The 99th Tour de France starts on Saturday 30 June in Liège and continues for a punishing three weeks culminating on 22 July in The Champs-Elysées in Paris.
It reaches Boulogne-sur-Mer just across the English Channel on 3 July 2012. This Stage 3, classified as medium mountains is from Orchies to Boulogne-sur-Mer, a stint of 197km. The official website for Le Tour de France has said that this third stage will denote one of the highlights of the race in the first week. There are six ascents; four of them are in the last 20 kms of the race with gradients of about 10%. It’s not just the climbs that will challenge, the route twists and turns for the last 70km and with the weather as it has been in the north of France – if its windy and wet this could cause further trials for the riders. The five categorised climbs in the Monts du Boulonnais complete with an uphill finish into the centre of Boulogne’s channel port – its sure to be an exciting and challenging stage.
Where to view the Tour de France in Boulogne-sur-Mer:
- 12:30 : early events to celebrate the Tour de France
- until 15:00 : Cadet race
- between 15:00 and 16:30 : arrival of the Caravan Tour
and mini-caravan in the last 500 meters. - between 16.30 and 17.30 arrival of the race!
Read more about the fascinating history of the Tour de France.
