tour de france route 2021

All the Stages of the 2021 Tour de France

A map of every stage from this year’s race, which takes place from June 26-July 18.

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STAGE 1 BREST - LANDERNEAU (197.8km)

STAGE 2 PERROS GUIREC - MÛR-DE-BRETAGNE GUERLÉDAN (183.5km)

STAGE 3 LORIENT - PONTIVY (182.9km)

STAGE 4 REDON - FOUGÈRES (150.4km)

STAGE 5 CHANGÉ - LAVAL ESPACE MAYENNE (27.2km)

STAGE 6 TOURS - CHÂEAUROUX (160.6km)

STAGE 7 VIERZON - LE CREUSOT (249.1km)

STAGE 8 OYONNAX - LE GRAND-BORNAND (150.8km)

STAGE 9 CLUSES - TIGNES (144.9km)

STAGE 10 ALBERTVILLE - VALENCE (190.7km)

STAGE 11 SORGUES - MALAUCÈNE (198.9km)

STAGE 12 SAINT-PAUL-TROIS-CHÂTEAUX - NÎMES (159.4km)

STAGE 13 NÎMES CARASSONNE (219.9km)

STAGE 14 CARCASSONNE - QUILLAN (183.7km)

STAGE 15 CÉRET - ANDORRE-LA-VIEILLE (191.3km)

STAGE 16 PAS DE LA CASE - SAINT-GAUDENS (169km)

STAGE 17 MAURET - SAINT-LARY-SOULAN COL DU PORTET (178.4km)

STAGE 18 PAU - LUZ ARDIDAN (129.7km)

STAGE 19 MOURENX - LIBOURNE (207km)

STAGE 20 LIBOURNE - SAINT ÉMILION (30.8km)

Laura is the summer 2021 editorial intern for Popular Mechanics, Runner's World, and Bicycling. Her work can also be found at Oprah Daily. She is a student at Howard University in Washington, D.C. where she studies English and Art History. When she isn't fighting the temptation to use passive voice, you can typically find her hunched over her Strat or working on her zine.

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Tour de France 2021: stage-by-stage guide

This year’s race begins in France’s cycling heartland before heading to the mountains and a climax in the Pyrenees

Stage one, Saturday 26 June, Brest – Landerneau 197.8km

The Tour opens with a loop through France’s cycling heartland, home to heroes of the past such as the five-times winner Bernard Hinault, and present-day aspirants such as Warren Barguil. A hilly route travels south to Quimper then returns north to finish close to the start, up a steep two-mile climb tailor made for France’s biggest current star, Julian Alaphilippe, who will be under intense pressure to deliver the stage win and yellow jersey. With more brief ascents approaching the finish crashes are inevitable as the field fights for position before the closing hill.

Stage two, Sunday 27 June, Perros-Guirec – Mûr-de-Bretagne 183.5km

More little climbs for a first reshuffle of the overall contenders. Again it’s Alaphilippe’s favoured terrain – another short, steeper ascent to the finish – but the Mur is tackled twice, the first time with 17km to go. Another favourite will be the Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel, cycling’s most exciting talent, who is making his Tour debut. The contest to be at the front for the climb is as daunting as the ascent itself; a crash or puncture will be costly. Earlier, the race visits Hinault’s old stamping ground of Saint-Brieuc, and the Badger would definitely have relished this finish.

Stage three, Monday 28 June, Lorient – Pontivy 182.9km

The first routine stage, with more nods to Brittany’s cycling past and present. The start close to Barguil’s home town of Hennebont will draw plenty of “Wawa” fans, and the route travels down the coast to Carnac of stone row fame, then passes Plumelec and the Cadoudal hill, a celebrated local race venue. A bunch sprint finish looks inevitable; Mark Cavendish returns to the Tour with Deceuninck-QuickStep after Sam Bennett was ruled out through injury, with Australia’s Caleb Ewan a big rival for stage wins and favourite for the green jersey.

Stage four, Tuesday 29 June, Redon – Fougères 150.4km

The race ventures towards Normandy but stops just short of the border at another town with cycling history, home of the late Albert Bouvet, the legendary “Bulldog”, who became a mainstay of the group that organises the Tour. By now the daily pattern will have been set: an early break of a handful of riders from the lesser French teams, scooped up in time for a bunch sprint finish. Along with Ewan, other favourites include the evergreen Peter Sagan, France’s Arnaud Démare, Tim Merlier of Belgium, the Norwegian Alexandr Kristoff and perhaps the Frenchman Nacer Bouhanni.

Stage five, Wednesday 30 June, individual time trial, Changé – Laval 27.2km

A first proper sort-out with a time trial long enough to create gaps but short enough that they shouldn’t be definitive. It’s a classic rolling course, climbing from the start and again towards the finish, an initial chance to assess 2021 winner Tadej Pogacar, runner-up Primoz Roglic, and 2018 winner Geraint Thomas, while short enough to suit Alaphilippe. It also suits specialists such as Belgian Victor Campenaerts and Swiss rider Stefan Küng. This stage is in the Mayenne, home turf of Küng’s FDJ manager Marc Madiot, so he knows what he has to do: win.

Stage six, Thursday 1 July, Tours – Châteauroux 160.6km

It’s 13 years since Cavendish won the first of his 30 Tour de France stage wins here and he will get the chance to add to his tally after he made Deceuninck’s Tour team following the injury to Bennett. The bunch sprint is inevitable, with the same cast as on previous days and by now it should be pretty clear who is on top. After three sprint stages in four days, however, it’s time for something different.

Stage seven, Friday 2 July, Vierzon – Le Creusot 249.1km

The longest stage of the race; stages over 240km were once relatively common but are now a rarity. The first 50km will be hectic, as every rider aiming to win a hilly stage will have this one on his list; the battle to get in the day’s break will be intense. In the final 50km there are two climbs long and hard enough to dislodge the sprinters; if Sagan has not won a stage so far, the chances are he and his Bora team will target this one and aim to bring the race together in the final hour.

Stage eight, Saturday 3 July, Oyonnax – Le Grand-Bornand 150.8km

After a transfer, it’s suddenly mountain time. It’s not the rudest of introductions but the Col de Romme-Col de Colombière diptych will whittle the main group down to 15 at best. The mountains jersey should change hands so there will be riders seeking out the early break to stake their claim on the polkadots. Expect a show of strength over the final climbs from a team looking to control the standings – Ineos most obviously, or Jumbo-Visma – and a stage win for a climber who can sprint such as Rigoberto Urán of Colombia or Tao Geoghegan Hart.

Stage nine, Sunday 4 July, Cluses – Tignes 144.9km

Unusually, this year the Tour bypasses the highest and most iconic Alpine passes, and today’s gloriously scenic Cormet de Roselend is about the best we will see of the massif . The long descents after the Col des Saisies and the Roselend will give weaker climbers a chance to get back to the front group before the final sort-out. The winner will probably come from an early move – the likes of Barguil or Nairo Quintana are obvious candidates – but the draggy Tignes finish climb will suit a rider like Alaphilippe or Thomas rather than a lighter pure climber. Then comes a rest day.

Stage 10, Tuesday 6 July, Albertville – Valence 190.7km

This might be more interesting than your average flat “transition” stage because there’s just enough climbing at key points to suggest that the sprint teams might not have it all their own way. If Sagan is feeling frisky he might try to burn off one or two of the heavier brethren, and if Ewan’s Lotto have lost riders who would normally work to control the stage, or if Deceuninck are marshalling Alaphilippe in the yellow jersey, the chances are a break will succeed with an opportunistic win for a rider like Thomas De Gendt or Søren Kragh Andersen.

Stage 11, Wednesday 7 July, Sorgues – Malaucène 198.9km

Given the reduced quota of climbing in the Alps, today’s unprecedented double ascent of the fearsome Mont Ventoux should be when a definitive picture emerges at the top of the classification. The second ascent of the “Giant of Provence” could do serious damage, particularly if the weather is hot. It’s a day for favourites like Pogacar, Roglic or Thomas to show what they have in the locker, but all eyes will be on Colombian Miguel Ángel López, winner of the Ventoux challenge in early June, posting the fastest time for the climb since 2004.

