The Tour of Britain returns in 2021 after an enforced absence last year, and will take place from Sunday 5th to Sunday 12th September. It starts in Penzance, running almost from one end of Great Britain to the other to finish in Aberdeen.
Despite a somewhat humble ranking, this UCI Europe Tour race often attracts big names, and this year is no exception. Superstars Mark Cavendish, Julian Alaphilippe and Wout van Aert will be joining riders other well-known names such as Richie Porte, Dan Martin, and Marc Soler in an eight-day dash from south to north.
With Alaphilippe and Mathieu van der Poel the two most recent winners, a late-season success in Britain is widely considered no bad thing to add to your palmarès.
Although Van der Poel had been slated to ride, a slow recovery following a crash at the Olympics means we won’t get to see his and Van Aert’s unending drama play out on British roads. However, a packed field and equally exciting route including a lot of climbing eked from a comparatively flat island mean it should be well worth tuning in for.
How to watch the Tour of Britain 2021
If you’re in the UK, you could of course watch from the roadside. Have a look at our stage guide to see if the race is passing by. If you fancy a trip to watch the pros doing what they do best, you can then find more information along with detailed stage timetables on the Tour of Britain’s official website here.
Alternatively, put the kettle on and watch along on TV. Live TV coverage of the Tour of Britain 2021 will be shown in the UK on ITV4, Eurosport, and GCN+.
Once again, ITV4 will exclusively broadcast all eight stages live from start to finish, followed by a one-hour highlights show each evening. Matt Barbet and Pippa York will do the presenting, with commentary from Ned Boulting and Adam Blythe.
Paid-for broadcaster Eurosport and the online Eurosport Player will also provide extensive live coverage of each stage as well as evening highlights.
A further option is GCN+. This subscription based-online platform is dedicated to cycling content. Accessible on desktop and phone, it costs around the same as Eurosport.
Tour of Britain 2021: Live TV Guide
Stage 1: Sunday 5th September
10:45-16:00: Stage 1 live coverage, ITV4
20:00-21:00: Stage 1 highlights, ITV4
(Eurosport TBC.)
Stage 2: Monday 6th September
10:45-16:00: Stage 2 live coverage, ITV4
20:00-21:00: Stage 2 highlights, ITV4
(Eurosport TBC.)
Stage 3: Tuesday 7th September
12:45-15:15: Stage 3 live coverage, ITV4
20:00-21:00: Stage 3 highlights, ITV4
(Eurosport TBC.)
Stage 4: Wednesday 8th September
10:45-16:00: Stage 4 live coverage, ITV4
20:00-21:00: Stage 4 highlights, ITV4
(Eurosport TBC.)
Stage 5: Thursday 9th September
11:15-16:00: Stage 5 live coverage, ITV4
20:00-21:00: Stage 5 highlights, ITV4
(Eurosport TBC.)
Stage 6: Friday 10th September
10:30-16:00: Stage 6 live coverage, ITV4
20:00-21:00: Stage 6 highlights, ITV4
(Eurosport TBC.)
Stage 7: Saturday 11th September
10:30-16:00: Stage 7 live coverage, ITV4
20:00-21:00: Stage 7 highlights, ITV4
(Eurosport TBC.)
Stage 8: Sunday 12th September
10:15-16:00: Stage 8 live coverage, ITV4
20:00-21:00: Stage 8 highlights, ITV4
(Eurosport TBC.)