Tour de France Start 2020

It borders on a miracle that the 107th edition of the Tour de France can take place. At the beginning of the year, the COVID-19 pandemic completely disrupted the cycling calendar. The actual Tour start was scheduled for June 27 in Nice and was supposed to end gloriously in Paris on July 19. In mid-April came the relief: The Tour can take place! Le Grand Départ is on August 29 in Nice, with Paris as the finish on September 20.

Here is a brief overview of the teams, the stages and possible favorites.

The following UCI WorldTeams will be at the start this year:

In addition come Total Direct Énergie, with the best ranking as a UCI ProTeam, and the lucky wildcard recipients Arkéa-Samsic and B&B Hotels-Vital Concept. This year, a total off 22 teams will start the Tour, each with eight riders – 176 participants in all!

The Top Contenders

The favorites include the well-known but also very strong teams:

1.  Ineos Grenadiers

This top team features the last three Tour winners: Egan Bernal (2019), Geraint Thomas (2018) and Chris Froome (2015-2017). The harmonious trio definitely wants to defend the title. Bernal will of course defend his Maillot Jaune (yellow jersey). They are currently regarded as the strongest team, and we're curious to see if that proves true.

2. Team Jumbo-Visma
Here the tactics revolve around the duo of Primož Roglič and Tom Dumoulin. The yellow jersey is the team's explicit goal. With champions from different disciplines and countries, Team Jumbo-Visma is extremely well equipped. They are considered the main rival to Ineos Grenadiers.

3. Bora-hansgrohe
The German team can attack on all fronts and will surely do so. The most prominent rider is currently Peter Sagan. As an exceptional puncheur, he will chase his eighth green jersey and target points. Emanuel Buchmann (4th place st TDF '19) is expected to make the podium.

4. Deceuninck-Quick Step
Julian Alaphilippe will certainly be one of the stars of the show. He wore the iconic yellow jersey for 14 days in 2019. With Sam Bennett and Michael Mørkøv on the squad, the bunch sprints will be  thoroughly shaken up.

5. Groupama-FDJ
Thibaut Pinot is at the centre of the team and aims to capture yellow on home soil. But can he finish the Tour? He hasn’t managed to do so since 2015.

The Midfield – with great potential

In the midfield are several strong teams that can be dangerous to the favourites on given days - there are many powerful and ambitious riders here as well. Some teams will have to work hard not to slip onto a downward path, or to get off it again.

A clear candidate for the white jersey is Enric Mas, riding for Movistar Team. However, the departure of several strong riders over the off-season has weakend the team.

Romain Bardet of AG2R La Mondiale currently fancies his chances for the polka-dot jersey. To give his career a boost, he should also aim for a top-five overall. Together with his co-captain Pierre Latour, he'll need to steer the team tactically through the race.

Competition comes from Miguel Ángel López of Astana Pro Team. The young Colombian has already proved himself at other Grand Tours. The team’s somewhat diffuse tactics often lead to surprises – stage wins are therefore not out of the question.

Greg van Avermae, the climber of the CCC Team could become a rival for Sagan and the green jersey on this very hilly Tour. He would need to be in top form, which he last had in 2016. Otherwise, things look rather mixed for the team.

The very popular Belgian Lotto Soudal team will likely focus on stage wins. The ambitious Caleb Ewan starts as captain and will also target the green jersey. He'll want to surpass his three stage wins from last year.

The well-gelled team Mitchelton-Scott will aim for stage victories. Captain Adam Yates will want to back up  last year’s successes with his team and has Daryl Impey as a puncheur who tasted success last season.

The German Team Sunweb will be led by Belgian captain Tiesj Benoot, who already stood out at Paris–Nice in March. With other strong riders such as Nicholas Roche, stage wins are the focus here too. Perhaps someone from this rather young team will claim the white jersey?

A team that grows beyond itself at every Tour is Total Direct Énergie. The UCI ProTeam will go hunting for stages again this year. They will also keep the peloton on its toes – “chase, attack, rip it upt” should be the motto. They certainly don’t need to hide from cycling’s elite!

Big names – but big performances?