Stage 12, Thursday 8 July, Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux – Nîmes 159.4km

There are two scenarios for this run through the gorges of the Ardèche and the hills to the west of the Rhône. Either the race will follow the usual pattern of doomed breakaway, late catch, bunch sprint. Or the mistral will blow from somewhere between north-west and east and all hell will break loose late on as the bunch splinters in the wind. The former scenario favours the sprinters, the latter the strongest team in the race: Ineos or Deceuninck, with Sagan as a wild card. A windy day will offer Thomas or Alaphilippe the chance to gain time on the climbers.

Stage 13, Friday 9 July, Nîmes – Carcassonne 219.9km

The second longest stage of the race – and a rare day of over 200km – has a similar look to the previous one, with no major hills and roads that are innocuous enough in clement conditions but can be brutal in a cross wind. By this stage it should be clear who is the best sprinter and if Ewan is heading to achieve his 2021 target of winning stages in all three Grand Tours, also whether Sagan is en route to take a record eighth Tour green jersey or if he’s being threatened by an all-rounder such as Aussie Michael Matthews or Italian Sonny Colbrelli.

Stage 14, Saturday 10 July, Carcassonne – Quillan 183.7km

Only a few stages in this year’s Tour are hilly enough to deter the sprinters and favour the all-rounders as opposed to the pure mountain goats. This is the second, through Cathar country in the rarely visited eastern Pyrenees. Narrow, twisting roads and constant up and downs favour a breakaway, and the battle to be in it will be desperate as even after two weeks the majority of teams will have yet to win a stage. One for a rider like Olympic champion Greg Van Avermaet, Bauke Mollema or Simon Yates if they are not involved in the overall battle.

Stage 15, Sunday 11 July, Céret – Andorre-la-Vieille 191.3km

This stage is almost bound to see an early escape contest the finish, because although the late climb of the Port d’Envalira is the highest point on the Tour it’s not steep enough to cause huge damage, so any sparring for the overall standings will come within Andorra on the Col de Beixalis. The overall contenders should finish together unless anyone is having an off day; this is a good one for the stage hunters such as Yates or France’s David Gaudu, but also the best descenders such as Bahrain’s Matej Mohoric and old fox Vincenzo Nibali. There then follows a rest day.

Stage 16, Tuesday 13 July, Pas de la Case – Saint-Gaudens 169km

Five days of climbing in the Pyrenees is almost unprecedented for the Tour, and each is very different: today involves shorter, steep ascents, with the main sort-out likely to come on the Col de la Core before the final shootout on the Portet-d’Aspet. By this point in the race, each day’s breakaway will include many of the same riders, with teams getting increasingly panicked if they haven’t yet won a stage. The overall contenders will want this to be a controlled stage, but these roads are eminently suitable for skirmishing involving the likes of Alaphilippe or Daniel Martin of Ireland.

Stage 17, Wednesday 14 July, Muret – Sant-Lary-Soulan 178.4km

The first of two mountain-top finishes that should decide the race. There’s a lengthy, flattish preamble where a large break should gain several minutes – in recent years these have involved as many as 30 riders – while the final 50kms includes a daunting trio of passes, culminating in the hardest finish of the Tour, the super-steep 10 miles to the Col de Portet. López, Roglic and Pogacar will be the main men here, and the stage win should go to the best climber out of the break – a rider like Gaudu.

Stage 18, Thursday 15 July, Pau – Luz Ardiden 129.7km

Shorter and more straightforward than the previous day; the Col du Tourmalet is arguably the most iconic climb in the Pyrenees and Luz Ardiden one of the classic finishes. There is always room for a surprise attack but on paper, this stage should replicate the verdict of the previous day as it will favour exactly the same kind of rider. Again there should be a massive early escape involving climbers who are out of contention overall, but the brevity of the stage means they are liable to be scooped up late on leaving the stage win for whoever is in the yellow jersey.

Stage 19, Friday 16 July, Mourenx – Libourne 207km

The sprinters will have been attempting to survive for the last few days, with this stage and Sunday’s run in to Paris in their minds. That’s enough incentive for most of them but the outcome of the stage may depend on how many of their teammates have got through the mountains as well. Five successive mountain stages may see off more of the domestiques than usual, and it might see off sprinters who really can’t climb like Kristoff or Ewan. So it’s a day for perhaps a rider like Matthews or Colbrelli, who will deal with the mountains better than most.

Stage 20, Saturday 17 July, individual time trial, Libourne – Saint-Émilion 30.8km

This stage visits the village of Montagne, which will seem like a bad joke to the big-boned types who have grovelled through the Alps and Pyrenees. Since last year’s reversal at La Planche des Belles Filles the Tour has fallen back in love with time trials and this one is long enough to create a surprise or two. In theory the Tour will have gone through more than enough mountains since leaving Brittany to ensure that the strongest climber has ample margin to relax on this stage. But that’s far from certain – and therein lies the great fascination of this race.

Stage 21, Sunday 18 July, Chatou – Paris Champs-Élysées 108.4km

The traditional apotheosis. The Tour organisers have meddled with the sprint format only once since first finishing on the Champs in 1975. However, the other Grand Tours have always experimented with time trials on the last day and perhaps it’s time the biggest race of all tried something different. The club run pace start, the champagne drinking en route and the final dash up Paris’s grandest avenue does have a slightly hackneyed feel. Love it or not, it’s still a fantastic sprint.

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Tour de france route 2021: stage profiles, previews, start times, dates, distances.

A stage-by-stage look at the 2021 Tour de France route with profiles, previews, distances, dates and estimated start times (all times Eastern). Check out extended highlights here.

• Click here to watch the 2021 Tour de France live on Peacock

Stage 1: BREST→LANDERNEAU

• Date : Saturday, June 26
• Start time : 6:00 a.m. on Peacock , NBCSN
• Distance : 197.8 km (122.9 miles) - Hilly
• Preview : The 1st stage of the 2021 Tour de France covers approximately 198 km. The race starts in Brest and ends in Landerneau in what should be an exciting finish to see who can claim the first yellow jersey of the Tour. It includes 6 categorized climbs, though none tougher than a Category 3, and an intermediate sprint at 135.1 km.
• Extended highlights: Click here to watch

Stage 2: PERROS-GUIREC→MUR-DE-BRETAGNE

• Date : Sunday, June 27
• Start time : 7:00 a.m. on Peacock , NBCSN
• Distance : 183.5 km (114 miles) – Hilly
• Preview : The 2nd stage of the 2021 Tour de France is a 183.5-kilometer hilly stage that starts in Perros-Guirec and ends on the Mur-de-Bretagne in Guerledan. It features another 6 categorized climbs, all Category 3 or 4, including two climbs of the Mur-de-Bretagne. Between bonus seconds behind awarded atop the first Mur-de-Bretagne ascent and an uphill sprint to the finish line on the last climb, there could be an early swap of the yellow jersey.

Stage 3: LORIENT→PONTIVY

• Date : Monday, June 28
• Distance : 182.9 km (113.6 miles) – Flat
• Preview : The 3rd stage of the 2021 Tour de France is simpler flat stage, covering approximately 182.9 km and only featuring a pair of Category 4 climbs. In between those two climbs on the route from Lorient to Pontivy is an intermediate sprint at 118.3 km. With a flat road to the finish line, this stage should see the “pure” sprinters compete head-to-head for the first time in this year’s Tour.

Stage 4: REDON→FOUGERES

• Date : Tuesday, June 29
• Start time : 7:15 a.m. on Peacock , NBCSN
• Distance : 150.4 km (93.5 miles) – Flat
• Preview : The 4th stage of the 2021 Tour de France covers 150.4 km, as the best sprinters in the world will be on display for a second straight flat stage. The race from Redon to Fougeres is the only non-time trial stage in this year’s Tour without a single categorized climb. The stage features an intermediate sprint in the 2nd half of the stage at 114.4 km before another bunch sprint is expected at the finish line.

