The 2012 Tour de France starts in Liè
ge, Belgium, on Saturday June 30 and concludes three weeks later in Paris on Sunday, July 22 2012.
The Belgian city of Liège will kick off the 2012 Tour, having previously hosted the race's Grand Depart in 2004 with a 6.1km prologue time trial won by Fabian Cancellara.
The race then heads due west into France hitting the first real hills of the race in Monts du Boulonnais on the way to Boulogne-sur-Mer before winding its way south to the Alps and a short excursion into Switzerland.
Then it's across to the Pyrenees for what will be two key high mountains stages before a long transfer north for a decisive time trial stage and last day procession into Paris.
There's a total of 96.1km of individual time trialling, four medium mountain stages, five high mountain stages and nine flat stages over the 3,479km route.
| Stage | Date | From | To | Length | Type |
| Prologue | Saturday June 30 | Liège | Liège | 6.1km | ITT |
| Stage 1 | Sunday July 1 | Liège | Seraing | 198km | Flat |
| Stage 2 | Monday July 2 | Visé | Tournai | 207km | Flat |
| Stage 3 | Tuesday July 3 | Orchies | Boulogne-sur-Mer | 197km | Med mtn |
| Stage 4 | Wednesday July 4 | Abbeville | Rouen | 214km | Flat |
| Stage 5 | Thursday July 5 | Rouen | Saint-Quentin | 197km | Flat |
| Stage 6 | Friday July 6 | Épernay | Metz | 210km | Flat |
| Stage 7 | Saturday July 7 | Tomblaine | La Planche des Belles Filles | 199km | Med mtn |
| Stage 8 | Sunday July 8 | Belfort | Porrentruy | 154km | Med mtn |
| Stage 9 | Monday July 9 | Arc-et-Senans | Besançon | 38km | ITT |
| REST DAY | Tuesday July 10 | - | - | - | - |
| Stage 10 | Wednesday July 11 | Mâcon | Bellegarde-sur-Valserine | 194km | Mountains |
| Stage 11 | Thursday July 12 | Albertville | La Toussuire - Les Sybelles | 140km | Mountains |
| Stage 12 | Friday July 13 | Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne | Annonay | 220km | Med mtn |
| Stage 13 | Saturday July 14 | Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux | Le Cap d'Agde | 215km | Flat |
| Stage 14 | Sunday July 15 | Limoux | Foix | 192km | Mountains |
| Stage 15 | Monday July 16 | Samatan | Pau | 160km | Flat |
| REST DAY | Tuesday July 17 | - | - | - | - |
| Stage 16 | Wednesday July 18 | Pau | Bagnères-de-Luchon | 197km | Mountains |
| Stage 17 | Thursday July 19 | Bagnères-de-Luchon | Peyragudes | 144km | Mountains |
| Stage 18 | Friday July 20 | Blagnac | Brive-la-Gaillarde | 215km | Flat |
| Stage 19 | Saturday July 21 | Bonneval | Chartres | 52km | ITT |
| Stage 20 | Sunday July 22 | Rambouillet | Paris Champs-Élysées | 130km | Flat |
Related links
Giro d'Italia 2012 route details
2012 Etapes in the Alps and Pyrenees
Nine things we like about the 2012 Tour route
Tour de France 2012 route officially unveiled
Live: Tour de France 2012 route presentation
Tour organiser announces details of 2012 Liege start
Thomas Vergouwen, the man who predicts the Tour route
Cycling Weekly's Tour de France news section
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