With just over eight months to wait until the start of the 2019 Tour de France, the full race route has been announced.
There has been much speculation about what direction the next Tour might take, with many suggesting a return to the Pyrenees. Further questions were raised about the inclusion of the infamous Alpe d'Huez mountain stage. Now the waiting is over, the 2019 route has been confirmed, and these mysteries can be put to rest.
The 106th edition will start in Brussels to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first of Belgian Eddy Merckx's five Tour de France victories, and will be decided on the penultimate stage with a 33.4km climb finish in the 2770m Alpine resort of Val Thorens. This means now Pyrenees and no Alpe d'Huez, but with just 54 kilometres of time trialling, 30 categorised climbs, and five mountains finishes, it's sure to be as interesting as always.
See the full race outline and map below:
