this years tour de france route

These are all the stages awaiting Tom Pidcock at the Tour de France

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Tom Pidcock

Tom pidcock is a talented multi-threat of a cyclist, equally at home on a mountain bike as he is on the road or a cyclo-cross circuit..

Wout Van Aert

A winner of uci cyclocross world cup series title in 2021, belgian rider wout van aert also is also a regular stage winner on the tour de france..

• 1 A start on the other side of the Alps
• 2 Back to France
• 3 Heading for Western France
• 4 In the heart of the Pyrenees
• 5 The home stretch

The official route of the Tour de France 2024

© Tour de France

A start on the other side of the Alps

• Stage 1: Saturday, June 29 - Florence to Rimini - 206km - Accidental
• Stage 2: Sunday, June 30 - Cesenatico to Bologna - 199km - Accidental
• Stage 3: Monday, July 1 - Piacenza to Turin - 230km - Flat
• Stage 4: Tuesday, July 2 - Pinerolo to Valloire - 140km - Mountain

Tom Pidcock is parking his mountain bike to race the Tour de France

© Bartek Wolinski/Red Bull Content Pool

Back to France

• Stage 5: Wednesday, July 3 - Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne to Saint-Vulbas - 177km - Flat
• Stage 6: Thursday, July 4 - From Mâcon to Dijon - 163km - Flat
• Stage 7: Friday, July 5 - Nuits-Saint-Georges to Gevrey-Chambertin - 25km - Time trial
• Stage 8: Saturday, July 6 - Semur-en-Auxois to Colombey-Les-Deux-Églises - 183km - Flat
• Stage 9: Sunday, July 7 - From Troyes to Troyes - 199km - Accidental

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• Stage 10: Tuesday, July 9 - Orléans to Saint-Amand-Montrond - 187km - Flat
• Stage 11: Wednesday, July 10 - Évaux-Les-Bains to Le Lioran - 211km - Mountain
• Stage 12: Thursday, July 11 - Aurillac to Villeneuve-Sur-Lot - 204km - Flat
• Stage 13: Friday, July 12 - Agen to Pau - 165km - Flat

Wout van Aert on Stage 9 of the 2023 Tour de France

© Kristof Ramon/Red Bull Content Pool

In the heart of the Pyrenees

• Stage 14: Saturday, July 13 - From Pau to Saint-Lary-Soulan - 152km - Mountain
• Stage 15: Sunday, July 14 - Loudenvielle to Plateau de Beille - 198km - Mountain

Who will come out top at the 2024 Tour?

The home stretch

• Stage 16: Tuesday, July 16 - Gruissan to Nîmes - 189km - Flat
• Stage 17: Wednesday, July 17 - From Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux - 178km - Mountain
• Stage 18: Thursday, July 18 - From Gap to Barcelonnette - 180km - Accidental
• Stage 19: Friday, July 19 - Embrun to Isola 2000 - 145km - Mountain
• Stage 20: Saturday, July 20 - Nice to Col de la Couillole - 133km - Mountain
• Stage 21: Sunday, July 21 - Monaco to Nice - 33km - Time trial

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2024 Tour de France route analysis: key stages, climbs, and contenders

Mathew Mitchell

• Published on June 11, 2024
• in Men's Cycling

The 2024 Tour de France route embarks on an unprecedented journey from Florence to Nice, breaking tradition with a Grand Départ in Italy and concluding on the French Riviera, bypassing Paris due to the upcoming Olympics. This significant shift marks the first time in the race’s history that it will either start in Italy or finish outside of the French capital. The 21-stage route, running from June 29th to July 21st 2024, introduces a blend of new challenges and classic elements, designed to test the peloton in both familiar and novel ways.

Table of Contents

This year’s route features a mix of high-altitude mountain climbs, gravel sectors, and decisive time trials, providing a rigorous test for all riders. As the peloton navigates from the historic streets of Florence to the scenic finish in Nice, the 2024 Tour de France promises a blend of tradition and innovation, ensuring an unforgettable race for both participants and fans. The varied stages are set to push riders to their limits, keeping fans engaged throughout the event.

There’s a guide to the GC contenders for the 2024 Tour de France here .

2024 Tour de France Route Map

Key stages and climbs of the 2024 Tour de France

• Stage 1: A hilly 206km from Florence to Rimini, setting the tone with seven significant climbs.
• Stage 4: The race’s first mountain challenge, crossing the Alps with the formidable Col du Galibier.
• Stage 9: A 199km loop from Troyes featuring 14 gravel sectors, which could be decisive for GC contenders.
• Stage 14: The first mountain top finish at Pla d’Adet, following the Tourmalet climb, crucial for GC battles.
• Stage 15: On Bastille Day, the Tour’s toughest stage with five climbs and nearly 5,000m of ascent, finishing at Plateau de Beille.
• Stage 20: A 132.8km stage from Nice to Col de la Couillole, packed with four significant climbs, critical for final GC standings.
• Stage 21: A 33.7km individual time trial from Monaco to Nice, featuring climbs over La Turbie and Col d’Eze, ensuring the race for the yellow jersey continues to the very end.

Stage-by-stage guide to the 2024 Tour de France

Stage 1: Florence to Rimini, 206km

The Tour kicks off with a challenging 206km stage from Florence to Rimini. The route includes seven climbs, with the Côte de Saint-Marin at 4.8% over 7.1km being the final test before a flat finish. This hilly parcours suggests a puncheur or a climber might be the first to don the yellow jersey. Potential winner: Tadej Pogačar.

Stage 2: Cesenatico to Bologna, 199.2km

The second stage, covering 199.2km, features shorter but steeper climbs. The highlight is the San Luca climb, notorious for its 10.6% gradient over 1.9km. This could bring the GC contenders to the forefront early on. Potential winner: Tadej Pogačar.

Stage 3: Piacenza to Turin, 230.8km

A lengthy 230.8km stage offers a flat terrain suitable for sprinters. Despite three modest climbs, the stage is likely to culminate in a bunch sprint in Turin, the longest stage of this year’s Tour. Potential winner: Jasper Philipsen.

Stage 4: Pinerolo to Valloire, 139.6km

Crossing into France, this 139.6km stage marks the first mountain challenge with climbs over Sestriere, Col de Montgenèvre, and Col du Galibier. Although the final 19km are downhill, this early mountain stage could shake up the GC. Potential winner: Jonas Vingegaard.

Stage 5: Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne to Saint-Vulbas, 177.4km

A respite for the sprinters with this 177.4km stage likely ending in a bunch sprint. After the high mountains, it offers a more straightforward route to Saint-Vulbas. Potential winner: Sam Bennett.

Stage 6: Mâcon to Dijon, 163.5km

Another chance for the sprinters with a 163.5km flat stage. The race to Dijon should provide back-to-back sprint opportunities, which are rare in Grand Tours these days. Potential winner: Jasper Philipsen.

Stage 7: Nuits-Saint-Georges to Gevrey-Chambertin, 25.3km Individual Time Trial

The first individual time trial, over 25.3km, features rolling terrain and a late 1.6km climb. This stage allows rouleur GC contenders to gain time on lighter climbers. Potential winner: Filippo Ganna.

Stage 8: Semur-en-Auxois to Colombey-les-Deux-Églises, 183.4km

The 183.4km route might favour sprinters despite rolling terrain and late climbs. Alternatively, punchy riders could seize the opportunity, but a sprint finish seems more likely. Potential winner: Wout van Aert.

Stage 9: Troyes to Troyes, 199km

A unique stage with 14 gravel sectors, totalling 32km, will challenge the peloton. The final sectors within the last 35km could cause mechanical issues and significant time losses for GC contenders. Potential winner: Mathieu van der Poel.

Stage 10: Orléans to Saint-Amand-Montrond, 187.3km

A flat 187.3km stage offers sprinters another chance, but potential crosswinds could create echelons, reminiscent of past races where the weather played a crucial role. Potential winner: Jasper Philipsen.

Stage 11: Évaux-les-Bains to Le Lioran, 211km

With over 4,000m of climbing packed into the final quarter of this 211km stage, riders will face serious challenges in the Massif Central, potentially impacting the GC battle. Potential winner: David Gaudu.

Stage 12: Aurillac to Villeneuve-sur-Lot, 203.6km

Another lengthy stage at 203.6km, features fewer obstacles, making it ideal for sprinters if they can control the breakaway. Potential winner: Mark Cavendish .

Stage 13: Agen to Pau, 165.3km

Reaching Pau, known as the Gateway to the Pyrenees, this 165.3km stage includes late hills favouring breakaways but remains within sprinters’ reach. Potential winner: Wout van Aert.

Stage 14: Pau to Saint-Lary-Soulan Pla d’Adet, 151.9km

The first mountain top finish at Pla d’Adet follows the Hourquette d’Ancizan and Tourmalet climbs. This 151.9km stage will be critical for GC contenders. Potential winner: Tadej Pogačar.

Stage 15: Loudenvielle to Plateau de Beille, 197.7km

On Bastille Day, the Tour’s toughest stage with five climbs over 197.7km and nearly 5,000m of ascent. The Plateau de Beille summit finish could see significant shifts in the GC. Potential winner: Egan Bernal.

Stage 16: Gruissan to Nîmes, 188.6km

Post-rest day, this flat 188.6km stage offers a breakaway opportunity, but sprinters might still contest the win as they head towards the Alps. Potential winner: Jasper Philipsen.

Stage 17: Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux to Superdévoluy, 177.8km

Featuring the Col de Noyer before a climb to Superdévoluy, this 177.8km stage introduces another test for GC riders and the potential for breakaways. Potential winner: Romain Bardet.

Stage 18: Gap to Barcelonnette, 179.5km

A mountainous 179.5km stage, yet not as severe as those preceding it. Focus may shift to stage-hunting riders rather than the GC contenders. Potential winner: Michael Woods.

Stage 19: Embrun to Isola 2000, 144.6km

High-altitude climbs dominate this 144.6km stage, including Cime de la Bonnette, the race’s highest point at over 2,800m, making it one of the toughest days. Potential winner: Richard Carapaz.

Stage 20: Nice to Col de la Couillole, 132.8km

A short yet gruelling 132.8km stage featuring four significant climbs, including a summit finish at Col de la Couillole, crucial for final GC standings. Potential winner: Primož Roglič.

Stage 21: Monaco to Nice, 33.7km Individual Time Trial

For the first time, the Tour de France concludes with a time trial in Nice. This 33.7km stage, with climbs over La Turbie and Col d’Eze, ensures the yellow jersey could change hands until the very end. Potential winner: Remco Evenepoel.

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2024 tour de france route, dates, and details: packed with firsts and plot-twists, four summit finishes, two time trials, and 34km of gravel roads highlight a challenging and balanced route starting in italy and ending in nice..

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The Tour de France is eternal, but 2024 packs plenty of firsts and plot-twists to deliver what should be a thrilling edition.

Not only are big hitters such as Jonas Vingegaard , Tadej Pogačar , Primož Roglič , and Remco Evenepoel expected to clash in a generational battle, the 111th edition of the French grand tour will deliver an interesting backdrop.

Early details reveal a varied and interesting route:

• 3492km total
• June 29 to July 21
• Four territories (Italy, San Marino, France, Monte Carlo)
• 7 mountain stages
• 4 summit finishes
• 32km of gravel roads

With the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris dictating the calendar, the men’s Tour de France — which will runs from June 29 to July 21 — will not finish in Paris as the riders head for Nice for a final-day time trial.

“We were committed to avoid Paris because of the Olympics,” Tour director Christian Prudhomme told Reuters . “There are only 28,000 police forces available and we knew we could not get more.”

Since its inception in 1903, the men’s race has always finished in Paris or its surrounding suburbs, and it has concluded on the Champs Élysées since 1975.

Also in a first, the race will start in Italy with the three opening stages.

Here are the key points:

‘Big Start’ in Italy for historical first

After more than a century, the “big loop” will make its “Big Start” in Italy for the first time.

Stage 1 jumps right into it, with a road stage starting in Florence and ending in Rimini, with a detour through San Marino. The yellow jersey will be up for grabs, with sprinters like Mark Cavendish, Jasper Philipsen, and Wout van Aert will need to endure 3600m of climbing as the route climbs over the Apennines.

Stage 2 pays homage to Marco Pantani and runs from Cesenatico to Bologna will hit the famed San Luca climb in final hour of racing that could throw a spanner in the wheels of the sprinters.

Stage 3 runs across the flats from Piacenza to Torino in what is expected to be the first chance for the sprinters.

Week 1: Into France and up the Galibier

The race’s three-day sojourn ends with stage 4 from Pinerolo to Valloire grinds up and over the Alps, including an assault of the HC Col du Galibier (23km at 5.1%).

“The Tour has never been so high so soon,” said Tour director Christian Prudhomme.

Stages 5 and 6 will see the sprinters see more chances as the race leaves the Alps only to return in the final weekend.

