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• Tour de France

Tour de France coverage from Cycling Weekly, with up to date race results, rider profiles and news and reports.

The Tour de France 2024 begins on Saturday 29 June 2024 and marks the 111th edition of cycling's flagship race. In the first Grand Départ for Italy, the race starts in Florence and traces a path east across the country, before heading back west towards France and into the Alps. 

The race also tackles the Apennines, Massif Central and Pyrenees mountain ranges, and passes through Italy, San Marino, Monaco and France. This edition breaks from tradition, finishing not in Paris but in Nice, due to the 2024 Paris Olympics. 

The three-week event is the second in the trio of Grand Tours, coming after the Giro d'Italia and before the Vuelta a España .

Tour de France 2024: Overview

Tour de france 2024: the route.

One for the climbers, the 2024 Tour de France route incorporates four summit finishes, spans four mountain ranges, and features the hilliest opening stage in history. One of the most interesting and intriguing routes of recent years, sitting between the predominantly hilly week one and week three sits a flatter week two, and stage nine - with an abundance of white roads; 14 sectors in total. There's plenty for the sprinters as well as the general classification and climbing specialists, although there are going to be some tough mountains to get over to reach the sprint stages, and to finish the three weeks. For the first time in 35 years, a final day time trial means the yellow jersey won't be decided on the penultimate day. 

• Tour de France 2024 route: Two individual time trials, five summit finishes and gravel sectors
• Opinion: Is the 2024 Tour de France too hard?
• FAQs of the Tour de France: How lean? How much power? How do they pee mid-stage? All that and more explained

Tour de France 2024 route: Stage-by-stage

Tour de france 2024: the teams.

There will be 22 teams of eight riders at the 2024 Tour de France. This includes all 18 UCI WorldTour teams, as well as the two best-ranked UCI ProTeams, and two further squads invited by the organiser, ASO. 

Tour de France 2024: General classification riders

The general classification riders set to appear on the start line in Florence on June 29 are as of yet unconfirmed.

Reigning champion Jonas Vingegaard is extremely likely to be there to defend his title, and there should be no challenges from within the team since Primož Roglič's move to Bora-Hansgrohe. However, Roglič will be making his own bid for the win as the new team leader, with the route suiting him well. 

Following the route announcement in October, Tadej Pogačar said that the "end of the journey makes me smile", with the final 2 stages starting and finishing close to his home in Monaco. Pogačar is hoping to take back the top step in 2024 after two years of missing out on yellow to Vingegaard.

Remco Evenepol intends to make his Tour de France debut in 2024. Although he took a win in 2022 at the Vuelta, his performance in other Grand Tour races has been either inconsistent or blighted by illness. If he's to compete against the likes of Vingegaard and Pogačar, he'll have to up his game. It's not yet known who Ineos Grenadiers will hand the reins to, but, coming 5th overall and taking a stage win in his Tour debut in 2023 , Carlos Rogríguez seems a likely choice.

Tour de France 2024: Sprinters

It's going to be a tough year for the sprinters. Jasper Philipsen of Alpecin-Deceuninck was one of the star men of last year's Tour de France, taking four stage wins and the green sprinter's jersey at the end of the three weeks. If the Belgian returns in 2024 then he will definitely be looking to defend his jersey.

Mads Pederson of Trek-Segafredo has won stages in all three Grand Tours and is likely to gain victory again in some of the harder sprint stages in 2024.

All eyes will be on Mark Cavendish in the 111th Tour de France after he postponed retirement to target the Tour win record, currently shared with Eddy Merckx, and gain his 35th win. He said, however, that he was "in shock" and that this was the "toughest course" he had ever seen , when it was revealed in October. 

Tour de France 2024: On TV

As you'd expect the Tour de France will be avialable to watch in a lot of places this July.

The race is expected to be live-streamed on GCN +, Discovery+ and Eurosport , as well as ITV4, in the UK and in Europe. Subscription costs are £6.99/month or $8.99/month, and £39.99 or $49.99 for a year.

A Flobikes  annual subscription will cost you $209.99 if you want to watch in Canada, while in the USA  NBC Sports  via Peacock Premium ($4.99 per month) will show the race. Australians can can watch the Tour for free on SBS on Demand.

And, of course, if you want to watch your local stream from anywhere in the world you'll need a VPN from a trusted company like ExpressVPN .

Tour de France: The jerseys

Much like every year in recent memory, the Tour de France jerseys and classifications are yellow for the overall leader, green for the leader in the points standings, polka-dot for the mountain classification, and white for the best young rider.

Along with the jersey prizes, there is an award for the most combative rider of each stage, with the winner wearing a red number on the following day. This is awarded each day, with a 'Super Combativity' award decided by a jury at the end of the race for the most active rider throughout the entire event.

There is also a team classification where the time of the first three riders from each team is put together to create a single time. This is then done in a similar way as the individual general classification.

In addition, there are plenty of bonus seconds up for grabs at the race. There are ten, six and four bonus seconds available at the end of each stage for the first three riders, as well as bonus sprints that are dotted throughout the race on key climbs to try and make the racing more entertaining for spectators.

Of course, there's also prize money up for grabs. For winning the 2023 edition of the race, Jonas Vingegaard collected €535,220 (£463,100), a sum which is customarily shared out among the team's riders and staff.

Tour de France past winners in the last 12 years

• 2012: Bradley Wiggins (GBr) 
• 2013: Chris Froome (GBr) 
• 2014: Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) 
• 2015: Chris Froome (GBr) 
• 2016: Chris Froome (GBr) 
• 2017: Chris Froome (GBr) 
• 2018: Geraint Thomas (GBr) 
• 2019: Egan Bernal (Col) 
• 2020: Tadej Pogačar (Slo) 
• 2021: Tadej Pogačar (Slo)  
• 2022: Jonas Vingegaard (Den)
• 2023: Jonas Vingegaard (Den)

Tour de France FAQ

How does the tour de france work.

The Tour de France is one of a trio of races that are three weeks long, known as the Grand Tours, alongside the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España. The Tour is the best known and arguably the most prestigious.

It is the second of the three races in the calendar with the Giro taking place in May, the Tour usually in July, and the Vuelta in August and September.

The Tour, like all Grand Tours, takes on varying terrain with flat days for sprinters, hilly days for punchers and mountains for the climbers and GC riders, along with time trials, so that a winner of the race has to be able to perform on all types of road.

The main prize in the race, known as the general classification, is based on time with the overall leader wearing the yellow jersey. The race leader and eventual winner is the rider who has the lowest accumulated time over the 21 days of racing. Riders can win the Tour de France without winning a stage, as Chris Froome did in 2017. Time bonuses of 10, six, and four seconds are given to stage winners though, creating incentive for those general classification riders to chase individual victories and lower their overall time.

In 2020 it took race winner Tadej Pogačar 87 hours 20 minutes and 5 seconds to complete the race with the second-place rider overall 59 seconds slower. That continues all the way down to the last place rider, which was Roger Kluge (Lotto-Soudal) who finished 6 hours 7 minutes and 2 seconds behind.

The white best young rider's jersey is worked out in the same way but only riders under the age of 26 are eligible for the jersey.

The polka-dot mountains jersey and the green points jersey are based on a points system and not time. The only reason time would come into account would be if riders are tied on points, then it would go to who is the best placed in the general classification.

The team classification is based on the general classification times of the first three riders of a team on each stage. The time of those three riders is added up and put onto their team's time, creating a GC list much like in the individual classifications. The leading team gets to wear yellow numbers and helmets on each stage.

The final classification available is the combativity prize. This is decided by a race jury or, in more recent years, Twitter. This takes place just before the end of each stage and often goes to a rider from the breakaway who has put in a daring performance or attempted to liven up the stage by attacking. The winner of the combativity award gets to wear a special red race number on the following day's stage.

