This year's Tour de France will begin on Saturday 30 June in Liege in Belgium. This is actually the Prologue, the short athletic test of just a few kilometres, watched by Belgian supporters of the Tour. The real race begins on Sunday 1 July, again in Liege. This first stage, of just under 200 km, will take the contestants from Liege to Seraing, which is still in Belgium. This 'plain' stage is on the flat. The second day of the race is over similar terrain, just reaching the French border at the end of the day. Day 3 takes the race into northern France and also into the first mountainous stretch.

There will be 25 mountain stages altogether in the 2012 Tour de France, and 9 new towns have been included in the itinerary. The race will finish on 22 July in Paris, on the Champs-Elysees as usual.

You can get full details about the race here.