Tour de France 2016

Tour de France 2016

The Tour de France hub page is packed with news, 21 stage previews, analysis, photos, and rider interviews ahead of the 2016 edition of the race.

With expert opinions from the Cyclingnews team and pundits including Robert Millar, you're complete coverage for the 2016 Tour de France starts here.

Tour de France stage 21 -

Chris Froome sealed a third career Tour de France victory and a fourth for Team Sky as the Briton safely negotiated the final stage into Paris. The Briton enjoyed a relaxed start to the 21st stage, sharing beers then champagne with his teammates before the peloton arrived on the Champs-Élysées and the sprint teams took over.

For the second year running, it was Andre Greipel taking the stage win as the German fastman made it stages for Lotto-Soudal. Mechanicals saw Marcel Kittel and Bryan Coquard miss the sprint with world champion Peter Sagan and Alexander Kristoff challenging Greipel for the win but ultimately coming up short.

Tour de France stage 20 highlights video

Tour de France stage 21 - Results

Tour de France 2016 route

The 2016 Tour de France will be the 103rd edition of the oldest Grand Tour on the calendar. After a start in Utrecht in 2015, the race will return to home shores for the opening stages, setting off from the foot of Mont-Saint-Michel in the Manche department. The race last visited the picturesque area for the individual time trial in 2013, which was won by Tony Martin.

The full race route was announced on October 20 in Paris, with organiser ASO revealing an innovative but mountainous route that visits the Pyrenees, Mont Ventoux and the Alps. The race will not remain entirely in France, with three days to be spent in the Principality of Andorra and a visit to Berne in Switzerland - the home town of Fabian Cancellara. Chris Froome (Team Sky) is the defending Tour de France champion. Froome won the race in 2013 but crashed out in 2014.

In 2016 Tour de France there will be just 54km of time trials, divided between a twisting 37km between Bourg-Saint-Andéol and La Caverne du Pont-d’Arc on stage 13 and then a hilly, almost mountain time trial on stage 18 between Sallanches and Megève in the Alps. The race will, of course, finish with the traditional stage through the streets of Paris.

The 2016 Tour de France starts on Saturday July 2 an ends on Sunday July 24. There will be two rest days in Andorra and Berne. 

Tour de France 2016 contenders

A number of big names have already signalled their intention to ride the race in 2016. Defending champion Chris Froome (Team Sky) will return to try and take his third Tour de France title. Alberto Contador (Tinkoff) is hoping to end his illustrious career on a high with victory , while Nairo Quintana (Movistar) and Fabio Aru (Astana) are targeting their first wins in the race.

The French Tour de France challenge will come from Romain Bardet (AG2R) and Thibault Pinot (FDJ). Both riders won stages in 2015, while Pinot won the white jersey and finished third overall in the 2014 Tour de France.

Other riders hoping to contend in the overall battle at the 2016 Tour de France include Richie Porte (BMC Racing), Tejay van Garderen (BMC Racing), Bauke Mollema (Trek Factory Racing) and Robert Gesink (Team LottoNL-Jumbo).

Tour de France 2016 stages

• Stage 1: Mont Saint-Michel - Utah Beach - 188km

• Stage 2: Saint-Lo - Cherbourg-Octeville - 182km 


• Stage 3: Granville - Angers - 222km

• Stage 4: Saumur - Limoges - 232km

• Stage 5: Limoges - Le Lioran - 216km 


• Stage 6: July Arpajon-sur-Cère - Montauban - 187km

• Stage 7: L'Isle-Jourdain - Lac de Payolle - 162km

• Stage 8: Pau - Bagnères-de-Luchon - 183km


• Stage 9: Vielha Val d'Aran - Andorra-Arcalis -184km

• Rest Day: Andorra


• Stage 10: Escaldes-Engordany - Revel 198km

• Stage 11: Carcassonne - Montpellier -164km 


• Stage 12: Montpellier - Mont Ventoux - 185km 


• Stage 13: Bourg-Saint-Andéol - La Caverne du Pont-d'Arc - 37km - Individual time trial 


• Stage 14: Montélimar - Villars-les-Dombes - Parc des Oiseaux - 208km

• Stage 15: July Bourg-en-Bresse - Culoz -159km 


•Stage 16: 18 July Moirans-en-Montagne - Bern - 206km 
 

• Rest Day 2: Bern

• Stage 17: Bern - Finhaut Émosson -184km 


• Stage 18: Sallanches - Megève - 17 km - Individual time trial

• Stage 19: Albertville - Saint-Gervais-les-Bains -146km 


• Stage 20: Megève - Morzine - 146km

• Stage 21: Chantilly - Paris - 113km

Tour de France History: Tour de France 2015 | Tour de France 2014 | Tour de France 2013 | Tour de France 2012 | Tour de France 2011 | Tour de France 2010 | Tour de France 2009 | Tour de France 2008 | Tour de France 2007 | Tour de France 2006

Tour de France key articles: Tour de France stages |Tour de France previous winners | Tour de France glossary | Tour de France podcast

Tour de France 2016 Race Route Map

Tour de France 2016 video

Chris Froome [video below] talks about what it would mean to win the Tour de France in 2016 and how he plans on defending his title from 2015. Froome has won the Tour de France twice and in 2016 is also targeting the Olympic Games, where he could compete in both the road race and the time trial for Great Britain. He won a silver medal in the 2012 London Olympic Games behind his then teammate Bradley Wiggins.

 
More Tour de France videos 

• Tour de France 2016: Bryan Coquard on attempting to win his first stage and riding the Olympics
• 2016 Tour de France: Mark Cavendish on wearing the yellow jersey
• The Cyclingnews video YouTube channel

Tour de France 2015 overview

In 2015 Chris Froome won his second Tour de France after triumphing in 2013. In 2015 he was dominant almost throughout the race while Nairo Quintana (Movistar) was his closest challenger, finishing second overall at 1:12. The Colombian’s teammate Alejandro Valverde finished third overall while the 2014 Tour de France champion, Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) could only manage fourth overall. Alberto Contador (Tinkoff Saxo) finished fifth after winning the Giro d’Italia in May.

Froome moved into the yellow jersey on stage 10 when he won at La Pierre-Saint-Martin and never looked back. Despite a late rally from Quintana and illness in the third week, Froome hung on for victory.

Tour de France men's top 10 overall in 2015