A brief guide to the 2017 Tour de France route
Team Sky's Geraint Thomas won the opening stage of the 2017 Tour. Here's what's in store for him - and the other riders - over the next three weeks and 3,500kms of racing
Team Sky's Geraint Thomas enjoyed a dream start to the 2017 Tour de France in Dusseldorf, winning the 14km time-trial to be the first rider to wear the yellow jersey of the 104th edition of the race.
Team-mate Chris Froome finished sixth, 12 seconds behind Thomas, as he stole an early advantage over his rivals in his bid to win a third Tour crown in a row, and his fourth overall.
The race begins in earnest on Sunday, with a 203.5km run from the German city to Liège in Belgium. The peloton will finally enter France on the third day of racing - where the going gets tactical, as title-hopefuls bit to outsmart one another. This is not a race for the speed merchants or the climbers as there few short stages or time trials for the sprinters and only two truly difficult mountain top finishes.
Riders head down eastern France to the Jura mountains in the opening week, where Stage Five is expected to be especially difficult, as it features a climb with 20% gradients. It is the third time in five years the race has visited La Planche des Belles Filles, but the ski resort already has a bellwether reputation. In 2012, Chris Froome won his first-ever Tour stage in 2012 - the year of Sir Bradley Wiggins' victory, while eventual winner Vincenzo Nibali extended his lead in 2014.
Stage nine is another one to watch, as it takes in three of the race's six brutal hors categorie climbs. The descent from Mont du Chat to Chambery could prove decisive in the final reckoning.
After a rest day, the peloton then heads west to the Dordogne, where two relatively flat stages will give sprinters a chance to shine before another two mountain stages in the Pyrenees. The final 100km of the 12th stage is especially difficult, with the final kilometre alone featuring 200m with a 16% gradient. The following day, Bastille Day, features a short mountain stage.
The Alps will dominate the third week before a penultimate stage time trial through the streets of Marseille. Stage 17 and 18 could well be decisive. The former sees the return of the Col du Galibier to the Tour route for a 33rd time, while the latter sees Col d'Izoard return for a 35th time - though, surprisingly it will be the first time the race has finished at the summit.
