Tour de France 2022 Preview!

How to watch the Tour de France 2022, route map and favourites to win!

What is the Tour de France 2022 route?

The 2022 Tour de France will take its first ever trip to Denmark as Copenhagen plays host to the first stage of this year’s Tour. The Tour will stay in Denmark for stages two and three before heading to Northern France for a sprint from Dunkirk to Calais and an exciting chase around the cobbles in Lille.

The riders then head east, with a brief foray into Belgium for stage six, before the riders tackle the mountain stages and the first category one climb in a summit finish in stage seven.

The second week of the Tour sees the riders wrestle with the Alps. The Tour crosses over into Switzerland for the finish in stage eight before the gruelling climb to Alpe d’Huez – the resort town where Geraint Thomas famously won in 2018. Stage 14 sees the riders battle with a 10.2% 3km climb up to the airport of Mende. The Tour takes in its fourth mountain range in stage 15 as the riders head to the foothills of the Pyrenees for the sprint finish to Carcassonne.

The mountain specialists get another treat in stages 17 and 18, including a 7.8% 8km summit finish at Peyragudes and a 16.4km long climb halfway through at Col d’Ausbique. Then, we’re heading to the time trial around the medieval village of Rocamadour for the penultimate stage before the traditional finish along the Champs-Élysées.

You can find a stage-by-stage breakdown of the 2022 Tour de France here.

Who are the Tour de France 2022 favourites?

The bookies are tipping a Slovenian showdown in the 2022 Tour de France. Last year’s Tour winner Tadej Pogačar, and his compatriot Primož Roglič are leading the pack in terms of the favourites to take the yellow jersey.

Tadej Pogačar

Pogačar arrives on the back of two comfortable stage wins in the Tour of Slovenia which could prove to be the perfect preparation for the Team Emirates rider who looks to scoop his third successive Tour de France.

Primož Roglič

Of course, Pogačar’s biggest threat comes from Jumbo-Visma’s Roglič. A knee injury in the Basque Country robbed cycling fans of a real head-to-head between the two Slovenes but with any luck we could be heading for one in this year’s Tour de France.

Jonas Vingegaard

Roglič’s Jumbo-Visma teammate Jonas Vingegaard is also among the favourites to take the yellow jersey. The Dane has enjoyed an impressive 2022 with a second-place finish in the Tirreno-Adriatico and a win in the Drôme Classic. Depending on how Jumbo-Visma utilise him, Vingegaard could at the very least play a part in disrupting Pogačar’s chances of victory.

Geraint Thomas

Few would’ve predicted the remarkable comeback of Geraint Thomas in the early part of the 2022 season, but here we are. Recovering from shoulder surgery and a COVID-19 setback saw the Welshman take a backseat for Ineos, but he’s stuck by his word of returning to his best in July with a fine win in the Tour de Suisse. Could Thomas pick up his second Tour de France or could teammate Adam Yates also spring a surprise?

How can I watch the Tour de France?

The good news is that there’s plenty of ways to watch the Tour de France in the UK. ITV will be showing live coverage of every stage and highlights every evening over on ITV4. You can also catch the Eurosport and GCN+ coverage as part of your subscription.

You can subscribe to Eurosport Player for £6.99 a month or £39.99 a year and GCN+ for £6.99 a month or £39.99 annually.

Welsh speakers can also watch the Tour de France on S4C.