Tour de France organisers Amaury Sport Organisation may have been forced to cancel the usual gala for the 2021 route presentation because of the coronavirus pandemic, but their loss is your gain as Cyclingnews will host live streaming of the broadcast route announcement.
The presentation was originally scheduled for Thursday morning in its traditional spot, the Palais des Congrès in central Paris. But the capital has been hit by a new surge of COVID-19 cases forcing a virtual presentation.
The 2021 Tour de France route will be unveiled on television during a special edition of the French sports show Stade 2 with live streaming available on Cyclingnews at 8:25pm Paris time.
The Grand Départ for 2021 was originally to be in Copenhagen but was moved to Brittany so the ASO could shift the dates to prevent overlap with the rescheduled Olympic Games. The Danish capital could not accommodate the earlier dates because the city is also hosting rounds of the European football championships.
With the Copenhagen start moved to 2022, Brittany will kick off a 2021 Tour de France that will be likely held entirely within the country's borders or perhaps with a brief foray into Andorra.
Rumours for the route include a stage finish on the Mûr de Bretagne one of the first four days of racing before the Tour moves away from the coast. Will the organisers include the rumoured long individual time trial?
Will the ASO bring the race back to Mont Ventoux for the first time since Chris Froome had to run up the climb in the chaos of a motorbike-induced crash?
Find out which Alpine climbs and soaring Pyrenean ascents will punctuate the 2021 route, watching the live stream here on Cyclingnews and stay tuned for reactions from the favourites.
