After a long wait, the 2021 Tour de France is here and will be held between 26 June and 18 July. The first stage of the 2021 Tour de France kicks off at Brest in Brittany, France. There are 21 stages and the 2021 Tour de France is likely to see 20 to 22 teams competing with eight riders in each team. The cycling event has been scheduled earlier than usual because the organizers wanted to finish before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which has been rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
READ: 2021 Tour de France: Schedule, routes and terrain
The 2020 Tour de France champion, Tadej Pogcar from Slovenian of the UAE Team Emirates, will be back to defend his yellow jersey and his main rivals will be his countryman, Primoz Roglic of Jumbo-Visma and Team INEOS’s Geraint Thomas and Richard Carapaz.
NBC and NBCSN are the official networks in the USA for the 2021 Tour de France. Meanwhile, the Peacock app, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, will also provide coverage.
The Peacock app also provides an option for 2021 Tour de France fans and enthusiasts to watch it online as part of the premium subscription which costs US$4.99 per month.
Although Peacock usually provides live-only coverage, it is expected to have on-demand replays too for this edition. A seven-day free trial version is available and no-advertisement subscription costs around US$9.99 per month. Comcast Xfinity and Cox users are likely to have full access to Peacock Premium at no additional cost.
The 2021 Tour de France edition will also be available on FuboTV at a cost of US$65 per month and will give the user full access of NBC coverage of the cycling event. FuboTV, a cycling channel, also covers major races across the globe.
The 2020 Tour de France edition saw almost 400,000 viewers in U.S.A. follow the Grand event.
2021 Tour de France race route, stages, dates, distances and terrain
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