There is a final prize added to this with the Super Combativity prize being awarded on the podium in Paris. This is decided in a similar fashion to pick out the most aggressive, entertaining, and daring rider of the whole three weeks. Again, usually going to a rider who has featured regularly in the breakaway.

Stage winners do not wear anything special the day after apart from getting a small yellow jersey to stick on their number on their bike, this can be replaced if they win multiple stages.

Teams used to come to the race with nine riders but the UCI, cycling's governing body, decided that nine riders from each team was too dangerous and dropped it to eight, however more teams now take part.

How long is the Tour de France?

The Tour de France takes place over 23 days with 21 of them being race days. The riders get two days of resting; they usually fall on the second and third Monday of the race.

This year's race is 3,492km long, which is 2,170 miles, around the same distance from Washington DC to Las Vegas, or Helsinki to Lisbon. 

Road stages can range from anything around 100km to something approaching 250km, sometimes more. This year the shortest road stage is stage 20, from Nice to Col de la Couillole, with the longest being 229km on stage three in Italy, from Plaisance to Turin.

Road stages often take around four to five hours with the longer days sometimes nudging over seven hours.

Time trials are always much shorter. Team time trials have long since gone out of fashion in the world of road racing so individual time trials are the main focus these days. 

In 2024, the Tour has two individual time trials for the riders to tackle, the first on stage seven at 25km long from Nuits-Saint-Georges to Gevrey-Chambertin, and the second on the final stage from Monaco to Nice, at 34km long.

When does the Tour de France start?

The 2024 Tour de France starts on June 29 in Florence, Italy, with a road stage. There will be three full stages in Italy, before the fourth heads into France. The race finishes in Nice three weeks later.

The 2024 edition of the race runs from 29 June - 21 July, covering 21 stages. 

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Everything you need to know about cycling in France your independent guide

2024 Tour de France program and race guide

Published by Lyn on 23 April 2024

The official Tour de France race guide  ALWAYS SELLS OUT. It has all the info you need to follow the Tour de France, including stage times and maps. (Shortcut: Here for the standard edition . Here for premium ).

Note that I am not the publisher - I only share available information here.

The Official Tour de France race guide is published in the months leading up to the race.  ASO, the Tour de France organiser, licenses the publication of the guide in each country each year. This is why the availability and the quality varies across countries.

The UK edition of the TDF race guide

In my view, the UK edition is consistently the best English-language edition. If you live in the UK, US, Canada, Australia or anywhere else and you are following the Tour de France in person, then this is the edition you want to get your hands on. It is more comprehensive than the English editions released in the US and Australia.

You need to have the UK edition sent to a UK address. It cannot be delivered outside the UK due to ASO's licensing agreements.

There are two UK editions.

1) The Standard Edition  of the Official Tour de France 2024 Race Guide (UK/English). It costs £11.99.  You can buy it here direct from the publisher . It is available for pre-order now (I am told orders will be dispatched after the official release date on May 17).

2) The Premium Edition of the Official Tour de France 2024 Race Guide (UK/English). It costs £17.99. You can buy it here direct from the publisher .  It is available for pre-order now (I am told orders will be dispatched after the official release date on May 17) .

(Image from a previous year)

Readers outside the UK

As mentioned above, some of the versions below (published by local publishers on contract) are not as comprehensive as the UK English-language version. The UK edition is consistently more comprehensive than other editions and carries more maps, more route info, full stage times and more general race information.  If you are outside the UK and it's possible to have a friend in the UK send you a copy, then that would be my recommendation if you are travelling to the TDF.

I will post links to other local editions here if and when they are announced. 

* The Australian and New Zealand edition - I will post links here if/when it goes on sale.   * For the US –   I will post links here if/when it goes on sale.  In 2023 there was no US edition. * The original French-language version is released in France and is sold at newsagents and tabacs (corner stores). It is not usually as comprehensive as the UK edition.  

The UK edition from the official publisher can only be sent to a UK address .  Some readers outside the UK set up temporary UK postboxes  through this website .  They have the guide shipped there and forwarded to their US (or other overseas) address, then they close the postbox.  

What's usually included in the UK English-language edition?

I cannot speak for the US and Australian versions – this info relates to the UK English edition.

We find the UK version of the guide invaluable when planning our trips to watch the Tour de France. It's got maps of every stage, plus full team and stage profiles, as well as stage start and end times (they are particularly useful to have in one place both when planning and on the day).

There is a 'premium' edition as well as a 'standard' edition  that includes stuff like:

Standard UK English-language edition 

You can buy the standard edition here.  It costs £11.99. It has:

• The  only official UK Tour de France race guide with individual Tour de France stage maps + stage start/end times.
• Full breakdown of each team + interviews with leading riders.
• Tour de France Femmes info.
• A2 double-sided Tour de France and Tour de Femmes wallchart
• Special "Italian Masters" magazine to celebrate the Grand Depart being in Italy this year.
• Exclusive beer mats with last year's GC, green jersey and spotty jersey winners .

Premium UK English-language edition

You can buy the premium edition here . It costs £17.99. It has:

• The only official UK Tour de France race guide with individual Tour de France stage maps + stage start/end times.
• Tour de France Femmes info
• Double-sided Tour de France and Tour de Femmes wallchart
• Exclusive beer mats showcasing legendary TDF climbs.
• Souvenir socks.

(Image from a previous year).

Why get it?

We wouldn't go to watch more than one Tour de France stage without it. All the basic info is eventually replicated on the official TDF website, but having it in hard copy is handy (and easier/cheaper) if you're using phone data to access the web, if you're in a dodgy wifi zone or if your phone battery dies (yes, that was me in 2021).     

We get dozens of emails every day asking for information about following the Tour de France – I always tell them to get a copy of the official race guide to make planning easier .

The guide has lots of info that can help you plan your trip. While it is published too early to include all road closure information ( see this page for that ), having all the stage information in one place is really handy. It basically replicates the official TDF website but in a much more easily digestible format and in more detail.

Each stage is profiled with a map that helps you put key cols and stage towns into perspective, and to see clearly where access roads may be. The pullout map then gives a full overview of how the stages interact.

Those UK links again ...

1) The Standard Edition of the Official Tour de France 2024 Race Guide (UK/English). It costs £11.99.  You can buy it here .

2) The Premium Edition of the Official Tour de France 2024 Race Guide (UK/English). It costs £17.99. You can buy it here .

This guide SELLS OUT EVERY YEAR, often weeks before the Tour. If you are thinking of watching the Tour de France in person , you should order a copy as soon as it's released .  

• Accommodation on the Tour de France route here
• Road closure info here
• Full 2024 Tour de France route here

On the blog

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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Tour de France 2021 - Stages, schedule, route map and key dates in the battle for yellow jersey

Updated 28/06/2021 at 11:44 GMT

A balanced route that leans slightly towards the general classification rider with a strong time trial, the 2021 Tour de France route is an intriguing prospect. There are as many as eight potential stages for the sprinters, as well as some epic climbing days – including a trip into the Alps in the first week, plus a double-ascent of Mont Ventoux to contend with.

Tadej Pogacar and Primoz Roglic celebrate at the end of stage 21 of the Tour de France 2020

Image credit: Getty Images

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09/12/2021 at 16:27

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• Pogacar and UAE Team Emirates in flying form for Le Tour off the back of Slovenia win

Tour de France 2021 - results and standings

Tour de france 2021 - the route.

