Tour festivities to kick off this weekend

Fans will have the opportunity to commemorate the 100th edition of the Tour de France this weekend by taking to the course of cycling’s most famous stage race, two weeks ahead of the Grand Depart.

The Tour will celebrate the milestone on Saturday with a host of events organised throughout most of France as part of the “Fete du Tour”.

The celebrations are scheduled to take place in all cities through which the race, which gets underway in Corsica on June 29, will pass with numerous activities and rides, ranging from the length of an entire stage to shorter formats of 10 to 50km, planned by tour organisers.

Even the 242.5km ride Givors to Mont Ventoux, which will serve as the Tour’s 15th stage, will be open for cycling enthusiasts to tackle, although it will be staggered over two days, allowing for lesser riders to tackle the race’s longest stage.

Fans will also be able to meet and greet legends such as Bernaud Hinault, a five-time Tour winner and the last French champion (1985), and two-time victor Bernard Thevenet, who notably put an end to Belgian great Eddy Merckx’s Tour reign.

The festivities won’t strictly be limited to road cyclist fans either with events also designed for other disciplines such as BMX and mountain biking with vintage bike exhibitions and specially-designed circuits for children on the programme as well.