Stage 5: CHANGE→LAVAL

• Date : Wednesday, June 30
• Start time : 6:05 a.m. on Peacock , NBCSN
• Distance : 27.2 km (16.9 miles) – Individual Time Trial
• Preview : The 5th stage of the 2021 Tour de France is the first of two individual time trials, this one starting in Change and ending in Laval. It’s the first year since 2017 that the Tour has featured multiple individual time trials, which suggests the yellow jersey could be decided by which of the GC riders are the best time trialists. The rider who finishes the 27.2 km route on Stage 5 could very well be the new leader until at least the second week of racing.

Stage 6: TOURS→CHATEAUROUX

• Date : Thursday, July 1
• Start time : 7:45 a.m. on Peacock , NBCSN
• Distance : 160.6 km (99.8 miles) – Flat
• Preview : The 6th stage of the 2021 Tour de France covers 160.6 km from Tours to Chateauroux and is another stage designed for a finish-line showdown between the sprinters. One Category 4 climb comes at 72.6 km before the green jersey race takes over. An intermediate sprint at 104.3 km precedes what should be another exciting bunch sprint to end the day.

Stage 7: VIERZON→LE CREUSOT

• Date : Friday, July 2
• Start time : 4:50 a.m. on Peacock , NBCSN
• Distance : 249.1 km (154.8 miles) – Hilly
• Preview : The 7th stage of the 2021 Tour de France covers 249.1 km, the longest stage since 2000. The race starts in Vierzon and ends in Le Creusot. The intermediate sprint comes before five categorized climbs, including the first Category 2 climb of the Tour, which will award bonus seconds atop the Signal d’Uchon. The course suggests it could be a successful day for the breakaway or a small group of all-rounders contending to wear yellow at the end of the first week.

Stage 8: OYONNAX→LE GRAND-BORNAND

• Date : Saturday, July 3
• Distance : 150.8 km (93.7 miles) – Mountain
• Preview : The 8th stage of the 2021 Tour de France covers 150.8 km and is the first mountain stage of the race. After a first week without a lot of difficult climbing, the stage from Oyonnax to Le Grand-Bornand features three Category 1 climbs. With bonus seconds being awarded at the top of the Col de la Colombiere, the final climb of the day, the attention turns to the best climbers in the peloton.

Stage 9: CLUSES→TIGNES

• Date : Sunday, July 4
• Start time : 6:50 a.m. on Peacock , NBCSN
• Distance : 144.9 km (90 miles) – Mountain
• Preview : The 9th stage of the 2021 Tour de France from Cluses to Tignes covers approximately 144.9 km and will be the most grueling stage of the Tour to this point. There’s five categorized climbs, all of which are Category 2 or higher, including the first HC climb of the Tour on the Col du Pre. Plus, the finish line marks the first of three summit finishes of the Tour, following a 21 km ascent up the Montee de Tignes.

Stage 10: ALBERTVILLE→VALENCE

• Date : Tuesday, July 6
• Start time : 6:55 a.m. on Peacock , NBCSN
• Distance : 190.7 km (118.5 miles) – Flat
• Preview : The 10th stage of the 2021 Tour de France covers 190.7 km following the first of two rest days. Unless there’s extreme crosswinds, expect a simple day on the course from Albertville to Valence. Just a single Category 1 climb and the intermediate sprint come in the first half of the stage before the peloton sets itself up for a probable bunch sprint at the finish line in a day suited for the green jersey contenders.

Stage 11: SORGUES→MALAUCENE

• Date : Wednesday, July 7
• Start time : 5:50 a.m. on Peacock , NBCSN
• Distance : 198.9 km (123.6 miles) – Mountain
• Preview : The 11th stage of the 2021 Tour de France covers approximately 198.9 km and features two different climbs up the same mountain. After leaving Sorgues, riders will encounter five categorized climbs in total, the last two a Category 1 climb and an HC ascent both up Mount Ventoux. Bonus seconds will be awarded atop the final climb before the majority of the final 22 km are downhill to the finish line in Malaucene.

Stage 12: SAINT-PAUL-TROIS-CHATEAUX

• Date : Thursday, July 8
• Start time : 7:20 a.m. on Peacock , NBCSN
• Distance : 159.4 km (99 miles) – Flat
• Preview : The 12th stage of the 2021 Tour de France covers 159.4 km. The route from Saint-Paul-Trois-Chateaux to Nimes is another flat stage that suits the sprinters, with no obstacles until a Category 3 climb at 83.7 km, just after the halfway point in the stage. With a late intermediate sprint in play, the green jersey race will be the highlight of the day.

Stage 13: NIMES→CARCASSONNE

• Date : Friday, July 9
• Start time : 5:55 a.m. on Peacock , NBCSN
• Distance : 219.9 km (136.6 miles) – Flat
• Preview : The 13th stage of the 2021 Tour de France covers a lengthy 219.9 km on the second straight day with a flat stage, starting where the previous day finished in Nimes. Once an early Category 4 climb is out of the way, the attention turns to the sprinters. While it does look like a straightforward day for the green jersey race, the finish town of Carcassonne has never seen a bunch sprint when it has hosted a finish line in the Tour.

Stage 14: CARCASSONNE→QUILLAN

• Date : Saturday, July 10
• Start time : 6:15 a.m. on Peacock , NBC
• Distance : 183.7 km (114.1 miles) – Hilly
• Preview : The 14th stage of the 2021 Tour de France covers 183.7 km. The race starts where it finished Stage 13 in Carcassonne and finishes in Quillan. The hilly stage features five categorized climbs, three of which are Category 2. The final climb of the day will award bonus seconds atop the Col de Saint-Louis. On paper, this looks like a day for the breakaway, with the heavier mountain stages still to come in the third week of the race .

Stage 15: CERET→ANDORRE-LA-VIEILLE

• Date : Sunday, July 11
• Start time : 6:10 a.m. on Peacock , NBCSN
• Distance : 191.3 km (118.9 miles) – Mountain
• Preview : The 15th stage of the 2021 Tour de France covers 191.3 km, a long mountain stage starting in Ceret and finishing in Andorre-la-Vieille. Let the third week of the Tour begin with four categorized climbs, including three Category 1 climbs, and bonus seconds up for grabs atop the Col de Beixalis. The riders will also endure the highest point of the Tour at over 2,400 meters on the Port d’Envalira.

Stage 16: PAS DE LA CASE→SAINT-GAUDENS

• Date : Tuesday, July 13
• Distance : 169 km (105 miles) – Hilly
• Preview : The 16th stage of the 2021 Tour de France covers 169 km following the final rest day of the race. Now that they’ve gotten another quick rest ahead of the most pivotal racing, the yellow jersey contenders might let the breakaway succeed on this hilly stage from Pas de la Case to Saint-Gaudens. Four spread-out categorized climbs make this an exciting opportunity for a strong breakaway specialist.

Stage 17: MURET→SAINT-LARY-SOULAN

• Date : Wednesday, July 14
• Start time : 5:45 a.m. on Peacock , NBCSN
• Distance : 178.4 km (110.9 miles) – Mountain
• Preview : The 17th stage of the 2021 Tour de France covers 178.4 km, kicking off the first of the final two mountain stages of the Tour, both of which are summit finishes. The GC battle heats up starting in Muret, where a flat lead-up to three tough categorized climbs will put the yellow jersey contenders to the test. The stage ends in Saint-Lary-Soulan on the Col du Portet - the HC summit finish taking riders to an elevation of over 2,200 meters.

Stage 18: PAU→LUZ ARDIDEN

• Date : Thursday, July 15
• Start time : 7:25 a.m. on Peacock , NBCSN
• Distance : 129.7 km (80.6 miles) – Mountain
• Preview : The 18th stage of the 2021 Tour de France covers 129.7 km, with the short-distance mountain stage a good indicator of a challenging day of climbing. After leaving Pau, the peloton will tackle two small Category 4 climbs in the first half of the day before two HC climbs in the second half. It’s the only stage in the Tour with multiple HC climbs, the latter a summit finish at Luz Ardiden. It’s the last opportunity for the GC riders to put themselves in good position ahead of the Stage 20 time trial two days later.