• 26 June, Stage 1: Brest - Landerneau (197.8km, hilly)
• 27 June, Stage 2: Perros-Guirec - Mûr-de-Bretagne Guerlédan (183.5km, hilly)
• 28 June, Stage 3: Lorient - Pontivy (182.7km, flat)
• 29 June, Stage 4: Redon - Fougères (150.4km, flat)

30 June, Stage 5: Changé - Laval (27.2km, ITT)

• 1 July, Stage 6: Tours - Châteauroux (160.6km, flat)
• 2 July, Stage 7: Vierzon - Le Creusot (249.1km, hilly)
• 3 July, Stage 8: Oyonnax - Le Gran-Bornand (150.8km, mountains)

4 July, Stage 9: Cluses - Tignes (144.9km, mountains)

• 5 July, first rest day
• 6 July, Stage 10: Albertville - Valence (190.7km, flat)

7 July, Stage 11: Sorgues - Malaucène (198.9km, mountains)

8 july, stage 12: saint-paul-trois-châteaux - nîmes (159.4km, flat).

• 9 July, Stage 13: Nîmes - Carcassonne (219.9km, flat)
• 10 July, Stage 14: Carcassonne - Quillan (183.7km, hilly)

11 July, Stage 15: Céret - Andorra la Vella (191.3km, mountains)

• 12 July, second rest day
• 13 July, Stage 16: Pas de la Case - Saint-Gaudens (169km, mountains)

14 July, Stage 17: Muret - Saint-Lary-Soulan Col du Portet (174.8km)

• 15 July, Stage 18: Pau - Luz-Ardiden (129.7km, mountains)
• 16 July, Stage 19: Mourenx - Libourne (207km, flat)

17 July, Stage 20: Libourne – Saint-Émilion (30.8km, ITT)

• 18 July, Stage 21: Chatou - Paris Champs-Élysées (112km, flat)

Tour de France 2021 - route map

The Tour de France route for 2021

Image credit: Eurosport

Tour de France 2021 - KEY stages

Stage 5 profile: Changé – Laval (ITT)

Stage 9 profile: Cluses - Tignes

Stage 11 profile: Sorgues - Malaucène

Stage 12 profile: Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux - Nîmes

Stage 15 profile: Céret - Andorre-La-Vieille

Stage 17 profile: Muret - Col du Portet

Stage 20 profile: Libourne - Saint Emilion (ITT)

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14/10/2021 at 22:06

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Tour de France 2023 stage-by-stage guide: Route maps and profiles for all 21 days

A closer look at every day of the race from bilbao to paris, article bookmarked.

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The 2023 Tour de France has all the ingredients of a classic: two leading protagonists ready to tear lumps out of each other in reigning champion Jonas Vingegaard and the deposed Tadej Pogacar; entertaining multi-talented stage hunters Wout van Aert, Mathieu van der Poel, Julian Alaphilippe and Tom Pidcock; the great Mark Cavendish chasing a historic 35th stage win; all facing a brutal route with 56,000m of climbing and four summit finish.

The Tour began in the Spanish Basque country on Saturday 1 July, where Adam Yates edged twin brother Simon to win the opening stage, and these hilly routes will throw open the yellow jersey to a wide range of contenders. The race crosses the French border for some flat stages and an early jaunt into the high Pyrenees, where the Col du Tourmalet awaits. The peloton takes on the Puy de Dome volcano on its journey across France towards the Jura Mountains and the Alps, and it is in the mountains that this Tour will ultimately be decided. It all ends on the Champs-Elysees in Paris on Sunday 23 July.

Here is a stage-by-stage guide to how the race will unfold.

Stage 1: Bilbao to Bilbao, 182km

The 2023 Tour de France starts outside Bilbao’s iconic Guggenheim Museum, and winds north to the Bay of Biscay coastline before returning to the city where the stage winner will take the yellow jersey. This 182km opening stage is a hilly route with 3,000m of climbing featuring five categorised ascents, of which the final two are sharp and testing: they are tough enough to shake off the dedicated sprinters and open up early glory for the best puncheurs – those riders with the legs to get over short climbs and the power to surge away on the other side.

The profile of this stage is a great choice by organisers as it could suit just about anyone, from the speed of Wout van Aert to the climbing strength Tom Pidcock or Simon Yates – even two-time champion Tadej Pogacar.

• Jumbo’s Death Star and Pidcock’s dog: Inside the Tour de France’s Grand Depart

Stage 2: Vitoria Gastiez to Saint Sebastian, 209km

The peloton will head east from Bilbao, touching more picturesque Basque coastline before arriving at the finish in San Sebastian. At more than 200km this is the longest stage of the 2023 Tour and, with the sizeable Jaizkibel climb (8.1km, 5.3% average gradient) shortly before the finish, this is even more tough on the legs than the first day. Another puncheur with the climbing strength to get over the steeper hills can capitalise, like two-time world champion Julian Alaphilippe.

• ‘ Coup du kilometre’: How to win a Tour de France stage hiding in plain sight

Stage 3: Amorebieta to Bayonne, 187km

Stage three starts in Spain and ends in France, and the finale in Bayonne is ripe for a bunch sprint. Mark Cavendish will get his first shot of this race at trying to win a historic 35th Tour de France stage, but he will be up against a stacked field including former QuickStep teammate Fabio Jakobsen and the awesome speed of Wout van Aert. It will be fascinating to get a first glimpse of how the power riders stack up.

• ‘Jasper the Disaster’ rebuts Netflix nickname with controversial win

Stage 4: Dax to Nogaro, 182km

Another flat day and an even faster finish in store on the Circuit Paul Armagnac, a race track in Nogaro. The 800m home straight will almost certainly tee up a showdown between the Tour’s serious fast men.

• Cavendish falls short as Philipsen wins crash-laden sprint

Stage 5: Pau to Laruns, 163km

The first major mountains of the Tour come a little earlier than usual, as the peloton heads up into the high Pyrenees on day five. The Col de Soudet (15km, 7.2%) is one of the toughest climbs of the race and rears up halfway through this 163km route from Pau to Laruns. The category one Col de Marie Blanque (7.7km, 8.6%) guards the finish 20km out, and holds bonus seconds for those first over the top to incentivise the major contenders to come to the fore and fight it out.

• Hindley grabs the yellow jersey as Vingegaard punishes Pogacar

Stage 6: Tarbes to Cauterets, 145km

This has the potential to be a thrilling day: the 145km route takes on the double trouble of the category one Col d’Aspin (12km, 6.5%) followed by the monstrous hors categorie Tourmalet (17.1km, 7.3%), before a fast ascent and a final climb to the summit finish at Cauterets (16km, 5.4%).

It is a day with several possible outcomes. The general classification contenders could fight it out in a showdown to the summit. Then again, a breakaway could be allowed to escape which would open up victory – and perhaps the yellow jersey – to an outsider. The last time the Tour finished in Cauterets in 2015, breakaway specialist Rafal Majka surged clear of his fellow escapers to win. Keep an eye on Ineos’s Tom Pidcock, who could use the long, fast descent from the Tourmalet summit to speed to the front, as he did before winning atop Alpe d’Huez last year.

• Pogacar responds to send message to Vingegaard

Stage 7: Mont de Marsan to Bordeaux, 170km

The first week of racing finishes in the Tour’s second most visited city, Bordeaux, and it’s a third flat day for the sprinters to contest. Much will depend on who has best preserved their legs through the high mountains when they come to this tight, technical finish on the banks of the Garonne river in the city centre.

• Philipsen pips Cavendish in thrilling finish to deny Brit all-time record

Stage 8: Libourne to Limoges, 201km

A long, hilly day will see the peloton head 201km east from Libourne outside Bordeaux to Limoges. The lumpy stage should suit a puncheur but it is not a particularly taxing set of climbs – only three are categorised and the toughest of those is just 2.8km at 5.2%. So could a determined team carry their sprinter to the finish and the stage win? Look out for Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel, superstars with the all-round talent to conquer the climbs and still finish fast.

