Although we are calling this a Tour de France we are actually going to start and end in the Netherlands. Out of about 4500 km of route, about 1000 km will actually be in Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium. But it is still a Tour de France because it totally loops around France.

We see fifteen stages to this journey, with distances as low as 75 km and as high as 650 km. Like France overall, each stage is really unique and exciting. But before listing them, here is the overview of the whole thing.

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The fifteen stages, to us, are based on named cycle routes. But they also travel in specific regions that are much more famous than any cycle route. Here are the stages, in which we mention first the region and then in brackets the cycle route or part route that we are using, if there is one:

1. Netherlands - Apeldoorn to the Rhine at Remagen
2. The Rhine -Remagen to Strasbourg (Rhine Radweg)
3. Alsace -  Strasbourg to Heidwiller (Alsace Wine Route)
4. Franche Compté -  Heidwiller to Chalon sur Saone(Eurovelo 6)
5. Southern Burgundy -  Chalon to Lyon (Tour de Bourgogne)
6. The Rhone - Lyon to Avignon (Via Rhona)
7. Provence - excursion from Avignon to Arles
8. Camargue - Arles to Sete
9. Canal du Midi and across the South of France -  Sete to Royan (Veloroute Entre Deux Mers)
10. Atlantic Coast south - Royan to Saumur (Velodyssee, Velo Francette)
11. Loire - Saumur to Nantes  (Loire a Velo)
12. Brittany - Nantes to Morlaix to Mont St Michel (Velodyssee, Tour de Manche)
13. Normandy and WWII - Mont St Michel to Valery sur Somme (Eurovelo 4, Veloroute de Lin)
14. The Somme and Belgium - Valery sur Somme to Antwerp  (Maple Leaf Route)
15. Netherlands - Antwerp (Belgium) to Amsterdam and vicinity

Our plan as the blog goes along is to give a general map of each stage as we enter it.  Then, if we have the strength and inclination, there will be more detailed maps day by day.  We think it helps to see any places named in the story in context and on a map.