Well, the last stage wins for Cofidis date back a bit – to 2008. That need not be discouragingm though, as they are clearly targeting the general classification, led by sprinter Elia Viviani and his lead-out Christopher Laporte. Guillaume Martin, as captain and climber, can also score points and may will find himself in the top ten.

The American Trek-Segafredo team hasn't had it easy in recent Tours. Their star Richie Porte raises doubts about whether he's truly built for such long races – a lack of racing over recent years may be another indicator. The team itself has also looked stronger in the past. Perhaps Bauke Mollema can notch up a small success - the squad badly needs it.

The Newcomers

For the B&B Hotels-Vital Concept team, this is the first Tour in the team’s young history. Thanks to a wildcard granted by the organizer Amaury Sport Organisation (A.S.O.) they can make their debut. Most team members have yet to start a Tour de France, but with captain Bryan Coquard and Pierre Roland, they have experienced riders. Roland might even take his third stage win.

After acquiring the WorldTour license from Katusha, this will be the first Tour for Israel Start-Up Nation. With captain Dan Martin, they have an ambitious rider who's often been plagued by bad luck. Perhaps this year he  finally cracks the top ten. The team’s goal will at least be a stage win – a good start for their first Tour.

The Tour de France in numbers

• 3,484 km over a total of 21 stages
• 9 flat stages
• 3 hilly stages
• 8 mountain stages
• Stage 20 as an individual time trial
• 29 climbs, summit finishes or passes of category 2, 1 or Hors Catégorie
• Longest stage: stage 12, 218 km from Chauvigny to Sarran
• Shortest stage: stage 8, 141 km from Cazères to Loudenvielle
• Highest point: Col de la Loze, 2,304 m (Souvenir Henri Desgrange)
• 2 rest days
• 8 opportunities to collect bonus seconds

The start, as mentioned above, is in Nice and the finish in Paris. Due to the pandemic, the Tour remains entirely on French soil and forgoes trips to neighboring countries. A total of 6 regions and 32 départements will be crossed. The route also takes in 5 mountain ranges: the Alps, Massif Central, Pyrenees, Jura and Vosges.

The Highlight Stages

The start begins in Nice as a circuit. The aim was to offer a fairly simple route. After all, the very mountainous route of this year’s Tour does not offer many opportunities for the sprinters to shine. However, the course is not as easy as expected. The loops are peppered with climbs, allowing a group of strong climbers to break away, only to be reeled back in by the peloton towards the finish.

From Gap to Privas in stage 5. This is made for sprinters and is one of the few chances for them to score. At the same time, they’ll need to be tactically smart. The slight uphill towards the finish could otherwise hand points to others.

Stage 6 will bring many surprises. Its long, mostly flat route will become a real challenge towards the end. Two category 3 climbs are followed immediately by a category 1 climb – over a distance of just 31.5 km from the first to the last summit. Bonus seconds can also be won here.

In stage 8 the race heads into the Pyrenees – and they are tough! Perhaps that’s why it’s the shortest stage of the 2020 Tour. At kilometer 42.5 there is a sprint point again. This first Hors Catégorie climb is embedded between two category 1 climbs. Just before the end of the first week, the pros will be tested once more. To spice it up further, there are bonus seconds again at the top of the final climb. Anyone who fights their way to the front here must hold position on the fast but short descent.

After stage 9 there is a rest day, so the Pyrenees’ terrain will be used to the full. Similar tough heights are to be conquered as at Col de la Lusette in stage 6. First the Col de la Hourcère (category 1), a new climb that takes away the “local knowledge” advantage from Tour regulars. The second test comes with the Col de Marie Blanque, which ends with a nearly 12% gradient – a sweat-inducing climb. Here the climbers can show what they’re made of and launch real attacks.

Stage 10 runs along the Atlantic coast. The flat terrain stands in stark contrast to the previous week. The problem here is not the coastal road itself, but definitely the wind, which can be very draining. The sprinters will try to make use of every windless second.

With the course of stage 12, homage is paid to Raymond Poulidor (cycling legend), Jacques Chirac (former president), and Antoine Blondin (French writer & sports journalist). It is also the longest section of the 2020 Tour at 218 km. On the Suc au May, the road climbs 3.8 km at 7% – a serious ascent!