• Cavendish crashes out to end Tour de France record hopes

Stage 9: Saint-Leonard-de-Noblat to Puy de Dome, 184km

The final stage before the relief of the first rest day is relatively flat and gentle – until a brutal finish atop the iconic Puy de Dome volcano, a 13.3km drag at a gruelling 7.7% average gradient that last appeared in the Tour in 1988. The summit finish will require a serious climber’s legs to clinch the stage win, and the general classification contenders may well let a breakaway get ahead and fight for that prize.

• Woods takes win as Pogacar hits back at Vingegaard

Rest day: Clermont-Ferrand, Monday 10 July.

Stage 10: Parc Vulcania to Issoire, 167km

The race resumes in the centre of France from Vulcania – a volcano-themed amusement park – where riders will embark on a hilly 167km route through the Volcans d’Auvergne regional park, finishing down in the small town of Issiore. With five categorised climbs, including the sizeable Col de Guery (7.8km at 5%) and the Croix Saint-Robert (6km at 6.3%), it will be a draining ride with virtually no sustained flat sections, and a long descent to the finish town. It looks like a good day to plot something in the breakaway, as the big GC contenders save their legs for bigger challenges to come.

• Bilbao dedicates emotional stage win to late Gino Mader

Stage 11: Clermont Ferrand to Moulins, 180km

The final flat stage before the hard Alpine climbs will present an opportunity for those fast men who managed to haul themselves through the Pyrenees to get here – although there is still some climbing to be done including three category-four leg-sappers along the 180km route. The day begins in the university city of Clermont-Ferrand before the riders wind north and then east to Moulins, a small town on the Allier river. Any breakaway is likely to be reeled by those teams with dedicated sprinters eyeing their only opportunity for a stage win between the two rest days.

• Philipsen continues flat-stage dominance even without van der Poel

Stage 12: Roanne to Belleville-en-Beaujolais, 169km

The race caravan will shift east to start stage 12 in Roanne in the Loire region, before taking a 169km route to Belleville, situated on the Saone river north of Lyon. This has been categorised as a hilly or medium mountain stage, but it might feel harder than that by the time the peloton reaches the foot of the fifth categorised climb of the day, the Col de la Croix Rosier (5.3km at 7.6%). That should be enough to put off the best puncheurs like Van der Poel and Van Aert, because the stage winner will need strong climbing legs. The GC riders will want to conserve energy, so expect a breakaway to stay clear and fight amongst themselves.

• Izagirre solos to victory

Stage 13: Chatillon-Sur-Chalaronne to Grand Colombier, 138km

The first of three brutal stages that could decide the destiny of this year’s yellow jersey is only relatively short – 138km – but will provide a stern enough test to reveal any weaknesses in the major contenders. The peloton will enjoy a relatively flat and gentle first 75km from Chatillon-sur-Chalaronne before entering the Jura Mountains. A short climb and fast descent precedes the big climax: all 17.4km (7.1%) of the Grand Colombier providing an epic summit finish. This could be another day for a breakaway away to get free, but the overall contenders like Pogacar and Vingegaard will also fancy stage glory and the chance to stamp their authority on the race.

• Kwiatkowski wins as Pogacar eats into Vingegaard’s lead

Stage 14: Annemasse to Morzine, 152km

Part two of this triple header of mountain stages sees the peloton ride into the Alps with a 152km route from Annemasse to Morzine ski resort. Three tough category one climbs line the road to the hors categorie Col de Joux Plane (11.6km at 8.5%), a brutally steep grind where bonuses await the first few over the top – and stage victory is the prize at the bottom. This is another potential spot for yellow jersey fireworks.

• Rodriguez wins first Tour stage as Pogacar thwarted by motorbike

Stage 15: Les Gets to Saint Gervais, 180km

The last ride before the final rest day will take the peloton further east into the Alps, towards the French border with Italy. The 179km route is almost constantly up and down, with a fast descent before the final two climbs, and the summit finish atop Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc will require strong climbing legs once more.

• Pogacar and Vingegaard in stalemate as Poels wins stage

Rest day: Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc, Monday 17 July.

Stage 16: Individual time trial from Passy to Combloux, 22km

This year’s home stretch begins with the only time trial of the race: a short, relatively flat 22km from Passy to Combloux in the shadow of Mont Blanc. The route includes one categorised climb, the steep but short Cote de Domancy (2.5km at 9.4%). There is an opportunity here to make up crucial seconds for those that need them.

• Vingegaard takes control of yellow jersey

Stage 17: Saint Gervais to Courchevel, 166km

Put Wednesday 19 July in the diary: this will surely be the most brutal day of the entire Tour de France and it could be decisive. The 166km route features four big climbs, the last of which offers up this year’s Souvenir Henri Desgrange for the first rider over the highest point of the race. To get there the riders must endure a 28.1km slog averaging 6% gradient to the top of the Col de la Loze, towering in the clouds 2,304m above sea level. There are bonus seconds up here too, before a short descent down to the finish at Courchevel.

A breakaway will probably form, but can they last the distance? Whatever happens up the road, the fight for the yellow jersey will be fierce – only the strongest handful of riders will be able to stand the pace and this will likely be the day that the 2023 winner is effectively crowned.

• Vingegaard dominates to put seal on Tour de France

Stage 18: Moutiers to Bourg en Bresse, 186km

After a potentially explosive stage 17, stage 18 is classified as “hilly” but is really a relatively sedate 185km which the sprinters are likely to contest if their teams can haul in the inevitable breakaway. The big question is whether there will be many sprinters left in the peloton after such a demanding set of stages in the Alps. For those fast men still in the race, the descent into Bourg-en-Bresse precedes a technical finish, with roundabouts and a sharp corner before a swinging right-hand turn on to the home straight where the stage will be won and lost.

• Breakaway stays away as Asgreen takes win

Stage 19: Moirans-en-Montagne to Poligny, 173km

Another flat day gives a further opportunity for those sprinters left in the field, as the peloton travels 173km from Moirans, near Grenoble, north to Poligny. The general classification contenders will be happy to rest their legs before one final push to Paris.

• Matej Mohoric takes photo finish to win stage 19

Stage 20: Belfort to Le Markstein, 133km

The final competitive stage of the Tour is a 133km ride from Belfort to Le Markstein ski resort in the Vosges mountains, and it offers just enough for one final attack to steal the yellow jersey, should the overall win still be on the line. The last two climbs of the day are both steep category one ascents: first the Petit Ballon (9.3km, 8.1%) followed by the Col du Platzerwasel (7.1km at 8.4%). Whoever is wearing yellow just needs to hang on to the wheel of their fiercest rival here, and that should be enough to see them home.

• Chapeau, Thibaut Pinot

Stage 21: Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines to Paris Champs-Elysees, 115km

As is tradition, the peloton will transfer to Paris and ride a truce to the Champs-Elysees. The stage will start at France’s national velodrome, home of cycling for the 2024 Paris Olympics. It will finish with one final sprint: Cavendish has won four times in Paris and it would be a fitting way to end the race that has defined his career if he were to repeat the feat one last time. And once the race is done, the winner of the 2023 Tour de France will be crowned.

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How to watch the 2024 Tour de France route presentation

Find out all the details of the route for the men's race and the Tour de France Femmes live on October 25

• USA & Canada

The 2023 WorldTour racing season may be over but we're already looking ahead to 2024 and the biggest races of the year, the 2024 Tour de France and 2024 Tour de France Femmes .

The route presentation for both races will be held in Paris on Wednesday, October 25 and we have all the information on how to watch, including for free and via VPN streaming options .

Cyclingnews will have all the news and reactions from the presentations as the major stars of the men's and women's pelotons find out what courses they'll be tackling next summer.

