Yahoo Sport 
Tour de France 2018: When is the route announced, who are the favourites and what do we know about next year's race?
When will the route for next year's Tour be announced?
The route for the 2018 Tour de France route will be unveiled on Tuesday, Oct 17, 2017, at the Palais des Congrès in Paris, France.
When does the Tour de France start?
The Tour de France – 105th edition of the world's biggest bike race – gets under way in Noirmoutier-en-l'Île on Saturday July 7, 2018, and concludes in Paris a little over three weeks later on Sunday July 29.
Er, sorry but what is this 'Tour' thing you are talking about?
Why, it's only the 105th edition of the Tour de France, one of the three grand tours, the others being the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España.
For many, the Tour – or la Grande Boucle – is the only bicycle race that matters. Those people, of course, are very wrong indeed, but given the exposure the race is given compared to its less well known Italian and Spanish cousins and the other one-day or week-long races throughout the season this is understandable. Forgivable, even, some may say.
Founded in 1903 by Henri Desgrange, editor of L'Auto newspaper, the Tour is the biggest annual sporting event in the world and has more live spectators than even the Olympic Games or Fifa World Cup.
The Tour may not be the favourite stage race of the cycling cognoscenti – that honour goes to the Giro, or possibly Tro-Bro Léon – but it is one that certainly captures the imagination of the wider sporting public. Along with the crack of leather on willow and old boys taking afternoon snoozes in their linen slacks and loud stripey ties, the Tour de France for many is the sight and sound of the summer.
What do we know about next year's route so far?
All we know so far is that the Grand Départ will be hosted in the Vendée department in the Pays-de-la-Loire region of France.
The opening stage runs on July 7 from Noirmoutier-en-l'Île to Fontenay-le-Comte over a 195 kilometre route while the following day the riders will tackle the 185km run from Mouilleron-Saint-Germain to La Roche-sur-Yon. The first Monday of the three-week race sees the return of the team time trial which will be contested on a 35km course near Cholet while the fourth stage sets off from La Baule to an, as yet, unannounced destination.
What teams will ride the Tour de France?
As with all WorldTour races, each of the 18 teams that make up the top-flight of professional cycling receive an invite and in the case with the Tour de France all are contracted to race. In addition to the WorldTour teams, race organisers Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) will also hand out wildcard spots to four teams of which Cofidis, Solutions Crédits, Direct Énergie and Fortuneo-Oscaro will be confident of pocketing one. Unsurprisingly, the ASO tend to favour French teams when it comes to handing out these golden tickets to the most prestigious race in world cycling.
How many riders will line-up on the starting line?
Following changes announced by International Cycling Union (UCI), team sizes in all three grand tours will be reduced to eight riders while all UCI races will be limited to 176 riders. So there's your answer: 22 teams with eight riders apiece will be on the starting line in Noirmoutier-en-l'Île comprising 176 riders.
What are the bookmakers' favourites to win the 2018 Tour?
Chris Froome: 6/4
Tom Dumoulin: 4/1
Richie Porte: 15/2
Nairo Quintana: 11/1
Mikel Landa: 13/1
Miguel Ángel López: 20/1
Fabio Aru: 33/1
Romain Bardet: 33/1
Rigoberto Urán: 33/1
Vincenzo Nibali: 40/1
Odds supplied by oddschecker.com are best available as of Oct 10, 2017
Who are you backing for next year's race?
