While the flat stages can be fast and furious with dramatic sprint finishes the Tour de France is almost always won and lost in the mountains.

It is here, in the daunting peaks of the Alps and Pyrenees that a team leader with a chance of winning overall can gain time over his rivals.

On some stages the finish may be at the top of a mountain; on others the mountains are placed earlier in the route with a long, flat road to the finish.

Iban Mayo steps on the gas

Some riders, like the late Marco Pantani who won the race in 1998, are expert climbers and try to gain time by breaking away in the high mountains.

The little Italian used his strength in the mountains to gain more time than he expected to lose in the time trials, which were his weakness.

Other Tour winners, like Spain's Miguel Indurain, who won an incredible five consecutive Tours from 1991-95, were strong time triallers.

He would limit his losses in the mountains, hoping to recover the time lost in the time trials.

Current Tour champion Lance Armstrong, who won a record-breaking sixth Tour in a row in 2004, is a talented all-rounder.

Breathtaking mountain scenery

He will expect to gain time over his rivals in both the time trials and the mountain stages.

Armstrong is renowned for his attention to detail in preparing for the Tour each year and focuses his entire season on winning this one race.

The American practises riding important climbs in the mountains many times over in the months leading up to the race.

This gives him a big advantage over his rivals.

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Introduction

Domestiques

Flat stages

Time trials

Mountain stages

Did you know?

Traditionally, at the mountain summit, spectators hand out newspapers for riders to put under their jerseys as insulation for the cold descents.

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