tour de france 2017
Chris Graythen/Getty

The biggest cycling spectacle in the world, the Tour de France 2017 gets under way on Saturday July 1. The first of the 21-stage tour starts off in Dusseldorf, Germany with a 14 km individual time trial.

Defending champion Chris Froome of Great Britain will definitely have his eyes on bagging the third consecutive Tour de France title.

For the first time since 1987 when West Berlin hosted the race, the Tour de France returns to Germany. It ventures to Belgium and Luxembourg as well before heading on to France. 

Stage 1: Preview

Nothing technical about the induvidual time trial in Dusseldorf, which is taking place on a flat surface. The riders have a field day racing along the banks of the river Rhine.

While the stage winner may not have an advantage going ahead, losing might create more disadvantage. Nevertheless, bagging the yellow jersey in the very first stage itself gives you the beginner's luck, going ahead.

Fellow German Tony Martin, who is also a four-time world trial champion, is tipped to take the stage by storm.

tour de france 2017
Chris Graythen/Getty

Race schedule: Stage 1

  • Date: July 1
  • Time: 2 pm BST onwards (6:30 pm IST)

Where to watch live

  • INDIA: While there will be no live broadcast or streaming available, you can watch the highlights of each stage on the following day in the D Sport channel.

Stage 1 Highlights - July 2 @ 6:30 pm IST.

Keep an eye on the D Sport online portal as well in case they upload the highlights package.