Tour de France teams 2019 (3) infographic
Graphic shows the Tour de France teams and jerseys.
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CYCLING

Tour de France teams 2019

By Chris Dinsdale

July 6, 2019 - July 28, 2019 - The 2019 Tour de France will feature 18 UCI World Tour teams, with wildcard entries awarded to the top two teams from the Europe Tour classification and another two wildcards invited.

The 2019 Tour de France celebrates the 100th anniversary of the showcase race's iconic yellow jersey.

With France emerging from the carnage of World War I, the Tour offered its beacon of hope to the war-ravaged nation. In 1919, the race leader's yellow jersey — which has become cycling’s most iconic symbol — was introduced.

The race begins in Belgium with a flat stage for sprinters around Brussels and stays there the next day for the 27km team time trial.

Once in France the Tour snakes through the Champagne and Lorraine regions. Stage 4 for sprinters starts in Reims — the Champagne-producing city where 25 French kings were crowned in its cathedral.

Stage 7 is the longest at 230 kilometers (143 miles) and made for sprinters. The next day's stage is a hilly one, with several short but sharp climbs from Macon to Saint-Etienne.

The first rest day is July 16 in Alb, followed by a sprint stage before the Tour enters the high Pyrenees. Stage 14 on July 20 finishes with a climb up the Tourmalet pass, one of the most famed in Tour history.

Riders tackle three days of Alpine climbing on stages 18-20, featuring an ascent up the famed Galibier and imposing Iseran – standing 2,770m – and culminating with a relentless 33.4km trek up to the ski resort of Val Thorens.

After the weary peloton is flown toward Paris, the race ends the next day with its processional showcase stage on the Champs-Elysees.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 10/07/2019; STORY: Graphic News; PICTURES: Getty Images
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