tour de france tv schedule
On its 3,500km (2,187-mile) odyssey from Monaco to Paris, the Tour de France passes through hundreds of towns and villages.
The race is divided into 21 stages, or "etapes", and being a town at the start or finish of an etape is a great honour and much sought after.
Tonnerre - a two-hour train ride south of Paris - is one such town.
It will become a "ville-etape" for the first time on 16 July, when the 211km (131-mile) 12th stage to Vittel begins there.
Tonnerre, sleepy but picturesque, will see its population of 6,500 more than double as the "caravan" - the travelling circus that accompanies the Tour de France - moves in.
The riders, technicians, support personnel, organisers, sponsors and journalists make up around 4,500 alone.
Add to that thousands of spectators arriving to cram up against the metal barriers lining the streets.
Meanwhile, millions more will watch on television as Tonnerre enjoys its five minutes of fame, with captivating aerial shots relayed round the world.
The benefits of being a ville-etape are - at first glance - easy to see, though the longer-term economic rewards are more difficult to calculate.
Aside from the income from visitors on the day, the hope is that tourism will grow in the days and months that follow.
Tonnerre does not lack attractions, such as the intriguing Fosse Dionne - a wide natural well more than 300m (900 ft) deep whose source remains a mystery despite numerous diving expeditions.
Economic downturn
Most of the costs of hosting the Tour, such as payments to the organisers, the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), and putting new tarmac on the local roads, are borne by the regional government of the Yonne Departement.
Tonnerre itself is paying 15,000 euros (£12,000) on decorations and giving the town a general spruce up.
The town's mayor, Andre Fourcade, thinks the money will more than repay itself.
"The head of the regional council tells me that for every one euro that is spent, four euros will come back," he says.
"After the Tour de France and in the coming months, I will get the reaction of various businesses, which I hope will have benefited."
There is no doubt that Tonnerre could use some more tourism revenue.
While attractive, the streets betray the signs of economic downturn. Several shops and a hotel have closed down.
Even before the current recession, Tonnerre was hit a few years ago by the closure of a factory belonging to a subsidiary of the giant Thomson group. Over time, 1,000 jobs were lost.
"It's true that the consequences for the town were terrible and that the centre has a rather worrying appearance," says Mr Fourcade.
"I hope the Tour de France will provide the opportunity to give a push in the right direction."
Young recruits
Regulars at Le Balto bar in Tonnerre see the arrival of the Tour as a good thing, although there are some grumblings about the extensive road closures involved.
"For us, if it's fine weather, it'll be a great opportunity," says Brigitte Cligny, the bar's manager. "I hope we will attract a lot of tourists because we have a town which is very pretty, with lots of things to see."
Local cyclists will be among those taking front-row seats when the Tour comes to town.
Among them will be Maurice Cornu, 59, a French champion in his category in Cyclosportives - mass participation events open to the amateur and serious aspiring racer alike.
Mr Cornu, vice-president of a local Cyclosportive club, is involved in several events staged by the town in the run-up to 16 July.
He is hoping the tour will attract young people to the sport of cycling.
"We're trying to train young people because we're in a club that's starting to get old," he says.
"Unfortunately, with the price of bikes, it's difficult for the parents to afford the latest models."
I spent the final minutes of my stay in Tonnerre cycling the first couple of kilometres of the route of what will be the 12th stage with another local enthusiast, Marc Calonne.
"I think it will bring a lot of life," he says.
We cycle along a stretch of minor road he knows well - now freshly resurfaced, the tarmac barely cooled down.
"It's something which will last after the passage of the Tour de France," he says.
One of several benefits brought by the Tour that Tonnerre hopes will remain long after the last spectators have left.
d of the stage. Things are not going well for the Saxo Bank team as Voigt would be their second team member (in the last seven days) to pull out of the race after previous crashes forced Andy Schleck and Kurt-Asle Arvesen to do the same. 
