2018 Tour de France Rumours and L'Alpe d'Huez

The official announcement takes place on Tuesday 17 October in the Palais des Congrès in Paris. The 2018 Tour de France will take place from Saturday 7 July till Sunday 29 July 2018. Could the Etape du Tour visit the legendary climb of L'Alpe d'Huez?

The 105th edition is likely to start on Noirmoutier island, just off the coast of the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France. 

The race could proceed north to Brittany, where it will use some of the dirt roads featured in Tro-Bro Léon. There could also be an uphill finish on Mûr-de-Bretagne. It will probably cross France towards Roubaix where some cobbles (aka pave) will be encountered.

Week two should see a transfer to the Alps and the Pyrenées in the last week before finishing in Paris on Sunday 29th July 2018.

Saturday 7 July 2018 : 1st stage - Noirmoutier-en-l'Île > Fontenay-le-Comte - 195 km

While this first stage should have started on the Passage du Gois, like in 2011, this touristical visit of the submersible road will finally not be possible! Indeed, starting the race one week later will have the high tide make it impossible for the race to take this route (the low tide will be at 5.57AM and at 6.36PM that day).

Currently A.S.O. is studying alternative ways to organise the official start of the race, for example via Fromentine after a start on the island of Noirmoutier.

Sunday 8 July 2018 : 2nd stage - Mouilleron-Saint Germain > La Roche-sur-Yon - 185 km

For this stage, Yves Auvinet, president of the conseil départemental of the Vendée, precised in Ouest France that the finish of this stage will take place on the boulevard Eylau in La Roche-sur-Yon.

Monday 9 July 2018 : 3rd stage - Cholet > Cholet - team time trial - 35 km

Cholet has already started showing advertisements in the streets announcing the venue of the Tour !

2018 Etape du Tour in the French Alps and it could be L'Alpe d'Huez!

L’Etape du Tour is one of the world's biggest sportives, riders get to ride a full stage of the Tour de France nine days before the professional peloton.

Whilst the route of the 2018 Tour de France is kept a closely guarded secret until the main Tour de France announcement, we can confirm that the 2018 sportive will take place in the French Alps.

Every year around 15,000 cyclists from all over the world, line up to take on the challenge of a full mountain stage of the Tour de France.

The Dauphiné Libéré reveals that another alpine stage starts from Bourg-Saint-Maurice towards Alpe d'Huez, possibly over the Col de la Madelaine and the Col du Glandon.

The stage should take place on the 18th or 19th July, so it would be the 11th or 12th stage. 

Watch the 2018 Tour de France Presentation LIVE

The 2018 Tour de France route is being announced live on Tuesday 17th October in the Palais des Congrès, Paris.

Watch the announcement of the parcours live here from 11:30 CET, 10:30 GMT, 05:30 EST, 22:30 AWST, 18:30 AWST, 21:30 AEST (summertime)

The 105th edition of the Tour de France is set to take place from 7th to 29th July 2018 with a Grand Depart in the Vendée and the Pays de Loire region.

Expected to attend the presentation are defending champion Chris Froome, the race's best ever sprinter Mark Cavendish and the home nation's best chance of a win in recent years Romain Bardet.

Possible 2018 Tour de France Route