Today was the official unveiling of the 2014 Tour de France and quadruple stage winner in 2013, Marcel Kittel (GER), and Team Argos-Shimano general manager, Iwan Spekenbrink (NED), were there to take it all in.
The race gets underway in the UK on July 5, in Yorkshire, where the first yellow jersey will be decided in Harrogate, a stage ideally suited to the sprinters, and to Kittel.
There then follows two more stages in the UK, with stage three finishing the capital city, London, where another sprinters stage should unfold.
From here, the peloton will return to France before heading to Belgium on stage five where the riders will have to tackle the infamous cobbles, a feature of the early season classics.
The remaining route of Le Tour 2014 includes five mountain top finishes, including a finish atop the famous Hautacam climb in the Pyrenees.
The route crosses into Spain in the final week before returning and seeing a fast flat stage 19 followed by an individual time trial on stage 20.
The peloton then heads north once again for the classic finish on the Champs Elysees where the winner will be crowned. For Team Argos-Shimano, the route is a very interesting one with sprinting opportunities right from the start in Yorkshire.
Following the presentation, Marcel told us: “The opening stage presents another opportunity to get the yellow jersey which is really nice and a huge motivation.
“It is an interesting first week, a good one for the sprinters. The fifth stage will also prove very interesting, with the cobbles bringing a nice change to the normality of a Grand Tour. It will be both nervous and exciting.
“Hopefully we can make a nice start to the Tour again like this year. Thinking about it now, I am already motivated and excited for the first stage. However, looking at the second half of the race, that is where the real challenge of surviving lies.”
General manager, Iwan Spekenbrink, said: “It looks to be a very diverse Tour de France with stages for all kind of riders. The number of summit finishes will make it a true spectacle and a tough route too.
“There are many opportunities for our team with several sprint stages and the hillier stages where one of our attacking riders or one of our sprinters who can handle the hills can go for the win. I am really looking forward to next year and hopefully we can show our sprint train again; the first opportunity being the opening stage, once again a battle for yellow.”
