SPORTS

Tour de France to kick off in English countryside

Relaxnews Published Friday, July 4, 2014 8:12AM EDT

The finish of the 101st Tour de France will take place on the Champs-Elysées on July 27. (©AFP PHOTO / THOMAS COEX)

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Never has the Tour de France taken its riders so far North. For its 101st edition, which kicks off on July 5, the cyclists will discover the English countryside, from Leeds to London via Sheffield and Cambridge.

The riders will stay in England for three days before heading to Northern France, known for its difficult cobbled roads, and the Tour will bear a likeness to the Paris-Roubaix race during the ninth stage, until Arenberg Porte du Hainaut. This day is likely to gather a big audience, as is the stage between Le Touquet and Lille. It's been 20 years since the capital of French Flanders last hosted the Tour.

The cyclists will pay a visit to all of the French mountain ranges, from the Vosges to the Pyrenees, including the Jura mountains and the Alps.

What's special about this 2014 edition is that there will only be one time trial race. It will take place between Bergerac and Périgueux (South West) on the eve of the traditional finish on the Champs-Élysées.

Here is the full 2014 Tour de France schedule:

Saturday July 5
Leeds - Harrogate

Sunday July 6
York - Sheffield

Monday July 7
Cambridge - London

Tuesday July 8
Le Touquet-Paris-Plage - Lille

Wednesday July 9
Ypres Arenberg - Porte du Hainaut

Thursday July 10
Arras - Reims

Friday July 11
Épernay - Nancy

Saturday July 12
Tomblaine - Gérardmer La Mauselaine

Sunday July 13
Gérardmer - Mulhouse

Monday July 14
Mulhouse - La Planche des Belles Filles

Tuesday July 15
Time off in Besançon