Tour de France 2013: Dates, Route Info and Stage-by-Stage Preview

While the annual Tour de France is one of the world’s most-viewed sporting events, this year’s edition of the cycling race is setting up to be the most anticipated international battle of the 2013 calendar year.

The race starts in the beautiful city of Porto-Vecchio in Corsica and runs for 23 days with 21 stages and two off days. Along with the two rest periods, the course is made up of seven flat stages, five hill stages, six mountain stages with four summit finishes, two individual time-trial stages and one team time-trial stage.

The entire race finishes in Paris on July 21 at night for the first time in history, as the final stage is expected to close around 9:45 p.m. local time. This will see the field racing through one of the world’s most beautiful cities and its landmarks at dusk and under the lights of the city.

Add the fact that this is the 100th edition of the prestigious race, and this is an event no sports fan will want to miss.

Where: Starts in Porto-Vecchio and ends at Champs-Elysees in Paris

When: Saturday, June 29 through Sunday, July 21

Watch: NBC, NBC Sports Network

Live Stream: NBC LiveExtra

For more, visit NBC Sports.

2013 Tour de France Route

Stage-By-Stage Preview

Stage	Date	Course	Distance	Type	Channel
1	June 29	Porto-Vecchio – Bastia	132 miles	Flat stage	NBC Sports Network
2	June 30	Bastia – Ajaccio	97 miles	Medium-mountain stage	NBC Sports Network
3	July 1	Ajaccio – Calvi	90 miles	Medium-mountain stage	NBC Sports Network
4	July 2	Nice – Nice	16 miles	Team time trial	NBC Sports Network
5	July 3	Cagnes-sur-Mer – Marseille	142 miles	Flat stage	NBC Sports Network
6	July 4	Aix-en-Provence – Montpellier	110 miles	Flat stage	NBC Sports Network
7	July 5	Montpellier – Albi	128 miles	Medium-mountain stage	NBC
8	July 6	Castres – Ax 3 Domaines	121 miles	Mountain stage	NBC
9	July 7	Saint-Girons – Bagnères-de-Bigorre	105 miles	Mountain stage	NBC Sports Network
	July 8	Rest day
10	July 9	Saint-Gildas-des-Bois – Saint-Malo	122 miles	Flat stage	NBC Sports Network
11	July 10	Avranches – Mont Saint-Michel	21 miles	Individual time trial	NBC Sports Network
12	July 11	Fougères – Tours	135 miles	Flat stage	NBC Sports Network
13	July 12	Tours – Saint-Amand-Montrond	107 miles	Flat stage	NBC Sports Network
14	July 13	Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule – Lyon	119 miles	Medium-mountain stage	NBC Sports Network
15	July 14	Givors – Mont Ventoux	151 miles	Mountain stage	NBC Sports Network
	July 15	Rest day
16	July 16	Vaison-la-Romaine – Gap	104 miles	Medium-mountain stage	NBC Sports Network
17	July 17	Embrun – Chorges	20 miles	Individual time trial	NBC Sports Network
18	July 18	Gap – Alpe d'Huez	107 miles	Mountain stage	NBC Sports Network
19	July 19	Le Bourg-d'Oisans – Le Grand-Bornand	127 miles	Mountain stage	NBC Sports Network
20	July 20	Annecy – Mont Semnoz	78 miles	Mountain stage	NBC Sports Network
21	July 21	Versailles – Paris	83 miles	Flat stage	NBC Sports Network

Predictions

Biggest Winner of the Tour de France: Team Sky’s Chris Froome

The news that 2012 Tour de France champion Bradley Wiggins would not be defending his title was devastating to Team Sky, but with some of the best talent in the entire field, look for last year’s second-place finisher Chris Froome to take the lead of the dangerous group.

Froome is one of the best climbers in the field, but it’s his speed on the flat stages and the time trials that will help the talented British star earn the yellow jersey.

He is the winner of four out of five events coming into the Tour de France (Tour of Oman, Criterium International, Tour de Romandie and Criterium du Dauphine). While there are certainly several serious contenders to take the title from Froome and Team Sky, there is little doubt who should be the 2013 favorite.

Final Prediction: Froome finishes as the overall Tour de France winner.

Biggest Loser of the Tour de France: BMC Racing Team’s Cadel Evans

At 36 years old, Australian cycling star Cadel Evans is trying to prove he can still dominate the sport, but faltering skills and an incredibly deep field for the 2013 race will doom his chances of taking home another Tour de France title.

Evans won the annual event in 2011 but finished in seventh place last year and was never a major threat to steal the victory. While the tour veteran finished third at the Giro D'Italia coming into this event, he would have dominated that race in years past.

There is no doubt Evans will still dominate the uphill stages with his extensive history in mountain biking, but on the flat stages and the small-hill stages, the younger racers will be able to pull away from the aging veteran.

Final Prediction: Evans will finish 13th.

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