Written by Finz of NightmareChaos
Le Havre Prologue
Starting in Haut Normandie in the city of Le Havre, the second largest harbour in the country, behind Marseille, the tour is on its way. With twentyfour teams signed up we can see who is favourite for what stage and who can win the overall classification. The first timetrial stage sees many riders trying to win this stage and stay in the leaders jersey for a while. Riders to watch are;
 Theobold Rippel, Burren Connemara
 Boris Oomen, Pro Cycling Manager
Filip Haegg, Hard Gaat Ie
Le Havre – Dieppe
Moving north we head to Dieppe. Here the riders will experience the great roads in the countryside paved with the famous cobbles of the Seine Maritieme region. The riders will have to work hard to stay upfront and we will see many riders finish minutes after the winner. A new leader will emerge after this stage. Cobblers to watch are+
 Kirby Ussery, Cloud Atlas
 Mihnea Manta, The Killers
 Raivis Rukmans, YCO
Dieppe | | – Forges-les-Eaux
Heading south east we are turning our back on the English Channel and move towards our final destination. Before we reach Forges-les-Eaux the riders will experience another stage of cobbles and hard work. The riders will have time to relax when they finished the race, and we could see a new leader after this stage. Riders that can challenge the lead are;
 Kauto Turunen, Bywater CT
 Even Erlandsen, Team Seidel
 Carmine Damiano, Rigana
Blainville-Crevon – Paris
From Haute Normandie we will travel to the capital of France, Paris. Blainville-Crevon is the starting point and situated near the banks of the river Crevon. The riders follow this river and head into the Foret Domaniale de Lyons. When the riders finally arrived in Paris they await a circuit finish in Bois de Boulogne and it ends in a bunch sprint. Sprinters keen on winning here;
 Shamus Worthen, Designa Legends PPDB
 Japser Craig, Team Jayco
 Horii Tsuyoshi, Team Boehringer
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| | | | What to do in Normandy
Rouen is the regional capital, historically important with many fine churches and buildings, including the tallest cathedral tower in France. The region's largest city, in terms of municipal population, is Le Havre, although Rouen is by far the most populous urban area and metropolitan area. The region is twinned with the London Borough of Redbridge in England. Its economy is centered around agriculture, industry, petrochemicals and tourism.
Cycling is a great way to see Normandy and with more than 500km of cycle paths, you can combine the fresh air with sightseeing. It is a great way of soaking up the local atmosphere and traditions.
There are plenty of cycle routes on offer for just a day out or even short break which suit all levels of ability and experience: an ideal way to combine the great outdoors and have fun with friends and family.
Favourites for the General Classification;
Kirby Ussery, Cloud Atlas
Mihnea Manta, The Killers
Even Erlandsen, Team Seidel
Favourits for the Youth Classification
 Timo Canseco, team ekaitz
Artis Rudulus, YCO
 Xever Rebuelta, Indierock
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