The Short Break Road Cycling Holiday Specialist

Updated 1/10/19 – Now that the official launch of the route for the Tour de France 2020 is drawing near, the route rumours are steadily ramping up in the French media!

We’re keeping track of these rumours and updating this post regularly whenever we have anything new to report with regards to the Tour de France 2020, right up until the ASO launch on Tuesday 15th October in Paris, so do keep checking back.

You can find the latest rumours highlighted in red below.

Tour Organiser Christian Prudhomme has already said the parcours won’t be reaching such high altitudes as it did in 2019, which was a special edition for the 100th anniversary of the yellow jersey.

This makes us think that the Tour de France route for 2020 has been designed with a French winner in mind yet again, given it will be 35 years since Frenchman Bernard Hinault took home that prestigious jersey.

Julian Alaphilippe set French hearts (and many others) alight in the summer of 2019, and they will be hoping he can complete the job next year, although he has said he won’t be targetting the GC in 2020. Mind you, he said that this year as well and we all know what happened then.

The other key French hopeful is Thibaut Pinot, who showed fantastic form this summer, and many believed he could have gone all the way to the Champs Elysées this year had he not tragically had to abandon on stage 19 due to a thigh injury.

So look out for Tour de France 2020 route that will feature plenty of stages that suit punchy, attacking riders like these, no doubt with at least 1 very short stage of around 60-70km to create some real excitement in the GC.

Many people are hoping for a return to the iconic Mont Ventoux or Alpe d’Huez, given this year we missed some of the more infamous climbs and it’s a few years now since those spectacular images of Chris Froome running up the Giant of Provence, but there doesn’t seem to be anything to suggest either will feature just yet.

Dates: Saturday 27th June – Sunday 19th July 2020 (1 week earlier than usual so as not to clash with the Tokyo Olympic Games)

Grand Depart: Starting in Nice on the stunning Côte d’Azur, in the south of France

Stage 21: ??? – Paris, Champs Elysées

Exact details of the remaining stages won’t be revealed until the official presentation on Tuesday 15th October.

However various local and national French newspapers and several blog sites have been fuelling a number of different rumours.

Many seem to suggest that after the Grand Depart in Nice and a couple of days in Provence, the route will then veer anti-clockwise towards the west coast maritime regions, then down through the infamous wine region of Bordeaux, to Tour favourite Pau and the Pyrenées, then back across the country through the Corrèze, the Cantal and the Ardeche towards the Alps, via Lyon or Grenoble.

• Stage 3 – UPDATED – a foray into the gorgeous lavender region of Provence is looking more and more likely, with the Citadelle of Sisteron being named as a favourite for the stage finish, perhaps with the stage start still in the Nice region.
• Stage 4 – UPDATED – Sisteron – Orcières-Merlettes 1850
• Stage 5 – UPDATED – Gap – Privas, also with rumours of a possible time trial in/near Gap
• Stage 6 – ?? to Mont-Aigoual in the Gard region, around 1500m
• Stage 7 – UPDATED – Millau to ??
• Stage 8 – UPDATED –  Pyrenées perhaps? Rumours suggest Cazères to Loudenvielle
• Stage 9 – ?? Bordeaux perhaps?
• Rest day 1 – La Rochelle in the Poitou-Charentes region?
• Stage 10 – Ile d’Oléron to Ile de Ré
• Stage 11 – La Rochelle to Poitiers
• Stage 12 – Start in Chauvigny to ??
• Stage 13 – ??
• Stage 14 – UPDATED – Clermont Ferrand to Lyon
• Stage 15 – ??
• Rest day 2 – ??
• Stage 16 – UPDATED – The Alps – rumours suggest the Tarentaise, perhaps Brides-les-Bains, Méribel and Corchevel
• Stage 17 – ??
• Stage 18 – ??
• Stage 19 – ??
• Stage 20 – UPDATED – return to Planche des Belles Filles? Possibly a time trial?
• Stage 21 – ?? to Paris, Champs Elysées

The city of Clermont Ferrand in the Massif Central seems to be a popular bet for a stage start, with a much touted finish atop Puy Mary in the Cantal region.

Some are also suggesting the route may go to Ile de Noirmoutier on the north west coast up from La Rochelle and even as far north as the Mur de Bretagne in Brittany, so these stages would probably come before a trip to Clermont Ferrand – it would certainly make more sense if then heading over to the Alps. Bourges has also been mentioned on a few sites as well.