Stage 19: MOURENX→LIBOURNE

• Date : Friday, July 16
• Distance : 207 km (128.6 miles) – Flat
• Preview : The 19th stage of the 2021 Tour de France covers 207 km. Expect a casual day from the peloton on this flat stage following the last of the mountains the day earlier and the need for strong legs the next day in the time trial. If a courageous breakaway doesn’t take advantage of this, we should see another sprint finish in Libourne.

Stage 20: LIBOURNE→SAINT-EMILION

• Date : Saturday, July 17
• Distance : 30.8 km (19.1 miles) – Individual Time Trial
• Preview : The 20th stage of the 2021 Tour de France is the second individual time trial that covers 30.8 km. The stage starts in Libourne, where the previous stage finished, and ends in Saint-Emilion. After what happened on last year’s Stage 20 individual time trial, when the yellow jersey amazingly switched hands, brace for another exciting day that could decide the winner of the Tour for the second straight year.

Stage 21: CHATOU→PARIS - CHAMPS-ÉLYSÉES

• Date : Sunday, July 18
• Start time : 10:05 a.m. on Peacock , NBC
• Distance : 108.5 km (67.4 miles) – Flat
• Preview : The 21st stage of the 2021 Tour de France covers 108.4 km. The race starts in Chatou and includes a Category 4 climb at 7.4 km and an intermediate sprint at 68.3 km. The Yellow Jersey is traditionally often solidly settled on the shoulders of the final winner at the start of this last stage, but for the sprinters who dream of triumphing on the Champs-Élysées, it’s the opportunity to take on one of the toughest challenges of the year.

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Tour de France 2021 route: Stage-by-stage guide

The 2021 tour de france will take place june 26 to july 18. it will be the  108th edition of race. the grand depart will take place in brittany. .

• Finding accommodation
• Finding bike hire
• Tour de France road closure information
• Advice for watching the TDF in person
• Advice for watching the TDF in Paris
• Beginner's guide to the Tour de France
• Riding Etape du Tour
• Offficial 2021 Tour de France program and race guide

The full route of the 2021 Tour de France was announced on the evening of November 1, 2020.

The Grand Depart, which had been scheduled for Copenhagen, was moved to Brittany due to the crazy 2021 sporting schedule that has resulted from the coronavirus pandemic. The rescheduled 2021 European football championships has games in Denmark in June. Bringing the Tour de France back inside French borders, therefore, was seen as a sensible precaution.

The Grand Depart will instead take part in Copenhagen in 2022.

The 2021 Tour de France dates have also been brought forward a week to avoid clashing with the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

2021 official Tour de France route map ( click for large PDF version )

Total riding distance: 3383km

Specific info on each stage and more detailed maps are also usually published online each May and in the official race program . We'll post links to it when it's released.

We have this page for Tour de France road closure information , which we also update as information comes to hand (usually not from around May onwards).

See here for accommodation near the route (it will also be progressively updated throughout 2021).

MORE USEFUL INFO TO COME: Official 2021 Tour de France Race Guide

Stage 1: saturday, june 26 – brest to landerneau, 187km.

The 2021 Tour de France will return to Brittany for 4 stages, starting in Brest. Given the uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, the organisers undoubtedly see Brittany as a 'safe pair of hands'. Some 170 stages of the Tour have been held in Brittany since 1906 and 33 towns and cities have been hosts, so there is plenty of TDF experience in the region. It's also a region steeped in Tour de France folklore, with Brittany being the home of French cycling heroes Lucien Petit-Breton (Tour de France winner in 1907 and 1908), Jean Robic (1947), Louison Bobet (1953, 1954 and 1955) and Bernard Hinault (1978 and 1979, 1981, 1982 and 1985).

If you are planning on being in Brest, the team presentations will take place on Thursday, June 24, most likely in front of the town hall as they were in 2008.

Stage 1 includes a punchy short climb to finish the stage on the Côte de la Fosse aux Loups.

Stage 2: Sunday, June 27 – Perros-Guirec to Mûr-de-Bretagne Guerlédan,182km

A return to Mûr-de-Bretagne – not once, but twice. It's not the Ventoux (see stage 11) but it's a mythical local climb with a long Tour de France history.

Today will also be the women's race, La Course by Tour de France.

??????? For its 8th edition, #LaCourse will be heading to the Mûr-de-Bretagne on the 27th June with 6 ascents on the menu! ??????? Pour sa 8ème édition, #LaCourse découvrira Mûr-de-Bretagne le 27 juin avec 6 ascensions au programme ! pic.twitter.com/8HW370pVMr — La Course by Le Tour (@LaCoursebyTDF) November 1, 2020

Stage 3: Monday, June 28 – Lorient to Pontivy, 182km

The first chance for the sprinters. Flat, flat, flat.

Stage 4: Tuesday, June 29 – Redon to Fougères, 152km

Another day for the sprinters . British cycling fans will remember Mark Cavendish winning here in 2015.

Stage 5: Wednesday, June 30 – Changé to Laval, 27km (ITT)   

The Tour returns to the Mayenne after more than two decades with the earliest individual time trial since 1988. This is one of two individual time trials this year, the other being over a similar distance on stage 20.  

Stage 6: Thursday, July 1 – Tours to Chateauroux, 144km

A flat stage to suit the sprinters through the vineyard region of the Loire, heading southish from the mighty river. Anyone who has ridden through here will attest to its beauty, though these 144km will be a bit faster than most people ride when passing through Tours on the EuroVelo 6 .

Stage 7: Friday, July 2 – Vierzon to Le Creusot, 248km

The longest stage of the Tour includes a climb never used by the TDF before – Le Signal d'Uchon climbs 5.7km at 5.7%.

Stage 8: Saturday , July 3 – Oyonnax to Grand Bornand, 151km

Into the mountains!

Le Grand Bornard is back – so too is neigbouring Col de la Colombiere, which offers a tasty final climb at 7.5km at 8.5%. Cote de Mont-Saxonnet and Col de Romme provide the starters.

??????? Le Grand-Bornand, «porte des Alpes» du @LeTour 2021 ? Heureux d'accueillir la Grande Boucle pour la 8e fois. #Sport , #spectacle et belles #images en perspective ???? #mongrandbo #TDF21 ???? Samedi 3 juillet 2021 ????8e étape : Oyonnax / Le Grand-Bornand ???? https://t.co/SUFRb5xgks pic.twitter.com/VYSoOHNIqE — Le Grand-Bornand (@mongrandbo) November 1, 2020

Stage 9: Sunday, July 4 – Cluses to Tignes, 145km

Tignes is back after the snow storms and landslides of 2019 wrecked its showcase stage finale, Bernal snatching yellow from Alaphilippe on a shortened stage.

Rest day: Monday, July 5 – Tignes

Stage 10: tuesday, july 6 – albertville to valence, 186km.

From the Alps to the banks of the Rhone River at Valence. It won't be a leisurely stage like cycle tourist usually enjoy when they venture to the Via Rhona bike route . Expect a sprint finale.

Stage 11: Wednesday, July 7 – Sorgues to Malaucène, 199km

Ventoux is back! Two ascents of Mont Ventoux via two different routes. First, the 'easy' way from Sault: 24.3km at 5%. Then the 'classic' Bédoin climb: 15.7km at 8.8%.

It could be worse – it could be all three !

It can be a lonely old climb from Bedoin to the summit of the Ventoux, especially on a hot day in the middle of summer. The ride up through the dreaded forest can seem never-ending, only to emerge into a moonscape to see the elusive weather station only a dot in the distance.

The top of the Ventoux was closed to traffic for most of 2020 as work was undertaken to repave the road and get it in top condition for the Tour de France's return.

2021 signals the first time the Giant of Provence has featured since windy weather scuppered a summit finish in 2016 - the same year *that* motorbike calamity took place, resulting in this strange sensation:

Say what you want about the Ventoux, but whether you are an amateur rider crawling up its sides so slowly that your Garmin autopauses (who? me?), or a Tour de France spectator, it never – never – disappoints.

Stage 12: Thursday, July 8 – Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux to Nimes, 161km

Back to the sprinters and a bunch finish as the parcours edges closer to the Pyrenees via the ancient Roman city of Nimes, which is now a fairly regular Tour town.