The likely hardest stage will be stage 13. In total, 4,400 meters of elevation gain must be overcome. The route through the Massif Central definitely tops those through the Alps. It runs through a volcanic landscape like a roller coaster. Packed with climbs of various categories, it gets vicious again towards the end. The Col de Néronne serves two purposes:

1. there are bonus seconds again

2. it is the key strategic point of the stage.

It can be used to attack in order to hit the summit finish at Puy Mary as quickly as possible. You can go at high speed here, but then everyone must fight alone. The gradient on the final kilometers is brutal.

From Lyon to the Grand Colombier in stage 15. As the race day before the second rest day, the hunters of the Maillot Jaune can put in another big effort! The first summit, the Montée de la Selle de Fromentel, makes up for the preceding long flat approach of almost 99 km. There are gradients up to 22% over as much as four kilometers – a grueling test! But there’s no relaxation in sight… The descent is almost as steep, followed by the Col de la Biche and the Croix de Famban. Another hard descent follows, then the attack on the Grand Colombier – again one of the hardest, but also most lucrative categories. Perfect to make the stage even more exciting!

The most eagerly awaited section is probably stage 17. From Grenoble to Méribel to the Col de la Loze, as the Souvenir Henri Desgrange, the route heads back through the Alps – with their typical difficulties. Where skiers usually carve down powder snow, the peloton must conquer two climbs to the summit. Both are Hors Catégorie and will demand everything from the riders. The new route will reveal even before the Col de la Madeleine who has the stamina and willpower to master this highlight of the Tour.

With stage 18, the last mountain stage is on the agenda. The route is a true classic. The five climbs are varied but feature three performance peaks:

• Cormet de Roselend (km 46; 1,968 m; cat. 1)
• Côte de la route des Villes (km 64.5; 1,093 m; cat. 3)
• Col des Saisies (km 91; 1,650 m; cat. 2)
• Col des Aravis (km 117.5; 1,487 m; cat. 1)
• Montée du plateau des Glières (km 143.5; 1,390 m; cat. HC)

The climb to the Montée du plateau des Glières is the last chance to grab bonus seconds at the summit. After conquering it, there’s a descent on a gravel road – a bit of gravel feeling! The whole stage is designed to make the wearer of the yellow jersey sweat – he must definitely ride in the protection of his team.

The only time trial takes place in the 20th stage. Planned for about an hour over 36.2 km. Since it is still quite hilly, it will come down to careful energy management. The highlight will be the steep climb to La Planche des Belles Filles. Exhausted riders will lose valuable minutes here.

The final and thus 21st stage of the 2020 Tour de France is the Grand Final from Mantes-la-Jolie to the Champs-Élysées in Paris. The course is quite flat, so we can look forward to breathtaking sprints at high speed!

The Tour in times of the pandemic

As briefly mentioned above, the Tour start was anything but certain. Would the Tour take place without spectators along the route? Would rides through cities and metropolises like Paris even be possible? How do you protect residents? These and many other questions arose.

The organizer therefore developed an unprecedented safety concept together with the French state:

• Limited spectator numbers in cities and along the route
• Observance of a minimum distance of 2 m
• Strict cleaning measures
• No contact with fans, e.g. through selfies or autographs

The safety of riders and teams is of course also a priority. To test regularly and handle the high volume, a mobile laboratory was set up. If there are two positive test results within a team (including the whole entourage), the entire team will go home. The organizer’s consistent stance should definitely serve as a role model for other sporting events!

To prevent large crowds, spectator numbers are limited to 5,000 at the start and finish areas as well as in the cities. Control along the entire race route is, of course, more difficult. The hope is that spectators will watch the Tour at home on TV and not gather in large groups along the road. And if they do, that they will wear masks and keep their distance. And, let’s be honest, watching the Tour on screen isn’t the same as being roadside… – nevertheless, the safety of everyone should not be put at risk!

Therefore, we look forward to an exciting, albeit slightly different, Tour de France 2020!