For the first time in five years, the entire Tour de France will take place in France next year, with the ‘Grand Depart’ in the French city of Lille, near the Belgian border on July 5th. And, after a year of bypassing Paris this year because of the Olympic, it will return to its traditional finale on the Champs-Elysées on July 27.
The past three starts have been in Copenhagen, Bilbao and Florence; the two years before that saw a French start but with part of the race outside the country. The race has 21 stages, including time trials, sprints, mountain cycling and more.
Among the locations for different stages are several with World War II connections in the 80th anniversary of the war’s end. Caen, Dunkirk and Boulogne are on the list, along with Saint Malo.