The men's race is set to start with a Grand Départ in Tuscany and conclude in Nice, with gravel roads and mountain trips to Plateau de Beille and Isola 2000 to feature along the way. The women will be tackling eight days of racing starting in Rotterdam and concluding atop the famous L'Alpe d'Huez. Read all the route rumours in our comprehensive guide.

Will the likes of Tadej Pogačar , Kasia Niewiadoma, Jonas Vingegaard, Demi Vollering , Remco Evenepoel, Lotte Kopecky and more be pleased with the route? Read on for all the information on how to watch the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes route presentation.

The route presentation is due to get underway at 10:25 am GMT (11:25 CEST, 05:2 5am EST).

How to watch the Tour de France route presentation in the USA & Canada

Follow Cyclingnews on Twitter , Facebook and Instagram for alerts and news on important stories and action during the route presentation.

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The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!

FloBikes will air the route presentation in both the USA and Canada. A year-long subscription will set you back $150 in the USA and $209.99 in Canada, with monthly prices running at higher rates.

How to watch the Tour de France route presentation in the UK

The 2024 Tour de France route presentation will be broadcast in the United Kingdom and around Europe on Eurosport channels 1 and 2 (410, 411 on Sky) as well as streaming on Discovery+ , which carries Eurosport's live coverage. 

A subscription to Discovery+ costs £6.99/$9.15 per month, or £59.99/$78.51 for a 12-month pass.

Additionally, the route presentation will be aired in the United Kingdom, Europe, and in select other territories on  GCN+ , with a year’s subscription costing £39.99 and a monthly subscription costing £6.99.

How to watch the Tour de France route presentation around the world

Eurosport and GCN+ will serve numerous countries around Europe and the rest of the world. Consult GCN+'s live streaming schedule for information on your location.

In Australia, national broadcaster SBS will carry live coverage of the route presentation for free.

The Tour de France Twitter page will also stream the route presentation.

Best VPN for streaming the Tour de France route presentation

Geo-restrictions are the bane of cycling fans because they can prevent you from watching the Tour de France route presentation using your live streaming accounts if you are outside of your home country.

While you can always follow Cyclingnews for all the live coverage you can access your geo-blocked live streaming services by simulating being in your home country with a VPN - a 'virtual private network'.

Our experts have thoroughly tested VPNs for live streaming sports and recommend ExpressVPN . The service lets you to watch the race live on various devices – Smart TVs, Fire TV Stick, PC, Mac, iPhone, Android phone, iPads, tablets, etc.

Try ExpressVPN risk-free for 30 days ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money back guarantee with its VPN service. You can use it to watch on your mobile, tablet, laptop, TV, games console and more. There's 24/7 customer support and three months free when you sign-up.

Try the 12-month plan for the best value price.

There are a couple other very good options that are safe, reliable and offer good bandwidth for streaming sports. Check out the best two options below - NordVPN and the best budget option, Surfshark .

NordVPN - get the world's favorite VPN We've put all the major VPNs through their paces and we rate NordVPN as the best for streaming Netflix as our top pick, thanks to its speed, ease of use and strong security features. It's also compatible with just about any streaming device out there, including Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Xbox and PlayStation, as well as Android and Apple mobiles.

3. Surfshark: the best cheap VPN Currently topping our charts as the fastest VPN around, Surfshark keeps giving us reasons to recommend it. It's a high-value, low-cost option that's easy to use, full of features, and excellent at unblocking restricted content. 

With servers in over 100 countries, you can stream your favorite shows from almost anywhere. Best of all, Surfshark costs as little as $2.30 per month , and it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee to try it out.

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Dani Ostanek is Senior News Writer at Cyclingnews, having joined in 2017 as a freelance contributor and later being hired full-time. Prior to joining the team, they had written for numerous major publications in the cycling world, including CyclingWeekly and Rouleur.

Dani has reported from the world's top races, including the Tour de France, World Championships, and the spring Classics. They have interviewed many of the sport's biggest stars, including Mathieu van der Poel, Remco Evenepoel, Demi Vollering, and Anna van der Breggen.

As well as original reporting, news and feature writing, and production work, Dani also oversees How to Watch guides and works on The Leadout newsletter throughout the season. Their favourite races are Strade Bianche and Paris-Roubaix and their favourite published article is from the 2024 edition of the latter: 'Unless I'm in an ambulance, I'm finishing this race' – Cyrus Monk, the last man home at Paris-Roubaix

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Tour De France 2023: The Routes and the Results

All you need to know about the Tour de France 2023 covering the routes, schedules and the results of the 3-week race

How Long Is the Tour De France?

Tour de france 2023 overview, tour de france 2023 route, tour de france 2023 schedule, how can i watch tour de france 2023 in the uk, tour de france 2023: week one summary, tour de france 2023: week two summary, when does the tour de france start.

Tour de France 2023 got under way in Bilbao, Spain on Saturday, 1 July. The 110th edition three-week race is set to finish in Paris on Sunday, 23 July.

The Tour de France 2023 cyclists are to cover 3,404kms (2,115-miles) while travelling through the Pyrenees and the Alps, including eight mountains .

According to Strava , during the training process in anticipation for the gruelling race, the pro cyclists have clocked up the following metrics:

• Distance: On average the cyclists will cover a total distance of 15,000km – the equivalent of cycling from the UK to Australia. The data also shows that the athletes ’ longest cycle in a week typically tends to cover a distance of 180km. The average longest ride logged by athletes came in at 266km, which is the equivalent of cycling from London to Normandy.
• Time : The data reveals that on average, pro cyclists recorded over 450 hours of training in 2023.
• Elevation : On average, a typical Tour de France pro amassed a total elevation gain of 188,720m, which is equivalent to climbing Mount Everest over 21 times.
• Calories: The Tour de France 2023 athletes training for the race burned over 400,000 calories over the course of January to June in 2023. This is comparable to eating over 1000 croissants or 4000 macarons.

With all those clocked up miles and macarons burned , it's no doubt that the 110th edition of the Tour de France will be heated. MH take a look at the route, the schedule, how you can watch the Tour de France 2023 and the results:

Date: 1 July 2023 to 23 July 2023

Start location: Bilbao, Spain

Finish location: Paris, France

Total distance: 3,404kms (2,115-miles)

Elevation gain: 56,467 metres

You can follow the Tour de France 2023 on ITV4, Eurosport, Discovery+ and GCN+. Each day live racing starts at midday on ITV4 and highlights will be at 7pm. The race can be streamed online on ITVX.

Stage one: Saturday 1 July - Bilbao to Bilbao - 182km

Winner: Adam Yates

UAE Team Emirates's Adam Yates won stage one of the Tour de France in Bilbao, Spain. He narrowly beat his twin brother, Simon Yates.

Stage two: Sunday 2 July - Vitoria-Gasteiz to San Sebastian - 208.9km

Winner: Victor Lafay

Victor Lafay won stage two of the 2023 Tour de France. He managed to find a gap and hold it to the finish line.

Stage three: Monday 3 July - Amorebieta-Etxano to Bayonne - 193.5km

Winner: Jasper Philipsen

Winner of two stages in last year’s Tour, Jasper Philipsen, 25, winner of two stages in last year’s Tour, won the 193.5km third stage of the Tour de France after a hectic sprint finish.

Stage four: Tuesday 4 July - Dax to Nogaro - 181.8km

Jasper Philipsen won for the second day in a row amid a chaotic finish to stage four of the Tour de France in Nogaro.

Stage five: Wednesday 5 July - Pau to Laruns - 162.7km

Winner: Jai Hindley

Jai Hindley won the first mountain climb and stage five to take the yellow jersey.

Stage six: Thursday 6 July - Tarbes to Cauterets - 144.9km

Winner: Tadej Pogacar

After a long day on Marie Blanque, Tadej Pogacar won the sixth stage of the Tour de France 2023.

