THE STAGES THAT DEMAND SLEEP DEPRIVATION FROM TOUR DE FRANCE FANS
July 5, Stage 5 - Vittel to La Planche Des Belles Filles, 160.5km
Chris Froome had his first Tour stage win when the summit finish at La Planche Des Belles Filles made its debut in the race five years ago. The final climb is short, but nasty and at the end maxes out at 20 per cent. This is where the heavy hitters will make their first overall claims.
July 9, Stage 9 - Nantua to Chambery, 181.5km
Billed as potentially the toughest climbing day of this year's Tour, this day in the Jura features three "hors categorie", or above-category ascents. The Col de la Biche makes its Tour debut, followed by the Grand Colombier and the Mont du Chat, plus a tricky descent to the finish.
July 13, Stage 12 - Pau to Peyragudes, 214.5km
Pau - that means the Pyrenees. The climb to the summit finish at Peyragudes was where Froome famously went ahead of his Sky team leader and eventual race winner Brad Wiggins, confirming they were as much rivals as teammates.
July 14, Stage 13 - Saint-Girons to Foix, 101km
Bastille Day will be short but savage for the riders, with day two in the Pyrenees featuring a succession of category one climbs. The last climb, the Mur de Peguere, was where defending champion Cadel Evans and several other riders fell victim to sabotage in 2012 as tacks were thrown onto the road.
July 19, Stage 17 - La Mure to Serre-Chevalier, 183km
The first true Alps stage this year features the Col du Galibier, one of the Tour's most famous climbs. Galibier is on the race route for the first time since 2011, when it was a crucial battleground in Cadel Evans' triumph. At 2642m, it is the highest point in the race.
July 20, Stage 18 - Briancon to Izoard, 179.5km
For all the prestige of Galibier, this time it is not a summit finish. Izoard is. And it's a real brute - the hardest of the three summit finishes this year. It will be the first time that the 14.1km Col d'Izoard climb has hosted the end of a stage, despite its mythical status in Tour history. The last mountain stage of the race.
July 22, Stage 20 - individual time trial in Marseille, 22.5km
This year's Tour only features 36km of time trialling - 14km in stage one at Dusseldorf and then the crucial second-last stage. Porte is one of the class time trial riders in the field and if he is at the pointy end of the overall standings, this could mean to him what the Grenoble time trial meant for Cadel Evans six years ago.
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