The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. It was first staged in 1903 and the tour typically covers around 3,200 kilometres. The race lasts 21 days and is broken into day-long segments, called stages. The course changes every year, but the race has always finished in Paris.

The 2012 Tour de France is the 99th edition of the Tour de France. It began in the city of Liège in Belgium, and is scheduled to end on the Champs-Elysées in Paris. Besides Belgium and France, the Tour will also pass through Switzerland.