So we could be looking at a stage from Chauvigny to Noirmoutier (though that would be very long!), followed by a jaunt up into Brittany, then back down through the country via Bourges, Clermont Ferrand and Privas in the Ardeche, eventually ending up with 3 exciting stages in the Alps, which will determine the eventual winner.

UPDATED Whereas more recent rumours suggest that the Alps will feature earlier in week 3, heading further back up north for the penultimate stages. French media went crazy last week over reports of a return to Planche des Belles Filles, with some press even mentioning a possible ITT finishing atop this iconic climb that played such a pivotal role in the 2019 Tour de France.

UPDATED What about a brief foray into Switzerland, with Lausanne and Crans Montana both being banded about.

This will all become clearer over the coming weeks as we draw closer to the big reveal, as more Mayors let their long-held secrets slip, people discover which towns have all of their accommodations booked and the gaps start to be filled in.

In the meantime though, we’re eagerly awaiting the route through the Alps with it being our own play ground, and we’ll hopefully have something up our sleeves that will enable you to come and join us for another Tour de France Watch and Ride road cycling break, where you’ll get to watch a stage of the Tour live and then ride some of the infamous Tour de France cols for yourself!

So watch this space, and we’ll keep this post updated.

(First published 10th September, last updated 1st October 2019)

With credits to VeloWire.com, France3, FranceBleu.fr, LeDauphine.com and various local French (and Swiss) publications

In less than 2 weeks the official route will be unveiled in Paris for the Tour de France 2019 – but the rumours and details are starting to become more confirmed and certain dates look “certain” to appear.

The local and regional press such as the Dauphine are starting to provide far more details – although much remains speculation and the mayors are always careful with their quotes not to give the game away!

Below is the latest recap we have pulled together of the expected route and stages for the 2019 Tour de France.

Sat 6th July – The opening stage of the Tour de France 2019 – is from Brussels to Charleroi and back.
This will be a stage of 192km and will feature some cobbles!

Sun 7th July – This stage will be a Team Time Trial over 28km from Brussels city centre to the Atomium – the impresive 6-balls sculpture for the Grand Exhibition in 1958.

Mon 8th July – an arrival in Reims has been talked about for this stage.

Tue 9th July – the tour stays in the North East of France on mainly flat ground and a finish is expected in Nancy for this day.

Wed 10th July – from Nancy the Tour is expected to be making for the Vosges mountains and a route around the hills, before finishing somewhere around Colmar?

Thursday 11th July – fairly good authority that there will be a finish at La Planche des Belles Filles, in the Vosges. With apparently a section which is just 100m from the finish line with a gradient of something like 24% – so an exciting stage in the mountains of the Vosges.

Friday 12th July – a stage from the Vosges (Luxeuil les Bains) heading to Chalon sur Saone.

Saturday 13th July – not sure where from but the arrival of this stage will apparently be in Saint Etienne – with a departure from there on the next day the “fete nationale”

Sunday 14th July – depart from the prefecture in Saint Etienne with a course possibly heading out across to Brioude which is where Romain Bardet was born!

Mon 15th  July – normally the first rest day, but it could actually be on the Tuesday with a stage on Monday?

Tuesday 16th July – (assuming rest day on Monday) would be Saint Flour to Albi – crossing through the Aveyron

Wed 17th July – Albi to Toulouse

Thur 18th July – stage from Toulouse and heading for the Pyrenees with a summit finish on Tourmalet.

Fri 19th July – another Pyrenees stage, and possibly a time trial in and around Pau?

Sat 20th July – another Pyrenees stage and a finish in the hills above and near to the town of Foix

Sun 21st July – would appear that Limoux is going to be a depart town and this would fit for Sunday as the Tour de France 2019 head up and across towards the Alps and Provence. Destination is to be Nimes – which looks like featuring prominently within the 2019 event.

Mon 22nd July – second rest day in and around Nimes

Tue 23rd July – talk of a Nimes to Nimes stage and even a bit of speculation that they may ride their bikes in and around the Romain Arena? Gladiator stylee!

Wed 24th July – departing from the Roman Pont du Gard and heading for the Alps – with an arrival into Gap.

Thu 25th July – Nearby Embrun is touted as the departure point, before a stage in Savoie which will finish in Valloire.  This resort is at the top of the Col de Telegraph and the foot of the Galibier, so interesting to see whether the finish is a descent or a climb!

Fri 26th July – A depart in the Maurienne valley and a stage finishing perhaps in the ski report of Tignes.

Sat 27th July  – another finish with a big mountain stage into a ski resort – which is to be from Albertville to Val Thorens and a summit finish in the highest ski village in the Alps of Val Thorens – located at 2 340 metres of altitude and a climb which is in the region of 36 kilometres.

