAM SKY GBR
Managers : PORTAL Nicolas  KNAVEN Servais
1 – FROOME Christopher GBR
2 – HENAO Sergio COL
3 – KIRYIENKA Vasil BLR
4 – LANDA Mikel ESP
5 – NIEVE Mikel ESP
6 – POELS Wouter NED
7 – ROWE Luke GBR
8 – STANNARD Ian GBR
9 – THOMAS Geraint GBR

MOVISTAR TEAM ESP
Managers : ARRIETA Jose Luis  GARCIA ACOSTA Vicente
11 – QUINTANA Nairo COL
12 – VALVERDE Alejandro ESP
13 – ANACONA Winner COL
14 – ERVITI Imanol ESP
15 – HERRADA Jesus ESP
16 – IZAGUIRRE Gorka ESP
17 – IZAGUIRRE Jon ESP
18 – MORENO Daniel ESP
19 – OLIVEIRA Nelson POR

ASTANA PRO TEAM KAZ
Managers : FOFONOV Dmitriy  MARTINELLI Giuseppe
21 – ARU Fabio ITA
22 – NIBALI Vincenzo ITA
23 – FUGLSANG Jakob DEN
24 – GRIVKO Andriy UKR
25 – KANGERT Tanel EST
26 – LUTSENKO Alexey KAZ
27 – ROSA Diego ITA
28 – SANCHEZ Luis-Leon ESP
29 – TIRALONGO Paolo ITA

TINKOFF RUS
Managers : DE JONGH Steven  YATES Sean
31 – CONTADOR Alberto ESP
32 – SAGAN Peter SVK
33 – BODNAR Maciej POL
34 – GATTO Oscar ITA
35 – KIŠERLOVSKI Robert CRO
36 – KREUZIGER Roman CZE
37 – MAJKA Rafał POL
38 – TOSATTO Matteo ITA
39 – VALGREN Michael DEN

AG2R LA MONDIALE FRA
Managers : JURDIE Julien  GOUBERT Stephane
41 – BARDET Romain FRA
42 – BAKELANTS Jan BEL
43 – CHEREL Mikael FRA
44 – DUMOULIN Samuel FRA
45 – GASTAUER Ben LUX
46 – GAUTIER Cyril FRA
47 – GOUGEARD Alexis FRA
48 – POZZOVIVO Domenico ITA
49 – VUILLERMOZ Alexis FRA

TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO NED
Managers : ZEEMAN Merijn  MAASSEN Frans
51 – KELDERMAN Wilco NED
52 – BENNETT George NZL
53 – GROENEWEGEN Dylan NED
54 – LINDEMAN Bertjan NED
55 – MARTENS Paul GER
56 – ROOSEN Timo NED
57 – VANMARCKE Sep BEL
58 – WAGNER Robert GER
59 – WYNANTS Maarten BEL

TREK – SEGAFREDO USA
Managers : ANDERSEN Kim  GALLOPIN Alain
61 – MOLLEMA Bauke NED
62 – CANCELLARA Fabian SUI
63 – IRIZAR Markel ESP
64 – RAST Gregory SUI
65 – SCHLECK Frank LUX
66 – STETINA Peter USA
67 – STUYVEN Jasper BEL
68 – THEUNS Edward BEL
69 – ZUBELDIA Haimar ESP

IAM CYCLING SUI
Managers : CARLSTRÖM Kjell  CHIESA Mario
71 – FRANK Mathias SUI
72 – CLEMENT Stef NED
73 – COPPEL Jérôme FRA
74 – ELMIGER Martin SUI
75 – ENGER Sondre Holst NOR
76 – HOLLENSTEIN Reto SUI
77 – HOWARD Leigh AUS
78 – NAESEN Oliver BEL
79 – PANTANO Jarlinson COL

CANNONDALE DRAPAC TEAM USA
Managers : WEGELIUS Charles  KLIER Andreas
81 – ROLLAND Pierre FRA
82 – BRESCHEL Matti DEN
83 – CRADDOCK Lawson USA
84 – HOWES Alex USA
85 – KOREN Kristijan SLO
86 – LANGEVELD Sebastian NED
87 – NAVARDAUSKAS Ramūnas LTU
88 – SLAGTER Tom Jelte NED
89 – VAN BAARLE Dylan NED