Stage 13: Friday, July 9 – Nimes to Carcassonne, 220km

This is one for the helicopters and the local tourist boards as the TV cameras drift over the iconic turrets of the old city of Carcassonne. Expect another sprint finish if you can take your eyes off the scenery.

Stage 14: Saturday, July 10 – Carcassonne to Quillan, 184km

Into the Pyrenees with three fairly gentle but not insignificant ascents to warm those GC legs up. This area is a beautiful and often under-rated (and under-cycled) corner of the Pyrenees.

Stage 15: Sunday, July 11 – Céret to Andorra, 192km

The only border being crossed in this year's Tour is the one marking France from Andorra on stage 15. This stage also has the highest col of the entire parcours, the Port d’Envalira's Souvenir Henri Desgrange, which comes in at a mighty 2408m. The route finishes in Andorra ahead of a rest day.

Rest day: Monday, July 12 – Andorra

Stage 16: tuesday , july 13 – pas de la case to saint-gaudens, 169km.

One for the breakaway riders.

Stage 17: Wednesday , July 14 – Muret to Saint-Lary-Soulan Col du Portet, 178km

This is a tough day, with the stage taking in the Col du Peyresourde and the Col de Val Louron-Azet before finishing on the Col du Portet.

? Conquered by ???????? @NairoQuinCo as the first climb on the 2018 Tour, the Col du Portet is back on #TDF2021 ? Dompté par ???????? @NairoQuinCo lors de sa première ascension sur le Tour en 2018, le Col du Portet revient sur le #TDF2021 !" pic.twitter.com/VUZTcON7VR — Tour de France™ (@LeTour) November 1, 2020

Stage 18: Thursday , July 15 – Pau to Luz Ardiden, 130km  

The mythical Tourmalet (17.1km at 7.4%) leads to the climb to Luz Ardiden, whose 13.3km at 7.4% are the final mountain miles of the Tour.

Stage 19: Friday , July 16 – Mourenx to Libourne, 203km

Staes 19 and 20 are personal for us at Freewheeling France as they are roads local to us – and the Tour rarely comes this close to us. Libourne, where the mighty Dordogne river meets the river Isle, has pipped its big sister Bordeaux as this year's stage town. Libourne has invested a lot of money in recent years in its development, converted te riverfront into a pedestrian promenade and supporting local restaurants and cafes to liven up the city. 

This is the first of two stages in the heart of some of the word's most famous – and beautiful – wine country.  Beds among the vineyards will be at a premium for these two days heading into the weekend, though Bordeaux city centre would be a fine base as well. It's linked to Libourne via the signposted EuroVelo 3 and to Saint-Emilion via this lovely rural route . All three are linked by local TER trains ( train info here ). As for all stages, I'll add accommodation options here .   

#TDF2021 : #Libourne ville d’arrivée de l’étape au départ de #Mourenx du vendredi 16 juillet ? ville étape d’un contre-la-montre individuel jusqu’à @saint_emilion le samedi 17 juillet, veille de l’arrivée sur les Champs-Élysées. #BonneNouvelle #JeVisLibourne @gironde #cyclisme pic.twitter.com/SM4vq5QmK8 — Ville de Libourne (@ville_libourne) November 1, 2020

Stage 20: Saturday, July 17 – Libourne to Saint-Emilion, 31km (ITT)

A time trial through the vineyards of the wonderful Pomerol to the UNESCO Heritage Site of Saint-Emilion. Expect lots of helicopter shots of rolling vineyards and Roman ruins if you're watching at home.

Stage 21: Sunday, July 18 – Chatou to Paris Champs-Elysées, 112km

???? @Paris ???? #TDF2021 pic.twitter.com/3wjvzvIQhX — Tour de France™ (@LeTour) November 1, 2020

Bonus seconds

Bonus points will be up for grabs at the end of each regular stage, giving the first three riders 10, 6 and 4 seconds.

Bonus points

Bonus points will be up for grabs at the summits of 6 climbs, handing the first three riders 8, 5 and 2 seconds. Stage 2: Mûr-de-Bretagne (first passage) Stage 7: Signal d’Uchon Stage 8: Col de la Colombière Stage 11: Mont Ventoux, second passage Stage 14: Col de Saint-Louis Stage 15: Col de Beixalis

Bike hire for watching the Tour de France

A reminder that if you need bike hire during the Tour de France you should book early. It ALWAYS sells out and it can be very hard to find quality carbon road bikes closer to the time.  More info here .

2021 Tour de France Race Guide

Get the official 2020 Tour de France Race Guide: This collates all stage maps and race times into one booklet.

See here for bike-friendly accommodation

Related articles.

• Tour de France 2020 route: Stage-by-stage guide

2024 Tour de France program and race guide

• 2023 Tour de France program and race guide
• Tour de France 2023 route: Stage-by-stage guide
• Tour de France 2022 route: Stage-by-stage guide
• 2019 Tour de France Official Race Guide
• 2021 Tour de France official program and race guide - OUT NOW
• Tour de France 2024 route: Stage-by-stage guide

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AVAILABLE TO ORDER NOW! The official Tour de France 2024 race program and guide includes all the route maps for each stage, plus stage start and end times, and team and rider profiles.

Posted: 23 Apr 2024

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TOTAL: 3492 km

This will be the first Grand Départ in Italy and the 26th that’s taken place abroad  First finale in Nice. Due to the Olympic and Paralympic Games taking place in Paris, the race will not finish in the French capital for the first time.

Two time trials. 25 + 34 = 59km in total, the second of them taking place on the final Monaco>Nice stage. This will be the first time the race has seen a finale of this type for 35 years, the last occasion being the famous Fignon - LeMond duel in 1989.

Apennines (Italy), the Italian and French Alps, Massif Central and Pyrenees will be the mountain ranges on the 2024 Tour route.

The number of countries visited in 2024: Italy, San Marino, Monaco and France. Within France, the race will pass through 7 Regions and 30 departments.

The number of bonus points 8, 5 and 2 bonus seconds go to the first three classified riders, featuring at strategic points along the route (subject to approval by the International Cycling Union)these will have no effect on the points classification. Bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds will be awarded to the first three classified riders at road stage finishes.

Out of a total of 39, the locations or stage towns that are appearing on the Tour map for the first time . In order of appearance: Florence, Rimini, Cesenatico, Bologna, Piacenza, Saint-Vulbas, Gevrey-Chambertin, Colombey-les-Deux-Églises, Évaux-les-Bains, Gruissan, Superdévoluy, Col de la Couillole.

The number of sectors on white roads during stage nine, amounting to 32km in total .

The number of stages: 8 flat, 4 hilly, 7 mountain (with 4 summit finishes at Saint-Lary-Soulan Pla d’Adet, Plateau de Beille, Isola 2000, Col de la Couillole), 2 time trials and 2 rest days.

The number of riders who will line up at the start of the Tour, divided into 22 teams of 8 riders each.

The height of the summit of the Bonette pass in the Alps, the highest tarmac road in France, which will be the “roof” of the 2024 Tour.

The total vertical gain during the 2024 Tour de France.

PRIZE MONEY

A total of 2,3 million euros will be awarded to the teams and riders including € 500,000 to the final winner of the overall individual classification .

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Giro d'Italia 2024 Stage 12: How to watch on Thursday, TV and live stream details as Julian Alaphilippe eyes win

Published 15/05/2024 at 23:03 GMT

Julian Alaphilippe, this day was made for you. The Frenchman is without a Grand Tour stage win since 2021, when he grabbed the yellow jersey on the opening day of the Tour de France. With four punchy categorised climbs on the menu, Alaphilippe will be among the favourites for victory. So how can you watch Stage 12 of the Giro d'Italia? And when does coverage start on Eurosport and discovery+?

Stage 12 profile and route map: Martinsicuro - Fano

Chorus of 'ooooohs' as Costiou dices with danger by fixing chain while riding

Stage 12 profile.

How can I watch Stage 12 of the Giro d'Italia?

