2013 Tour de France route will start in Corsica

CORSICA, France - The 2013 Tour de France will have its first three days in Corsica. The announcement was made today by Tour director Christian Prudhomme in the first news annoucement about the 100th edition of the world's most famous cycling race.

It is the first time the Tour has ever been to Corsica, something Prudhomme called "an historical anomaly". The 2013 Tour will start on Saturday 29 June, 2013 with a largely flat 200km ride from Porto-Vecchio to Bastia, followed the next day by a 155km ride from Bastia to Ajaccio which will see the climbers tackle climbs up the Col de Bellagranajo, Col de la Serra and Col de Vizzavona passes. The Monday will see a 145km ride from Ajaccio to Calvi before the riders return to mainland France.

The remainder of the 2013 Tour de France official route will not be disclosed until mid October 2012 but Sportive.com will keep readers updated on the route rumours as they are leaked or revealed over the course of the next 10 months.