The Tour de France started today. We may never ride in the race, but we can virtually tour this year’s race route through Google Maps. Just as they have for the last few years, Cycling the Alps has published a Google Maps tour of the race. You can zoom in on the course, see the elevation profiles of the stages, and navigate through the stages using Streetview imagery.

Applications for Education
Rather than just viewing a tour of the Tour de France, have your students create their own virtual tours with the Google Earth Tour Builder. Students can use the Google Earth Tour Builder to create placemarks containing pictures, videos, and text about the unique aspects the towns in which stages of the Tour de France conclude. Click here for a video tutorial on using the Google Earth Tour Builder.