The route for the 104th edition of the Tour de France was launched today (18th October) and with it the stage chosen for the Etape du Tour Sportive in July, 2017. Up until today we only knew that the 2017 Tour de France will start in the German city of Dusseldorf before heading into France. It will be the 25th Etape du Tour which is always held over a mountain stage of the Tour and is therefore one of the toughest, and most popular, sportive challenges of the year. Last year’s Etape attracted over 11,000 riders and it is an experience that every keen cyclist should aim to tick off their bucket list. 
The 2017 Etape will be held in the Alps - for a third successive year - and tackle the 178 kilometre stage from Briancon to Col d’Izoard on Sunday 16th July, 2017. 
If you don’t want to make the trip to France then the Tour organisation (ASO) has also teamed up to bring you the L’Etape Wales on 11th June, 2017 as well as L’Etape London in September. As the big 2017 sportives approach we will continue to help you get prepared for you big challenge rides with both expert training and nutrition advice and guides to the best equipment and clothing required to make your day enjoyable and not an ordeal.
Read our Complete Guide to Cycling Sportives: click here
Etape du Tour 2017 teaser film
2017 Tour de France
The 2017 Tour will be held over 21 stages from in a roughly anti-clockwise route from 1-23rd July. After a prologue in Dusseldorf, the Tour heads south through Belgium for a stage finish in Liege. There is an early mountain top stage finish at La Planche des Belles Filles in the Vosges mountains before the race heads south to the Pyrenees and then east to the Alps. Journalists immediately made defending champion Chris Froome the favourite to win the race.