Stage 7 delivers a 25km individual time trial across the vineyards of Burgundy. The rolling course isn’t too long, and the GC will remain knotted up for anyone who’s survived the brutal first week.

Stage 8 from Semur-en-Auxois to Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises sees a string of climbs early in the undulating stages to set up a breakaway. 

The opening week closes with a challenging stage featuring no less than 14 sectors of gravel on 34km of racing in a loop around Troyes.

Week 2: Pyrénées loom and a return of Plateau de Beille

Week 2 opens with a transition stage out of Orleans across the flats of central France and the Loire Valley that can be open to strong crosswinds.

Stage 11 dips into the Massif Central, with 4.350 of vertical gain, and the Néronne, the Puy Mary Pas de Peyrol, Pertus, and Font de Cère climbs stacked up late in the back half of the profile.

Stages 12 and 13 are, at least on paper, more chances for the sprinters, but midway into any Tour, breakaway chances increase by the kilometer.

The Tour’s first major mountaintop finale comes in stage 14 with Saint-Lary-Soulan deep in the Pyrénées, featuring the Col du Tourmalet midway through the stage.

Stage 15 sees a return to the Plateau de Beille (15.8km at 7.9%) in the Tour’s second-straight summit finale. Adding to the drama will be France’s Bastille Day, with six climbs and 4850m of vertical, fireworks are guaranteed.

Week 3: Alps and final-day TT decider

Despite a grueling opening two weeks, week three will crown the winner.

Stage 16 opens up the action in what’s likely another chance for the sprinters — who will see likely eight chances in this year’s edition — but the mistral heading into Nimes could prove tricky.

Stage 17 to Superdévoluy tiptoes into the Alps, and breakaway artists will have their chance to take centerstage with three moderate climbs stacked up in the final hour of racing. Another transition stage to Barcelonnette in stage 18 could deliver another breakaway.

Back-to-back summit finales high in the Alps will set up the decisive closing weekend anchored by the final-time trial in Nice, the first time the Tour’s ended in an individual time trial since 1989 when Greg LeMond overcame Laurent Fignon in his historic victory.

Altitude will be a key factor in both stages.

Stage 19 sees three summit higher than 2000m, and stage 20 tackles four climbs in a short, 133km circuit-burner ending atop Col de la Couillole. Vertical tops 7000m in two days of racing.

If the race remains undecided, the tension will be sky high in the “dernière bataille” in the 34km individual time trial up and over La Turbie and Col d’Eze climbs.

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Tour de France 2024 route revealed as race finishes outside Paris for first time in 120-year history

The unique 2024 Tour de France will begin in Florence and end with a potentially dramatic time-trail in Nice, as the race finishes outside Paris for the first time in its 120-year history while the capital focuses on the Olympic Games.

In another first, Italy will host the Grand Depart and the first three stages of the race, before an early climb into the Alps on stage four, from the Italian town of Pinerolo to Valloire in France. The race will then head to the vineyards around Dijon, the Massif Central and over the Pyrenees, before returning to the French Alps and down to the Riviera for a finale against the clock, from Monaco to Nice .

The final section in the Alps is set for a stage 20 showdown on the Col de la Couillole (15.7km at 7.1 per cent average gradient), ahead of the first competitive 21st stage since 1989, as a time-trial replaces the traditional Parisian parade before a sprint on the Champs-Elysees.

“It’s difficult to replace Paris, so what better scenery could we give than than a dazzling Monaco to Nice time-trial,” said race director Christian Prudhomme, at the route’s unveiling. Of the stage-four ascent in the Alps, he added: “The Tour has never climbed so high, so early.”

The Tour de France Femmes will also break new ground when it begins abroad for the first time, with the first three stages to be held in the Netherlands. And the women’s race is set for an eye-catching finish atop the iconic Alpe d’Huez.

“We went to the Tourmalet last year, we wanted to go to iconic places and L’Alpe d’Huez is part of cycling’s history,” women’s Tour director Marion Rousse said. “It’s the toughest stage in Tour de France Femmes history with 4,000m of altitude gain. The stage also features the Col du Glandon, which I think is the hardest in France. Women have proved they have the level for that.”

Eight of the men’s 21 stages are categorised as ‘flat’ days but in reality there are few clear-cut opportunities for the sprinters, something noted by Mark Cavendish after the Manxman, who will be 39 when the race rolls around, reversed his decision to retire earlier this month.

“It’s so hard,” Cavendish told reporters after assessing the route. “I am actually in a bit of shock. It might be the hardest route I’ve ever seen at the Tour de France.”

Geraint Thomas, a year younger than Cavendish, has signed a new two-year contract with Ineos Grenadiers, which he says is likely to be his last, and the 2018 yellow-jersey winner could feature in the race, although Ineos’s focus will be on younger riders like Tom Pidcock, who continues to balance his love of mountain biking with grand tour racing.

After a mixed performance at this summer’s Tour de France, Ineos will hope for a yellow-jersey challenge from one of their riders, most likely the young Spaniard Carlos Rodriguez, who finished fifth and has just signed a four-year contract extension, quashing rumours of a transfer away.

But he will face a difficult challenge once more, with reigning champion Jonas Vingegaard set to return as the man to beat. Two-time winner Tadej Pogacar will among the favourites should he be fit and ready on the startline, while Belgian multiple world champion Remco Evenepoel is likely to make his Tour debut and four-time grand-tour winner Primoz Roglic is looking for a new team to lead.

“Could this herald a duel playing out between two, three, or – let’s dream a little here – even four contenders?” Prudhomme said.

The men’s race will run from 29 June to 21 July. The Olympics will begin five days after the Tour de France ends, and authorities did not want to stretch police resources in Paris, prompting the decision to finish on the south coast.

The women’s race will begin the day after the Games close, on 12 August, culminating in the Alps on 18 August.

Tour de France 2024: Route, stages and TV

This year’s tour de france promises to be a race for the ages, with excitement virtually from start to finish..

The 2024 Tour de France will also be a race of firsts. For the first time, the Grand Depart will be in Italy, pedaling the home roads of famed Italian climbers Marco Pantani, Gino Bartali, and Fausto Coppi. The other major first? The grand finale will be held outside Paris for the first time ever due to preparations for the Olympic Games. Adding more intrigue, the final day won’t be a ceremonial parade lap, but a time trial that may also determine this year’s Tour winner. 

Of course, when people think of the Tour de France, the high peaks of the Alps and Pyrenees come to mind. This year’s race will include multiple epic days pitting man against monumental mountain. The initial stage will boast the most meters climbed on the first day of a Tour de France, with day four, crossing into France, hitting another high. 

“ The Tour peloton has never climbed so high, so early ,” Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme told the media last year. 

Tour de France 2024 in numbers

• Total distance: 3,492 km 
• 4 countries (Italy, San Marino, Monaco, and France) 
• 7 regions 
• 30 departments 
• 4 mountain ranges (Apennines (Italy), the Italian and French Alps, Massif Central, and Pyrenees) 
• 4 summit finishes 
• 8 sprint finishes 
• 27 categorized climbs 
• 2 time trials 

When is the Tour de France 2024?

The Tour begins Saturday, June 29 and ends three weeks later in Nice on Sunday, July 21. 

Where is the Tour de France Grand Départ?

For the first time ever, the Tour de France starts in Italy, with the first three stages taking place in Bel Paese (aka the Beautiful Country), before crossing over into France during Stage 4. 

What are the main storylines heading into the 2024 Tour?

Mark Cavendish (Astana) vying for stage win 35, which would break his current tie with Eddy Merckx for most TdF stage wins ever (34). 

2023 Tour winner Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease A Bike) seeking his third straight TdF victory over Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep), and former teammate Primoz Roglic (Bora-Hansgrohe). 

Will riders falling short of expectations in the early going pull the plug on their Tour de France hopes in order to rest and prepare for the Olympics road race in Paris? 

Will the final stage time trial in Nice upend the standings or will the race have already been decided in the high mountains? 

Tour de France Route

The 2024 Tour de France route consists of 21 stages (and two well-deserved rest days) across a variety of terrain throughout three weeks of racing. At the end of the three weeks, we'll find out the winners of the prized Tour de France jerseys . 

Tour de France 2024: Stage 1

Florence - Rimini, 206km, Hilly 

There’s no easing into racing at this year’s tour; from the start at Florence’s Piazzale Michelangelo, riders will tackle a race-record 3,800m of climbing on the first day. The last of those climbs will be located 25km from the finish, which, given the day’s difficulty, may not give the sprinters’ teams enough time to fully recover and regroup. Look for a rider like reigning world champion Mathieu Van Der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) or Simon Yates (Jayco–Alula) to vie for the first yellow jersey of the 2024 Tour. 

• Col de Valico Tre Faggi: 12.5km long with an average gradient of 5.1% 
• Côte des Forche: 2.5km long with an average gradient of 6.2% 
• Côte de Spinello: 7.1km long with an average gradient of 6% 
• Côte de Barbotto: 5.8km long with an average gradient of 7.6% 
• Côte de San Leo: 4.6km long with an average gradient of 7.7% 
• Côte de Montemaggio: 4.2km long with an average gradient of 6.6% 
• Côte de Saint-Marin: 7.1km long with an average gradient of 4.8% 

Tour de France 2024: Stage 2

Cesenatico - Bologna, 200km, Hilly 

Another hilly day in Italy. The six climbs will be shorter, but steeper; the double ascent of San Luca – 10.6% gradient over 1.9km – should provide some excitement before the 10km plunge to the Bologne finish. Roglic knows the San Luca climb well, having claimed victory atop it during both the Giro dell’Emilia and the opening stage of the 2019 Giro d’Italia. 

• Côte de Monticino: 2km long with an average gradient of 7.5% 
• Côte de Gallisterna: 1.2km long with an average gradient of 12.8% 
• Côte de Botteghino di Zocca: 1.9km long with an average gradient of 6.8% 
• Côte de Montecalvo: 2.7km long with an average gradient of 7.7% 
• Côte de San Luca: 1.9km long with an average gradient of 10.6% (twice!) 

Tour de France 2024: Stage 3

Piacenza - Turin, 225km, Flat 

The first true sprinter day. All eyes will be on Mark Cavendish and his effort to claim sole ownership of the all-time Tour wins record, but Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) will attempt to postpone Cav’s celebration. 

• Côte de Tortone – Fausto Coppi: 1.1km long with an average gradient of 6.3% 
• Côte de Barbaresco: 1.5km long with an average gradient of 6.5% 
• Côte de Sommariva Perno: 3.1km long with an average gradient of 4.6% 

Tour de France 2024: Stage 4

Pinerolo – Valloire, 138km, Mountain 

The peloton exits Italy and heads into the French Alps. It’s a shorter stage, but still the hardest mountain stage this early in a Tour, with long, sustained climbs of Sestrières and Galibier. After the Galibier ascent, riders must rocket nearly 20 km down to the finish line in Valloire. If the contenders are close together at the top, the day’s winner – and potential next yellow jersey wearer – will likely be the best descender of the bunch. 

• Sestrières: 39.9km long with an average gradient of 3.7% 
• Col de Montgenèvre: 8.3km long with an average gradient of 5.9% 
• Col du Galibier: 23km long with an average gradient of 5.1%

Tour de France 2024: Stage 5

St-Jean-de-Maurienne - St-Vulbas, 177km, Flat 

After the previous stage, the peloton will luckily have two comparatively easier days in the saddle, the first being this mostly flat run into St Vulbas. Unless teams completely misjudge the breakaway’s gap, you should expect to see the sprinters attempting to score some green jersey points at the end.

Tour de France 2024: Stage 6

Macon – Dijon, 163km, Flat 

Another day, another sprint finish. Which rider will, ahem, cut the mustard in Dijon? 

Tour de France 2024: Stage 7

Nuits-Saint-Georges - Gevrey-Chambertin, 25km, ITT 

Don’t expect any major fireworks during the first of two time trials at this year’s tour. With only one 1.6km climb late in the course, it’s doubtful that any of the contenders will gain or lose much time on this stage. 

Tour de France 2024: Stage 8

Semur-en-Auxois - Colombey-Les-Deux-Eglises, 176km, Flat 

The race guide may categorize this stage as flat, but there’s enough rolling terrain and punchy hills toward the end to discourage a sprint finish. This will be one of the best opportunities for a successful breakaway in this year’s race. 

Tour de France 2024: Stage 9

Troyes – Troyes, 199km, Hilly 

Cue the melodramatic music. The peloton will face 14 sectors totaling 32km of gravel roads on this stage, nearly half of which are located within the final 35km. While many hardcore gravel riders may scoff at that relatively low number, racers’ jitters are warranted; an ill-fated puncture, mechanical, or spill here could cost the contenders dearly. Van Der Poel or Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease A Bike) could go for a stage win here. 

