Jake Latham
We are only hours away from confirming the route for Le Tour de France in 2016 as race organiser’s ASO reveal in Paris what the 103rd instalment of the oldest Grand Tour has in store for the world’s best riders.
Rumours have been shared about where the race will go this year, will the Tour make a visit to the 21.8km Mont Ventoux climb where in 2013 Chris Froome (Team Sky) edged out Nairo Quintana (Movistar Team) by 29 seconds and solidified Froome’s overall win in the Tour that year?
Thus far, the only information that has been confirmed is where the Tour de France will start.
The first two stages will start and finish in Normandy, with 188km from Le Mont-Saint-Michel to Utah Beach on July 2 and the second stage is 182km from Cherbourg to Octeville on the 3rd.
The 3rd stage will begin in Granville with the rest of the tour still to be confirmed.
The Giro de Italia route that was announced October 5 has a range of stages from climbing high into the mountains, sprinting along some very flat stages and three time-trial stages set for 2016, with Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) setting his sights on the Giro.
The other big names such as Froome, Quintana and Contador have their eyes on the Tour.
The route will be presented 11am Paris local time.
