Tour de France Highlights - Season 1 / Year 2016

Gary Imlach and Chris Boardman present highlights of stage one which is a ride through history. It goes northwards across the Cherbourg Peninsula from the astonishing UNESCO World Heritage Site at Mont-Saint-Michel, to Utah Beach, one of the settings of the Normandy landings on D-Day. Despite the choppy, rolling roads susceptible to sidewinds, the teams the big sprinters will certainly endeavour to bring the race together for a final bunch gallop after the 188 kilometres of the day. One for Kittel, Greipel, or Cavendish. Commentary by David Millar and Ned Boulting with Daniel Friebe reporting from the roadside.

Gary Imlach and Chris Boardman present highlights of stage two which starts at the departmental capital Saint-Lo, a town flattened during World War II and dubbed 'The Capital of the Ruins' by the playwright Samuel Beckett. The peloton heads north east across the Cherbourg Peninsula to the commercial, ferry and military port at Cherbourg-en-Cotentin on the English Channel. The final 1.9km of the stage ramp up to 6.5 per cent, which will suit uphill sprint specialists like Valverde, Gilbert or Gerrans. Commentary by Ned Boulting and David Millar with Daniel Friebe reporting from the roadside.

Gary Imlach and Chris Boardman present highlights of stage three, the second-longest stage of the race. It starts at Granville, a seaside and health resort on Mont Saint-Michel Bay, and heads south to Angers, 223.5km away. A marked ramp, with a section at a gradient of 14per cent, precedes the finish line, so one for uphill sprint specialists like Valverde, Purito Rodriguez or Alaphilippe. Commentary by Ned Boulting and David Millar with Daniel Friebe reporting from the roadside.

Gary Imlach and Chris Boardman present highlights of stage four the longest stage of this year's race. It takes the riders from beautiful, historical Saumur on the Loire River, southeast to monumental Limoges, a distance of 237.5km. On paper, the stage suits sprinters like Kittel, Greipel, or Cavendish, but beware sidewinds and the unexpected effects of the very long distance. Commentary by Ned Boulting and David Millar with Daniel Friebe reporting from the roadside.

Gary Imlach and Chris Boardman present highlights of stage five which for the third day in a row is considerably longer than 200km. Legs that tackle the five categorised climbs at the end of today's racing, which include the first cat. two ascents, will be tired ones. The big hitters - Froome, Quintana and Contador will face their first significant test today, and they will need to stay alert. However, while they all watch each other, a breakaway could just make it home today. Commentary by Ned Boulting and David Millar with Daniel Friebe reporting from the roadside.

Gary Imlach and Chris Boardman present highlights of stage six. Tomorrow sees the first of three days in the mountains, so today's south westerly stage through the Auvergne to the Midi-Pyrenees region represents a precious opportunity for the sprinters and their teams. The route is rolling, rather than flat, and a lump inside the final 10km could offer a launch pad for an attack to foil the fast men. Commentary by Ned Boulting and David Millar with Daniel Friebe reporting from the roadside.

Gary Imlach and Chris Boardman present highlights of stage seven. Prepare from some stunning mountain photography as the peloton grapples with the first category one climb of the month. The racers reach the top of the Col d'Aspin, 12km at a gradient of 6.5 per cent exactly 7km from the finish line. Then, the contenders will compare their descending skills on the road to Lac de Payolle, an artificial lake in the French Pyrenees. A daredevil descender like Romain Bardet could do well today. Commentary by Ned Boulting and David Millar with Daniel Friebe reporting from the roadside.

Gary Imlach and Chris Boardman present highlights of stage eight. A major mountain stage through the Pyrenees, with no less than 45km of climbing, including the towering Col du Tourmalet, 19km at a gradient of 7.4 per cent in the first half. Three major climbs follow, culminating in the Col de Peyresourde at 7.1km at 7.8 per cent. A long and technical descent leads the peloton into Bagneres-de-Louchon, where, among others, Thomas Voeckler has won in the recent past. Commentary by Ned Boulting and David Millar with Daniel Friebe reporting from the roadside.

Gary Imlach and Chris Boardman present highlights of stage nine. Froome, Quintana, Contador and the rest battle it out for the Maillot Jaune this afternoon on the first major uphill finish of this year's Tour. Certain to be one of the race's decisive set pieces, the stage takes the riders across four major categorised climbs before embarking on the final ascent at the winter sports resort of Andorra Arcalis in the Pyrenees. Officially 10.1km at a gradient of 7.2 per cent, the final mountain pass has a long uphill preamble that makes for a colossal 18km climb. Expect to see Froome, Quintana and Contador on the attack today. Commentary by Ned Boulting and David Millar with Daniel Friebe reporting from the roadside.

Gary Imlach and Chris Boardman present all the latest news as the riders have a rest day following a hard weekend of climbing. Commentary by Ned Boulting and David Millar with Daniel Friebe reporting from the roadside.

Gary Imlach and Chris Boardman present highlights of stage 10. This classic stage for the long-distance escape artists starts with 24km of relentless climbing on the category one Port d'Envalira. 170km of sinuous roads follow, before the crux of the stage - the category three ramp of the Cote de Saint Ferreol. Just 7km before the finish line, it has the potential to fragment the front end of the race, so sprinters beware. Commentary by Ned Boulting and David Millar with Daniel Friebe reporting from the roadside.

Gary Imlach and Chris Boardman present highlights of stage 11. Mark Cavendish and arch rival Andre Greipel have both won at today's stage finish, in vibrant, progressive Montpellier. The flattish approach from the dreamy, fortified town of Carcassonne seems to offer hope to the sprinters who have survived the Pyrenees. Commentary by Ned Boulting and David Millar with Daniel Friebe reporting from the roadside.