• Côte de Bergeres: 1.7km long with an average gradient of 5.2% 
• Côte de Baroville: 2.8km long with an average gradient of 4.8% 
• Côte de Loche-sur-Ource: 1.5km long with an average gradient of 5.2% 
• Côte de Val Frion: 2.2km long with an average gradient of 5% 
• Côte de Chacenay: 3km long with an average gradient of 4.3% 

REST DAY 

Tour de France 2024: Stage 10

Orléans - Saint-Amand-Montrond, 187km, Flat 

Look for the drama to continue into this stage; while the roads are mostly flat, wind has been known to cause havoc for riders. The contenders must be on alert if the peloton breaks into smaller echelons. Cavendish won in Saint-Amand-Montrond 11 years ago, after crosswinds caused huge time gaps in the race. Could history repeat itself? 

Tour de France 2024: Stage 11

Evaux-Les-Bains - Le Lioran, 211km, Mountain 

The first three-quarters of this stage are the calm before the storm, with the final 60km or so packing in more than 4,300m of leg-punishing climbs. It’s highly unlikely we’ll see any major attacks from the main contenders on this stage, but there should be plenty of riders vying for King of the Mountains points and the stage win. After the final summit of the Category 3 Col de Font de Cere, racers will have a very short descent to the Le Lioran finish. 

• Col de Neronne: 3.8km long with an average gradient of 9.1% 
• Puy Mary Pas de Peyrol: 5.4km long with an average gradient of 8.1% 
• Col de Pertus: 4.4km long with an average gradient of 7.9% 
• Col de Font de Cere: 3.3km long with an average gradient of 5.8% 

Tour de France 202: Stage 12

Aurillac - Villeneuve-sur-Lot, 204km, Flat 

After the previous day’s mountain stage and the looming Pyrennes, most of the peloton will be content to watch the sprinters duke it out for the stage win on this day. 

Tour de France 2024: Stage 13

Agen – Pau, 171km, Flat 

The gateway to the Pyrennes and third-most visited city in Tour history, Pau always promises a fun day of racing for spectators. Much like Stage 8, the terrain for this stage in the Pyrenean foothills may be a touch too punchy for a final bunch sprint. Jai Hindley (BORA-Hansgroh) won last year’s stage ending in Pau. 

Tour de France 2024: Stage 14

Pau - Saint-Lary-Soulan (Pla d’Adet), 152km, Mountain 

One of the Tour’s most famous mountains, the 2,115m Tourmalet highlights a stage filled with nearly 4,000m of climbing. If one or more of the contenders struggles on the Tourmalet ascent, it could kill their podium dreams with two more categorized climbs to go before the Pla d’Adet summit finish.   

• Col du Tourmalet: 19km long with an average gradient of 7.4% 
• Hourquette d’Ancizan: 8.2km long with an average gradient of 5.1% 
• Sant-Lary-Soulan/Pla D’Adet: 10.6km long with an average gradient of 7.9% 

Tour de France 2024: Stage 15

Loudenvielle - Plateau de Beille, 198km, Mountain 

 The Bastille Day fireworks will be seen on the road this year. Perhaps the most difficult day in this year’s Tour, Stage 15 should also be one of the most exciting. The roads point up practically from the start of racing, and the finish is atop the steep, 1,780m Plateau de Beille. Look for French riders like David Gaudu (Groupama FDJ) to animate the racing today, although pulling off an elusive stage win will be more difficult. Odds are that at least one top podium hopeful’s dreams will be dashed on this day. 

• Col de Peyresourde: 6.9km long with an average gradient of 7.8% 
• Col de Mente: 9.3km long with an average gradient of 9.1% 
• Col de Portet-d’Aspet: 4.3km long with an average gradient of 9.7% 
• Col d’Agnes: 10km long with an average gradient of 8.2% 
• Plateau de Beille: 15.8km long with an average gradient of 7.9% 

Tour de France 2024: Stage 16

Gruissan – Nîmes, 187km, Flat 

The last chance for the sprinters and more potential for havoc-inducing crosswinds. If Cavendish hasn’t yet won No. 35, this will surely be his final oportunity. 

Tour de France 2024: Stage 17

Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux – Superdévoluy, 178km, Mountain 

This stage is essentially one long, gradual climb, with the last 20km potentially being one of the most exciting stretches of this year’s Tour. Expect the leaders to go all out on the steep Col du Noyer climb, descend a few hundred meters, then do it again up to the Côte de Superdevoluy summit finish. 

• Col Bayard: 6.8km long with an average gradient of 7.3% 
• Col du Noyer: 7.5km long with an average gradient of 8.4% 
• Côte de Superdevoluy: 3.8km long with an average gradient of 5.9% 

Tour de France 2024: Stage 18

Gap – Barcelonnette, 179km, Hilly 

A short break from the high mountains, Stage 18’s rolling terrain – including a gradual climb to the Barcelonnette finish line – could make for a successful breakaway or a daring escape attempt in the closing kilometers. 

Tour de France 2024: Stage 19

Embrun - Isola 2000, 145km, Mountain 

For the first time in 16 years, the peloton will tackle the Cime de la Bonette, the highest intervalley road in Europe and perhaps the highest point ever reached in a grand tour. All three of the day’s climbs top out above 2,000m, which will push each rider to their absolute limit. This trio of high-altitude climbs could spell trouble for Pogačar, who cracked on similar profiles each of the last two years. 

Col de Vars: 18.8km long with an average gradient of 5.7% 

Cime de la Bonette: 22.9km long with an average gradient of 6.9% 

Isola 2000: 16.1km long with an average gradient of 7.1% 

Tour de France 2024: Stage 20

Nice - Col de la Couillole, 133km, Mountain 

The penultimate stage of the Tour and one of the hardest yet. The remaining podium contenders will attempt knockout blows to their competitors ahead of the final day’s time trial. 

Col de Braus: 10km long with an average gradient of 6.6% 

Col de Turini: 20.7km long with an average gradient of 5.7% 

Col de la Colmaine: 7.5km long with an average gradient of 7.1% 

Col de la Couillole: 15.7km long with an average gradient of 7.1% 

Tour de France 2024: Stage 21

Monaco – Nice, 35.2km, ITT 

It all comes down to this day. Instead of a parade down the Champs-Elysées, this stage may very well be a mad dash toward history, being the first final day time trial since 1989. After a difficult three weeks of racing, look for most competitors to try to close out their 2024 in epic style. If any of the podium contenders are within striking distance of one another, the time trial could be as competitive as that infamous Greg Lemond and Laurent Fignon battle. 

• La Turbie: 8.1km long with an average gradient of 5.6% 
• Col d’Eze: 1.6km long with an average gradient of 8.1%

What are the teams saying?

At the 2024 course unveiling ceremony, last year’s points classification winner Jasper Philipsen ( Alpecin-Deceuninck team) admitted to reporters that the route offered many obstacles he would need to overcome if he wished to retain his green jersey. 

“ There are some very difficult, short stages with a lot of elevation gain, even early in the Tour ,” Philipsen said. “ It was, of course, expected that there would be many mountains in the course, but they are tough climbs .” 

Even so, he’s looking forward to the 2024 Tour. 

“ I would like to be back, but the team makes the selection ,” Philipsen said. “ I will have to ensure that I am at the same level. ”  

Expectations leading to the race?

Vingegaard dominated last year’s race, beating second-place (and two-time winner himself) Pogačar by 7:29. But this year, not only will Vingegaard be without Roglic’s support, the great Dane will also be racing against the Slovenian powerhouse. Roglic transferred to Bora-Hansgrohe at the end last season, and the soap opera surrounding the two should make for interesting conversation among race fans. 

But despite his competitors’ impressive palmarès and barring any unforeseen mishaps, Vingegaard will toe the Florence start line as the undisputed favorite. Even without Roglic, Vingegaard’s Jumbo-Visma team looks to be the strongest overall yet again. 

Expected to make his Tour de France debut this year, Evenepoel is already being hyped as a podium favorite. The 2022 Vuelta a España and 2023 world time-trial champion led last year’s Giro d'Italia until a positive Covid test derailed his race. He looks to make a huge splash this year, and with a few breaks, may even don the yellow jersey during the race. 

All eyes will be on Cavendish’s pursuit of his 35th TdF win, but last year’s green-jersey winner Philipsen and his Alpecin-Deceuninck squad will be tough to beat. We’ll see if Astana manages to fill Cav’s bidon from the fountain of youth. 

How to watch the Tour de France 2024

The best way to experience the Tour de France 2024 is at the actual race. But if you don’t have enough frequent flier miles to get you to Europe, then watching it on television is the next best thing. The following broadcasters will be showing the road cycling spectacle from start to finish. 

• ITV4 (UK) 
• Eurosport (Europe) 
• USA Network/NBC Sports on cable; Peacock on streaming (USA) 
• SBS (Australia) 
• Sky Sports (New Zealand)

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Robert Annis is an award-winning outdoor-travel journalist. As an experienced writer and sport enthusiast he writes content that is inspiring with focus on road biking. You might have read Robert's articles in Bicycling, National Geographic, Outside, Travel + Leisure, Inside Hook, AARP, Midwest Living, Sierra, Hemispheres, Departures, Lonely Planet, Afar, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, RV Magazine, and Hidden Compass.

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Tour de France 2023 route: Every stage of the 110th edition in detail

This year's race has kicked off in Bilbao, in Spain's Basque Country. It looks like it'll be a Tour for the climbers, with the Puy de Dôme returning and 56,400 metres of climbing in all

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The 2023 men's Tour de France began in Bilbao, Spain on Saturday, July 1, with a route that looks set to be one for the climbers. It features four summit finishes, including a return for the iconic Puy de Dôme climb for the first time since 1988.

There is just one time trial across the three-week event, a short uphill race against the clock from Passy to Combloux over 22km. There are also returns for other epic climbs like the Col de la Loze and the Grand Colombier, with 56,400 metres of climbing on the Tour de France 2023 route.

The race started on foreign soil for the second year in a row, with a Grand Départ in the Spanish Basque Country , the setting for the race's 120th anniversary. There were two hilly stages in Spain, before the peloton crossed the border into France for a stage finish in Bayonne on day three. 

After visiting Pau for the 74th time on stage five, the race's first real mountain test came on stage six, leaving Tarbes and cresting the Col d’Aspin and Col du Tourmalet before a summit finish in Cauterets. 

On stage seven, the Tour’s second most visited city, Bordeaux, will welcome its first stage finish since 2010, when Mark Cavendish claimed his 14th of a record 34 stage wins. Leaving nearby Libourne the next day, stage eight will head east on a 201km slog to Limoges. 

Before the first rest day, the riders will wind up to the summit of the Puy de Dôme, a dormant lava dome which hasn’t featured in the Tour for 35 years. They’ll then enjoy a well-earned day off in Clermont-Ferrand before continuing their passage through the Massif Central. 

France’s national holiday, 14 July, will be celebrated next year with a summit finish on the Grand Colombier, the site of Tadej Pogačar ’s second stage win back in 2020. From there, the mountains keep coming. The riders will climb over the Col de Joux Plaine to Morzine on stage 14, before another mountaintop test in Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc the next day. 

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The sole individual time trial of the Tour de Franc route comes on stage 16, when a hilly 22km dash from Passy to Combloux will give the GC contenders a chance to force time gaps. The following day will bring the stage with the highest elevation gain, counting 5000m of climbing en route to the Courchevel altiport, via the Cormet de Roselend and the monstrous Col de la Loze. 

On stages 18 and 19, the sprinters are expected to come to the fore, with flat finishes in Bourg-en-Bresse and Poligny. 

The penultimate stage will play out in the country’s most easterly region, ascending the Petit Ballon, Col du Platzerwasel and finishing in Le Markstein, as the Tour de France Femmes did last year. 

The riders will then undertake a 500km transfer to the outskirts of Paris for the curtain-closing stage. The final day will start at France’s national velodrome in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, the track cycling venue for the 2024 Olympics, and will conclude with the customary laps of the capital’s Champs-Elysées. 

The 2023 Tour de France will begin on 1 July, with the winner crowned in Paris on 23 July. 

2023 Tour de France stage table

Jonas Vingegaard raced in the Basque Country this year

Tour de France route week summary

Tour de france week one.

The race began in Bilbao, starting in the Basque Country for the first time since 1992, when the Tour started in San Sebastian. The first two stages are packed full of climbs, with ten classified hills in over the opening couple of days, meaning there will be a fierce battle for the polka-dot jersey. Watch out for Basque fans going crazy on the roadside.

Stage three saw the race cross into France, which it will not leave for the rest of the 18 days. As expected we saw a sprint finish in Bayonne, even after four categorised climbs en-route. Nothing is easy this year.

The fourth day was another sprint, on a motor racing circuit in Nogaro, as the race moved, ominously, towards the Pyrenees. The Hors Categorie Col de Soudet on stage five was the first proper mountain of the race, and was followed by the Col de Marie Blanque, which has tough gradients. A GC day early on, although they are all GC days, really.