To Note – this stage also has some speculation as being the Etape de Tour 2019 stage, although the single road up and down would in our opinion make the logistics of getting in and out a bit tricky!

Sun 28th July – finish in Paris on the Champs d’Elysee.

Now that the Tour de France is over for another year, people are already speculating about the Tour de France 2018 route, and rumours abound. We’re keeping track of these rumours and updating this post regularly, whenever we have anything new to report, so do keep checking back.

Update 9th October 2017 – Annecy to Grand Bo with gravel track, and Alpe d’Huez 2 days later

As you can imagine this close to the release of the official Tour de France 2018 route, rumours are flying. Today’s intel come from newspaper Le Dauphiné, which seems to confirm that stage 10 will in fact start in Annecy (after the first rest day in Annecy) and end in Le Grand Bornand as we suspected, but it will also include a 1.8km stretch of gravel track over the Plateau des Glières. Given this could also potentially the stage to be used in the Etape du Tour, that should be very interesting indeed.

Stage 11 is reported to be from Albertville to ski station La Rosière, in the Savoie region – this may also potentially be the stage used by the Etape too. Stage 12 is will then deliver a much anticipated finish up Alpe d’Huez, having started in Bourg-St-Maurice. Le Dauphiné suggested that might take in the Cormet-de-Roseland, another favourite ride of ours here at Bike Weekender – though we’re trying to figure out how that might work. Either way, we could be having 3 exciting days of action in the Alps by the looks of things.

We’re going to be releasing our short break plans for these events after the official launch next week, so watch this space!! Depending on a few details, an epic Tour de France extravaganza may be in the pipeline – we’ll know for sure after the launch next Tuesday – but you might want to consider pencilling out that whole week…

29th September 2017 – Tour Stage finish in Grand Bornand

We have had it on fairly strong authority that the Tour de France stage on Tuesday 17th July will finish in Le Grand Bornand – and the route will take in Col de Romme and Col de la Colombiere before descending into Grand Bo for the finish line.

Not sure yet if they are coming from Annecy – which has been rumoured as the route of the Etape du Tour as well!

Otherwise – we have heard that Annecy will feature for a couple of days (so possibly another time trial?)

Very exciting news that we could have up to 3 days of Tour de France 2018 action very close to our home base!

This route map has been found on the Internet and looks good, but caution – there are often a few versions circulating, so may not be the definitive route.

26th September 2017 – cobbles or gravel, and official route release date

First the rumours mentioned various gravel track stages, including some used in the Tro-Bro Léon, which excited a lot of fans. However, more recent rumours seem to suggest a cobbled stage used in the Paris-Roubaix might be used instead, in which case the gravel might be relegated to another year. Or maybe they’ll trial a gravel stage at the Dauphinè first, before subjecting the Tour peloton to them.

Could we be in for another Individual Time Trial (ITT) on the penultimate stage before Paris? Again this could be a deciding factor as to who takes home the yellow jersey on the Champs Elysèes the nexy day and will be sure to keep riders and fans on their toes right to the end, just like at this year’s Vuelta. If the leader at that point has less than a minute’s lead, they will be feeling very uncomfortable about keeping the maillot jaune – unless it’s Chris Froome or Tom Dumoulin, who might feel slightly more confident. The Gironde is the rumoured location, before a final transfer to the capital.

With regards to the official launch of the 2018 Tour de France Route, that will be in Paris on Tuesday October 17th, so not long to wait. We’re feeling very excited here at Bike Weekender HQ, you’ll find out why for yourselves on the 17th!

8th August 2017 – Northern Alps middle of the 2nd week

• We have heard more evidence that the Tour will be in the Northern Alps (the Aravis??) during the middle of the second week…Hoping to find further details of the routes and towns soon. That would be brilliant news for us, given that’s our home territory here in St Jean de Sixt. Watch this space and remember, you heard it here first!

31st July 2017 – stages 4-7 leaked by Enedis, and even more gravel roads

• • It is reported that yesterday the French electricity company ‘Enedis’ – partner and official sponsor of the Tour de France –  tweeted a Tour de France 2018 route map showing stages 1-7 throughout Brittany, which included stage 4 – La Baule – Sarzeau, stage 5 – Lorient – Plouhinec, stage 6 – La Pont du Raz – Brasparts, stage 7 – Carmaix – St. Malo. They hastily deleted the tweet soon after. Fake rumour or truth? I guess we’ll find out in October – possibly the 17th.
  • In addition to the dirt roads used in the Tro-Bro Léon, Thierry Gouvenou, the Tour’s route planner recently tweeted from a dirt road near Mont Lozère in the Cévennes mountains with the caption “under the spell of this mountain road… pleasures of the recon” – so maybe there will be two sets of dirt roads in next year’s Tour. However, Gouvenou is also the route planner for the Dauphiné, though that is often used to test run stages ahead of the Tour, so if not in 2018, it may well appear at some point in the future.