Gary Imlach and Chris Boardman present highlights of stage 12. The Tour returns to the giant of Provence - Mont Ventoux. Three years ago, Chris Froome, in magical form, taught his young challenger Nairo Quintana a lesson in the bald mountain's rarefied air. Today, the sorcerer's apprentice has victory, and the yellow jersey, in his sights. The top French climbers, including Thibaut Pinot and Pierre Rolland, will also have high ambitions on Bastille Day. Commentary by Ned Boulting and David Millar with Daniel Friebe reporting from the roadside.

Gary Imlach and Chris Boardman present highlights of stage 13. This short time trial comes hard on yesterday's scaling of Mont Ventoux and requires a quick transition from yesterday's all-out ascending, to the rigours of riding a space-aged time-trial bike. After two weeks of racing, fatigue will be an important factor today. The time trial specialists like Tony Martin and Fabian Cancellara will race for the win, while the GC contenders, with yesterday's ordeal still in their legs, could suffer widely differing fortunes. Commentary by Ned Boulting and David Millar with Daniel Friebe reporting from the roadside.

Gary Imlach and Chris Boardman present highlights of stage 14. The Tour heads due north today from the temptations of world nougat capital Montelimar to the bird sanctuary at Villars-les-Dombes, some 208.5km distance. Since the last flattish stage, the sprinters have had to drag their heavily muscled physiques up Mont Ventoux, then stretch them across the tortuous frame of their time-trial bikes. Commentary by Ned Boulting and David Millar with Daniel Friebe reporting from the roadside.

Gary Imlach and Chris Boardman present highlights of stage 15. In 2012, Thomas Voeckler won the stage over the super-category Gran Colombier, the giant of the six certified climbs along today's high mountain stage, while Bradley Wiggins defended the yellow jersey. Today's stage approaches the Gran Colombier from the opposite side, and the riders, after completing the descent and crossing the finish line, are then sent back to do it all over again - not the entire pass, but the twisting, writhing, utterly fascinating bootlaces or shoestrings of the Gran Colombier. This will almost certainly supply some of the most memorable images of this year's race. Commentary by Ned Boulting and David Millar with Daniel Friebe reporting from the roadside.

Gary Imlach and Chris Boardman present highlights of stage 16. Today's stage across the Swiss border to Berne was designed with two things in mind. One was to give the sprinters a final opportunity to do their thing before four gruelling stages through the Alps. The other was to celebrate the life and works of Fabian Cancellara, born in nearby Wohlen bei Bern. He retires this year after a glittering 16-year career. Just one categorised climb along the way, but the road is rarely flat and a bunch sprint is far from certain. Commentary by Ned Boulting and David Millar with Daniel Friebe reporting from the roadside.

Presented by Gary Imlach with Chris Boardman. All the day's news from the Tour as the riders have their second rest day.

Gary Imlach and Chris Boardman present highlights of stage 17. A key day in the mountains on a day the Tour de France becomes 100 per cent Swiss. The peloton crosses the cantons of Berne, Vaud and Valais. They tackle two category three climbs, before embarking on a final, two-step ascent that starts with the Col de la Forclaz, a category one, 12.6km climb at an average gradient of 8.2 per cent. It finishes with the super-category Finhaut-Emosson - 10.4km at 8.4 per cent touching 12.3 per cent in the final kilometre. Commentary by Ned Boulting and David Millar with Daniel Friebe reporting from the roadside.

Gary Imlach and Chris Boardman present highlights of stage 18. Today's gruelling mountain time trial is only 17km long, but it is one of the most anticipated and feared stages of the race. The riders climb for 11km on gradients that, early on, reach double-figures. Start too fast, and running out of steam becomes a real and present danger. So success and failure in this year's Tour de France depends on finding the perfect pace today. The contenders will have no time to enjoy the stunning mountain setting - that delight is reserved for those watching on television. Commentary by Ned Boulting and David Millar with Daniel Friebe reporting from the roadside.

Gary Imlach and Chris Boardman present highlights of stage 19. The first of the two short, draining final mountain stages, both 146km long, that will decide who wins, and who loses, this year's Tour de France. Part one of the Alpine diptych comprises 27.8 km of climbing on gruelling categorised climbs before the peloton even reaches the foot of the final uphill finish of the Tour - 9.8 km up to Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc on a road with a maximum gradient of 12.9 per cent on the lower slopes. Commentary by Ned Boulting and David Millar with Daniel Friebe reporting from the roadside.

Gary Imlach and Chris Boardman present highlights of stage 20. A year ago, on the final, decisive mountain stage of the Tour de France, Chris Froome nearly surrendered his lead in the face of aggressive, swashbuckling riding from Nairo Quintana. Today's 146km stage represents the final opportunity to revise the podium of this year's Tour. Four gargantuan and stunningly scenic climbs provide the most evident opportunity, but there is also a tricky final descent to Morzine as the setting for a possible, last-gasp coup. Either way, on the finish line today we will know this year's champion. Commentary by Ned Boulting and David Millar with Daniel Friebe reporting from the roadside.

Gary Imlach and Chris Boardman present highlights of the final stage. This is traditionally given over to champagne toasts to the yellow jersey, photo opportunities and, unless a breakaway rider can stay away for the first time since 2005, a mass sprint on the Champs-Elysees. Commentary by Ned Boulting and David Millar with Daniel Friebe reporting from the roadside.