Stage seven: Friday 7 July - Mont-de-Marsan to Bordeaux - 169.9km

Belgian Jasper Philipsen sprinted to victory in stage seven.

Stage eight: Saturday 8 July - Libourne to Limoges - 200.7km

Winner: Mads Pedersen

Denmark's Mads Pedersen won an uphill sprint finish in stage eight.

Stage nine: Sunday 9 July - Saint-Leonard-de-Noblat to Puy de Dome - 182.4km

Winner: Michael Woods

In stage nine of the Tour de France 2023, Canadian Michael Woods claimed a breakaway victory.

Stage ten: Tuesday 11 July - Vulcania to Issoire - 162.7km

Winner: Pello Bilbao

Pello Bilbao from Spain had a sprint finish and won his first victory in the Tour de France 2023.

Stage eleven: Wednesday 12 July - Clermont-Ferrand to Moulins - 179.8km

Another win for Philipsen, who secured a fourth stage win as he sprinted to victory in Moulins in stage eleven of the Tour de France 2023.

Stage twelve: Thursday 13 July - Roanne to Belleville-en-Beaujolais - 168.8km

Winner: Ion Izagirre

Spanish rider, Ion Izagirre won stage twelve by 58 seconds ahead of riders Mathieu Burgaudeau and Matteo Jorgenson.

Stage thirteen: Friday 14 July - Chatillon-Sur-Chalaronne to Grand Colombier - 137.8km

Winner: Michal Kwiatkowski

Rider Michal Kwiatkowski won stage thirteen on the 17.4km climb.

Stage fourteen: Saturday 15 July - Annemasse to Morzine Les Portes du Soleil - 137.8km

Winner: Carlos Rodriguez

Spanish rider Carlos Rodriguez won the stage after he overtook Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar.

Stage fifteen: Sunday, 16 July - Les Gets les Portes du Soleil to Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc - 179km

Winner: Wout Poels

Dutch rider Wout Poels won his first stage at the Tour de France 2023. Stage fifteen saw a crash involving about 20 riders caused by a spectator.

For up to date information of the race, you can follow the Tour de France 2023 riders on Strava here

Kate is a fitness writer for Men’s Health UK where she contributes regular workouts, training tips and nutrition guides. She has a post graduate diploma in Sports Performance Nutrition and before joining Men’s Health she was a nutritionist, fitness writer and personal trainer with over 5k hours coaching on the gym floor. Kate has a keen interest in volunteering for animal shelters and when she isn’t lifting weights in her garden, she can be found walking her rescue dog.

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Tour de France 2023 route map: A guide to every stage of this year’s TdF and the race schedule in full

The 2023 tour de france starts in bilbao and finishes in paris, with eight mountain stages including a potentially decisive stage 17.

The 2023 Tour de France route features the welcome return of an iconic climb and a Queen Stage in the final week that is likely to determine the yellow jersey wearer come Paris.

In short, there will be eight flat, four hilly and eight mountain stages as well as one individual time trial when the Tour de France runs from 1-23 July.

The Grand Depart takes place in the Basque Country for the second time, with riders then swapping Spanish tarmac for French during the third stage.

From there, general classification contenders will be put to the test with two consecutive mountain stages in the Pyrenees before heading north.

Every medal Laura Kenny won in track cycling as Olympic legend retires

And for the first time since 1988, the race is heading for a summit finish up the Puy de Dome for Stage 9, the scene of an epic tussle between Jacques Anquetil and Raymond Poulidor in 1964, and more bizarrely where Eddy Merckx was punched in the kidney by a supporter disgruntled by his dominance 11 years later.

A rest day follows the Puy de Dome, and after three more mountain stages from 13-15 and another rest day, Stage 17 could prove decisive when riders tackle the “roof” of the Tour atop the Col de la Loze. The 28.1km “beyond categorisation” climb averages a six per cent gradient and is swiftly followed by a descent to the finish line at Courchevel.

Conquer that climb, conquer the Tour – the winner there could well be supping champagne in yellow when heading down Paris’ Champs-Elysees, as champions have done since 1975.

How to watch Tour de France 2023 in UK Dates:  1-23 July (rest days on 10 and 17 July) Start times:  Vary day by day, but typically between 11am and 1pm in the UK – the final Stage 21 starts at 3.30pm TV:  ITV4, Eurosport and Welsh-language channel S4C Live stream:   ITVX , Eurosport’s  website  and  discovery+ Highlights:  Daily highlight shows will be broadcast on ITV4 and Eurosport, with stage highlights, interviews and analysis on both  ITV.com  and  Eurosport.co.uk

Tour de France 2023 daily schedule

Stage 1: Sat 1 July, Bilbao – Bilbao, 182km (hills)

Stage 2: Sun 2 July, Vitoria-Gasteiz – San Sebastian, 209km (hills)

Stage 3: Mon 3 July, Amorebieta-Etxano – Bayonne, 185km (flat)

Stage 4: Tue 4 July, Dax – Nogaro Circuit, 182km (flat)

Stage 5: Wed 5 July, Pau – Laruns, 165km (mountains)

Stage 6: Thu 6 July, Tarbes – Cauterets, 145km (mountains)

Stage 7: Fri 7 July, Mont de Marsan – Bordeaux, 170km (flat)

Stage 8: Sat 8 July, Libourne – Limoges, 201km (hills)

Stage 9: Sun 9 July, Saint-Leonard-de-Noblat – Puy de Dome, 184km (mountains)

Rest day: Mon 10 July

Stage 10: Tue 11 July, Parc Vulcania – Issoire, 167km (hills)

Stage 11: Wed 12 July, Clermont Ferrand – Moulins, 180km (flat)

Stage 12: Thu 13 July, Roanne – Belleville-en-Beaujolais, 169km (hills)

Stage 13: Fri 14 July, Chatillon-Sur-Chalaronne – Grand Colombier, 138km (mountains)

Stage 14: Sat 15 July, Annemasse – Morzine, 152km (mountains)

Stage 15: Sun 16 July, Les Gets – Saint Gervais, 180km (mountains)

Rest day: Mon 17 July

Stage 16: Tue 18 July, Passy – Combloux, 22km (individual time trial)

Stage 17: Wed 19 July, Saint Gervais – Courchevel, 166km (mountains)

Stage 18: Thu 20 July, Moutiers – Bourg en Bresse, 186km (hills)

Stage 19: Fri 21 July, Moirans-en-Montagne – Poligny, 173km (flat)

Stage 20: Sat 22 July, Belfort – Le Markstein, 133km (mountains)

Stage 21: Sun 23 July, Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines – Paris Champs-Elysees, 115km (flat)

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Home Explore France Official Tourism Board Website

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The 5-minute essential guide to the Tour de France

Inspiration

Cycling Tourism Sporting Activities

Reading time: 0 min Published on 8 January 2024, updated on 18 April 2024

It is the biggest cycling race in the world: a national event that France cherishes almost as much as its Eiffel Tower and its 360 native cheeses! Every year in July, the Tour de France sets off on the roads of France and crosses some of its most beautiful landscapes. Here’s everything you should know in advance of the 2018 race…

‘La Grande Boucle’

In over a century of existence, the Tour has extended its distance and passed through the whole country. Almost 3,500 kilometers are now covered each year in the first three weeks of July, with 22 teams of 8 cyclists. The 176 competitors criss-cross the most beautiful roads of France in 23 days, over 21 stages. More than a third of France’s departments are passed through, on a route that changes each year.

A little tour to start

The first ever Tour de France took place in 1903. It had just six stages – Paris-Lyon, Lyon-Marseille, Marseille-Toulouse, Toulouse-Bordeaux, Bordeaux-Nantes and Nantes-Paris – and 60 cyclists at the start line. At the time, the brave cycled up to 18 hours at a stretch, by day and night, on roads and dirt tracks. By the end, they’d managed 2,300 kilometers. Must have had some tight calves!

