On July 6, the 2019 Tour de France will kick off in Belgium to celebrate the 50th anniversary of five-time champion—and native Belgian—Eddy Merckx’s first victory. It is also the centennial of the yellow jersey, worn by stage leaders and overall winners, so keep an eye out for new jersey designs each day of the race.
This year two top contenders have been removed from the running, leaving the field without a clear favorite. Four-time Tour winner Chris Froome is out after a crash at the Critérium du Dauphiné put him in intensive care, and last year’s second-place finisher, Tom Dumoulin, injured his knee in a fall during the Giro d’Italia and won’t be racing.
A few athletes to follow include Team Ineos’s young Colombian climbing powerhouse Egan Bernal and his Welsh teammate and defending Tour champion Geraint Thomas, who sustained a minor concussion in the same race that ended Froome’s season. AG2R La Mondiale’s Romain Bardet, another strong climber, hopes to be the first Frenchman in more than three decades to claim the yellow jersey. Frequent podium finisher Nairo Quintana, a Colombian on the Movistar team who has won both the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España, is looking to complete his collection of Grand Tour wins. And Australian Richie Porte, who excels in both climbing and time trials, crashed out of the 2017 and 2018 Tours but could do well this year as part of his new team, Trek-Segafredo.
It’s bound to be an interesting July; here’s how to tune in.
Where to Watch
For U.S. viewers without cable, the NBC Sport Gold Cycling Pass is the most comprehensive option. For $55 annually, you’ll get commercial-free streaming access to all the year’s major races, including live coverage of all 21 stages of the Tour and bonus content like interactive stage maps.
FuboTV also streams NBC’s coverage of the Tour as part of its 95-channel lineup. The whole package comes to $55 per month. If you just want to catch a few mountain stages and the finish, FuboTV offers a seven-day free trial (credit card required). Sign up on July 21 to see stages 15 through 21.
When to Watch
You can watch all of the Tour stages live on TV, or stream them with the NBC Cycling Pass, or catch full event replays on demand if you’re not up to waking before dawn in order to catch the European start times. Below is a full schedule of live events, and here is a map of the route to help you brush up on your French geography.
Stage 1
Brussels loop
Flat, 194.5 kilometers/120.9 miles
Saturday, July 6, 5:55 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time
Stage 2
Brussels’s Palais Royal to the Atomium
Team time trial, 27.6 kilometers/17.1 miles
Sunday, July 7, 8:20 A.M. EDT
Stage 3
Binche, Belgium, to Épernay, France
Hilly, 215 kilometers/133.6 miles
Monday, July 8, 6 A.M. EDT
Stage 4
Reims to Nancy
Flat, 213.5 kilometers/132.7 miles
Tuesday, July 9, 6 A.M. EDT
Stage 5
Saint-Dié-des-Vosges to Colmar
Hilly, 175.5 kilometers/109.1 miles
Wednesday, July 10, 7:05 A.M. EDT
Stage 6
Mulhouse to La Planche des Belles Filles
Mountainous, 160.5 kilometers/99.7 miles
Thursday, July 11, 6:55 A.M. EDT
Stage 7
Belfort to Chalon-sur-Saône
Flat, 230 kilometers/142.9 miles
Friday, July 12, 5:10 A.M. EDT
Stage 8
Mâcon to Saint-Étienne
Hilly, 200 kilometers/124.3 miles
Saturday, July 13, 6 A.M. EDT
Stage 9
Saint-Étienne to Brioude
Hilly, 170.5 kilometers/105.9 miles
Sunday, July 14, 6:55 A.M. EDT
Stage 10
Saint-Flour to Albi
Flat, 217.5 kilometers/135.1 miles
Monday, July 15, 6 A.M. EDT
Rest Day
Use your regularly scheduled Tour time to read about the wild history of the mountain bikers who jump over the peloton.
Stage 11
Albi to Toulouse
Flat, 167 kilometers/103.8 miles
Wednesday, July 17, 7:25 A.M. EDT
Stage 12
Toulouse to Bagnères-de-Bigorre
Mountainous, 209.5 kilometers/130.2 miles
Thursday, July 18, 5:20 A.M. EDT
Stage 13
Pau loop
Individual time trial, 27.2 kilometers/16.9 miles
Friday, July 19, 7:50 A.M. EDT
Stage 14
Tarbes to Tourmalet Barèges
Mountainous, 117.5 kilometers/73 miles
Saturday, July 20, 7:20 A.M. EDT
Stage 15
Limoux to Foix Prat d’Albis
Mountainous, 185 kilometers/115 miles
Sunday, July 21, 5:55 A.M. EDT
Rest Day
Ever wonder why there’s no Tour de France for women?
Stage 16
Nîmes loop
Flat, 177 kilometers/72.7 miles
Tuesday, July 23, 7:05 A.M. EDT
Stage 17
Pont du Gard to Gap
Hilly, 200 kilometers/124.3 miles
Wednesday, July 24, 6:15 A.M. EDT
Stage 18
Embrun to Valloire
Mountainous, 208 kilometers/129.2 miles
Thursday, July 25, 5 A.M. EDT
Stage 19
Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne to Tignes
Mountainous, 126.5 kilometers/78.6 miles
Friday, July 26, 7:35 A.M. EDT
Stage 20
Albertville to Val Thorens
Mountainous, 130 kilometers/80.8 miles
Saturday, July 27, 7:25 A.M. EDT
Stage 21
Rambouillet to Paris Champs-Élysées
Flat, 128 kilometers/79.5 miles
Sunday, July 28, 7:55 A.M. EDT
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