Tour de France 2021 Race Schedule: What to Expect & Who to Watch?

The heavily anticipated start to the 2021 Tour de France is quickly approaching. While this year's Grande Boucle was initially set to begin in Copenhagen Denmark on the 2nd of July, the Grand Départ of the 108th edition will now take place in Brest, Brittany, on the 26th of June, scheduled to finish on Sunday, July 18th in Paris.

As the go-to destination for creatives and cyclists alike, acknowledging the history of the sport is imperative to understanding and appreciating its legacy. While it is difficult to pick a favorite race, we wanted to highlight some unique Thread + Spoke inspiration and history behind this year’s Tour de France Collection and race.  

Tour De France History 

Many of the now prolific cycling races we come to watch year in and out, including the Tour de France, were first designed as promotional events to increase corporate publication sales. First, run in 1903, the Tour de France began with L’Auto, a French nationwide daily newspaper devoted to sport. Before 1903, nothing like a six-day cycling race with colossal stages had been organized, although long-distance races were a popular means to sell more newspapers at the time. After working through some initial kinks and adjustments of rules, locations, stages, and winning incentives, the Tour de France became a race much larger than life for fans and riders alike. The Tour laid the ground for some of the most exciting and monumental moments in cycling sports history.

While the race has undergone countless modifications, the contagious energy and iconic spirit live on today. Some of the most notable stages in cycling come from the Tour de France. Of the 21 total stages, climbs at Alpe d'Huez, Mont Ventoux, Col du Tourmalet, Col du Galibier, and Val-d'Isère often make for some of the most exciting riding of the year. High altitudes, unpredictable weather, and road conditions make for quite the spectacle. Not to mention a triumphant final finish as leaders of the peloton ride down the iconic Parisian Champs-Élysées to the finish line to end the race.

This year's tour should be another one for the history books as the stars intend to show up en masse. From Peter Sagan to Tadej Pogačar and Primož Roglič to Richie Porte and Miguel Ángel López, the battle for the yellow jersey will undoubtedly be a difficult one. 

The 2021 Tour de France Route 

The 2021 Tour de France will start with four single-day stages in Brittany followed by two-time trials down the center of the country as riders reach the Alps for the first set of mountain stages at the end of the first week of racing.

The route will then move towards the Pyrenees through the south of France, stopping at the illustrious Mont Ventoux, where riders will approach two different sides of the mountain before a downhill descent. Riders will first tackle the climb from Sault, a 22km long distance at 5.1 percent average gradient, before the classically arduous route up from Bedoin, a distance of 15.7km at 8.8 percent gradient, eventually descending into the finish at Malaucène.

 Next, the race will transition into a few strenuous stages at the Pyrenees, moving over the French border into Andorra, where the riders earn a second rest day. Riders will encounter a mixed bag of old and new climbs, like the traditional Col du Tourmalet and newer Col de Portet, introduced during the 2018 edition of the race. The race will end July 18th with a legendary sprint finish in Paris as riders advance down the coveted Champs-Élysées

Classifications

 

 

 

Where and how to watch? 

For US viewers, the Tour de France will be live on NBC and NBCSN. Streaming of the 108th edition of the Tour de France is available via Peacock, NBC Universal’s streaming service. You can also stream the Tour on NBCSN with commentary by Phil Liggett and Bob Roll, along with analysis from former professional cyclists Jens Voigt and Christian Van Velde. 

For continual TDF updates, biking tips and tricks, or to shop the Tour Collection, visit Thread + Spoke today. Don't miss out on this Tour season. Don't hide your excitement, wear it. 

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