Tour de France 2010: The Complete Highlights

Running from Saturday July 3rd to Sunday July 25th 2010, the 97th Tour de France will be made up of 1 prologue and 20 stages and will cover a total distance of 3,600 kilometres.

These stages have the following profiles:

• 1 prologue,

• 9 flat stages,

• 6 mountain stages and 3 summit finishes,

• 4 medium mountain stages,

• 1 individual time-trial stage (51 km).

Distinctive aspects of the race

• le Tourmalet climbed twice,

• a hint of the Classics and cobblestones,

• 2 rest days,

• 23 level 1, level 2 and highest level mountain passes.

11 new stage towns

Arenberg Porte du Hainaut, Bourg-de-P้age, Bourg-l่s-Valence, Gueugnon, Longjumeau, Pamiers, Pauillac, Sisteron, Station des Rousses, Tournus, Wanze (Belgium).

This 3rd stage, Wanze-Arenberg Porte du Hainaut, will include 7 cobbled sectors over a total distance of 13,2 kilometres, divided up as follows:

• 3 sectors over a total distance of 2,2 kilometres in Belgium,

• 4 sectors over a total distance of 11 kilometres in France.

The last five times that cobbled sectors were included on the Tour programme, the total number of kilometres was as follows: 1982: 16,9 km - 1983: 28,4 km - 1985: 10,5 km - 1989: 8,5 km - 2004: 3,9 km.

The Tour Summits

The 2010 Tour de France will include a total of 23 mountain passes or summit finishes classified level one, level two and highest level.

They are divided up as follows:

• 1 in the Jura

• 8 in the Alps

• 2 in the C้vennes

• 12 in the Pyrenees