It doesn't really work that way.
Sure, there are a coupleoflong and steepclimbs, but it really depends onthe tactics.
Let's say that the guy in the overalllead isn't that good on climbs, but that the 2nd placerider is.Now, if the day has a mountain stage, which favors the 2nd place rider, then the lead rider and his team will have to ride their hearts out to defend their place.
Or the other way around. If the lead rider is good at climbs and it's a flat stage, then it's that team that will have to ride hard to defent their position.
Or let's say that none of the possible overall winners are particularly good at climbs, then they may well choose to hang back, take it easy, coast over the mountains and let some other riders who aren't in competition for the overall win anyhow battle it out across the mountains.
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Le tour de France
from the tour de France website: "Running from Saturday July 3rd to Sunday July 25th 2010, the 97th Tour de France will be made up of 1 prologue and 20 stages and will cover a total distance of 3,642 kilometres."
The final stages of the tour de France traditionnally end on the Champs-Elysées avenue, in Paris France. The finish line isn't up the avenue near the Arc De Triomphe, but rather near the bottom of the avenue, just up the Rond-Point.
It is generally in France with occasional stages in neighbouring countries. It is traditional for the tour to start in another country, this year's start was in Monaco. This years tour for example has two stages based in Spain/Andorra.
There are 21 stages in 2008.
There are 20 different stages (or 21, I'm not sure)
19 or so
Yes, the most recent was in 2007.
Most of it, yeah. But some stages may be run in neighbouring countries.
Six stages in 19 days over a course of 2428 km.
All that France can offer. They've got flat stages, hilly stages and mountain stages. If it's paved, they'll ride it.
They are called "stages" in English, "étapes" in French.
Yes. In the Tour de France he's won about 22-25 stages over the years.
Amsterdam, Netherlands
"Tour de" basically means "tour of". So tour de France = tour of France.
No. The legs arecalled "stages" in English, "étapes" in French.