The 112th edition of the Tour de France is almost as traditional as they come. No silly gravel sectors and no Grand Depart on foreign soil signal that this year's race is for the purists.
In modern cycling, it’s rare that there isn’t some kind of gimmick to add a dose of peril to the racing, but ASO have planned a route that will pit the best road cyclists against each other with no excuses. Despite starting in Lille, there is no pavé on the menu and that staple bugbear of the smaller squads – the dreaded team time trial – has been left out too.
