The first grand tour of 2021 is upon us as the world's best riders take on arguably cycling's most picturesque and most demanding event - read our guide to getting a Giro d'Italia 2021 live stream, and watch online from anywhere in the world.
The 104th edition of the race covers 3,500km of mountains, hills, sprints, ITTs across its gruelling 21 stages. Kicking off with an 8.6km Individual Time Trial in the picture postcode city of Turin on Saturday, May 8, the tour takes in the breath-taking Alps before finishing in Milan on Saturday, May 30.
British rider Tao Geoghegan Hart shocked the sporting world by winning last year's Giro, but the UK-born rider won't be on hand to defend the Maglia Rosa.
Despite Hart's absence, his team Ineos Grenadiers remain a decent bet to defend their Giro title, with their star rider Egan Bernal tipped to battle it out for this year's pink jersey alongside fellow favourites Simon Yates (BikeExchange), and Remco Evenepoel (Deceuninck-QuickStep).
We've got all the info on how to live stream Giro d'Italia 2021 cycling action no matter where you are in the world with our guide below.
Where can I live stream Giro d'Italia 2021?
This huge three-week tour of Italy will be available to watch in the UK via Eurosport and the free-to-air S4C for Welsh speakers (which is available to watch on BBC iPlayer) and dedicated cycling network GCN in the US. Down Under SBS Viceland, making it free for Australia-based cycling fans.
In Italy all the action from the tour will be available to watch free-to-air in the host nation via terrestrial broadcaster RAI Sport. The network will also be live streaming the event via its RaiPlay online portal. French cycling fans looking to tune into the action need to head to L’Equipe who will be showing the event in full 100% free, while Sporza will air the event in Belgium.
Overseas in May but trying to watch your usual domestic coverage? Then scroll down the page to understand how using the best VPN can help.
What time can I live stream Giro d'Italia 2021?
The event takes place across Italy between Saturday, May 8 - Sunday, May 30.
Schedule and start times for each stage are as follows:
• Stage 1 (ITT) - Saturday, May 8 at 2pm CEST, 1pm BST, 8am ET
• Stage 2 - Sunday, May 9 at 12.55pm CEST, 11.55am BST, 6.55am ET
• Stage 3 - Monday, May 10 at 12.20pm CEST, 11.20am BST, 6.20am ET
• Stage 4 - Tuesday, May 11 at 12.05pm CEST, 11.05am BST, 6.05am ET
• Stage 5 - Wednesday, May 12 at 1.10pm CEST, 12.10pm BST, 7.10am ET
• Stage 6 - Thursday, May 13 at 12.45am CEST, 11.45am BST, 6.45am ET
• Stage 7 - Friday, May 14 at 12.50pm CEST, 11.50am BST, 6.50am ET
• Stage 8 - Saturday, May 15 at 12.40pm CEST, 11.40am BST, 6.40am ET
• Stage 9 - Sunday, May 16 at 12.30pm CEST, 11.30am BST, 6.30am ET
• Stage 10 - Monday, May 17 at 1.40pm CEST, 12.40pm BST, 7.40am ET
• Rest - Tuesday, May 18
• Stage 11 - Wednesday, May 19 at 12.55pm CEST, 11.55am BST, 6.55am ET
• Stage 12 - Thursday, May 20 at 11.25am CEST, 10.25am BST, 5.25am ET
• Stage 13 - Friday, May 21 at 12.55pm CEST, 11.55am BST, 6.55am ET
• Stage 14 - Saturday, May 22 at 11.30pm CEST, 10.30am BST, 5.30am ET
• Stage 15 - Sunday, May 23 at 1.30pm CEST, 12.30pm BST, 7.30am ET
• Stage 16 - Monday, May 24 at 10.50am CEST, 9.50am BST, 4.50am ET
• Rest - Tuesday, May 25
• Stage 17 - Wednesday, May 26 at 12pm CEST, 11am BST, 6am ET
• Stage 18 - Thursday, May 27 at 11.35am CEST, 10.35am BST, 5.35am ET
• Stage 19 - Friday, May 28 at 12.10pm CEST, 11.10am BST, 6.10am ET
• Stage 20 - Saturday, May 29 at 12.20pm CEST, 11.20am BST, 6.20am ET
• Stage 21 (ITT) - Sunday, May 30 at 1.35pm CEST, 12.35pm BST, 7.35am ET
How to live stream Giro d'Italia 2021 if you're abroad
If you're out of the country for the big race, you can still get access to a live stream - simply use a VPN around to avoid geo-restrictions.
