( CNN ) -- Tour de France race director Christian Prudhomme has confirmed the 2013 race -- the centenary edition -- will start on the French island of Corsica . Corsica , which lies off the southern French coast , will host the first three stages of the race from Porto-Vecchio to Calvi , the first time the Tour has ever visited . Prudhomme told AFP : `` For the hundredth edition of the race , we wanted to go somewhere new , somewhere spectacular . `` In Corsica , we have all of that . We have everything in place for an enchanting start to the race , '' he added . The opening 201.5km stage from Porto-Vecchio to Bastia is likely to favor the sprinters , while the 153km second stage from Bastia to Ajaccio , is expected to see the climbers come to the fore . The third stage is relatively short , just 145km from Ajaccio to Calvi . Every French region has hosted a stage of the Tour but the race has never previously crossed over to Corsica , the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte , for logistical reasons . The 2012 Tour de France will begin in the Belgian city of Liege on June 30 .
The 2013 Tour will start from the French island of Corsica . Three stages will be held on the island , the 100th time the Tour de France has visited . 2013 marks the first edition of the biggest cycle race in the world .