BMC RACING TEAM USA
Managers : LEDANOIS Yvon  PIVA Valerio
91 – PORTE Richie AUS
92 – BOOKWALTER Brent USA
93 – BURGHARDT Marcus GER
94 – CARUSO Damiano ITA
95 – DENNIS Rohan AUS
96 – MOINARD Amaël FRA
97 – SCHÄR Michael SUI
98 – VAN AVERMAET Greg BEL
99 – VAN GARDEREN Tejay USA

TEAM DIMENSION DATA RSA
Managers : HAMMOND Roger  HEYNDERRICKX Jean-Pierre
101 – CAVENDISH Mark GBR
102 – BERHANE Natnael ERI
103 – BOASSON HAGEN Edvald NOR
104 – CUMMINGS Stephen GBR
105 – EISEL Bernhard AUT
106 – JANSE VAN RENSBURG Reinardt A
107 – PAUWELS Serge BEL
108 – RENSHAW Mark AUS
109 – TEKLEHAIMANOT Daniel ERI

TEAM GIANT-ALPECIN GER
Managers : REEF Marc  VISBEEK Aike
111 – BARGUIL Warren FRA
112 – CURVERS Roy NED
113 – DEGENKOLB John GER
114 – DUMOULIN Tom NED
115 – GESCHKE Simon GER
116 – PREIDLER Georg AUT
117 – SINKELDAM Ramon NED
118 – TEN DAM Laurens NED
119 – TIMMER Albert NED

FDJ FRA
Managers : MADIOT Yvon  BRICAUD Thierry
121 – PINOT Thibaut FRA
122 – BONNET William FRA
123 – LADAGNOUS Matthieu FRA
124 – MORABITO Steve SUI
125 – PINEAU Cedric FRA
126 – REICHENBACH Sébastien SUI
127 – ROUX Anthony FRA
128 – ROY Jérémy FRA
129 – VICHOT Arthur FRA

BORA-ARGON 18 GER
Managers : POITSCHKE Enrico  SCHULZE Andre
131 – BUCHMANN Emanuel GER
132 – ARCHBOLD Shane NZL
133 – BARTA Jan CZE
134 – BENEDETTI Cesare ITA
135 – BENNETT Sam IRL
136 – HUZARSKI Bartosz POL
137 – KONRAD Patrick AUT
138 – SCHILLINGER Andreas GER
139 – VOSS Paul GER

TEAM KATUSHA RUS
Managers : AZEVEDO José  KONYSHEV Dmitry
141 – RODRIGUEZ Joaquim ESP
142 – GUARNIERI Jacopo ITA
143 – HALLER Marco AUT
144 – KRISTOFF Alexander NOR
145 – LOSADA Alberto ESP
146 – MØRKØV Michael DEN
147 – VAN DEN BROECK Jurgen BEL
148 – VICIOSO Angel ESP
149 – ZAKARIN Ilnur RUS

LAMPRE – MERIDA ITA
Managers : MAUDUIT Philippe  SCIREA Mario
151 – COSTA Rui POR
152 – ARASHIRO Yukiya JPN
153 – BONO Matteo ITA
154 – CIMOLAI Davide ITA
155 – ĐURASEK Kristijan CRO
156 – GRMAY Tsgabu ETH
157 – MEINTJES Louis RSA
158 – PIBERNIK Luka SLO
159 – POLANC Jan SLO

LOTTO SOUDAL BEL
Managers : FRISON Herman  LEYSEN Bart
161 – GREIPEL André GER
162 – BAK Lars Ytting DEN
163 – DE GENDT Thomas BEL
164 – DEBUSSCHERE Jens BEL
165 – GALLOPIN Tony FRA
166 – HANSEN Adam AUS
167 – HENDERSON Gregory NZL
168 – ROELANDTS Jürgen BEL
169 – SIEBERG Marcel GER

DIRECT ENERGIE FRA
Managers : ENGOULVENT Jimmy  LEBRETON Lylian
171 – COQUARD Bryan FRA
172 – CHAVANEL Sylvain FRA
173 – DUCHESNE Antoine CAN
174 – GENE Yohann FRA
175 – JEANDESBOZ Fabrice FRA
176 – PETIT Adrien FRA
177 – SICARD Romain FRA
178 – TULIK Angelo FRA
179 – VOECKLER Thomas FRA

ETIXX-QUICK STEP BEL
Managers : STEELS Tom  BRAMATI Davide
181 – KITTEL Marcel GER
182 – ALAPHILIPPE Julian FRA
183 – KEISSE Iljo BEL
184 – MARTIN Daniel IRL
185 – MARTIN Tony GER
186 – RICHEZE Maximiliano ARG
187 – SABATINI Fabio ITA
188 – VAKOČ Petr CZE
189 – VERMOTE Julien BEL

