2021 Tour de France: Schedule, routes and terrain

The 2021 Tour de France will be the 108th edition and 102nd year of the much-coveted Yellow Jersey, which will be presented to the overall winner. Originally, the Grand Depart of the 2021 Tour de France was to kick off from Denmark’s capital of Copenhagen, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and with EURO 2020 being hosted at the Danish capital, it was moved to Brest in Brittany. The dates also had to be rescheduled to make sure that it ended before the 2020 Summer Olympic Games starts in Tokyo.

The Tour de France started in 1903 to increase the sales of the newspaper, L’Auto. Tour de France is one of the three Grand Tours and has been held annually since 1903 except during the two World Wars. There are 20 to 22 teams with eight riders representing each team. Maurice Garin of France was the first winner, while Tadej Pogačar of Slovenia won the 2020 Tour de France.

With the prospect of cycling over 100 kilometers daily (excluding the rest days, the two stages of 21 and 37 kilometers and time trials), Tour de France is one of the most challenging and brutal sporting events in the world.It is not just the distance that challenges the riders. The climbs in hilly terrain (with double ascent) and unpredictable weather (severe heat) will be a big challenge for most cyclists. It is almost inhumane to imagine what these riders have to go through with severe weight losses.

Nevertheless, it is one of the most sought-after races in the world which attracts millions of spectators roadside and over billions of viewers watching live on their television sets from over 150 countries across the globe. The COVID-19 pandemic did not decrease viewership, it only increased further and can be expected to go up higher this year. So get ready for some teetering finishes with another packed and tough Tour de France.

2021 Tour de France race route, stages, dates, distances and terrain

The Grand Depart 2021 Tour de France starts in Brest, Brittany on June 26. The first stage will finish at Landerneau and will cover 187 kilometers (including the double ascent of Mount Ventoux and the hilly regions of Pyrenees). The 21 stages will cover seven flat stages, five hilly stages, six mountain stages, and two individual time trials. The Tour de France race is divided into 21 stages, covering 3,417.5 km and the final stage starting on July 18th from Chatou in north-Central France and finishing off at Paris, in front of enthusiastic spectators near the Champs-Elysées.

Stage 1: June 26 - Brest – Landerneau - 187 km - Hills

Stage 2: June 27 - Perros-Guirec – Mûr-de-Bretagne - 182 km - Hills

Stage 3: June 28 - Lorient – Pontivy - 182 km - Flat

Stage 4: June 29 - Redon – Fougères -152 km - Flat

Stage 5: June 30 - Changé – Laval - 27 km - Individual Time Trials

Stage 6: July 1 - Tours – Châteauroux - 144 km - Flat

Stage 7: July 2 - Vierzon – Le Creusot - 248 km - Hills

Stage 8: July 3 - Oyonnax – Le Grand Bornand - 151 km - Mountains

Stage 9: July 4 - Cluses – Tignes - 145 kms - Mountains

July 5 - REST DAY

Stage 10: July 6 - Albertville – Valence - 186 kms - Flat

Stage 11: July 7 - Sorgues – Malaucène - 199 kms - Mountain

Stage 12: July 8 - Saint-Paul-Trois-Chateaux – Nîmes - 161 kms - Flat

Stage 13: July 9 - Nîmes – Carcassonne - 220 kms - Flat

Stage 14: July 10 - Carcassonne – Quillan - 184 kms - Hills

Stage 15: July 11 - Céret – Andorra la Vella - 192 kms - Mountains

JULY 12 - REST DAY

Stage 16: July 13 - Pas de Case – Saint-Gaudins - 169 kms - Hills

Stage 17: July 14 - Muret – Col du Portet - 178 kms - Mountains

Stage 18: July 15 - Pau – Luz-Ardiden - 130 kms - Mountains

Stage 19: July 16 - Mourenx – Libourne - 203 kms - Flat

Stage 20:July 17 - Libourne – Saint-Émilion - 31 kms - Individual Time Trials

Stage 21: July 18 - Chatou – Paris - 112 kms - Flat

Difficult Stages

STAGE 1 – DOUBLE ASCENT OF MOUNT VENTOUX

The first stage of the Tour de France is always the most important one. You want to get into the zone and loosen up a bit, but be safe and mindful of the terrain in front of you and the long race ahead. Leading teams would want their General Classification leaders to stay free from danger, especially on the hilly and small roads of Brittany. The aim would be to stay clear of the twists and turns and have a grand winning start.

Brittany will offer a tricky start for the cyclists

Historically, the Tour de France starts on a time trial or a flat stage but this time the organizers have opted for a hill stage. As such, one might see a puncheur take away the yellow jersey at the end of the first stage.

STAGE 5 – CHANGÉ TO LAVAL ESPACE MAYENNE

An ITT stage may not be that interesting a challenge for spectators but the 5th Stage of the 2021 Tour de France could see some of the riders move ahead before they move into the more hilly and mountainous stages. The stage will support riders like Tadej Pogačar, Primož Roglič and Geraint Thomas.

STAGE 7 – VIERZON TO LE CREUSOT

The Stage 7 will be the longest stage with a distance of 248 kilometers in the hilly regions. The riders will have to cover some 3,000 meters of ascent, which will see a tough battle between GC leaders and teams.

STAGE 17 – MURET TO COL DU PORTET

The Col du Portet was introduced in 2018 for the first time as an experiment, and the 65-kilometre Stage 17 of the Tour de France will be extra-steep and the riders will have to fight mental and physical fatigue and climb an extra-long terrain of Pyrénées.