Stage five was a mountain top finish in Cauterets-Cambasque, but its gradients didn't catch too many out; it is the Col d'Aspin and Col du Tourmalet that will put people through it.

The seventh day of the race was a chance for the riders to relax their legs as the race headed northwest to an almost nailed-on sprint finish, before another opportunity for the the remaining fast men presented itself on stage eight - after two category four climbs towards the end, and an uphill finish.

The long first week of the race - which will have felt longer because last year had a bonus rest day - ended with the mythical Puy de Dôme.

Tour de France week two

Magnus Cort in the breakaway on stage 10 of the Tour de France 2022

The second week begins with a lumpy road stage around Clermont-Ferrand, starting from a volcano-themed theme park. This will surely be a day for the break. The next day could also be one if the sprint teams fail to get their act together, with two early categorised climbs potential ambush points.

Back into the medium mountains on stage 12, with a finish in the wine making heartland of the Beaujolais, Belleville. Another day for the break, probably, but none of the five categorised climbs are easy.

The following day, stage 13, is France's national holiday, 14 Juillet. The Grand Colombier at the end of the day is the big attraction, with its slopes expected to cause shifts on the GC. Stage 14 is yet another mountain stage as the Tour really gets serious, with the Col de la Ramaz followed by the Col de Joux Plane. The latter, 11.6km at 8.5%, will be a real test for a reduced peloton, before a downhill finish into Morzine.

The final day of week two, stage 15, is yet another day in the Alps before a rest day in Saint-Gervais-Mont-Blanc. There is nothing as fearsome as the previous days, but 4527m of climbing should still be feared.

Tour de France week three

Tadej Pogačar in the final time trial at the 2022 Tour de France

The third and final week begins with the race's only time trial, 22km long and with a lot of uphill. It is not a mountain event, but it is certainly not one for the pure rouleurs .

Stage 17 looks like the race's Queen Stage, with the final climb up to the Col de la Loze looking incredibly tough on paper, and in real life. That follows the Col de Saisies, the Cormet de Roselend and the Côte de Longefoy, adding up to 5,100m of climbing. The race might be decided on this day.

After that, there is a nice day for the sprinters on stage 18, with a flat finish in Bourg-en-Bresse surely one for the fast men. The next day, stage 19 could be a breakaway day or a sprint finish, depending on how desperate teams are feeling, or how powerful the remaining leadout trains are.

The final mountainous day comes on the penultimate stage, with the men following the Femmes lead and finishing in Le Markstein. However, there's no Grand Ballon, just the Petit Ballon, and so unless something chaotic happens, there should not be great time switches on this stage.

Then, at last, there is the usual finish on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, after the race heads out of Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, which has a long-term deal to host the start of Paris-Nice too. ASO country.

Remember, this will be the last time Paris hosts the Tour de France until 2025. So, be prepared.

Tour de France 2023: The stages

Stage one: Bilbao to Bilbao (182km)

The opening stage is very lumpy

There was no easing into the Tour de France for the peloton this year, with a tough, punchy day in the Basque Country. Adam Yates took the first yellow jersey of the 2023 Tour de France after a scintillating stage in the Basque Country that saw the overall battle for the Tour take shape at the earliest opportunity.

The Briton emerged clear over the top of the final climb of the stage, the short and steep Côte de Pike, with his twin brother Simon a few seconds behind him. The pair worked well together to stay clear of the chasing bunch of GC contenders before Adam rode his brother off his wheel inside the final few hundred metres to claim victory.

Stage two: Vitoria-Gasteiz to Saint Sebastian (208.9km)

Still in the Basque Country, there is a Klasikoa theme to stage two

This was the longest stage of the Tour, surprisingly.  Five more categorised climbs meant  it was unlikely to be a sprint stage, including the Jaizkibel, famous from the Clasica San Sebastian, tackled on its eastern side 20km from the finish. This second stage from Vitoria Gasteiz to San Sebastian on the Basque coast followed many of the roads of the San Sebastian Classic, held here every summer.

An early break was soon established in the first 50km and established a three-minute advantage. However, the break was reeled in and a group, including the yellow jersey Adam Yates, pressed towards the finish with Wout Van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) clearly hoping it would finish in a sprint. 

Victor Lafay (Cofidis) had other ideas however, and with all and sundry already having attacked Van Aert, Lafay finally made it stick with a kilometre to go, holding off the reduced bunch all the way to the line.

Stage three: Amorebiata-Etxano to Bayonne (187.4km)

Still some hills, but this should be a sprint stage

The third stage took the riders from Amorebieta-Etxano in the Basque Country and back into France, finishing at Bayonne in what was always tipped to be a bunch sprint.  Ultimately, despite a very strong showing in the leadout by Fabio Jakobsen's Soudal-Quick Step team, it was Jasper Philipsen who triumphed , having benefited from a deluxe leadout by team-mate Mathieu Van Der Poel.

Mark Cavendish, who is hunting for a record 35th stage win in what will be his final Tour de France, was sixth.

Stage four: Dax to Nogaro (181.8km)

A nailed on bunch sprint, surely. Surely!

Now this one was always going to be a sprint finish, right? It finished on a motor racing circuit in Nogaro, meaning teams have a long old time to sort their leadout trains.  After a sleepy day out all hell broke lose on the finishing circuit with a series of high speed crashes. Jasper Philipsen was one of the few sprinters to still have a lead-out man at his disposal and when that lead-out man is of the quality of Mathieu van der Poel he was always going to be very difficult to beat. So it proved with Australian Caleb Ewan chasing him down hard but unable to come around him.  Philipsen's win handed him the green jersey too .

Stage five: Pau to Laruns (162.7km)

The first proper mountain, and the first sorting out, as early as stage five

The first Hors Categorie climb of the race came on stage five, the Col de Soudet, which is 15.2km at 7.2%, before the Col de Marie-Blanque and its steep gradients. It certainly ignited the GC battle!  

A break that at one point contained 37 riders was never allowed more than a few minutes, but that proved unwise for Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogačar behind. Ultimately, with the break already splintering on the final big climb – the Col de Marie-Blanque – Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe), riding his first Tour de France, attacked. 

With Hindley time trialling the largely downhill 18km to the finish, Vingegaard attempted to chase him down – and put time into Pogačar as he did so.

Picking up strays from the early break on the way, Vingegaard got to within 34 seconds of Hindley, but it wasn't enough to stop the Australian from taking the stage win, and the yellow jersey .

Stage six: Tarbes to Cauterets-Cambasque (144.9km)

While in the Pyrenees, why not tackle a few more mountains?

A day of aggressive racing in the Pyrenees towards the first summit finish saw Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) take the yellow jersey but Tadej Pogačar (UAE Emirates) win the stage .

Having had his team set a blistering pace on the Col du Tourmalet, Vingegaard attacked with 4km until the summit. Only Pogačar could follow him as yellow jersey holder Jai Hindley dropped back to the peloton

Having joined up with super domestique Wout van Aert over the top, the group of favourites were towed up the first half of the final climb before Vingegaard attacked. Once again Pogačar followed and with two kilometers to go the Slovenian counter-attacked.

He clawed back nearly half a minute by the line, making the race for yellow a three horse race between those two and Hindley in the process. 

Stage seven: Mont-de-Marsan to Bordeaux (169.9km)

Bordeaux is always a sprint finish

Renowned as a sprint finish town, Bordeaux didn't disappoint the hopeful fastmen –except perhaps for Mark Cavendish, who had to concede victory to hat-trick man Jasper Philipsen, despite a very strong charge for the line from the Manxman .

With Cavendish hunting that elusive 35th record stage win, and having won here last time the Tour came visiting in 2010, many eyes were on the Astana Qazaqstan rider, with on-form Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) who has won twice already, starting as favourite.

The day began with Arkéa-Samsic's Simon Gugliemi forging what turned out to be a solo break that lasted 130 kilometres. He was joined by Pierre Latour (TotalEnergies) and Nans Peters (Ag2r-Citroën) halfway through the stage, the trio forming a purposeful triumvirate of home riders.

However, with the sprinters and their teams on the hunt and few places to hide on what was a hot day crammed with long, straight roads, the break served only as a placeholder for the day's main action in Bordeaux.

A technical finish with roundabouts aplenty, first Jumbo-Visma (in the service of GC leader Jonas Vingegaard) and then Alpecin-Deceuninck took the race by the scruff of the neck in the final. Philipsen enjoyed a marquee leadout from team-mate Mathieu Van Der Poel, but when Cavendish turned on the afterburners at around 150m and leapt forward, the whole cycling world held its breath.

That 35th stage win had to wait for another day though, with Philipsen sweeping past in what was yet another command performance from the Belgian.

Stage eight: Libourne to Limoges (200.7km)

Three categorised climbs in the final 70km could catch people out

Mads Pedersen powered to victory up a punchy finish on stage eight of the  Tour de France , managing to hold off green jersey  Jasper Philipsen  in the process.

Pedersen, the Lidl-Trek rider, now has two Tour stage wins to his name, in a finish which mixed pure sprinters and punchier riders. Alpecin-Deceuninck's Philipsen was third, with Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) in third. To prove how mixed the top ten was, however, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) finished behind the likes of Corbin Strong (Israel-Premier Tech) and Bryan Coquard (Cofidis).

On a day which could have been one for the breakaway, the race was controlled expertly by Jumbo, Trek and Alpecin for their options, and so the escapees were never allowed much time. Sadly, stage eight turned out to Mark Cavendish's last - the Astana-Qazaqstan rider crashed heavily and was forced to abandon .

Stage nine: Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat to Puy de Dôme (184km)

The Puy de Dôme is back, and is vicious

In a north American showdown it was Canada that came out on top as  Michael Woods  beat American rival  Matteo Jorgenson  to the win atop the legendary Puy de Dôme.

Jorgenson had gone solo form a breakaway with 40km left to race. However, on the slopes of the Puy de Dôme where the gradient remains over 105 for more than four kilometres, Woods closed the gap and came around Jorgenson with just 600m left to go.

In the final kilometre, of what had been a blisteringly hot day with temperatures north of 30 degree Celsius, Tadej Pogačar managed to drop Jonas Vingegaard but the Jumbo-Visma captain dug deep to minimise his losses and came across the line eight seconds down.

Stage 10: Vulcania to Issoire (162.7km)

Five categorised climbs over this Volcanic stage

The breakaway had its day in Issoire, as Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious) won beneath the scorching sun in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. 

After a frantic start, the mood finally settled and a 14-rider move went clear. Krists Neilands (Israel Premier Tech) launched a solo bid with around 30km remaining, but was caught in the closing moments by a chasing group led by Bilbao. The Spaniard then policed attacks in the finale, before sprinting to his team's first victory at this year's race. 

"For Gino," Bilbao said afterwards, dedicating his win to his late teammate, Gino Mäder .  

Stage 11: Clermont-Ferrand to Moulins (179.8km)

The flat finalé hints at a sprint, but it could be a break day

After a difficult previous day that was hot and hilly, the bunch allowed the break to go very quickly, with Andrey Amador, Matis Louvel and Daniel Oss quickly gaining three minutes. They were kept on a tight leash though, with the sprinters' teams eyeing a bunch finish. And this they delivered, with Jasper Philipsen winning a fourth stage after a tricky finale.

Stage 12: Roanne to Belleville-en-Beaujolais (168.8km)

Hills return, with some steep, punchy ones towards the end

Just like stage ten, Thursday's stage 12 was a fast and frenetic affair on the road to Belleville-en-Beaujolais. A strong group of puncheur type riders eventually got up the road after the breakaway took more than 80 kilometres to form. Ion Izagirre (Cofidis) came out on top at the finish, soloing to the line after a big attack on the final climb of the day. 

Stage 13: Châtillon-Sur-Chalaronne to Grand Colombier (138km)

Welcome to the Alps, here's an hors categorie climb

Michał Kwiatkowski took an impressive solo victory on the summit finish of the Grand Colombier. The Polish rider caught and passed the remnants of the day's breakaway which included Great Britain's James Shaw to grab his second-ever Tour stage win. Behind the Ineos rider, Tadej Pogačar attacked and took eight seconds back on Jonas Vingegaard in the fight for the yellow jersey. 

Stage 14: Annemasse to Morzine Les Portes du Soleil (151.8km)

Five categorised climbs, four of which are one and above. Ouch.

Carlos Rodríguez announced himself on his Tour de France debut on stage 14 with a career-defining victory in Morzine. While all eyes were on Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogačar, the Spaniard broke free on the descent of the Col de Joux Plane and descended as if on rails to the finish. 

Stage 15: Les Gets Les Portes du Soleil to Saint-Gervais-Mont-Blanc (179km)

Back to a summit finish, there is no escape at this Tour

The breakaway had its day at the summit of Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc. After dedicating his career to domestique duties, the victory went to Wout Poels (Bahrain Victorious), who launched a late attack on the steepest slopes and held off Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) to the line.

