Julian Alaphilippe, Kasper Asgreen and Mark Cavendish all shared their thoughts on the parcours.
Denmark will become the tenth different country to host the Grand Depart of the Tour de France, on 1 July 2022, when the 109th edition gets underway with a flat and fast individual time trial. The next two days should belong to the sprinters, but echelons could make an appearance and wreak havoc on the peloton before it moves to northern France, where they’ll take on 20 kilometers of cobblestones that will shake up the general classification.
As if all this wasn’t enough, week one will also bring a tough summit finish in the Vosges, at the Super Planche des Belles Filles, followed by a trek into Switzerland. Three days in the Alps promise to spice up the GC fight, with Col du Granon – back after 36 years – and Alpe D’Huez on Bastille Day being the main attraction of the week. The Pyrenees will bring next year a return to both Peyragudes and Hautacam, which will force the climbers to go on the attack before the penultimate day 40km individual time trial. The race will once again conclude in Paris, on the Champs-Élysées, on what will be one of the rare opportunities the sprinters will get next year.
World Champion Julian Alaphilippe – the first Frenchman in more than three decades to win stages at four consecutive Tour de France editions – expects a hard race next year: “I can’t wait to discover the parcours and am already excited to the recon of some of the stages, as there are a couple of opportunities for the puncheurs. What I can already tell you is that the echelons and cobblestones will make for a nice and spectacular first week. I have a special relationship with the Tour de France and I’m happy to be back at the start with the rainbow jersey on my shoulders. I want to honour it again, give my best and get to enjoy another beautiful Tour de France with the team.”
“I’m super excited to be starting from Denmark. I knew the route there a bit and I’m looking forward to the ITT on stage 1. Stage 3 will pass just 100 meters from my front door and this alone makes me happy. Once we move to France, we’ll have some hard stages, with hills and the cobbles of Roubaix. Overall, it’s a tough course, but I can’t wait for it”, said Ronde van Vlaanderen winner Kasper Asgreen when asked about the route.
“It’s going to be a very hard Tour de France. Of course, starting from Copenhagen, where I became World Champion, brings back a lot of great memories, but those first days after the time trial could be really hectic. There aren’t as many chances for the fast men as in the past, so you’ll need to try to make the most out of every opportunity”, added Mark Cavendish, who earlier this year claimed the green jersey and matched Eddy Merckx’s record of 34 Tour de France stage victories.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images
