Paris - Organisers of the Tour de France on Tuesday unveiled plans of a series of celebrations to mark the 100th edition of the world's most famous bicycle race later this year.
"We are overflowing with projects," said race director Christian Prudhomme.
The race which starts for the first time in Corsica on June 29 and runs until July 21, will take in some of France's most famous landmarks such as the Chateaux de Versailles as well as Mont Blanc, Mont Saint-Michel and the Loire region which are renowned for their chateaux.
One of the highlights will be the finish which is expected to be at approximately 19:45 (GMT) local time and will include 500 of the 1 400 former Tour de France riders who are still alive.
There will also be a photo exhibition celebrating the 100 years of the Tour at the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris as well as a film to be released on June 12 about an amateur rider who leaves one day before the peloton, after he was left by his wife and fired from his job.
His popularity grows as he tries to stay ahead of the professionals before being finally caught, but not after a brief spell riding alongside the yellow jersey holder.