Stage 16: Passy to Combloux ITT (22.4km)

A time trial! But not a flat one

Stage 16 brought the fewest time trial kilometres at the Tour de France in 90 years. On the uphill test to Combloux, Jonas Vingegaard proved the strongest , and by quite a way, too. The Dane's winning margin of 1-38 over Tadej Pogačar left him in the driving seat to taking his second Tour title.

Stage 17: Saint-Gervais-Mont-Blanc to Courchevel (165.7km)

Back to  the proper mountains, and there will be no let up on the final Wednesday

The Queen stage brought a career-defining victory for Austrian Felix Gall (AG2R Citroën), but all eyes were on the GC battle, and the demise of Tadej Pogačar. The UAE Team Emirates rider cracked on the slopes of the Col de la Loze, losing almost six minutes to Jonas Vingegaard, and slipping to 7-35 in the overall standings.

Stage 18: Moûtiers to Bourg-en-Bresse (184.9km)

Two category four climbs on the road to a chicken-themed sprint

Denmark's Kasper Asgreen put in one of the best performances of the race to grab his first-ever Tour victory . The Soudal Quick-Step rider was part of a four man breakaway that managed to hold on all the way to the line by just a handful of seconds ahead of the peloton.

Stage 19: Moirans-en-Montagne to Poligny (172.8km)

Another sprint, maybe, or a heartbreaking chase which fails to bring the breakaway back

Matej Mohorič of Bahrain Victorious took an emotional victory in Poligny after a chaotic day of racing. The Slovenian rider launched an attack with Kasper Asgreen and Ben O'Connor on the final climb of the hilly stage before beating his breakaway compatriots in a three-up sprint for the line. It was Mohorič's third-ever Tour victory.

Stage 20: Belfort to Le Markstein Fellering (133.5km)

One last chance. Six categorised climbs, will it shake up the GC?

The race might be very near Germany at this point, but Belfort remained French after the Franco-Prussian War, unlike the territory the penultimate stage travels into. 

This is the last chance saloon for all teams and riders who aren’t sprinters, especially those with GC ambitions. However, it is not quite the task of the previous Alpine days, with the six categorised climbs not the most testing. Still, there will be a lot of people trying to make things happen.

Stage 21: Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines to Paris (115.1km)

The classic Parisian sprint. Lovely.

This will be the last time the Tour heads to Paris until at least 2025, so make the most of those shots of the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Élysées. The classic procession will happen for the first 55km until the race hits the Champs for the first time 60km in. From that point on, anything goes, although that anything will probably be a bunch sprint.

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Adam is Cycling Weekly ’s news editor – his greatest love is road racing but as long as he is cycling on tarmac, he's happy. Before joining Cycling Weekly he spent two years writing for Procycling, where he interviewed riders and wrote about racing. He's usually out and about on the roads of Bristol and its surrounds. Before cycling took over his professional life, he covered ecclesiastical matters at the world’s largest Anglican newspaper and politics at Business Insider. Don't ask how that is related to cycling.

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Tour de France won’t finish in Paris for first time in more than a century because of the Olympics

This photo provided by the Tour de France organizer ASO (Amaury Sport Organisation) shows the roadmap of the men’s 2024 Tour de France cycling race. The race will start in Florence, Italy, on June 29, 2024, to end in Nice, southern France on July 21, 2024. (ASO via AP)

This photo provided by the Tour de France organizer ASO (Amaury Sport Organisation) shows the roadmap of the women’s 2024 Tour de France cycling race. The race will start in Rotterdam, Netherlands, on Aug. 12 2024 to end in Alps d’Huez, French Alps, on Aug. 18, 2024. (ASO via AP)

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PARIS (AP) — The final stage of next year’s Tour de France will be held outside Paris for the first time since 1905 because of a clash with the Olympics, moving instead to the French Riviera.

Because of security and logistical reasons, the French capital won’t have its traditional Tour finish on the Champs-Elysees. The race will instead conclude in Nice on July 21. Just five days later, Paris will open the Olympics.

The race will start in Italy for the first time with a stage that includes more than 3,600 meters of climbing. High mountains will be on the 2024 schedule as soon as the fourth day in a race that features two individual time trials and four summit finishes.

There are a total of seven mountain stages on the program, across four mountain ranges, according to the route released Wednesday.

The race will kick off in the Italian city of Florence on June 29 and will take riders to Rimini through a series of hills and climbs in the regions of Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna. That tricky start could set the scene for the first skirmishes between the main contenders.

Riders will first cross the Alps during Stage 4, when they will tackle the 2,642-meter Col du Galibier.

“The Tour peloton has never climbed so high, so early,” Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme said.

And it will just be just a taste of what’s to come since the total vertical gain of the 111th edition of the Tour reaches 52,230 meters.

The next big moment for two-time defending champion Jonas Vingegaard and his rivals will be Stage 7 for the first time trial in the Bourgogne vineyards. The first rest day will then come after a stage in Champagne presenting several sectors on white gravel roads for a total of 32 kilometers that usually provide for spectacular racing in the dust.

Tour riders will then head south to the Massif Central and the Pyrenees, then return to the Alps for a pair of massive stages with hilltop finishes, at the Isola 2000 ski resort then the Col de la Couillole, a 15.7-kilometer (9.7-mile) ascent at an average gradient of 7.1%.

There should be suspense right until the very end because the last stage, traditionally a victory parade in Paris for the race leader until the final sprint takes shape, will be a 34-kilometer (21.1-mile) time trial between Monaco and Nice.

“Everyone remembers the last occasion the Tour finished with a time trial, when Greg LeMond stripped the yellow jersey from the shoulders of Laurent Fignon on the Champs-Elysees in 1989, by just eight seconds,” Prudhommne said. “Thirty-five years later, we can but dream of a similar duel.”

There are eight flat stages for the sprinters, leaving plenty of opportunities for Mark Cavendish to try to become the outright record-holder for most career stage wins at the sport’s biggest race.

The route for the third edition of the women’s Tour will take the peloton from the Dutch city of Rotterdam, starting Aug. 12, to the Alpe d’Huez resort. The race will feature eight stages and a total of 946 kilometers.

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The Tour de France 2024

A tour like never before.

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The Tour de France 2024

Le Tour 2024 - A GUIDE TO THE ROUTE

Tour de France 2024 -stage details  

2024 Tour de France begins June 29 and includes historic firsts. Everything to know

The Paris Olympics and Paralympics will not be the only prestigious international sporting event held in France this summer. 

The Tour de France, the preeminent event on the men’s cycling calendar, will return for its 111th edition from June 29 to July 21. During the three-week ride, 176 cyclists, representing 22 teams of eight, will complete 21 stages across hilly, flat and mountainous terrain. The course includes a grueling 52,230 meters (over 170,000 feet) of elevation gain and is 3,492 kilometers (2,170 miles) long. The taxing schedule includes only two rest days. 

This year’s race will start in Florence, Italy, and conclude at the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, France. It will be the first time the finish line is not in or near Paris because the city will be hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games. And the first time since 1975 the race will not finish on the Champs-Élysées.

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The final stage will also break from tradition as it will be one of two time trial stages, which means the leader could be determined in the final leg. The last time the Tour de France ended with a time trial was in 1989.

In addition to Italy and France, the route passes through San Marino and Monaco. The route is famous for its picturesque scenery, from quaint rural villages to the towering Alps. 

Each stage is timed, and the rider with the lowest cumulative time across all stages wins the acclaimed maillot jaune, or yellow jersey, to signify the general classification winner. Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard, 27, hopes to seek a coveted three-peat but is still working his way back from a serious crash that hospitalized him for 12 days in April. If he does race, he will face fierce competition from a talented field that includes 2020 and 2021 winner Tadej Pogača of Slovenia.

Separate awards are also given to the best sprinter, climber and young cyclist. 

Sepp Kuss, who finished as the top American in 12th place at last year’s Tour de France, is also set to return. Like last year, he will race on the same team as Vingegaard. 

How to watch the 2024 Tour de France live

All stages of the Tour de France, as well as pre- and post-race coverage, will be available to stream live on Peacock. USA Network will also stream some of the stages. 

NBC will simultaneously broadcast select stages of the event. 

Stage 1 will begin June 29 at 6 a.m. ET. The rest of the stages typically start between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m. ET. 

Full Schedule:

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2024 Tour de France begins June 29 and includes historic firsts. Everything to know

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2026 GRAND DÉPART: THE CROWNING GLORY OF BARCELONA

The Mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, hosted the director of the Tour de France, Christian Prudhomme, at an official ceremony held this morning to announce that the 113th edition will get under way in the Catalan capital on Saturday, 4 July 2026. The host city of the 1992 Olympic Games has already rolled out the red carpet for the Tour de France on three occasions (1957, 1965 and 2009). It also provided the backdrop for the opening of the Vuelta in 2023. The 2026 route will feature two stages inside Catalonia and the start of a stage finishing on French soil.

South we go. The venue chosen for the Grand Départ of the 2026 Tour de France will set a new record in the history of the event, as Barcelona, straddling the 41st parallel, will edge out Porto-Vecchio as the southernmost start of the race by a dozen minutes of latitude. The Grande Boucle has already graced the streets of the Catalan capital, most recently in 2009, when Thor Hushovd outsprinted the Spanish speedsters Óscar Freire and José Joaquín Rojas to take stage 6 right next to Montjuïc Stadium. Since that fleeting Spanish sojourn, the Tour has gone through the wild experience of a Grand Départ in the Basque Country in 2023 and is now gearing up for another equally intense adventure on the shores of the Mediterranean. The Grande Boucle will share a momentous occasion with the people of Barcelona, as the Sagrada Família is slated to finally reach completion in 2026. The cathedral, whose silhouette has become an iconic symbol of Barcelona, sprang from the brilliant mind of the architect Antoni Gaudí, who adorned the city with numerous buildings and part of his whimsical spirit before he died, as fate would have it, in 1926. Barcelona is a global architecture hub and a nexus of sport in Spain. Long before the 1992 Olympic Games, Montjuïc Hill was the scene of a street circuit that hosted events such as the Formula 1 Spanish GP in the 1970s. Even more importantly, the city is the focal point of one of the oldest and most prestigious races on the cycling calendar: the Volta a Catalunya, first held in 1911. The Vuelta a España has visited Barcelona 40 times over the years, including two starts in 1962 and 2023. French fans of a certain age will no doubt recall a blink-and-you-miss-it 3.8 km time trial in 1978, which Bernard Hinault won en route to his first Vuelta a España triumph. There is something for the tifosi too, with Felice Gimondi's world championship victory here in 1973, as well as the poignant memory of Fabio Casartelli's Olympic gold in 1992. The Belgian Claude Criquielion topped the podium when the Worlds returned to Barcelona in 1984. Meanwhile, Spanish cycling maniacs will remember one of their all-time greats, Alejandro Valverde, and his two stage wins in Barcelona in the Volta a Catalunya, a race he won four times. Last but not least, Catalan aficionats have plenty of time to watch the local talent Juan Ayuso continue developing into an even finer rider, primed to shine on home roads in 2026.

Tour de France stages in Barcelona

2009 Stage 6 — Girona > Barcelona, 181.5 km (Thor Hushovd, NOR) Stage 7, Barcelona > Andorra Arcalís, 224 km (Brice Feillu, FRA) 1965 Stage 11 — Ax-les-Thermes > Barcelona, 240 km (José Pérez Francés, ESP) Stage 12 — Barcelona > Perpignan, 219 km (Jan Janssen, NED) 1957 Stage 15a — Perpignan > Barcelona, 197 km (René Privat, FRA) Stage 15b — Barcelona > Barcelona, 9.6 km ITT (Jacques Anquetil, FRA) Stage 16 — Barcelona > Ax-les-Thermes, 220 km (Jean Bourlès, FRA)

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2024 Tour de Suisse Women: How to Watch & Preview

Watch favorites Demi Vollering and Kasia Niewiadoma battle it out over 330 kilometers and 6,600 meters of elevation at the four-day stage race starting June 15.

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How to Watch the 2024 Tour de Suisse Women

What happened last year, riders to watch, race history.

The women’s iteration of the 87-year-old Tour de Suisse race was first added in the late 1990s but only existed for four years. A new women’s race was added in 2021.

The race is well known for its brutal (but picturesque) climbs up mountains in the Swiss Alps, such as the famed Gotthard Pass.

There are four stages in the Tour de Suisse Women, including one mountain stage, a mountain time trial, and two hilly stages. While the women will only cover 330 kilometers—just over 200 miles—in the four stages, they’ll climb a whopping 6,600 meters over the course of the race, making it a climber’s paradise. Stage 1, a circuit starting and ending in Villars-sur-Ollon—where the UCI headquarters is located— is considered the most difficult stage in the race, with over 1500 meters of climbing in just 35 miles.

