Buzz from Tour de France 2012

First run in 1903, sixty pioneers set out on a gruelling course split in to six enormous stages. Originally the brainchild of Geo Lefevre, only 21 'routiers' managed to finish, led by Maurice Garin. The Tour was born and along the way it has survived economic crisis, wars and the French public have taken it into their hearts making it one of the best supported cycle races ever.

In the modern tour, each Stage lasts one day. Individual times for each Stage are collated at the end of the race to determine a winner. The race typically lasts three weeks and at the end of each daily Stage, the rider with the lowest time wears the leader's yellow jersey on the next day of racing. This year the first stage starts in the Belgian city of Liege. Liege has a large airport and is very accessible, so if you are thinking of heading to the starting line, you'll find it easy to get to. In France car hire is commonplace and you would be advised to book a car in advance through someone like Europcar to ensure you are able to follow the route of the Tour. Since 1975, the Tour has always finished in Paris, the stage ending with a dramatic finish along the Champs-Elysees.

This year there are twenty stages. The longest comes on Day 12 starting at Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne and finishing 140 miles later at Annonay. This year also sees 25 mountain level two, level one or highest level mountain passes or summit finishes. To put that into perspective, these climbs will either be very long (over 10 miles), very steep (grades above 8 to 10%), or very high (above 11,000 feet) or all of the above! Cyclists that have strong climbing skills must take advantage of these stages. Individual time trial this year is Stage 9 and 19 and there are a total of nine plain stages mixed up with four medium mountain passes and five high mountain passes. As the higher passes come towards the end of the race, the riders must conserve their energy.

The final stage finishes with an exciting ride into Paris and along the Champs-Elysees. Although there are no hills or climbs of note the stage is 130km long and it finishes with a full sprint, so the cyclists must be in peak physical condition.

So, who is taking part? This year there are 22 teams competing, 18 'professional teams' and 4 'invites'. The teams hail from all over the world, with riders coming from France, UK, USA, Australia and a whole host of other nations. Favourites include UK rider Bradley Wiggins who was a shock fourth place in 2009's race - since then his record at the Tour has been poor, he withdrew last year after breaking his collar bone.

It all kicks off on the June 30th - there's widespread coverage online, be sure not to miss out on any of the action!

Want more? Here's a storify post on the Tour De France 2012!