Tour de France stage previews

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Procycling magazine July 2015(Image credit: Procycling)

The biggest event on the cycling calendar is drawing ever nearer. The traditional preparation races – the 🧸Critérium du Dauphiné, Tour de Suisse and others – are all done ༺and dusted and we have now well and truly entered countdown territory.

This year’s route has the potential to produce one of the most varied and gripping Tours in recent years. The first week might look fairly flat at a glance but in reality is anything but straight forward. Crosswinds on the Dutch coast and exposed roads of northern France, leg-sapping finishes atop the Mur de Huy and the Mûr de Bretagne, and cobbles that formed part of this year’s Paris-Roubaix are all ingredients in a recipe for carnage. Add in the hilly 28km team time trial on stage 9 and it’s clear the general classification men will have a battle on their hands before they can even think ♏about the mountains and the five hefty summit finishes that await in the latter half of the race.