• Stage 1: Villars-sur-Ollon - Villars-sur-Ollon (58.6 km)
• Stage 2: Aigle - Villars-sur-Ollon time trial (15.7 km)
• Stage 3: Vevey - Champagne (125.6km)
• Stage 4: Champagne - Champagne (127.5 km)

>> Watch a YouTube video preview of the 2024 Tour de Suisse route here.

If you’re in the U.S., Canada, or Australia, FloBikes ($29.99/month or $150 annually) is the best way to watch the Tour de Suisse Women. All four stages are available live and on-demand on FloBikes.com , the FloSports iOS app, and the FloSports app for Amazon FireTV, Roku, and Apple TV.

The Tour de Suisse Women will also be televised throughout the week on Discovery+ in the UK and Europe. However, there will be no Eurosport coverage.

Last year’s race was shorter by 30 kilometers, with similar opening and time trial stages followed by two hilly stages of 100km and 120km. It was an SD Worx podium, with Marlen Reusser taking the win and Demi Vollering just over a minute behind her in the GC. But just behind them came Elisa Longo-Borghini, then of Trek-Segafredo, followed by Canyon//SRAM teammates Kasia Niewiadoma and Elise Chabbey.

Compared to the men’s race, which comes only two weeks ahead of the start of the 2024 Tour de France , the women’s peloton will have more recovery time between stage races since the

The Giro d’Italia Women doesn’t begin until July 7. That means, unlike the men’s race, which is missing some of the top competitors, like Tadej Pogačar , this field is seriously stacked with all of the top favorites.

Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) : Last year, Vollering was second behind her teammate Marlen Reusser in this race. This year, she’ll likely be looking for her first GC title at the Tour de Suisse, and without Reusser in the mix, she’ll almost certainly be the rider that the team is working for.

Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM) : Niewiadoma is always a threat in stage races and certainly has podium potential, but this year, she seems to be on a whole new level.

Niewiadoma also just had a break in Colorado for some altitude training and will likely be well-rested and ready to go head-to-head with Vollering. If you recall last year’s Col du Tourmalet stage at the Tour de France Femmes … things could get exciting on these mountain stages!

Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek) : The Lidl-Trek team is sending a sold squad to back Longo-Borghini, who’s had a great season when it comes to one-day races but hasn’t quite put together a great stage race yet. She’s been on eight one-day race podiums this season and certainly will be hunting a solid stage race performance ahead of the Giro d’Italia Women and Tour de France Femmes.

Juliette Labous (dsm–firmenich PostNL) : Labous is always a bit of a sleeper in races, rarely getting the win, but also rarely far from the top five. She’s been on the podium in seven stage races in the last two years, including a fourth at this year’s Vuelta España Femenina . Certainly expect to see her on the podium, if not the top step.

Kristen Faulkner (EF Education-Cannondale) : Faulkner just got named to the U.S. Olympic Track Team, but she’s still working hard on the road. She was second at the Tour de Suisse in the GC back in 2022, so a podium finish is well within her capabilities. She’s had some great results, including a stage win at the Vuelta España with her new team this year, and could certainly be going for more at this race before she shifts focus to the track.

Yara Kastelijn (Fenix-Deceuninck) : With the amount of climbing in this race, Kastelijn could be poised for a breakout result. She was third in the climber’s jersey standings at Vuelta España, and a race like this one is great for climbers who love punchy courses.

Jolana Neff (Switzerland): The Swiss enter a national team in this race, and it’s being led by mountain bike superstar and Olympic gold medalist Jolanda Neff. She’s a wildcard in this race—though admittedly, she’s using this race as a substitute for racing a World Cup MTB race at altitude in order to work on some breathing issues, so she may not be in top form. Still, she’s a super-strong rider and could send some shock waves through the peloton thanks to her formidable handling skills.

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2023 Tour de France watch guide: Everything to know to get ready for the 110th edition

The Super Bowl of cycling is back.

Jonas Vingegaard will attempt to defend his title in the 110th Tour de France, which starts July 1. Last year's win was the Danish rider's first victory as he beat the favored Tadej Pogacar with impressive performances in the mountains.

The yellow jersey is up for grabs again as Pogacar will be racing after suffering a broken wrist in April. Other notable participants include Spain's Mikel Landa and Enric Mas, France's David Gaudu and Australia's Jai Hindley and Ben O'Connor.

American team Trek-Segafredo will rebrand at the end of this month and race as Lidl-Trek for the Tour de France. Mattias Skjelmose, 22, won the Tour de Suisse on Sunday and the Dane will be seeking to carry that momentum into the Tour de France.

This year's route starts in Bilbao, Spain before its celebratory conclusion in Paris, France.

Here's everything you need to know for the 2023 Tour de France:

When is the 2023 Tour de France

The 2023 Tour de France starts on July 1 and races through July 23.

How to watch the 2023 Tour de France

The Tour de France will be televised on NBC, NBC Sports and USA Network.

How to live stream the 2023 Tour de France

The Tour de France will be live streamed on Peacock.

Who are the analysts for the 2023 Tour de France

Phil Liggett returns as play-by-play for his 51st Tour de France. He will work alongside veteran analyst and former Tour de France participant Bob Roll. Steve Porino and Christian Vande Velde will report from the scene.

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The Birth of the Tour de France

By: Christopher Klein

Updated: May 8, 2023 | Original: June 28, 2013

On July 1, 1903, 60 men mounted their bicycles outside the Café au Reveil Matin in the Parisian suburb of Montgeron. The five-dozen riders were mostly French, with just a sprinkle of Belgians, Swiss, Germans and Italians. A third were professionals sponsored by bicycle manufacturers, the others were simply devotees of the sport. All 60 wheelmen, however, were united by the challenge of embarking on an unprecedented test of endurance—not to mention the 20,000 francs in prize money—in the inaugural Tour de France.

At 3:16 p.m., the cyclists turned the pedals of their bicycles and raced into the unknown.

Nothing like the Tour de France had ever been attempted before. Journalist Geo Lefevre had dreamt up the fanciful race as a stunt to boost the circulation of his struggling daily sports newspaper, L’Auto. Henri Desgrange, the director-editor of L’Auto and a former champion cyclist himself, loved the idea of turning France into one giant velodrome. They developed a 1,500-mile clockwise loop of the country running from Paris to Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse, Bordeaux and Nantes before returning to the French capital. There were no Alpine climbs and only six stages—as opposed to the 21 stages in the 2013 Tour— but the distances covered in each of them were monstrous, an average of 250 miles. (No single stage in the 2013 Tour tops 150 miles.) Between one and three rest days were scheduled between stages for recovery.

The first stage of the epic race was particularly dastardly. The route from Paris to Lyon stretched nearly 300 miles. No doubt several of the riders who wheeled away from Paris worried not about winning the race—but surviving it.

Unlike today’s riders, the cyclists in 1903 rode over unpaved roads without helmets. They rode as individuals, not team members. Riders could receive no help. They could not glide in the slipstream of fellow riders or vehicles of any kind. They rode without support cars. Cyclists were responsible for making their own repairs. They even rode with spare tires and tubes wrapped around their torsos in case they developed flats.

And unlike modern-day riders, the cyclists in the 1903 Tour de France, forced to cover enormous swathes of land, spent much of the race riding through the night with moonlight the only guide and stars the only spectators. During the early morning hours of the first stage, race officials came across many competitors “riding like sleepwalkers.”

Hour after hour through the night, riders abandoned the race. One of the favorites, Hippolyte Aucouturier, quit after developing stomach cramps, perhaps from the swigs of red wine he took as an early 1900s version of a performance enhancer.

Twenty-three riders abandoned the first stage of the race, but the one man who barreled through the night faster than anyone else was another pre-race favorite, 32-year-old professional Maurice Garin. The mustachioed French national worked as a chimney sweep as a teenager before becoming one of France’s leading cyclists. Caked in mud, the diminutive Garin crossed the finish line in Lyon a little more than 17 hours after the start outside Paris. In spite of the race’s length, he won by only one minute.

“The Little Chimney Sweep” built his lead as the race progressed. By the fifth stage, Garin had a two-hour advantage. When his nearest competitor suffered two flat tires and fell asleep while resting on the side of the road, Garin captured the stage and the Tour was all but won.

The sixth and final stage, the race’s longest, began in Nantes at 9 p.m. on July 18, so that spectators could watch the riders arrive in Paris late the following afternoon. Garin strapped on a green armband to signify his position as race leader. (The famed yellow jersey worn by the race leader was not introduced until 1919.) A crowd of 20,000 in the Parc des Princes velodrome cheered as Garin won the stage and the first Tour de France. He bested butcher trainee Lucien Pothier by nearly three hours in what remains the greatest winning margin in the Tour’s history. Garin had spent more than 95 hours in the saddle and averaged 15 miles per hour. In all, 21 of the 60 riders completed the Tour, with the last-place rider more than 64 hours behind Garin.

For Desgrange, the race was an unqualified success. Newspaper circulation soared six-fold during the race. However, a chronic problem that would perpetually plague the Tour de France was already present in the inaugural race—cheating. The rule-breaking started in the very first stage when Jean Fischer illegally used a car to pace him. Another rider was disqualified in a subsequent stage for riding in a car’s slipstream.

That paled in comparison, however, to the nefarious activity the following year in the 1904 Tour de France. As Garin and a fellow rider pedaled through St. Etienne, fans of hometown rider Antoine Faure formed a human blockade and beat the men until Lefevre arrived and fired a pistol to break up the melee. Later in the race, fans protesting the disqualification of a local rider placed tacks and broken glass on the course. The riders acted a little better. They hitched rides in cars during the dark and illegally took help from outsiders. Garin himself was accused of illegally obtaining food during a portion of one stage. The race was so plagued by scandal that four months later Desgrange disqualified Garin and the three other top finishers. It, of course, wouldn’t be the last time a Tour winner was stripped of his title.

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Tour de France 2021: The Essential Race Guide

All you need to know, from the contenders to race and stage-by-stage analysis

The 2021 Tour de France is almost upon us with the Grand Départ set for June 26, and 21 mouth-watering stages to look forward to as the race takes in Brittany, two individual time trials, a double assault on Mont Ventoux and the customary finish on the Champs Élysées in Paris on July 18.

The 108th edition of the race will see defending champion Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) aim to defend his crown against Primoz Roglič (Jumbo-Visma), Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) and a host of other yellow jersey contenders over what is an intriguing and multi-layered route profile. 

After a mountain-heavy Tour de France in 2020, race organisers ASO have opted for a more traditional and classic affair this time around, with the race reverting to hosting two long individual time trials for the first time since 2013.

In fact, on the face of it, the profile and route of the 2021 edition of the Tour de France is somewhat of a throwback to a Jean-Marie Leblanc style of race – in that the route suits a strong time triallist and puts the pure climbers on the back foot almost immediately. However, there are deeper levels and dimensions to Christian Prudhomme’s opus. 

There are just three summit finishes in total, 58km of time trialling – a lot for a modern-day Tour – and eight stages for the sprinters. Prudhomme has also moved away from packing the route with a barrage of new climbs or prolonged periods in the Jura, Massif Central or Vosges mountain regions. 

That being said, Prudhomme has cleverly concocted a route that marries some of the most iconic of French cycling furniture – Mount Ventoux, Brittany, the Col de Port, Pau, and the Tourmalet – and blended those ingredients with several truly engaging aspects. 

There may only be three summit finishes, and many of the staple Alpine climbs are missing, but there are stages that could be defined just as much for their descents as the climbs they included, with ASO attempting to nullify the typically late mountain-top attacks by encouraging riders to go on the offensive even earlier.

Prudhomme may have built this Tour on traditional foundations, with two days in the Alps and five in the Pyrenees, but he has also taken risks too – something Leblanc rarely did. His 2021 route is peppered with stages that could easily be turned upside down by crosswinds and potential ambushes, especially around Narbonne, Nimes, and Carcassonne. The four days in Brittany – although a replacement for the Copenhagen Grand Départ – could see the race lead change almost daily, while the first time trial on stage 5 has enough road to create a pecking order and draw out the climbers ahead of the Alps.

Overall, this is a route that perhaps doesn’t ignite the immediate excitement or glamour that some of Prudhomme’s recent ventures have. Ventoux aside, there are no gimmicks, but this is still a highly engaging route and one that provides all the landscape the riders need to make compelling Tour de France.

The Tour de France contenders – Pogačar, Roglič and Ineos

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) comes into the race as the reigning champion so the young Slovenian starts his Tour defence under completely different circumstances to last year, when he was somewhat of an underdog. His smash and grab at La Planche des Belle Filles last summer was nothing short of astonishing but it’s fair to say that he benefitted from the fact that he and his team didn’t need to control any of the race. Instead, they wisely allowed Jumbo-Visma to wear themselves out, but this time around Pogačar will not be afforded such comforts and from the moment he arrives in Brest for the Grand Départ the entire race will be watching his every move. That said, Pogačar’s UAE Team Emirates squad are far from average. In Marc Hirschi, David de la Cruz, Brandon McNulty, Davide Formolo, and Rafal Majka, the defending champion has the core of an excellent team. They aren’t the strongest team in the race but they don’t necessarily have to be. 

