Preparations Underway for 100th Tour de France

From 29 June to 21 July 2013, the brave riders of the Tour de France will take centre stage in the 100th edition of the race.

In the meantime, tour supporters and on-and-off fans will be able to enjoy several events held in the cities and regions which will host the race in July.

The Tour de France is as much about celebrations as it is about sport. Both sides of the coin are being taken to new heights for the 100th edition. The "vintage" title will motivate the star-studded field even more than usual for three weeks of racing, while the crowds following the tour will be invited to come even closer and enrich it with their colours and spirit, both before and during the race.

The four-month photographic exhibition on the railings of the French Senate, the Celebrating the Tour festivities in all the stage cities on 15 June, the activity village held in Nice from 29 June to 1 July and the Ride on the Champs-Elysées are just a few examples of how those who are curious and passionate about the Tour de France will get to play a new role in the event.

The 100thTour de France is also a tribute to the territories of France, as well as its cities and unique natural sites, which have gone hand in hand with the tour and grown alongside it. The 2013 route was designed with the ambition to take TV viewers, in the 190 countries showing race images, on a voyage of discovery.

They will start by rediscovering Corsica under a whole new light with its tour debut, and then be enchanted by Albi Cathedral, Mont Saint-Michel and the Palace de Versailles, among other UNESCO World Heritage sites. Finally, Paris, the City of Light, will dress to impress for the climactic duel at dusk, with a podium ceremony where the champions will get their prizes under the cover of night and the gaze of those who went before them: the Giants of the Tour.

Highlights of the 100th Tour de France

27 March – 27 July: Tour exhibition at the French Senate
12 June: Release of the film “La Grande Boucle” in cinemas
15 June: Celebrating the Tour
29/30 June and 1 July: Grand Start of the Tour on Corsica / Nice celebrates the Tour
21 July: the Tour Ride / Finish of the last stage on the Champs-Elysées at nightfall