'The modern Eddy Merckx' – Vaughters on Pogacar's star turn in Giro sprint

Giro d’Italia 2024 TV schedule and route details

'oh my word' - chaos as rider goes wrong way, others jump kerbs, 'i don't understand' - hofstetter questions rider sanctions after stage 11 chaos, 'everyone trying to pick holes' - mcewen speculates on what's behind pogacar 'irritation'.

Tour de France 2023: How to watch, schedule, odds and storylines you need to know

The Tour de France returns Saturday for its 110th edition, this time beginning in Spain’s Basque Country, and will end on Sunday, July 23, in Paris. As always, the race — which recently got the “Drive to Survive”-style docuseries treatment on Netflix — will feature 21 stages. There will be eight flat stages, four hilly stages, eight mountain stages with four summit finishes, just one individual time trial (down from the usual two) and two rest days.

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Here’s what you need to know to follow along:

How to watch the 2023 Tour de France

Peacock, NBC and USA Network will carry the Tour in the United States (NBC Sports and the Tour recently announced a six-year extension of their exclusive U.S. rights agreement, which now runs through 2029).

Peacock will stream every stage live and have daily pre-race shows. The streamer will also have stage replays, recaps, highlights, rider interviews and more, NBC Sports said.

Phil Liggett, a.k.a. “the voice of cycling,” will be on the call for his 51st tour, joined by analyst Bob Roll. Steve Porino and former professional cyclist Christian Vande Velde will also be reporting from on site, with the latter giving real-time updates while traveling the course on a motorcycle.

For the first time, NBC Sports’ broadcasts will feature clips from team radio, like communication between team directors and riders.

FloSports will stream the event in Canada.

How long is the Tour de France route?

This year’s route runs about 3,406 kilometers (about 2,116 miles). Stage 2, the longest single stage, is 209 km (about 130 miles).

The 22.4-km (about 14-mile) time trial will be held in the Alps in Stage 16.

How much money is on the line?

A total of €2.3 million (about $2.5 million) will be given out to the teams and riders, including €500,000 (about $546,000) to the winner of the overall individual classification.

How many riders are on the Tour?

Each of the 22 teams this year has eight riders, making for 176 total.

Recent Tour de France winners

• 2022 — Jonas Vingegaard (DEN)
• 2021 — Tadej Pogačar (SLO)
• 2020 — Tadej Pogačar (SLO)
• 2019 — Egan Bernal (COL)
• 2018 — Geraint Thomas (GBR)
• 2017 — Chris Froome (GBR)
• 2016 — Chris Froome (GBR)
• 2015 — Chris Froome (GBR)
• 2014 — Vincenzo Nibali (ITA)
• 2013 — Chris Froome (GBR)

Riders to watch

This year is expected to be a two-man battle for the general classification between two-time winner Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) and Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma), who emerged triumphant last year.

The 24-year-old Pogačar, regarded as the rider of his generation, was poised for a third straight title last year before Vingegaard, backed by a strong Jumbo-Visma squad, spoiled the campaign in the mountains. While the Slovenian Pogačar often has to fend for himself, the Danish Vingegaard, 26, has the backing of a “superteam” that includes do-it-all Belgian Wout van Aert and American Sepp Kuss to deliver him the yellow jersey.

Pogačar will undoubtedly be out for revenge, but questions are swirling about his fitness after he broke his wrist in a race earlier this year and had to miss some time. Whichever way the race goes, it’s always worth a reminder that this pair gave us an iconic moment of sportsmanship last year.

In the “last dance” category, we have British veteran Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan), French fan favorite Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) and Slovakian sprint star Peter Sagan (TotalEnergies). All three plan to retire after the 2023 season (though Sagan said he plans to compete in mountain biking at the Paris Olympics).

Cavendish, 38, has 34 stage wins on the Tour — tied for the most ever with Eddy Merckx (who reached the mark in 1975). Cavendish is seeking one last win in his 14th Tour to retire as the record-holder after sitting out last year.

The 33-year-old Pinot won the young rider classification in 2014 and has since won three stages, most recently in 2019 (when he had to abandon the race with two stages to go after tearing a leg muscle while in fifth place).

Sagan, 33, owns a record seven green jersey wins and has won 12 stages, the last coming in 2019.

Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers), the last man not named Pogačar or Vingegaard to win the Tour, will be in the peloton for the first time since 2020 after returning from a near-fatal crash in January 2022.

If you’ve followed the last few tours, you might also be wondering what’s up with Primož Roglič. The 2020 runner-up had to abandon the 2021 Tour before the ninth stage, and after starting the 2022 race as a Jumbo-Visma co-leader with Vingegaard, dropped out before the final rest day due to injuries. He did win the Giro d’Italia in May, but said he would take a break from racing to celebrate.

Beyond the general classification, you can monitor the additional races within the Tour: for the green jersey (points classification, generally considered a sprint competition) and polka dot jersey (king of the mountains).

Tour de France GC odds, via BetMGM

• Jonas Vingegaard (DEN) — +110
• Tadej Pogačar (SLO) — +115
• Jai Hindley (AUS) — +1400
• Mattias Skjelmose (DEN) — +2500
• Enric Mas (ESP)/Richard Carapaz (ECU)/Ben O’Connor (AUS)/Adam Yates (GBR) — +3300
• Simon Yates (GBR)/David Gaudu (FRA) — +5000

(Photos: Getty Images; iStock / Design: Eamonn Dalton and Rachel Orr)

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Torrey is a staff editor on The Athletic’s news team. Before joining The Athletic, she worked as a digital editorial producer at NBC Olympics. Prior to that, she was a news editor at Front Office Sports, worked as an editorial production assistant for Pac-12 Networks and wrote for outlets including Yahoo Sports and Sports Illustrated.

2026 Tour de France all-but-confirmed to start in Barcelona

T he Tour de France is set to welcome its fourth Grand Départ in five years in 2026 with Barcelona all-but-confirmed to host the start of the race in two years.

Following Grand Départs in the Danish capital of Copenhagen and the Basque city of Bilbao in 2023, the 2024 race will kick off in Tuscany this summer, and the race will head to Catalunya in 2026, according to a report by local newspaper El Periódico .

A deal has been reached to start the race in Barcelona after over a year of negotiations between the city's council and Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme, El Periódico reports, with the official announcement set to be made next month.

The deal means that Barcelona will host the start of a Grand Tour for the third time, following Gran Partidas at the Vuelta a España in 1962 and 2023. No Spanish city has yet hosted a Grande Partenza of the Giro d'Italia , while both San Sebastián and Bilbao have hosted Tour de France starts in the past.

Last year, Barcelona hosted an opening team time trial at the Vuelta, followed by a GC-neutralised hilly stage 2 won by Andreas Kron. The city also hosts the hilly closing stage of the Volta a Catalunya, while back in 2009 it hosted a Tour de France stage finish and start.

News of the agreement means that Grand Départs of the next three Tours de France are now set, with Lille hosting the start of the race in 2025 . The race will begin with two sprint stages and a punchy uphill finish, with stages 2 and 3 both bringing the potential for crosswinds by the North Sea.

With the 2026 Barcelona Grand Départ yet to be officially confirmed, nothing is yet known about how the race's opening days will pan out in terms of route planning.

However, with the race likely having to pass the mountain passes of the Pyrenees to return to France, an early mountain stage could be on the cards, a la stage 4 of this year's race, which crosses the Alpine border from Italy, passing the high-mountain climbs at Sestriere, the Col de Montgenevre, and the Col du Galibier before a descent into Valloire.

Unlike the Tour, the starts of future editions of the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España have yet to be announced. The Spanish race will this year kick off with three stages in neighbouring Portugal, while a start in Monaco has been rumoured for the 2025 edition.

Tour de France 2021 Route stage 11: Sorgues - Malaucène

The riders clip into their pedals in Sorgues. The first 30 kilometres are flat before the Côte de Fontaine-de-Vaucluse (1.9 kilometres at 6%) and Côte de Gordes (2.5 kilometres at 5.1%) offer a gentle way to warm-up the legs.