On paper, Pogačar’s main threat is the rider he crushed in the final time trial last year, Primoz Roglič . The Jumbo-Visma leader has spent the last few months secluded up at altitude, shunning the standard pre-Tour race programme for a tailor-made and extended period of training. He has not been seen at a race since Liège-Bastogne-Liège back in late April but the 31-year-old will no doubt bring his best condition to the race. There are reasonable questions over the current form of his team but while the Dutch outfit may not have the same sparkle they had last year, they are far from mediocre, with Sepp Kuss, Wout van Aert and Steven Kruijswijk providing worthy cover.

The strongest ensemble in this year’s race comes from Ineos Grenadiers who line up with 2018 winner Geraint Thomas , Richard Carapaz and Richie Porte among their cast. The British team, smarting from last year’s defeat, will be looking to win back-to-back Grand Tours after Egan Bernal’s Giro d’Italia success in May, and while they do not have a contender as lethal as Pogačar or Roglič, their collective muscle could be just as important. When the leading group are down to 10 riders in the mountains it’s possible that half of that contingent could be made up of Ineos riders and that's a level of dominance that cannot be ignored. Roglič and Pogačar cannot chase every move and while attacking might be the Slovenian pair’s best form of defense, they could just as easily become isolated.

For Ineos Grenadiers, the dilemma comes in the form of which leader to back. Thomas has the better Tour record, of that there’s no doubt, but he looked below his best at the Dauphiné while Carapaz dominated the Tour de Suisse. Porte is somewhat of a dark horse but the two time trials along the route probably edge Thomas ahead in the team pecking order.

Outside of the Ineos, UAE and Jumbo stables, there are a number of overall contenders with hopes of challenging for the podium. Marc Soler, Enric Mas , Miguel Angel Lopez and Alejandro Valverde are in line for protected spots at Movistar – although it’s surely Mas who leads the line after his fifth place last year. Julian Alaphilippe will shoulder Deceuninck QuickStep’s ambitions but will once again be forced to fend for himself in the mountains, while Rigoberto Uran (EF Education-Nippo) looks to be back to his 2017 level when he finished on the podium.

There are three Australians – leaving Porte aside – with genuine top-ten hopes. Ben O’Connor has finished top ten in his last two weeklong WorldTour stage races and it’s little wonder that AG2R Citroën recently extended his contract. Lucas Hamilton has been given the responsibility of leading Team BikeExchange's GC bid with Simon Yates targeting stage wins, while Jack Haig was fifth in the recent Dauphiné and has an in-form Bahrain Victorious at his disposal.

Wilco Kelderman forms part of a very strong Bora-Hansgrohe squad that includes Emanuel Buchmann and Patrick Konrad , and Nairo Quintana (Arkéa-Samsic) remains a threat even if his star has been waning for some time.

Along with Alaphilippe, the French have real hope via Guillaume Martin (Cofidis), who looks to be peaking on time this year after he faded in the second half of last year’s race, but it’s David Gaudu at Groupama-FDJ who instills the most belief from the home nation. With Thibaut Pinot still on the sidelines, Gaudu has the chance to stake his claim as a Tour de France contender in his own right. He was mightily impressive at the Vuelta last year, winning two stages and finishing eighth overall. This year the 24-year-old has been consistent and the next natural progression for him would be a top-five in Paris.

Israel Start Up-Nation arrives at the race with Michael Woods as their protected GC asset. That leaves four-time Tour winner Chris Froome to act in the unfamiliar role of road captain. 

Below those riders there are a number of talented outsiders worth watching, with Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious), Jakob Fuglsang (Astana-Premier Tech), Esteban Chaves (Team BikeExchange), Michael Woods (Israel Start–Up Nation), Tao Geoghegan Hart (Ineos Grenadiers), Dan Martin (Israel Start–Up Nation) and Warren Barguil (Arkéa-Samsic) are all flying under the radar.

The Tour de France sprinters – Ewan, Démare, Merlier, Cavendish or Bennett?

With up to eight stages within this year’s race intended for the sprinters, there’s no hiding away from the fact that the fastest riders in the world will be hogging their fair share of headlines in this year’s race. The first dedicated sprint stage arrives on stage three and other than the block of stages in the Pyrenees, the rest of the flat days are liberally dotted throughout weeks 1, 2, and 3. 

There are question marks over the participation of Sam Bennett , who is still recovering from a knee injury, and while Deceuninck-QuickStep boss Patrick Lefevere publicly announced that he has no ‘plan B,’ that’s not strictly true. Mark Cavendish – a 30-time stage winner – is waiting in the wings and after his recent exploits in Belgium, he looks like the fiery, competitive rider of old. Michael Mørkøv needs someone to lead out after all, and if Bennett proves unable to prove his fitness in time, the veteran Manxman could prove the perfect tonic for Lefevere’s unease. 

The fastest rider in the race, however, is likely to be Caleb Ewan , who looks like a prime contender for the green jersey, let alone a stage win or two. The Australian has almost the entire Lotto Soudal team at his disposal and, after his double at the Giro d’Italia, looks well on course to add to his tally of five Tour stages. 

When it comes to the WorldTour, Arnaud Démare has been a pale imitation of the rider who dominated the Giro sprints last year but his flat-track bully performances in recent months suggest that the Groupama-FDJ rider is approaching something like his best form just in time. Tim Merlier looks like a rider to watch after his stunning start to the year, while his Alpecin-Fenix teammate and leader Mathieu van der Poel can no doubt play a part on any stage that isn’t in the mountains or a time trial. 

Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) can sprint with the best riders but his disrupted run-in and operation to remove his appendix has left question marks over his condition. Even a Van Aert at 80 per cent is a threat but Peter Sagan – the seven-time Green jersey winner – remains the biggest threat for Bennett’s title defence if the Irishman does make it to Brest. Sagan won a stage in the Giro and the points competition and, despite Bora-Hansgrohe’s insistence on stacking a team with climbers, looks like the favourite for all but the flattest of stages. Sonny Colbrelli has never won a Grand Tour stage but was in blistering form at the recent Dauphiné, while Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Fenix), Alexander Kristoff (UAE Team Emirates), Mads Pedersen (Trek–Segafredo), Nacer Bouhanni (Arkéa-Samsic), Michael Matthews (Team BikeExchange) and Bryan Coquard (B&B Hotels p/b KTM) are all worth a mention. 

The Tour de France Route – a stage by stage guide

All times local – CEST. All finish times according to the earliest predicted schedule. 

Stage 1 / Saturday June 26 / Brest - Landerneau, 197.8km / Times: 12:10 - 17:00

The 2021 Tour de France kicks off with what could be a thrilling stage between Brest and Landerneau. This is the first time since 2008 that the Tour has started in Brest but rather than opting for a prologue or short time trial ASO have decided to cram six climbs within the opening 197.8km of this year’s race. Although none of the ascents will worry the peloton too much, this has all the makings of a difficult day in the saddle with the pace likely to be relentless throughout. With no yellow jersey or pecking order established, tensions will run high, while the added complication from possible cross-winds will leave several overall contenders nervous.

Crashes, splits and tactical mistakes will all play a part but the gradient on the final climb does at least ease in the final 500 metres before the line. That said, many of the pure sprinters will have been distanced by that point and it should be a puncheur who comes out on top to take the stage and the first maillot jaune of this year’s race.

Stage 2 / Sunday June 27 / Perros-Gueirec - Mûr-de-Bretagne, 183.5km / Times: 13:10 - 17:30

Stage 2 of the Tour de France is a day of two halves. Unlike the opening day of racing, when the climbs were evenly spread out, stage 2 between Perros-Guirec and the top of the Mur-de-Bretagne has most of the six categorised climbs crammed into the second half of the stage, with two ascents of the Mur-de-Bretagne thrown in for good measure. That said, there’s relatively little in the way of flat roads between the start and the first climb at 72.8 kilometres.  

The finale is technical and we’re likely to see the same riders who contested stage 1 once again take centre stage. Assuming the peloton starts the final climb in one piece, the gaps between the overall contenders should be relatively small come the line but last time the race finished here, back in 2018, Daniel Martin attacked with around one kilometre to go and everyone of the top-three finishers in Paris lost time. Once again, this isn’t a day for the peloton to relax.

Stage 3 / Monday June 28 / Lorient - Pontivy, 182.9km / Times: 13:10 - 17:24

After two days that catered for the puncheurs the sprinters of this year’s Tour de France will be finally let off the leash. The stage departs Lorient, the hometown of former King of the Mountains winner Warren Barguil, but that’s where any attention directed towards the talismanic Frenchman ends, with the race hugging the coastline before heading inland, through the department of Morbihan, but before reaching the finish in Pontivy the peloton must climb the Côte de Cadoudal – known as the Breton Alpe d’Huez – and where stages have taken place in both 2008 and 2015. All the fine-tuning and training before the race will count for little in the heat of the finale and with such a huge prize up for grabs it may well come down to which sprinter, and his leadout, make the fewest mistakes.

Stage 4 / Tuesday June 29 / Redon - Fourgères, 150.4km / Times: 13:25 - 16:52

The Tour de France’s mini Tour of Brittany ends on stage 4 with another outing for the sprinters. At just 150.4 kilometres in length, this is shorter than the previous day and its part of ASO’s plan to increase the intensity within the race on days that might ordinarily set out as slow burners before igniting in a fierce sprint battle to the line. There are no categorised climbs to speak of between the start in Redon and the finish in Fougeres but this is a must-watch stage nonetheless. The entire stage takes place in the Ille-et-Vilaine region. The last time the race ended in Fougeres was in 2015 with Mark Cavendish taking the stage. It’s an identical finish this time around with the sprinters set to enjoy their second straight day of action before the stage 5 time trial. 

Stage 5 / Wednesday June 30 / Changé - Laval, 27.2km / Times: 12:15 - 16:50

The Tour de France leaves Brittany on stage 5 and shifts up a gear with the first of two time trials in this year’s race, and while the opening two stages may have provided brief glimpses of a fight for the yellow jersey the 27.2 kilometre test between Changé and Laval Espace Mayenne will cause major changes to the overall standings. This is the longest individual time trial the Tour de France has held in the opening week since the 2008 edition. That year a vast amount of time separated the top contenders with the top 20 riders spread out over approximately a minute and a half and, in a race that has so far been judged by seconds, the aftershocks from this stage could determine the pattern of racing for the next two weeks.

Stage 6 / Thursday July 1 / Tours - Chàteauroux, 160.6km / Times: 13:55 - 17:26

After the stage 5 time trial and a reshuffling at the top of the overall standings the attention turns back to the sprinters. However, while the stage profile looks tailor-made for the fastmen, with a limited amount of climbing on the menu, there is a threat of crosswinds and echelon action in this region if the winds pick up.

The 160.6 kilometre stage leaves Tours and heads east. For the first few hours of racing there should be very little to trouble the peloton as the race heads out of the cathedral city and ventures into picture-postcard châteaux and vineyard country. This should be a day for the sprinters, and Mark Cavendish won his first-ever Tour stage in the finish town of Châteauroux back in 2008.

Stage 7 / Friday July 2 / Vierzon - La Creusot, 249.1km / Times: 11:00 - 17:05

Stage 7 of the Tour de France is a day that should be finely balanced between a break succeeding or a reduced group of all-rounders deciding the day’s honours. The stage, which sees the race head east from Vierzon is the longest Tour stage in 21 years, totalling a whopping 249.1 kilometres.

This may not look like a day for the GC riders but this has potential ambush written all over it. The distance, coupled with the demanding second half will ensure only a small group contest the finish, and we could potentially see yet another change in race leadership.

Stage 8 / Saturday July 3 / Oyonnax - Le Grand Bornand, 150.8km / Times: 13:10 - 17:06

The hills on stage 7 were mere an appetizer for what’s in store on stage 8 of the Tour de France as the race heads into the Jura and Alpine mountain ranges for the first time this year. There may not be a summit finish in store for the peloton but with five categorised climbs, plus an uncategorised uphill start, this will be a rude awakening for the riders after a week of relatively flat racing broken up by the odd short, sharp ascent.

The stage culminates with the first category ascent of the Col de la Colombière and a finish at Le Grand-Bornand but before then the peloton will tackle some rugged terrain and obstacles in just 150.8 kilometres of racing. 

The addition of the Cote de Mont-Saxonnex, new compared to the 2018 version of this finale, just adds another level of difficulty to the stage. Back in 2009, when the race also climbed the Romme-Colombière combo several GC contenders, including Lance Armstrong, were dropped with Frank Schleck taking the honours.