COFIDIS, SOLUTIONS CREDITS FRA
Managers : ROUS Didier  JONROND Jean-Luc
191 – NAVARRO Daniel ESP
192 – BOŽIČ Borut SLO
193 – COUSIN Jérome FRA
194 – EDET Nicolas FRA
195 – JEANNESSON Arnold FRA
196 – LAPORTE Christophe FRA
197 – LEMOINE Cyril FRA
198 – MATE Luis Angel ESP
199 – SOUPE Geoffrey FRA

ORICA-BikeExchange AUS
Managers : WHITE Matthew  LAPAGE Laurenzo
201 – GERRANS Simon AUS
202 – ALBASINI Michael SUI
203 – DURBRIDGE Luke AUS
204 – HAYMAN Mathew AUS
205 – IMPEY Daryl RSA
206 – JUUL JENSEN Christopher DEN
207 – MATTHEWS Michael AUS
208 – PLAZA Ruben ESP
209 – YATES Adam GBR

FORTUNEO – VITAL CONCEPT FRA
Managers : HINAULT Sébastien  TREHIN Roger
211 – SEPULVEDA Eduardo ARG
212 – BREEN Vegard NOR
213 – DELAPLACE Anthony FRA
214 – FEILLU Brice FRA
215 – FONSECA Armindo FRA
216 – MCLAY Daniel GBR
217 – PERICHON Pierre-Luc FRA
218 – SØRENSEN Chris Anker DEN
219 – VACHON Florian FRA

The Jerseys

There are four jerseys in the race: yellow, green, polka dot and white.

Yellow: the most famous one, the maillot jaune, it is awarded to the rider with the shortest overall time for all the stages added together, the rider who has covered the course faster than anyone else. First awarded in 1919, it is yellow because the race was organised by the newspaper L’Auto which was printed on yellow paper. Today it is sponsored by LCL, a bank. There are time bonuses of 10-6-4 seconds for the finish of each stage except the time trials.

Green: the points jersey, which tends to reward the sprinters. Points are awarded at the finish line and at one intermediate point in the stage and the rider with the most points wears the jersey. It is sponsored by Skoda, a car company

• Flat stages / Coefficient 1: 50-30-20-18-16-14-12-10-8-7-6-5-4-3 and 2 points for the first 15 riders
• Hilly finish-Medium mountain stages / Coefficient 2 and 3: 30-25-22-19-17-15-13-11-9-7-6- 5-4-3-2 points
• Mountain Stages / Coefficient 4 and 5: 20-17-15-13-11- 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 points
• Individual time trial stages / Coefficient 6 : 20-17-15-13-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 points
• Intermediate sprints: 20-17-15-13-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 points
• For more on the stage coefficients, scroll down

Polka dot: also known as the “King of the Mountains” jersey, points are awarded at the top of categorised climbs and mountain passes, with these graded from the easier 4th category to the hors catégorie climbs which are so hard they are off the scale. In reality these gradings are subjective. Again the rider with the most points wears the jersey and the race celebrates the 40th anniversary of the jersey this year. It is sponsored by Carrefour, a supermarket.

• Hors Catégorie passes: 25-20-16-14-12-108-6-4-2 points respectively for first 10 riders to finish
• Category 1 climbs: 10-8-6-4-2-1 points
• Category 2: 5-3-2-1 points respectively
• Category 3: 2-1 points
• Category 4: 1 point
• Points are doubled for the final climb on a stage with a summit finish (Stages 9, 12, 17 and 19).

White: for the best young rider, this is awarded on the same basis as the yellow jersey, except the rider must be born after 1 January 1991, ie aged 25 or under. It is sponsored by Krys, a chain of opticians.

Obviously a rider can’t wear two jerseys at once, they’d get too hot. So if a rider leads several classifications, they take the most prestigious jersey for themselves and the number two ranked rider in the other competition gets to wear the other jersey. For example if a rider has both the yellow jersey and the mountains jersey they’ll wear yellow whilst whoever is second in the mountains jersey will sport the polka dot jersey. If a rider has all the jerseys the priority for the others is green, mountains then white.

