The 2020 Tour de France will be the 107th edition of race, with a Grand Depart from the blue sea of the Mediterranean at Nice on the Cote d'Azur.
- Finding accommodation
- Finding bike hire
- Tour de France road closure information
- Advice for watching the TDF in person
- Advice for watching the TDF in Paris
- Beginner's guide to the Tour de France
- Riding Etape du Tour
- Official Tour de France Race Guide for 2020
The full route of the 2020 Tour de France was be announced on October 15, 2019 and the overviewof the route is shown below:
Oene thing to remember for this edition is that the race will start a week earlier than usual due to the Summer Olympic Games.
The Grand Depart will see two stages based around Nice, capital of the Provence-Cote d'Azur region on the Mediterranean coast. The terrain around Nice is incredibly varied – expect some stiff climbs, flat sections and scenic coastal roads.
Specific info on each stage and more detailed maps are usually published each May in the official race program. We'll post links to it when it's released. We have this page for Tour de France road closure information, which we also update as information comes to hand (usually not from around May onwards).
Stage 1: Saturday, June 27, Nice Moyen Pays to Nice - 170km
The first stage is interesting because unlike most sprint stages (other than Paris), it offers more than one chance to see the riders whiz by. Here, riders will do two loops of the southern section through the city. This is not a flat stage by any means, but it should still see a sprinter take the first yellow jersey.
Stage 2: Sunday, June 28, Nice Haut Pays to Nice - 190km
If a sprinter does take the yellow jersey on the first stage, then it may not be on his shoulders for very long. The second stage contains three cols, two of which are above 1500m,with a total of over 4000m of climbing. Again, this is a showcase stage for Nice and will allow spectators to easily catch a second stage without moving very far.
Stage 3: Monday, June 29, Nice to Sisteron
Stage 4: Tuesday, June 30, Sisteron to Orcières-Merlette
Stage 5: Wednesday, July 1, Gap to Privas
Stage 6: Thursday, July 2, Le Teil to Mont Aigoual
Stage 7: Friday, July 3, Millau to Lavaur
Stage 8: Saturday, July 4, Cazeras to Loudenvielle
Stage 9: Sunday, July 5, Pau to Laruns
Rest day: Monday, July 6, La Charente-Maritime
The Charente-Maritime department will host two stages plus a rest day, making this an ideal place to grab some rest and relaxation (and to indulge in the region's famous oysters and coastal resorts). This section of the Tour is being marketed locally as 'The Maritime Escape'.
Stage 10: Tuesday, July 7, Île-de-Oléron to Île-de-Ré
Here is the informaton poster available locally at the moment for stages 10 and 11.
Stage 11: Wednesday, July 8, Châtelaillon-Plage to Poitiers
The Tour heads inland through the marshlands of the old Poitou-Charentes region (now absorbed into the larger Nouvelle-Aquitaine). This should be another stage for the sprinters in Poitiers – the last 1.5km should be familiar to Arnaud Démare, who won the French title here in 2014.
Stage 12: Thursday, July 9, Chauvigny to Sarran
Stage 13: Friday, July 10, Châtel-Guyon to Puy Mary
Stage 14: Saturday, July 11, Clermont Ferrand to Lyon
Stage 14 leaves Clermont-Ferrand and goes via the Monts du Forez and Col du Béal (at the start end) and comes in via the Côte de la Duchère (about 15km from Lyon). Closer to Lyon it includes the Montée de l’Observance and the Côte de la Croix-Rousse (5km from Lyon). These late cols would be good places to be if you are staying at the Lyon end. It finishes in the Lyon city centre.
Stage 15: Sunday, July 12, Lyon to Grand Colombier
Stage 15 has a focus on the Jura Mountains. It's a 175-km stage that starts in Lyon and finishes on the Grand Colombier after already climbing the same mountain twice earlier in the stage from different sides: via the Montée de la Selle de Fromentel, via the Col de la Biche and then finally up from Culoz. They will deserve a rest day after that.
Rest day: Monday, July 13, Isère
Stage 16: Tuesday, July 14, La Tour de Pin to Villard de Lans
Stage 17: Wednesday, July 15, Grenoble to Méribel
Stage 18: Thursday, July 16, Méribel to La Roche sur Foron
Stage 19: Friday, July 17, Bourg en Bresse to Champagnole
Stage 20: Saturday, July 18, Lure to Les Planches des Belles Filles
Stage 21: Sunday, July 19, Mantes Les Jolie to Paris Champs Élysées
Bike hire for watching the Tour de France
A reminder that if you need bike hire during the Tour de France you should book early. It ALWAYS sells out and it can be very hard to find quality carbon road bikes closer to the time. More info here.
2020 Tour de France Race Guide
This collates all stage maps and race times into one booklet. It's not released until a few months before the tour – we will post info on this page when it becomes available.