Mountain events are often the most famous and hotly contested. Spectators watch in awe as the riders attack the passes and hit speeds of 100 km/h. In the Pyrenees and the Alps, the Galibier and Tourmalet ascents are legendary sections of the Tour, worthy of a very elegant polka dot jersey for the best climber…

The darling of the Tour

In terms of the number of victories per nation, France comes out on top, with 36 races won by a French cyclist. In second place is Belgium with 18 wins, and in third is Spain with 12. The darling of the Tour remains Eddy Merckx, holding the record of 111 days in the yellow jersey. This Belgian won 5 times the Great Loop as Jacques Anquetil, Bernard Hinault and Michael Indurain.

‘Le maillot jaune’

The yellow jersey is worn by the race winner in the general classification (calculated by adding up the times from each individual stage). This tradition goes back to 1919. It has nothing to do with the July sunshine or the sunflower fields along the roads; it was simply the colour of the pages of newspaper L’Auto, which was creator and organiser of the competition at the time.

The Tour de France is the third major world sporting event after the Olympic Games and the World Cup, covered by 600 media and 2,000 journalists. The race is broadcast in 130 countries by 100 television channels over 6,300 hours, and is followed by 3.5 billion viewers.

The Champs-Élysées finish

Each year the Tour departs from a different city, whether in France or in a neighbouring country. Since 1975, the triumphal arrival of the cyclists has always taken place across a finish line on Paris’ Champs-Élysées. It’s a truly beautiful setting for the final sprint.

And the winner is…

Seen from the sky and filmed by helicopters or drones, the Tour route resembles a long ribbon winding its way through France’s stunning landscapes: the groves of Normandy, the peaks of the Alps, the shores of Brittany and the beaches of the Côte d’Azur. In 2017, it was the Izoard pass in Hautes-Alpes that was elected the most beautiful stage, at an altitude of 2,361 metres. Which one gets your vote?

Find out more on the official Tour de France site: https://www.letour.fr

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Tour de France 2014: Route and stages

Click on the individual stages in the chart below for detailed information on the stage routes. Click here  for an overview of the full course.

Tour de France 2014 stage scheme:

Tour de france 2014: images and more.

Click on the images to zoom

More about the Tour de France

Tour de france 2014 route stage 1: leeds (gb) - harrogate (gb).

Tour de France 2014 Route stage 2: York (GB) - Sheffield (GB)

Tour de France 2014 Route stage 3: Cambridge (GB) - London (GB)

Tour de France 2014 Route stage 4: Le Touquet - Lille

Tour de France 2014 Route stage 5: Ypres (B) - Arenberg/Porte Hainaut

Show Distance in KM or miles?

Show elevation in metres or feet?

Tour de France in the Dales

Well, the Tour de France’s visit to the Yorkshire Dales has been and gone, and if you didn’t see it in person, you probably saw it on TV. It was an amazing experience and we are sure that it will live long and fondly in many people’s memories.

So what now? We think that the best way to get over the ‘post-Grand Départ blues’ is to come to the Dales and see the beauty of the area for yourself, and find out what cycling here is all about. And don’t worry – there aren’t quite so many people here now as there were on 5 July when Le Tour powered their way through the National Park!

Experience the Tour

One of the great things about cycling is that you can experience the same views and roads as the professionals. We may be biased but we think the best part of Stage 1 was the wonderful roads of the Yorkshire Dales National Park which took in three classified climbs and fantastic scenery. A bonus for us amateur riders without the advantage of road closures is that these are also the quieter roads to cycle on. We have produced a couple of suggested rides for people who want to get the Stage 1 experience.

You can ride up Wharfedale from Grassington passing Kilnsey Crag to take on the first climb on the Tour de France – Kidstones Pass. Then return back down the valley on a back road for a great 45km ride – the Cote de Kidstones .

Or, start in Reeth, Hawes or Leyburn and take on the two cols route which takes you over Buttertubs Pass and Grinton Moor – the second and third climbs on the route.

Alternatively, if you are up for a real challenge, take on all three climbs on the TdF in the Dales route , a 125km circular route which includes a return from Middleham via the remote Coverdale valley. We have written this starting at Grassington but you can obviously start in any of the towns along the route.

Be warned though – although the organisers categorised Stage 1 as a ‘flat route’, very few people will agree with them!

A bit of history

Just in case you had forgotten on 5 and 6 July 2014 the Tour de France began in Yorkshire. The first stage started in Leeds, made its way to Skipton and then travelled through the Yorkshire Dales National Park passing along Wharfedale, Wensleydale and Swaledale, before heading to Harrogate.

The second stage left York, went back through Harrogate and came to Bolton Abbey before turning south through the Pennines to Sheffield. The third stage saw the riders head from Cambridge down to a finish in London.

Local communities along the route really pulled out the stops in decorating their towns and villages in preparation, and fans added their own touches to the roads being used.

It was, quite simply, a wonderful, amazing, unforgettable, iconic, spectacular, inspiring, once-in-a-lifetime, colourful, ‘magnifique’, and unbelievable experience! We quite enjoyed it!

Smardale Gill

Hawes Toughie

MTB: Pateley Bridge – Great Greenhow

 France's greatest sporting event 

   le tour      2014    the route .

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"Tour de France Cycle City" label: soon 150 towns and 10 countries in the loop?

As part of its "Riding into the Future" programme to promote sustainable mobility, the Tour de France launched the "Tour de France Cycle City" label in 2021, encouraging all the initiatives taken by towns and cities that have already hosted the Grande Boucle to promote everyday cycling.

For this fourth edition, the Tour de France and the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift have received bids from 24 cities, including six outside France. This year, 16 towns on the 2024 Tour de France route have applied, and two are on the 2024 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift map, which should take the number of approved cities to 150... in 10 different countries!

The results will be announced on 15 May as part of the “Mai à vélo” (Bike in May) campaign.

150! That's the symbolic milestone the "Tour de France Cycle City" label could reach in its fourth edition. This initiative, created in 2021, enables towns that have already hosted the Grande Boucle to have their commitment to developing cycling in all its forms assessed and rewarded. Whether they are French or foreign, rural or urban, towns applying for the label must highlight all the existing measures to encourage cycling in their application and present local short- and medium-term development plans (infrastructure deployment, improving rider safety, learning to cycle with the "How to ride a bike" campaign, parking and combating theft, maintenance and repair, etc.). All these measures contribute to the growth of cycling as a means of daily transport, a source of leisure, and exercise.  

Since 2021, 133 cities in eight countries have already received at least one level of accreditation. With 24 applications, the 2024 campaign could see the number of towns and cities recognised for promoting cycling rise to 150. In addition to the new French and Belgian cities that could appear on the map, two new territories are about to join the club, representing ten countries with towns awarded the label! Italy, where the Tour de France will set off on 29 June for the first time in its history, has three candidates: Rimini, Piacenza and Pinerolo. More exotic still, Japan, which for over ten years has welcomed the champions of the Grande Boucle to Saitama in the middle of autumn as part of a festive criterium reminiscent of the Asian craze for the event, could also be in the running!  

Sixteen French towns on the route of the 2024 Tour and two others on the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift submitted bids, from Evaux-les-Bains, the least populous of the candidate towns, to Nice, the host town of a new and spectacular finish of the Tour de France on 21 July, reflecting the diversity of bids once again this year for a label that allows towns to showcase their assets on their scale. Four French cities that have hosted the event in the past have also applied, while two municipalities that have already received the label have requested a reassessment of their rating. The jury is now studying all the applications. The results will be announced to the candidate cities on 15 May 2024 as part of the "Bike in May" campaign.  

