UKC

Finishing in Nice as the Olympics are in Paris.

Final stage is a time trial for the first time since Greg LeMond broke French hearts by taking the final stage and the tour from Laurent Fignon in 1989.

8 sprint stages - fingers crossed for Cav.

And reportedly an uphill stage finish on the Plateau de Beille, right near our place in Ariège. I was up there the last time a stage finished there and it was pretty impressive.

Edit: on Bastille Day too!

Even though he's claiming it's the toughest route he's seen, I agree it looks like half of the first 16 stages could be sprints. 

The Tour de France femme starting in The Netherlands and Belgium seems like a good idea. If the spilt stage is deemed a success will it be reintroduced in the men's race? The final stage finishes up Alpe d'Huez and looks as  hard as anything in the men's race. 

Split stages used to be quite common in the men’s Tour. It was always said the riders hated them hence their demise.

Gravel? (Champagne)

Latterly often a TTT following a short sprint stage 

Not sure how big a consideration that is, every rider hates long transfers, is anything being done to reduce them? Sprinters hate short mountain stages, GC riders hate sprint stages with sketchy finishes. Doesn't the comparative lack of ITT miles stem from French riders not being as good as Froome at them. The final  Lemond/Fignon ITT would have been far less tense if Fignon hadn't gained a minute or so during the TTT part of the split stage that year.

The really short mountain stage with a grid start didn't work as a  spectacle, so hasn't been repeated, but if the split stage in the women's tour is thought to be entertaining I can see it making a return. 

The Bed Bug Tour?