The fact that this year’s parcours definitely seemed to have been designed to upset the apple cart (otherwise known as the Sky train and now 4x Tour winner Chris Froome), and perhaps play more in the hands of French hope, Romain Bardet and other punchier riders, folks will be eagerly awaiting to see what event organiser Amaury Sports Organisation (ASO) will do next.

Dates: Saturday 7th – Sunday 29th July 2018 (1 week later than originally planned due to the FIFA World Cup – the official map still shows the old dates)

Team Size: – Teams will be reduced to 8 riders instead of the usual 9. This could have a major impact on the race next year, as well as the type of parcours chosen.

Grand Depart: Returning to La Vendée region, particularly the Pays de la Loire for all 3 opening stages – one of the heartlands of French cycling.

Stage 1: Noirmoutier-en-Île – Fontenay-le-Comte (195km). This stage entirely follows the west coast, so cross winds could definitely be a factor in this first stage, especially at ‘Marais Poitevin’. It looks totally flat, so a rare chance for a sprinter to get into the yellow jersey on day one.

Stage 2: Mouilleron-Saint Germain – La Roche-sur-Yon (185km) – slightly lumpy so could be a good one for the breakaway, but it’s unlikely teams with sprinters will want to allow that to happen.

Stage 3: Cholet – Cholet (35km) – after being absent in 2017, the Team Time Trial (TTT) is back! It’s a city centre route, with a tough 800m climb at the finish. The first opportunity for GC teams to see how everyone is doing and perhaps to see some time gaps in the first week.

Stage 4: La Baule – ??? – it is assumed the race will veer north west at this point, into Brittany, one of the other ‘homes’ of French cycling.

Stage 21: ??? – Paris, Champs Elysées

Exact details of the remaining stages won’t be revealed until the official presentation in October. However newspaper Ouest-France, covering the west of the country seems to have some insider info and have suggested the route might continue to La Baule – Sarzeau, Lorient – Pointe du Raz, and Brest – Guerlédan for stages 4-6.

Could we be seeing an ascent of the infamous Mûr-de-Bretagne on stage 6? Also rumours suggest the Tour might be using some of the dirt roads used in the Tro-Bro Léon – “l’Enfer de l’Ouest” or “Hell of the West”.

This all seems to be on fairly good authority, because the Mayor of Sarzeau is none other than David Lappartient, the President of the French Cycling Federation, and possible contender for the UCI President’s throne.

• • An Individual Time Trial (ITT) up Alpe d’Huez, possibly on the 14th July (Bastille Day) (now THAT would be interesting!!). So if the race only starts on the 7th, that would mean a very early trip to the Alps for the following weekend;
  • Apparently hotels are booked up in Dreux/Chartres for Friday 13th July, the eve of Bastille Day. So that would mean Sat-Mon – the Vendee, Tues-Thur – Brittany, Dreaux on Friday, then potentially across to the Alps for the big day up Alpe d’Huez on the Saturday. Not totally implausible if they were to fly down, but big transfers often tend to happen before rest days rather than in between major stages. This would give us week 2 in the Alps, with week 3 most likely finishing up in the Pyrenées; NEW! – the 2nd week in the Alps is looking pretty certain now!
  • The possibility of the Etape du Tour taking place up Semnoz, behind Lake Annecy, which would mean a stage there again in the Tour de France 2018, possibly including the Aravis region once more – maybe even a stage finish in Le Grand Bornand. This would mean fantastic news for us and our guests as it might pass right by our door again. We’re keeping our fingers crossed! NEW! – this is also looking to be a very strong probability!

  So that’s all for now, but we’ll be keeping an eye on all of the latest news and will keep this post updated.

  In the meantime, if that has sparked your interest, why not check out our recent post about designing your own Fantasy Tour de France Route, featuring your favourite 9 cols. You can read some of our team’s selections there too.

  If you’re interested in joining us to watch a stage or two of the Tour de France 2018, we are organising a special 4-day Tour de France Weekend Package, where you’ll also get to ride some of the cols previously used in the Tour. You can find out more here >>>