The real uphill action begins at the foot of the Col de la Liguière, which is a 9.3 kilometres climb at 6.7%. The route then descends slightly for 12.5 kilometres to enter Sault. Perched on a rocky outcrop and amidst fields of lavender, the fortified village is the start of the sweetest route up the Beast of the Provence: 22 kilometres at 5.1%.

The riders fly down the Ventoux to move through Malaucène for the first time. Another 12.5 kilometres on rolling roads later the riders reach Bédoin, which is where the Ventoux begins for real. On this side the ascent is 15.7 kilometres long and the average gradient sits at 8.8%.

The first section through the woods is extremely tough – 3 kilometres at 10% – before it ‘levels out’ to 7.5% in the following 7 kilometres. After Chalet Reynard the scenery changes to a lunar landscape without any vegetation, as if climbing the moon. This section is roughly 6 kilometres long and rises at almost 8%. The last 2 kilometres go up at 9.5%.

The last Tour de France stage winner on Mont Ventoux was Thomas De Gendt. In 2016, the stage was shortened and finished at Chalet Reynard, since wind gusts reached 130 kilometres per hour on the bald section of the Bald Mountain. Meanwhile, Chris Froome crashed on the lower slopes, which inspired him to an unforgetable version of ‘Run to the hills’.

The last race winner on Mont Ventoux was Miguel Ángel López. On the 8th of June, the Colombian climbed to a commanding victory in the Mont Ventoux Dénivelé Challenge .

The first three riders on the line gain time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds. Furthermore, 8, 5 and 2 seconds are available after the second ascent of the Ventoux.

Another interesting read: results 11th stage 2021 Tour de France.

Tour de France 2021 stage 11: routes, profiles, more

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Martinsicuro - Fano

Giro d'Italia 2024

A flat stage for the first 50 km and then studded with walls and hairpin bends to the finish. After a rather simple initial part along the Adriatic coast, the stage moves away from the sea to face repeated short, steep climbs that come in the final two thirds of the route.

Riccione - Cento

Completely flat stage through the plains of Emilia-Romagna.

Castiglione delle Stiviere - Desenzano del Garda TUDOR ITT

The second time trial test is predominantly flat with several undulations within it and an elevation gain of roughly 250 metres. The riders cross a few villages and a series of minor ups and downs. The road is almost constantly slightly downhill heading towards the shore of Lake Garda.

Manerba del Garda - Livigno (Mottolino)

Stage 15, arguably the hardest of the entire Giro, sees the start of a tough week of mountains. The route from Manerba del Garda to Livigno amounts to 220 kilometres and takes in an elevation gain of 5,700 metres.

Livigno - Santa Cristina Val Gardena/St. Christina in Gröden (Monte Pana)

A high mountain fraction broken up by the Adige and Isarco valleys, basically a 3-part stage: mountain, with Foscagno Stelvio (this year’s Cima Coppi, the highest point of the race); plain, from Prato allo Stevio until shortly after Bolzano; mountain, with the ascent of Passo Pinei and the finish in Val Gardena.

Selva di Val Gardena/Wolkenstein in Gröden - Passo del Brocon

Intense climbing stage with brutal amount of elevation gain despite its short distance. The route climbs from the start on the Passo Sella, followed by a flat section in the Fassa and Fiemme Valleys all the way to Predazzo.

Fiera di Primiero - Padova

This stage features a single, rather modest climb in the opening half of the route (the KOM of Lamon) followed by about 150 km of slightly downhill false flat.

Mortegliano - Sappada

The stage begins by riding up the Tagliamento Valley, heading north and crossing the towns of San Daniele del Friuli, Forgaria nel Friuli and Peonis. After Tolmezzo, the succession of climbs leading to the finish line begins: Passo Duron, Sella Valcalda and Cima Sappada.

Alpago - Bassano del Grappa

Relatively flat opening at Lake Santa Croce, heading downhill to Vittorio Veneto and the Muro di Ca' del Poggio, which leads into the Prosecco area. After crossing the Piave River, the route reaches the slopes of the brutal Monte Grappa, which will be tackled twice.

Roma - Roma

The final stage is divided into two parts: the first is the peloton’s outing to Lido di Castel Fusano on the Tyrrhenian Sea. It's 16 kilometres one way and another 16 kilometres back before the stage enters its second and final part, the finishing circuit (8 laps) of 9.5 kilometres, which very much resembles last year’s lap through the eternal city.

Venaria Reale - Torino

Stage 1 kicks off in the suburbs of Turin and finishes in the centre. After a flat initial phase of around 45 km, the riders will tackle three climbs.

San Francesco al Campo - Santuario di Oropa (Biella)

Challenging stage featuring the first summit finish. After a flat run-up across Canavese and Vercellese areas the pink caravan will reach Valdengo, where a succession of minor climbs begins.

Novara - Fossano

Predominantly flat stage with some minor ups and downs in the central part.

Acqui Terme - Andora

A fairly flat stage, the only obstacles are the Col di Melogno climb (8 km at around 5%) midway through the stage and the final Capo Mele, which is tackled from the same side as during the Milano-Sanremo.

Genova - Lucca

The riders leave the city of Genova and travel along the coast on the Aurelia state road in the first 50 km. The stage has just two climbs on the menu.

Torre del Lago Puccini (Viareggio) - Rapolano Terme

A demanding stage characterised by a hilly second part and three gravel sectors totalling almost 12 km. The first two are shared with the Strade Bianche, the third is a new one.

Foligno - Perugia TUDOR ITT

Individual time trial clearly divided into two parts. The first 32 km, flat and largely non-technical, lead to the foot of Umbria’s capital city of Perugia. The riders then tackle the ascent of Casaglia, with gradients up to 16%.

Spoleto - Prati di Tivo

Short stage with no flat ground to play with and plenty of elevation gain.

Avezzano - Napoli

Stage clearly divided into two parts. The first 180 km are the run-up to a demanding finale with short and punchy climbs.

Pompei - Cusano Mutri (Bocca della Selva)

The stage begins calmly with the first part of the race as good as flat.

Foiano di Val Fortore - Francavilla al Mare

Stage clearly divided into two parts. The first crosses the Apennines to Termoli and the second, entirely flat, is played out along the ss.16 state road and the shores of the Adriatic Sea.

Jersey Wearers

POGACAR Tadej

MILAN Jonathan

TIBERI Antonio

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Tour de France 2021: 5 key stages

An in-depth look at the critical junctures of the yellow jersey battle

The 2021 Tour de France has a classic look to it, its first week featuring several stages for the sprinters as well as an individual time trial, the final week packed with challenging mountain tests in the Pyrenees that will sort out the contenders for the yellow jersey, which will be decided in a second time trial on the penultimate day. 

With the start of the race in Brest now under a week away, we analyse the five most critical stages in the GC battle.

Stage 9: Cluses – Tignes, 145km

Unlike this year's race, which sought out the high mountains right from the start, the 2021 edition has a much more traditional parcours . During the opening week, there are stages that will favour the puncheurs , four that will suit the sprinters, and the first of two mid-length time trials.

Speaking during the presentation of the route on French TV’s Stade 2 , Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme evoked the possibility of the elements, and particularly the wind, being a complicating factor, especially on the four stages that comprise the Breton Grand Départ. However, as the opening week of the 2018 race showed, if the wind doesn’t blow, these stages could be quite dull with regard to the GC battle.

This should change, though, when the race reaches the Alps, where there are two punchy stages on the menu. The second of them, on the eve of the first rest day, looks particularly testing, with five climbs crammed into 145km, the final one to the first of the Tour’s three summit finishes.

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The first climbing test is the Côte de Domancy, the foundation of Bernard Hinault's legendary World Championship success in 1980. The next is the Col des Saisies, which is followed by a long drop to Beaufort, and consecutive ascents, first to the Col du Pré and, soon after, to the beautiful Cormet de Roselend. After another long descent, to Bourg-Saint-Maurice, the riders will start the 21-kilometre ascent to Tignes, which missed out on its stage finish in 2019 due to landslides during a violent mountain storm.

