When does the Tour de France start in 2021?
The pinnacle of competitive cycling will start next week (Picture: Getty)  The race for the iconic maillot jaune returns, as the iconic Tour de France is nearly upon us. This years Tour features three summit finishes, 10 mountain stages and eight flat stages, as well as bringing back a second individual time trial. Often considered the pinnacle of the cycling calendar, read on to find out how to stream the event live and when the stages are taking place. The Tour de France will begin next Saturday, June 26. The first stage of the tournament will start around 12:10pm CEST (Central European Summer Time). This is 11:10am BST if you are planning on watching live in the UK. Chris Froome of Great Britain and Team Sky and the rest of the peloton cycle past The Arc de Triomphe during the 2016 Le Tour de France (Picture: Michael Steele/Getty Images)  There will be 21 stages in the tournament altogether. Stage 1  Saturday, June 26 at 12.10pm CEST, 11.10am BST   Saturday, June 26 at 12.10pm CEST, 11.10am BST Stage 2  Sunday, June 27 at 1.10pm CEST, 12.10pm BST   Sunday, June 27 at 1.10pm CEST, 12.10pm BST Stage 3  Monday, June 28 at 1.10pm CEST, 12.10pm BST   Monday, June 28 at 1.10pm CEST, 12.10pm BST Stage 4  Tuesday, June 29 at 1.25pm CEST, 12.25am BST   Tuesday, June 29 at 1.25pm CEST, 12.25am BST Stage 5 (ITT)  Wednesday, June 30 at 12.15pm CEST, 11.15am BST  (ITT)  Wednesday, June 30 at 12.15pm CEST, 11.15am BST Stage 6  Thursday, July 1 at 1.55pm CEST, 12.55am BST   Thursday, July 1 at 1.55pm CEST, 12.55am BST Stage 7  Friday, July 2 at 11am CEST, 10am BST   Friday, July 2 at 11am CEST, 10am BST Stage 8  Saturday, July 3 at 1.10pm CEST, 12.10pm BST   Saturday, July 3 at 1.10pm CEST, 12.10pm BST Stage 9  Sunday, July 4 at 1pm CEST, 12pm BST   Sunday, July 4 at 1pm CEST, 12pm BST Rest day  Monday, July 5  Stage 10  Tuesday, July 6 at 1.05pm CEST, 12.05pm BST   Tuesday, July 6 at 1.05pm CEST, 12.05pm BST Stage 11  Wednesday, July 7 at 12pm CEST, 11am BST   Wednesday, July 7 at 12pm CEST, 11am BST Stage 12  Thursday, July 8 at 12pm CEST, 11am BST   Thursday, July 8 at 12pm CEST, 11am BST Stage 13  Friday, July 9 at 12.05pm CEST, 11.05am BST   Friday, July 9 at 12.05pm CEST, 11.05am BST Stage 14  Saturday, July 10 at 12.25pm CEST, 11.25am BST   Saturday, July 10 at 12.25pm CEST, 11.25am BST Stage 15  Sunday, July 11 at 12.20pm CEST, 11.20am BST   Sunday, July 11 at 12.20pm CEST, 11.20am BST Rest day  Monday, July 12  Stage 16  Tuesday, July 13 at 1.05pm CEST, 12.05pm BST   Tuesday, July 13 at 1.05pm CEST, 12.05pm BST Stage 17  Wednesday, July 14 at 11.55am CEST, 10.55am BST   Wednesday, July 14 at 11.55am CEST, 10.55am BST Stage 18  Thursday, July 15 at 1.35pm CEST, 12.35pm BST   Thursday, July 15 at 1.35pm CEST, 12.35pm BST Stage 19  Friday, July 16 at 12.20pm CEST, 11.20am BST   Friday, July 16 at 12.20pm CEST, 11.20am BST Stage 20 (ITT)  Saturday, July 17 at 1.05pm CEST, 12.05pm BST  (ITT)  Saturday, July 17 at 1.05pm CEST, 12.05pm BST Stage 21  Sunday, July 18 at 4.15pm CEST, 3.15pm BST  How to watch the Tour de France  The Tour is being shown live in the UK on ITV4 and across the channels ITV Hub platform. Anyone with a valid TV licence can watch or stream, or catch-up on demand. MORE : The best home entertainment systems to watch all the unmissable sports this summer  Follow Metro across our social channels, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Share your views in the comments below.