There’s also a daily “most combative” prize awarded every day to the rider who has attacked the most or tried the hardest. It is a subjective prize and awarded by a jury and new for 2016 is that one vote on the jury will be via social media. The rider gets to stand on the podium after the stage and wear a red race number the next day. It is sponsored by Antargaz, a bottled gas company.

Stage Coefficients: as mentioned for the points jersey competition each stage is awarded a “coefficient” or rating which has an impact on the points available. These ratings are also used to determine the time cut for riders finishing within a percentage of the stage winner’s time.

The Prizes

The amount has been increased for 2016. Here are the new rates:

• Each day on a normal stage there’s €11,000 for the winner (previously €8,000), €5,500 for second place and a decreasing scale down to a modest €300 for 20th place.
• For the final overall classification in Paris, first place brings in €500,000 (previously €450,000) and the Sèvres porcelain “omnisports trophy”, awarded “in the name of the Presidency of the French Republic“.
• The full breakdown is €500,000 for first place, €200,000 for second place, €100,000 for third place and then €70,000, €50,000, €23,000, €11,500, €7,600, €4,500, €3,800, €3,000, €2,700, €2,500, €2,100, €2,000 €1,500, €1,300, €1,200 and €1,100 for 19th place
• €1000 for 20th-160th overall

There are other pots of money available in the race:

• €500 a day to whoever wears the yellow jersey, €300 for the other jersey holders
• €25,000 for the final winner of the green and polka dot jerseys
• €20,000 for the final winner of the white jersey
• There’s also money for the first three in the intermediate sprint each day: €1,500, €1000 and €500.
• The climbs have cash too with the first three over an HC climb earning €800, €450 and €300 and lesser sums for lesser climbs
• The highest point in the race sees a prize when on Stage 10 the Henri Desgrange prize is awarded at the top of the Port d’Envalira and is worth €5,000 and the highest point in the Pyrenees, the Col du Tourmalet on Stage 8, brings the Jacques Goddet prize and another €5,000. New for 2016 is the Bernard Hinault prize for the fastest up the Domancy segment of the Stage 18 time trial, €5,000 again.
• The “most combative” prize is awarded and worth €2,000 each day, the “Super combative” prize is awarded in Paris and the winner collects €20,000.
• There’s also a team prize with €2,800 awarded each day to the leading team on the overall, as calculated by the best three riders overall and €50,000 for the final winners in Paris. Note the team prize is calculated by adding the time of the best three riders each day rather than the best three on GC. For example if a team has riders A, B and C make the winning break one day then their times for the stage are taken and added together. If riders X, Y and Z on the same team go up the road the next day, their times are taken. So it’s the times of a team’s best three riders each day as opposed to the best three riders overall.
• The total prize pot is €2,295,850. In addition, every team that starts gets paid €51,243 to cover expenses. And should a squad make it to Paris with seven or more riders they stand to collect an additional €1,600 bonus for each rider the have left.

The unmissable stages
This is the Tour de France and there’s always something to watch but there are some stages that matter more than others. If you need to plan ahead and book space in your diary, here are some suggestions for the stages to watch.

• Stage 1 – Saturday 2 July: a sprint royale between all the best sprinters and teams
• Stage 5 – Wednesday 6 July: the first incursion into the mountains
• Stage 9 – Sunday 10 July: the final stage in the Pyrenees with the Andorra summit finish
• Stage 12 – Thursday 14 July: Mont Ventoux
• Stage 15 – Sunday 17 July: the racer’s stage across some hard terrain
• Stage 17 – Wednesday 20 July: a hard summit finish, often awkward after a rest day
• Stage 19 – Friday 22 July: tune in for the action, stay for the scenery
• Stage 20 – Saturday 23 July: the Alpine climax with the Joux Plane and its descent

TV Guide
As a rule there will be live coverage each day from 2.00pm Euro time onwards, with the finish planned each day between 5.00pm and 5.30pm but check the daily previews as the timing looks set to vary a bit more. Six stages will be screened live (1, 9, 15, 19, 20 and 21)

The race will be broadcast on a variety of channels around the world. There is no free stream on the internet but you will find a feast of legitimate feeds from some local broadcasters and failing this links to pirate streams are available from the likes of cyclingfans.com and steephill.tv.

Downloadable Calendar

You can download or subscribe to the iCal file with all 21 stages for your diary with summary info and a star rating to show the best and most important stages: .ics

I’ve produced the calendar but over to you to incorporate it with whatever software you might use. For more IT support, click here. One or two clicks and it’s on your phone / Outlook etc calendar.