The 111th edition of the Tour de France gets under way in Florence, Italy on Saturday, 29 June with the three-week race ending in Nice on Sunday, 21 July. The riders will tackle seven mountain stages including trips to the Pyrenees and Alps during the 3,492km (2,170-mile) race. There will also be two individual time trials, with La Grande Boucle concluding with a race against the clock for the first time since 1989 - when Greg LeMond famously pipped Laurent Fignon to the yellow jersey by eight seconds.
BBC Sport looks at each stage of the gruelling 21-stage event, analysing where it could be won and lost. This page will be updated throughout the Tour with the winner and a brief report following each stage. The Grand Depart takes place in Italy for the first time as Florence plays host to the Tour.
The lumpy route travels east to Rimini on the Adriatic coast and is one of the toughest opening stages in recent memory with seven categorised ascents and 3,600m of climbing on the menu before what could be a fast final 25km to the line. Stage two carries the race across the rolling hills of the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy to Bologna, via Imola's famous motor racing circuit, and over the roads that saw Julian Alaphilippe win the World Championships in 2020. Two climbs up to the sanctuary of San Luca - 1.
9km at a 10.6% gradient - in the finale should provide a perfect launchpad for the puncheurs in the peloton to seek stage glory. Three category four climbs do little to a.
