The 99th Tour de France runs from Saturday June 30th to Sunday July 22th 2012. This year’s tour de France will be made up of one prologue and 20 stages and will cover a total distance of 3,479 kilometres.
Riders in 2012 will face the following profiles: flat stages, four medium mountain stages one with a summit finish, five mountain stages two with a summit finish, two individual time-trial stages, one prologue and two rest days.
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pierregesink
Roar Rookie
thanks for the comments it was my first artical
DanMan
Guest
I meant that they are all very hard, albeit for different reasons. Angliru for extreme steepness, Zoncolan for unrelenting gradients and Ventoux for the exposure to wind, heat etc.
Maria Szczerba
Guest
I am so looking forward to this also and seeing the mountain stages also! and those sprinters as well i the final stages of the tour! The late nights are all worth it and seeing what Mike and the others say also! Get the tips right so cant wait for this year's!
Tinea Pedis
Roar Guru
Not sure you can compare Angliru and Zoncolan with Ventoux - totally different really. Galibier and Ventoux, a lot closer. Mortirolo though certainly looked up there with the two aforementioned, what a brute!
HardcorePrawn
Guest
A really good preview this, I'm already looking forward to the late nights with Mike Tomalaris and the rest.
DanMan
Guest
"That" mountain would be the Angliru. Cobo chose the right gear - the rest crawled up while he was spinning freely. Anyone who has seen the severity of that climb would know that it is the hardest climb in pro cycling alongside the Zoncolan and Mont Ventoux. Certainly the highest gradient (the average is 13% I think but the second half regulary goes above 20%) where as the Zoncolan is always around 15%. Mont Ventoux has a much easier gradient, only nudging 12% here and there but the wind and heat is the problem. There is some youtube footage of Contador tackling the Angliru in 2008 - must see.
Marcel Proust
Guest
"a great year of racing already............." You should be careful, Steven. In cycling these days, you're only meant to watch the Tour de France. All the other races are irrelevant nowadays. It's a one-race sport. Sad, but true. As for the Olympics................who cares ?????
Steven
Guest
It's been a great year of racing already and we have the added bonus of the Olympics this year, but it is le Tour that I am most looking forward to. I can't wait.
Darryl Kotyk
Roar Pro
There is so much talk about this year's TdF being so different and how it could create some totally different results. I guess we'll find out soon....it's coming quickly.