The critical section of this long ascent arrives at the village of Les Brevières, where the road rears up steeply to climb the rockface next to the Chevril dam for two kilometres. Reaching the top of the dam, the road rises much more steadily for another 7km to the line, but altitude could tug at the resources of some of the GC contenders, the finish standing at 2,113 metres.

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Stage 11: Sorgues – Malaucène, 199km

Mont Ventoux returns to the Tour route for the first time since 2016, when a fearsome Mistral wind barrelling across 'the bald mountain' forced the shortening of the stage and, ultimately, saw race leader Chris Froome running towards the finish after his bike had been damaged in a collision with a motorbike.

Prudhomme and Tour route director Thierry Gouvenou have decided against a summit finish, this decision partly down to a realisation that these high-altitude finales can often neutralise the racing between the GC contenders until the final few kilometres. But the pair also wanted to serve up a Ventoux stage with a difference, and they’ve achieved that objective by proposing the first-ever double ascent of this iconic and infamous peak.

Beginning in Sorgues, just to the north of Avignon, the stage tracks eastwards to Apt, turning northwards there to Saint-Saturnin-lès-Apt and the 9.3km ascent of the Col de la Liguière. Beyond it is the small town of Sault, the start of the longest but by far the easiest of the three roads accessing the top of the Ventoux. Winding through forest, the gradient barely touches 6 per cent over the 18km to Chalet Reynard, where the road meets the much steeper one coming up from Bédoin.

The gradient is much more severe over the final 6km to the summit, from which the riders will drop down the western flank of the mountain. Passing the little ski resort of Mont Serein, where Cadel Evans won a rare stage to climb from the west during the 2008 edition of Paris-Nice, this descent is extremely fast. 1966 Tour winner Lucien Aimar has said the police motorbike following him down this road in the 1967 clocked 140km/h on one section.

After passing through the finish in Malaucène for the first time, the route bumps around the base of the Ventoux to reach Bédoin for the classic ascent, which averages close to 9 per cent for 15.7km. Reaching the summit, the riders will, for the first time since 1994, continue down the rapid descent into Malaucène once again to finish.

Stage 15: Céret – Andorra la Vella, 192km

As the Tour moves westwards across southern France from the Alps to the Pyrenees, the wind could very well come into play on the stage between Nîmes and Carcassonne. Two days on from that intriguing test, the battle to decide the yellow jersey in the Pyrenees will intensify as the race heads for the mountain principality of Andorra, its only departure from France during the 2021 edition.

The first three-quarters of the stage takes place in Pyrénées-Orientales, initially bumping through oak-clad hills from the Tech valley to the Têt and then climbing steadily through the Catalan Pyrenees Regional Park to the Montée de Mont-Louis, beyond which the road continues to rise to Font-Romeu, the site of France’s elite high-altitude training centre. From there, the route descends right to the Spanish border, then turns north-west towards the Col de Puymorens.

This pass is the stepping stone to the 'roof' of the Tour, the riders dropping briefly away from it and then climbing again into Andorra and up to the Port d’Envalira, which tops out at 2,408m. A long, sometimes fast, but mostly straightforward descent will take the race into the heart of the little mountain territory, for the final test, the Collada de Beixalis.

Many of the riders in the bunch will know this climb well from training rides around their homes in Andorra, and many others will have tackled it in the Vuelta a España, most recently in 2018, when it featured twice on the penultimate stage, when Simon Yates sealed overall victory. At 6.4km, it’s not very long. It is, though, very irregular, with some very steep ramps that will provide the best climbers with a launch-pad for attacks.

The descent is technical initially as the road zigzags down to Anyós, then straighter and very fast on the final drop into the finish in the country’s capital, Andorra la Vella, where the group of GC favourites is likely to have been slimmed down to include just those with a realistic chance of victory in Paris. 

Stage 17: Muret – Saint-Lary-Soulan Col du Portet, 178km

Bastille Day brings the return of the Col du Portet, first tackled in 2018 at the end of a 65km stage that began with the riders on an F1-style grid, Nairo Quintana the eventual victor as Geraint Thomas tightened his grip on the yellow jersey.

The day gets under way in Muret, just to the south of Toulouse, the riders staying in the valleys for more than 100km until Bagnères-de-Luchon, the start town for that short 2018 stage. The recreation of that day begins with the ascent of the Col de Peyresourde, where Tadej Pogačar recouped some of the ground that he had lost to his GC rivals in the cross-winds the day before in this year’s race. As on that stage, which was won by AG2R La Mondiale's Nans Peters, the riders will drop rapidly from the Peyresourde into the lakeside town of Loudenvielle and, not far beyond, the opening ramps of the Col d’Azet.

Although little more than half the length of the Peyresourde, the Azet is a good deal steeper, averaging 8.3 per cent as it rises through thick woodland initially to reach open pasture higher up, close to the small Val Louron ski station. Another fast and sometimes technical descent follows to reach Saint-Lary-Soulan. 

The riders will barely have time to catch breath before they’re climbing again, this time on the final test, by some distance the toughest of the day’s trio of mountains. Averaging 8.7 per cent for 16km, the climb to the Portet comes in two halves, both almost incessantly unrelenting in their difficulty. The first of them ascends to Espiaube, the gradient averaging more than 9 per cent and significantly above that on the long, straight rise from the valley floor to the first hairpin, where a plaque marks the point where Raymond Poulidor attacked and dropped Eddy Merckx on his way to victory at Pla d’Adet in the 1974 Tour.

At Espiaube, rather than kicking left to that ski resort, the riders will veer right towards the Portet, reaching its opening pitches very soon after. Weaving frenetically, the gradient changes constantly, sometimes dropping briefly to 5 per cent, the slope then jagging up to three times that figure the next moment. It’s almost impossible to maintain a rhythm, making it ideal terrain for pure climbers like Quintana and Dan Martin, the runner-up to the Colombian in 2018. As it turns to run more directly towards the summit, the road climbs to and then well above 2,000 metres, the gaps likely to be substantial between the favourites at this the second of the three high-altitude finishes.

Stage 18: Pau – Luz Ardiden, 130km

The day after the second summit finish on the Col du Portet comes the third, the Tour returning to Luz-Ardiden for the first time since 2011, when Samuel Sánchez won a stage that is best remembered for Thomas Voeckler's courageous defence of the yellow jersey. Like the Portet stage, this one commences with a long run through the valleys from the start in Pau to reach Sainte-Marie-de-Campan, at the foot of the eastern flank of the Col du Tourmalet.

Averaging 7.3 per cent for 17.1km, this is arguably – although it’s very hotly debated – the easier side of the Tour’s favourite pass, the gradient negligible for the first handful of kilometres. However, above Artigues, with 10km remaining to the top, the climb bares its teeth, the road steepening on the approach to La Mongie, then even more as it clambers through the ski resort to reach the final few kilometres up to the famous summit.

The descent is fast on a well-surfaced and, for the most part, wide road that will send the riders hurtling down through Barèges to Luz-Saint-Sauveur in the valley bottom. A short, sharp ramp will lead them to the spectacular span of the Pont Napoléon and, moments later, the start of the final climb.

A little like the Tourmalet, the ascent to Luz-Ardiden begins comparatively tamely. Yet, after a couple of kilometres it begins to ascend more steeply, particularly as it passes through the picture-postcard village of Grust, where an extended stretch of hairpins begins. In a similar way to Alpe d’Huez, these are very flat on the apex of the corners and the ramps between them are steep, which can break the rhythm of grimpeurs-rouleurs such as Geraint Thomas and Tom Dumoulin and, as a result, give the pure climbers a useful edge.

Emerging above the tree line, the huge banks between the switchbacks make for a spectacular natural arena, with fans able to see a considerable distance down the climb, which tops out next to the ski station at 1,720m. Taking into account the accumulated fatigue and the amount and difficulty of the climbing in the second half of this stage, the gaps between the favourites should be significant.

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Peter Cossins has written about professional cycling since 1993 and is a contributing editor to Procycling . He is the author of The Monuments: The Grit and the Glory of Cycling's Greatest One-Day Races (Bloomsbury, March 2014) and has translated Christophe Bassons' autobiography, A Clean Break (Bloomsbury, July 2014). 

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