With most domestic broadcasters locking streaming services to their country, you may hit a wall when it comes to accessing the likes of iPlayer, SBS and RaiSport when overseas. However, by getting yourself a handy VPN, you can hop onto a server within the US or UK (or anywhere else for that matter depending on where your online content is geo-restricted to), and this will switch your IP address to make it appear as if you're browsing right from the comfort of your own home.
How to live stream Giro d'Italia 2021 in the UK
Cycling fans in the UK have three solid options to watch this year's event. Eurosport will be showing the tour in full, with live coverage each day usually starting around noon.
Eurosport is available with a basic Sky TV packages or via a Eurosport Player for £9.99 a month or £39.99 a year.
Another option comes in the form of dedicated cycling streaming service GCN Race Pass, which will also be showing the Giro d'Italia live and in full. The service costs £39.99 for a year, with the only real downside being that it's mobile-only.
Finally, free-to-air Welsh language station is offering daily live coverage of the 2021 Giro d'Italia on its linear TV channel and via its app and S4C Clic streaming and catch-up service. Its also worth noting that S4C can also be streamed for FREE via BBC iPlayer.
How to live stream Giro d'Italia 2021 in the US
Dedicated cycling streaming service GCN+ will be broadcasting this year's instalment of this iconic race live and in full Stateside.
Coverage most days will begin around 7am ET, 4am PT, but this can vary between stages.
Race Pass costs $8.99/month or $49.99 annually for USA customers.
How to live stream Giro d'Italia 2021 anywhere else in the world
Looking to catch a Giro d'Italia 2021 live stream? Here are the details for tuning in to watch the cycling event around the world.
Much like the US, Canada will be able to use streaming service GCN+ to broadcast both the race live and in full.
Race Pass costs CA$8.99 per month or CA$49.99C annually for Canadian customers.
For those down under in Australia, SBS Viceland is your go to, who will be showing the races live and in full, and, more importantly, for free. Most stages should start around 9pm AEST each day
New Zealanders, meanwhile, are covered for live Giro d'Italia coverage on Sky Sport, which is available as part of a range of pay TV packages with start time for Kiwis around the 11pm NZST mark each day.
How to use a VPN to unblock any restrictions
If you're outside of your preferred broadcaster's boundaries, you can use a VPN to unblock any geo-restrictions and live stream Giro d'Italia 2021 as if you were right at home. Here's our step-by-step guide on how to do just that.
- VPN - standing for virtual private network - offers security and anomality as you browse online, using set protocols to encrypt your data and make it unreadable to outsiders.
- As a part of that, you can also switch your IP address, which identifies your location.
- Most VPNs offer a list of locations where its servers are based to join. Connecting to them switches your IP to appear as if you're browsing from that country/city. In turn, you can then access content locked to that country.
- When it comes to finding a VPN, you should make sure you find the best one that's suitable for your chosen device, with VPN providers offering compatibility for a ton of devices, including VPN for Mac, VPN for Android smartphones, an iPad VPN, and even a range of fairly nifty free VPNs.
- Once you've made the decision for the most suitable VPN for your device and your means for using a VPN, sign-up and install it.
- To live stream Giro d'Italia 2021, all you need to do is select a UK server from its list of available servers and connect. You'll then be able to hop over those geo-restrictions with the likes of Eurosport and RAI Sport opening its online gates to you.
- We also want to ensure your money is well spent, so we would recommend going for a VPN that offers a risk free trial. ExpressVPN is one of many providers that has a 30-day money back guarantee.
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