Stage 9 / Sunday July 4 / Cluses - Tignes, 144.9km / Times: 13:00 - 17:30

Two years after a stage on the Tour de France to Tignes was washed away by flash floods ASO have made true on their promise of bringing the race back, and this should be another mountain blockbuster with five climbs peppered along the 144.9-kilometre route between Cluses and the ski station at Tignes.

After taking in some of the most stunning scenery of the race so far the riders begin the long descent down into Bourg-Saint-Maurice followed by the long steady climb of the Montée de Tignes. It’s 21 kilometres in length and starts off relatively steadily but as the road continues the climb the gradient really digs in around the point of the Les Brevières. This a brute of a climb and the gaps between the overall contenders could stretch into minutes, and while this isn’t a summit finish – with the road flattening out with 2 kilometres to go – it’s still the hardest stage of the Tour so far. 

Rest day 1 / Monday July 5

Stage 10 / Tuesday July 6 / Albertviille - Valence, 190.7km / Times: 13:05 - 17:23

  Following the first rest day in this year’s Tour de France the racing recommences with a 190.7km stage from Albertville to Valence. The race takes us away from the Alps and it’s a day for the sprinters but the threat of potential crosswinds and echelons in the final part of the stage makes this anything but an easy day in the saddle. Michael Matthews won a stage in these parts back in 2017, beating Edvald Boasson Hagen and John Degenkolb to the line in Romans sur Isère, on a day that was also hit by crosswinds. That day Chris Froome and Team Sky put Dan Martin and Alberto Contador to the sword and even though their time losses were manageable every second counts at this point.

However, assuming that the sprinters’ teams remain in contention this could be a hugely important day in the battle for the Green jersey with a flat run into Valence perfectly suited to a bunch gallop. Chepe González – who certainly wasn’t a sprinter – won from a breakaway in Valence all the way back in 1996.

Stage 11 / Wednesday July 7 / Sorgues - Malaucène, 198.9km / Times: 12:00 - 17:18

Stage 11 is all about the climbers with the race taking on the highly anticipated doubled ascent of Mont Ventoux. Before the riders get to the first ascent they leave Sorgues and take on two small fourth category climbs, the Cote de Fontaine-de-Vaucluse followed by the first category Col de la Liguière. The riders will then descend into Sault before beginning the first ascent of ‘the Giant of Provence’. The first time up takes the easiest of three possible routes to the top but it’s also the longest, with 24.3 kilometres of climbing facing the riders. The toughest gradient come into view around Chalet Reynard with the riders emerging from the tree-covered landscape and reaching the barren slopes that make Mont Ventoux so revered. At the summit the riders drop down into Malaucène for the first time via one of the fastest descents they’ll face in the entire race before taking a short uncategorised climb to Bédoin and then the final ascent of the Ventoux. At 15.7 kilometres long, and with an average 8.8 per cent, the road is simply relentlessly steep from the very start. At Chalet Reynard they hit the roads they climbed earlier before cresting the summit and taking on a second breakneck descent into Malaucène for the finish.

Stage 12 / Thursday July 8 / Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux - Nîmes, 159.4km / Times: 13:30 - 17:12

After the double ascent of Mont Ventoux on stage 11 the race returns to less testing terrain with a 159.4 kilometre stage from Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux to Nîmes. As with stage 10, however, appearances can be deceptive and despite only one short climb positioned mid-way through the stage there’s another chance that echelons and crosswinds could play their part in proceedings. At Vallon Pont d’Arc the stage heads south and into the Gard department. The exposed roads at this point could be a key if the wind picks up before the peloton hits the third cat climb of the Côte du Belvédère de Tharaux. With less than 30 kilometres to go the road heads due south to Nîmes for the expected bunch sprint, where Alexander Kristoff and Caleb Ewan are both past winners. This could be either a relatively quiet day in the Tour or one of the most intense battles of the race so far.

Stage 13 / Friday July 9 / Nîmes - Carcassonne, 219.9km / Times: 12:05 - 17:15

After finishing in Nimes on stage 12, the riders still left in the Tour de France will leave the same city in the Occitanie region of southern France and head towards the historical city of Carcassonne. On paper this looks like a relatively straightforward transition stage as the race tip-toes towards the Pyrenees but the finer details of this 219.9 kilometre jaunt tell a different story. Once more the threat of crosswinds loom large and while there is only one fourth category climb between the start and Carcassonne the majority of route is rolling. It’s no coincidence that no stage has ever ended in a bunch sprint in Carcassonne with Magnus Cort Nielsen winning from the break last time the race reached the walls of the medieval citadel that dominate the hill-top town, back in 2018.

Stage 14 / Saturday July 10 / Carcassonne - Quillan, 183.7km / Times: 12:15 - 16:48

For a second day in a row the Tour de France departs from the previous day’s finish and stage 14 of the race heads out of Carcassonne for a 183.7 kilometre journey south to the small town of Quillan. On paper this looks like a nailed on day for the breakaway with five categorised climbs peppering the route all the way towards the 17 kilometre descent from the top of the last ascent into the finishing town. The most likely scenario will see the sprinters’ teams sit back after the last few days of hostilities while the GC riders opt for a calm day given what’s ahead of them in the coming days.

The stage could be decided by the final climb of the stage, the Col de Saint-Louis. The ascent is 4.7 kilometres long and has an average gradient of 7.4 per cent and will provide the perfect launch pad for the remnants of the break to attack each other before the final descent to the line.

Stage 15 / Sunday July 11 / Céret - Andorre-La-Vieille, 191.3km / Times: 12:20 - 17:28

Stage 15 from Ceret to Andorre-La-Vieille is one of the hardest in this year’s race. There are four categorised climbs along the 191.3 kilometre route but three of them are first category ascents, while the riders will reach the highest point in this year’s race, topping out at over 2,400 metres. What’s more the final climb of the day, the Col de Beixalis, has the potentially to blow the entire race apart. From the intermediate sprint at Olette the road continues to climb towards the summit of the Montee de Mont-Louis. A descent follows but there’s little valley road before the riders begin to climb the secondary Cole de Puymorens – a 5.8 kilometre climb with an average gradient of 4.7 per cent. That climb will bring the riders to just under 2,000 metres, and there’s only a short descent before the first category climb of the Port d’Envalira – with the Souvenir Henri Desgrange going to the first rider to reach the Tour’s highest point. The following descent brings the race deep into Andorra before the assault of the Col de Beixalis looms into view. At the summit the road plummets back towards the centre of Andorra with a steep and highly technical descent towards the line.

Rest day 2 / Monday July 12

Stage 16 / Tuesday July 13 / Pas de la Case - Saint-Gaudens, 169km / Times: 13:05 - 17:21

Stage 16 sees the race head back into France, and while the 169 kilometre jaunt from Pas de la Case to Saint-Gaudens is far from easy, the profile suggest that the win could be decided by a break. That said, racing after a rest-day can often throw up some surprises and if one of the riders in the top-ten is showing any signs of weakness or fatigue, expect no mercy from their rivals. After the Col de la Core the riders will descend into the valley before hitting the Col de Portet-d’Aspet. They then descend – passing the Fabio Casartelli memorial – before the last and shortest climb of the day, the Côte d’Aspret-Sarrat. It’s only 800 metres in length but there are certainly some difficult stretches and with the finish just a few kilometres away it should provide an excellent launchpad for any last minute attacks.

Stage 17 / Wednesday July 14 / Muret - Saint-Lary-Soulan Col du Portet, 178.4km / Times: 11:50 - 16:49

The Col du Portet, first introduced to the Tour de France in 2018, returns this year and comes at the end of a crucial day in the Pyrenees. Starting in Muret, the route heads southwest and the opening 115 kilometres or so are relatively flat until the peloton reach Bagnères-de-Luchon – exactly where the 2018 Tour stage started. From there the riders will on the first of three major ascents with the Col de Peyresourde first up. The riders will then make a breakneck descent into Loudenvielle before tackling the Col d’Avet. It’s shorter than the Peyresourde but with a gradient averaging 8 per cent it’s a severe test. Another fast but this time technical descent follows before the road kicks up for the final climb and the summit finish atop the Col du Portet. The 16-kilometre ascent suits the lightweight pure climbers perfectly with a tough opening section as the road climbs towards Espiaube. At that point the gradient briefly eases before the riders turn right, thus avoiding the road towards Pla d’Adet, and take on a relentless section of switchbacks. The gradient reaches over 10 per cent in the final kilometre and the time gaps here could be race defining.

Stage 18 / Thursday July 15 / Pau - Luz Ardiden, 129.7km / Times: 13:35 - 17:19

Stage 18, the final mountain stage of this year’s Tour de France is arguably one of the hardest days in the race, with two massive Pyrenean climbs – the Col du Tourmalet and a blockbuster finish at the top of Luz Ardiden. What’s more, the stage is just 129.7 kilometres in length, meaning that there will be little to no respite.

There are two small fourth category ascents in the first 54 kilometres of racing – the Côte de Notre-Dame de Pietat, and the Côte de Loucrup, before an intermediate sprint at Pouzac From there the race heads through Bagnères-de-Bigorre and gently rises south through Campan and Saint-Marie-de-Campan before the race really starts on the slopes of the Col du Tourmalet. There’s then a rapid descent through Barèges and into Luz-Saint-Sauveur before the race reaches the Pont du Napoleon bridge. The riders then start the second straight HC-category climb of the day to the summit of Luz Ardiden. The climb is 13.3 kilometres in length, and while the opening few hundred metres are relatively easy the climb ramps up drastically after the first kilometre.  

Stage 19 / Friday July 16 / Mourenx - Libourne, 207km / Times: 12:20 - 17:06

With the Pyrenees in the rearview the attention turns back to the sprinters on stage 19 with a 207 kilometre stage from Mourenx to Libourne. However it will be a tough day for the sprinters to control. The distance, coupled with the fact that peloton will be exhausted from five days in the mountains, will leave a number of teams somewhat unwilling to control a peloton for a long day in the saddle. This could also be the last chance for teams without a sprinter or a GC rider to potentially rescue their race and with a lumpy opening 50 kilometres a bunch sprint is far from a certainty. 

Stage 20 / Saturday July 17 / Libourne - Saint-Emilion, 30.8km / Times: 13:05 - 17:19

At 30.8 kilometre in length, the individual test between Libourne and Saint-Emilion is a flat affair with small rises and long drags that will perfectly suit the time trial specialists. 

This is the course for the power specialists and even the technical sections along the route should be no problem for them. Any concerns will be purely reserved for the climbers, who after three weeks of racing could see their advantages obliterated in a painfully short amount of time. 

Stage 21 / Sunday July 18 / Chatou - Paris Champs-Élysées, 108.4km / Times: 16:15 - 19:00

After three weeks of drama and excitement the Tour de France arrives in Paris for the final stage and a showdown between some of the best sprinters in the world on the Champs-Élysées. For the fourth year in a row the final stage of the race starts in Chatou, just west of the capital, but the route initially heads east for a brief while before doubling back on itself. At this point the pace will be relaxed with teams and riders soft-pedalling through the opening kilometres and using the opportunity to celebrate their achievements and reaching Paris to complete the Tour.

How to watch the 2021 Tour de France – live TV and streaming

Read on to find out how to watch the Tour de France   via live stream, no matter your location, with  ExpressVPN .

The 2021 Tour de France will be broadcast around Europe and Eurosport. A subscription to  Eurosport Player  costs £6.99 for a single month, £4.99 for a year-long monthly pass, or £39.99 for a 12-month pass.

GCN+  will also air the race in the UK and in  select other territories  around Europe. A year’s subscription to GCN+ now costs £39.99 / €39.99 / $49.99 after the end of a promotional price in February. 

ITV4  will also be showing the race in the UK, with full full live coverage and highlights available. In Wales,  S4C  will be airing the race.

The Tour de France will be available to view in the USA on  Peacock Premium . A seven-day free trial is available, while a subscription to Peacock Premium will set you back $4.99 (or $9.99 without ads) per month.

FloBikes  will air the Tour de France in Canada. An annual subscription will set you back $149.  SBS  will air the race in Australia.

Around Europe, broadcasters include  France TV  in France,  ARD  in Germany,  Sporza  and  RTBF  in Belgium,  Rai  in Italy, and  RTVE  in Spain

If you live outside a broadcast zone or are on holiday outside your country and find that the live streams to be geo-restricted, you can get around this by getting access to them by simulating being back in your home country via a 'virtual private network', or VPN, for your laptop, tablet or mobile.

Our sister site TechRadar tested hundreds of VPNs and recommends the number-one VPN currently available as Express VPN. With  ExpressVPN , you can watch on many devices at once including Smart TVs, Fire TV Stick, PC, Mac, iPhone, Android phone, iPads, tablets, etc.

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Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.

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