Composition of the jury for the "Tour de France Cycle City" label: Christian Prudhomme, Director of the Tour de France; Émilie Defay, deputy editor-in-chief at France Bleu Paris; Jean Ghedira, director of communications, sponsorship and general secretariat at LCL; David Lazarus, mayor of Chambly and chairman of the "Sports" working group of the Association des Maires de France; Olivier Schneider, president of the FUB (French Federation of Bicycle Users); Karine Bozzacchi, CSR manager for the Tour de France.  

Candidate cities for the 2024 label:  

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Tour de Romandie 2024: live stream cycling online

The 77th Tour de Romandie packs in 11,000m of climbing across six stages in Switzerland

• FREE live streams
• Watch from anywhere
• Route & stages

Last year's winner Adam Yates and third-placed Damiano Caruso both return to this six day-stage race in Romandie, the French speaking area of west Switzerland to battle again in the region's beautiful mountain scenery.

Read on and we'll show you how to watch the Tour de Romandie 2024 live streams from anywhere with a VPN , and potentially for FREE .

Tour de Romandie 2024 live streams take place between Tuesday, April 23 and Sunday, April 28. Start times vary. • FREE STREAMS —   Watch on SRF (Switzerland) •   U.S. — Watch on FloBikes •   U.K. — Watch on Discovery+ • Watch anywhere — Try NordVPN

Starting with a minuscule 2.3km prologue in the town of Payerne, the 77th Tour de Romandie will cover a total of 657km and pack in over 11,000m of climbing with a time trial on stage three and summit finishes on both stages two and four at Les Marécottes and Leysin.

Favourite to repeat his victory of last year will be Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates) who will be backed up by a strong team including Pavel Sivakov, Felix Großschartner and Juan Ayuso. Leading the challenge will be the ever improving Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers) winner of the recent Giro d’Abruzzo Alexey Lutsenko (Astana Qazaqstan Team) and young French star Lenny Martinez (Groupama - FDJ).

The course isn’t just for the climbers though as with a prologue and a mid-race time trial many TT specialists are on the start sheet too including Josh Tarling and Ethan Hayter from (INEOS Grenadiers) and Rémi Cavagna (Movistar Team).

Stage four, the Queen stage of the race lived up to all the hype providing a pulsating finale on the finishing climb. The win and race lead were both up for grabs and it was Richard Carapaz (EF Education–EasyPost) who took the stage, but only just from the fast approaching Florian Lipowitz (Bora-Hansgrohe).

Behind the race for the overall was just as exciting as overnight leader Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates) cracked opening the door for another young Spaniard Carlos Rodríguez (INEOS Grenadiers) to pull on the yellow jersey.

The final stage, stage five sees the race cover 150km around the town of Vernier so read on to find out where to watch the Tour de Romandie 2024 cycling action live, wherever you are in the world.

FREE Tour de Romandie 2024 live streams

If you live in Switzerland then you can look forward to a FREE Tour de Romandie live stream in 2024. 

Switzerland's SRF is set to serve up a free stream of this six-stage stage race.

But what if you're based in Switzerland but aren't at home to catch that free Tour de Romandie coverage? Maybe you're on holiday and don't want to spend money on pay TV in another country, when you'd usually be able to watch for free at home?

Don't worry — you can watch via a VPN instead. We'll show you how to do that below.

Tour de Romandie 2024 live streams around the world

Away from home at the moment and blocked from watching the cycling on your usual subscription?

You can still watch the Tour de Romandie 2024 live thanks to the wonders of a VPN (Virtual Private Network). The software allows your devices to appear to be back in your home country regardless of where in the world you are. So ideal for viewers away on vacation or on business. Our favorite is NordVPN . It's the best on the market:

There's a good reason you've heard of NordVPN. We specialize in testing and reviewing VPN services and NordVPN is the one we rate best. It's outstanding at unblocking streaming services, it's fast and it has top-level security features too. With over 5,000 servers, across 60 countries, and at a great price too, it's easy to recommend.

Get 60% off NordVPN with this deal

Using a VPN is incredibly simple.

1. Install the VPN of your choice . As we've said, NordVPN is our favorite.

2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance if you're in the U.S. and want to view a Swiss service, you'd select Switzerland from the list.

3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to SRF or another streaming service and watch the action.

How to watch 2024 Tour de Romandie live streams in the U.S.

Cycling fans in the U.S. can watch the 2024 Tour de Romandie on  FloBikes . A subscription will set you back US$149.99 for the year or US$29.99 on a monthly basis.

And if you're currently out of the U.S. but still want to watch the race, then don't forget to explore  NordVPN  set out above.

How to watch Tour de Romandie 2024 live streams in the U.K.

Live coverage of the 2024 Tour de Romandie will be broadcast on Eurosport and Discovery+.

A 'standard' subscription to Discovery+ which includes Eurosport's cycling coverage will set you back £6.99 per month or £59.99 per year. The package includes year-round cycling streams as well as other live sports including snooker, tennis, motorsports, the Paris Olympic Games, and more.

A premium subscription, which includes all that plus TNT Sports ( Premier League , Champions League and Europa League football plus rugby, wrestling, UFC, and MotoGP) costs an additional £29.99 per month.

If you're currently traveling overseas, don't worry, as you can use NordVPN to watch from abroad.

How to watch Tour de Romandie live streams in Canada

Cycling fans in the Canada can watch the 2024 Tour de Romandie on  FloBikes . A subscription will set you back CAN$150 for the year or CAN$29.99 on a monthly basis.

Not at home right now? Use NordVPN or another VPN service to trick your device into thinking you're still in Canada.

Tour de Romandie 2024 stages

The race starts with a very short 2.3km prologue which will be contested by the overall favorites, keen to install a pecking order early on, and the short TT specialists looking for a chance to gain a leaders jersey in a big stage race. 

Stage one follows the next day and it’s a lumpy 165.7km from Château d’Oex to Fribourg which will likely end in a sprint finish, although there are very view big name sprinters on the start sheet.

Stage two is where the GC action will really kick off with two huge mountains and a summit finish at Salvan/Les Marécottes. This 10km final ascent, averaging 7.3%, has slopes maxing out at 14% so will be a proper test for the climbers.

Those same climbers will the next day have to take on the 15.5km continuously undulating time trial around Oron and utilise another skill needed to win a stage race.

Stage four from Saillon to Leysin is 151.7km and takes the riders into higher territory with five classified climbs including the 10km summit finish at the end.

After this the GC battle should be stitched up with just the laps around Vernier to contend with on the final stage which will likely end in a sprint.

Prologue | Tuesday April 23, | Payerne - Payerne. 2.3km

Stage 1 | Wednesday April 24, Château d’Oex - Fribourg. 165.7km

Stage 2 | Thursday April 25, Fribourg - Salvan/Les Marécottes. 171km

Stage 3 | Friday April 26, Oron - Oron. 15.5km

Stage 4 | Saturday April 27, Sailion - Leysin. 151.7km

Stage 5 | Sunday April 28, Vernier - Vernier. 150.8km

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Simon Warren has been obsessed with cycling since the summer of 1989 after watching Greg Lemond battle Laurent Fignon in the Tour de France. Although not having what it took to beat the best, he found his forte was racing up hills and so began his fascination with steep roads. This resulted in his 2010’s best-selling  100 Greatest Cycling Climbs , followed to date by 14 more guides to vertical pain. Covering the British Isles, Belgium, France, Italy and Spain he has been riding and racing up hills and mountains for over 30 years now. He hosts talks, guides rides, has written columns for magazines and in 2020 released his first book of cycling routes,  RIDE BRITAIN . Simon splits his time between working as a graphic designer and running  his 100 Climbs brand  and lives in Sheffield on the edge of the Peak District with his wife and two children.

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