PARIS - Tour de France organizers inadvertently published next year's route on their official website according to several specialist cycling websites on Monday.

Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) refused to comment when contacted by AFP about the embarrassing slip-up over the race which gets underway in the Belgian town of Liege on June 30.

The page is no longer accessible, but Dutch journalist Stephan van der Zwan has some images he took of it on www.Wielerland.nl, the website that revealed the error.

The 2012 Tour will feature nine flat stages, five mountain stages including two finishing at altitude, two individual time-trials and a prologue. There will also be two rest days.

The race will comprise a total of 25 climbs of 2nd, 1st or Hors category: one in the Vosges, three in the Jura, four in the Swiss Jura, six in the Alps and 11 in the Pyrenees.

The official unveiling of the route is due to take place in Paris on Oct 18.

Route as it appeared on official website:

Prologue - June 30: Liege - Liege 6.1 km

1st stage - July 1: Liege - Seraing 198 km

2nd stage - July 2: Vise - Tournai 207 km

3rd stage - July 3: Orchies - Boulogne-sur-Mer 197 km

4th stage - July 4: Abbeville - Rouen 214 km

5th stage - July 5: Rouen - Saint-Quentin 197 km

6th stage - July 6: Epernay - Metz 210 km

7th stage - July 7: Tomblaine - La Planche des Belles Filles 199 km

8th stage - July 8: Belfort - Porrentruy 154 km

9th stage - July 9: Arc-et-Senans - Besancon 38 km time trial

10th stage - July 11: Macon - Bellegarde-sur-Valserine 194 km

11th stage - July 12: Albertville - La Toussuire-Les Sybelles 140 km

12th stage - July 13: Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne - Annonay Davezieux 220 km

13th stage - July 14: Saint-Paul-Trois-Chateaux - Le Cap d'Agde 215 km

14th stage - July 15: Limoux - Foix 192 km

15th stage - July 16: Samatan - Pau 160 km

16th stage - July 18: Pau - Bagneres-de-Luchon 197 km

17th stage - July 19: Bagneres-de-Luchon - Peyragudes 144 km

18th stage - July 20: Blagnac - Brive-la-Gaillarde 215 km

19th stage - July 21: Bonneval - Chartres 52 km time trial

20th stage - July 22: Rambouillet - Paris 130 km

Agence France-Presse

(China Daily 10/12/2011 page22)