PARIS (AP) — Tracing a route that limits the strengths of defending champion Chris Froome, the 2014 Tour de France will rattle over bone-jarring cobblestones, pay homage to World War I battlefields, climb unfamiliar mountains in the east of France and have only one time trial.
Starting in Leeds, England, on July 5, the 101st Tour ends 22 days later, as is traditional, on the Champs-Elysees in Paris. With 25 ascents, the same as the 2012 edition won by Bradley Wiggins and only three fewer than this year’s centennial dominated by Froome, the 2014 race will again suit strong climbers — perhaps even more so than in previous years because of the reduced emphasis on time-trialing.
