Summary: The clock is ticking to the start of the Tour de France, and we are taking a deep dive into various elements of the race over the next six episodes. We will examine the stages, the contenders, the storylines, and even the race's history between now and the race's start on August 29. On today's episode we take a broad look at the 2020 Tour de France route, and examine how it fits into the current trends for grand tour route design. Andrew Hood and James Startt offer their analysis on the 2020 Tour route, and offer insights into how the overall route will impact the racing. Then, we catch up with one of the country's top up-and-coming junior racers, Zoe Ta-Perez. Zoe rides for the Luxx-Sideshow women's team, and she is a 12-time national champion and a current UCI world champion in the Madison event. Zoe discusses how the COVID-19 shutdown has impacted her racing goals, and what it's like to be a top cyclist while trying to maintain a normal life as a teenager. The Tour de France is just around the corner, and the 2020 VeloNews Tour de France guide is now available for pre-order. This year the guide is again packed with insight and analysis on all 21 stages and 22 teams. We also have feature stories that examine the Tour's history with global crisis, and the simmering battle between Team Ineos and Jumbo-Visma. You can order yours now at www.velopress.com.
