Tour de France 2019 - winner
The 106th Tour de France starts on Saturday 6th July and finishes on 28th July. This year, the race begins in Brussels and will end with the traditional final stage in Paris at the Champs-Élysées. The Tour de France is regarded as the biggest professional cycling event in the world, and the pinnacle of the UCI World Tour.
The current title holder is Geraint Thomas (Team INEOS), who won the race for the first time. He held off the challenge of Tom Dumoulin (Team Sunweb) and teammate Chris Froome (Team INEOS) to take the title.
The 2019 stages:
Stage 1: Brussels – Brussels, 192 km
Stage 2: Brussels Palais Royal – Brussels Atomium, 27 km (TTT)
Stage 3: Binche – Épernay, 214 km
Stage 4: Reims – Nancy, 215 km
Stage 5: Saint-Dié-des-Vosges – Colmar, 169 km
Stage 6: Mulhouse – La Planche des Belles Filles, 157 km
Stage 7: Belfort –Chalon-sur-Saône, 230 km
Stage 8: Mâcon – Saint-Étienne, 199 km
Stage 9: Saint-Étienne – Brioude, 170 km
Stage 10: Saint-Flour – Albi, 218 km
Rest day
Stage 11: Albi – Toulouse, 167 km
Stage 12: Toulouse – Bagnères-de-Bigorre, 202 km
Stage 13: Pau – Pau, 27 km (ITT)
Stage 14: Tarbes – Tourmalet, 117 km
Stage 15: Limoux – Foix, 185 km
Rest Day
Stage 16: Nîmes – Nîmes, 177 km
Stage 17: Pont du Gard – Gap, 206 km
Stage 18: Embrun – Valloire, 207 km
Stage 19: Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne – Tignes, 123 km
Stage 20: Albertville – Val Thorens, 131 km
Stage 21: Rambouillet – Paris (Champs-Élysées), 127 km
Overall, there will be two rest days, one individual time trial, and a team time trial.
Starting on the Grote Markt in Brussels, the route is made for the climbers and includes plenty of summit finishes at the La Planche des Belles Filles, Tourmalet and the Prat d'Albis. After leaving Brussels, the route heads towards Champagne in the north of France. The sixth stage concludes with a tough summit finish at La Planche des Belles Filles. The first section of the race finishes in Albi before the first rest day.
The second section of the race takes the peloton into the Pyrenees. Stage 11 includes some punchy climbs before a likely sprint finish in Toulouse, while stage 13 is a rolling individual time trial in Pau. The final two days in the Pyrenees will be vital in the overall standings - stage 14 features a summit finish at the Col du Tourmalet and stage 15 includes the mountains above Foix.
After the second rest day, stages 16 and 17 take the riders into the Alps, before a punchy stage 18 which includes climbs up the Col de Vars, Col d’Izoard and Col du Galibier before a descent to the line in Valloire. Stage 19 features an uphill finish in the ski resort of Tignes, while stage 20 is set to be the key stage, featuring 4,450 metres of vertical climbing. The Tour de France 2019 concludes on the Champs-Élysées in Paris.
The 2019 race favourites
Geraint Thomas is the big favourite to win the Tour de France for the second year running, especially with previous multiple winner Chris Froome withdrawing from the race following his recent training crash. Thomas will now enter the race as the sole lead rider for Team INEOS.
His main competition comes from Tom Dumoulin, who pushed Thomas hard last year, Nairo Quintana (Team Movistar), who disappointedly finished in 10th place overall last year, Primoz Roglic (Team Jumbo-Visma), who finished fourth last year but recently came third in the Giro d’Italia, and Steven Kruijswijk (Team Jumbo-Visma), who came fifth last year.
Elsewhere, riders Thibaut Pinot (Team Groupama - FDJ), Julian Alaphilippe (Team Deceuninck - Quick Step) and Romain Bardet (Team AG2R La Mondiale) will fly the French flag. Bardet finished sixth overall last year, Alaphilippe is the current holder of the King of the Mountains jersey and the Tour of Britain, while Pinot recently won the Tour de l'Ain.
Mikel Landa (Team Movistar), World Champion Alejandro Valverde (Team Movistar), Jakob Fuglsang (Astana Pro Team), Egan Bernal (Team INEOS), Dan Martin (UAE-Team Emirates), 2014 winner Vincenzo Nibali (Team Bahrain Merida) and Michał Kwiatkowski (Team INEOS) are all dangerous on their day and will be looking to challenge the main favourites.