Back in its familiar mid-August slot in the calendar after its coronavirus delayed edition last year, the world's top riders are back in to take on the gruelling steep climbs and hot weather of Spain. Read on for your full guide on how to watch a La Vuelta a España 2021 live stream online, no matter where you are in the world.
The last cycling major of the year, 23 teams will be on the hunt for the maillot rojo over the course of its demanding 21 stages.
Race favourite Primoz Roglic will be looking to make it three wins in a row, and comes into the event on a high after his Olympic time trial win in Tokyo, with Egan Bernal, Richard Carapaz, Adam Yates and Russia's Pavel Sivakov the most likely to challenge the Slovenian star.
We've got all the info on how to watch La Vuelta a España 2021 at every stage for free from anywhere. And if you're out of the country and can't access your preferred domestic broadcaster, you can always use a VPN to bypass any geo-restrictions.
When does the La Vuelta a España 2021 take place?
Back in its regular summer slot in the sporting calendar, this year’s edition of the La Vuelta a España 2021 takes place between August 14 and September 5.
Read on below for full stage times.
Where can I live stream La Vuelta a España 2021 at every stage in the UK?
Cycling fans in the UK can watch this year’s event via Eurosport.
Eurosport is available with a number of Sky TV packages or with a Eurosport Player monthly (£6.99) or annual pass (£39.99).
How to watch a La Vuelta a España 2021 live stream from anywhere
If you're out of the country during any of this year’s stages, you can still get access to a live stream of the 2021 La Vuelta a España by making use of the best VPN to get past those 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 Eurosport, Peacock or SBS when overseas. However, by getting yourself a handy streaming VPN, you can hop on 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 La Vuelta a España 2021 anywhere else in the world
Regardless of where you're tuning in from, you'll be able to live stream this year’s La Vuelta a España.
Cycling fans in the US are well served with NBC’s Peacock TV streaming service taking care of live broadcasts of this year’s event. Peacock costs just $4.99 a month, but is currently offering a FREE 7-day trial.
Canadians can watch all the action via dedicated online service FloBikes.
A monthly subscription will set you back $30 while a yearly account costs $150 ($12.50 per month), which will also give you access to coverage of major cycling events throughout the year.
Viewers based in Australia don’t have to worry about subscription fees as free-to-air channel SBS is the nation’s exclusive live broadcaster of La Vuelta a España Down Under, with its coverage also available to watch vis the SBS website.
It’s no great surprise to find there’s also free live coverage available via a number of major European broadcasters, with RTVE network on its dedicated Teledeporte sports channel the main network offering coverage in Spain, the host nation.
2021 La Vuelta a España: Full schedule (All in BST)
- August 14, Stage 1: 5.35pm - Torino-Torino (8km, ITT)
- August 15, Stage 2: 2.40pm - Stupinigi (Nichelino) - Novara (169.5km, flat)
- August 16, Stage 3: 2.35pm - Biella - Canale (203km, mountain)
- August 17, Stage 4: 2.35pm - El Burgo de Osma - Molina de Aragon (163.6km, flat)
- August 18, Stage 5: 2.35pm - Tarancon - Albacete (184.4km, flat)
- August 19, Stage 6: 2.35pm - Requena - Alto de Cullera (159km, flat)
- August 20, Stage 7: 12.50pm - Gandia - Balcon de Alicante (152km, mountain)
- August 21, Stage 8: 2.35pm Eurosport 2 - Santa Pola - La Manga del Mar Menor (163.3km, flat)
- August 22, Stage 9: 4.30pm - Puerto Lumbreras - Alto de Velefique (187.8km, mountain)
- August 24, Stage 10: 2.35pm - Roquetas de Mar - Rincon de la Victoria (190.2km, hilly)
- August 25, Stage 11: 2.35pm - Antequera - Valdepenas de Jaen (131.6km, hilly)
- August 26, Stage 12: 2.35pm - Jaen - Cordoba (166.7km, hilly)
- August 27, Stage 13: 2.35pm - Belmez - Villanueva de la Serena (197.2km, flat)
- August 28, Stage 14: 2.35pm - Don Benito - Pico Villuercas (159.7km, mountain)
- August 29, Stage 15: 1.20pm - Navalmoral de la Mata - El Barraco (193.4km, mountain)
- August 31, Stage 16: 3pm - Laredo - Santa Cruz de Bezana (170.8km, flat)
- September 1, Stage 17: 11.35am - Unquera - Lagos de Covadonga (181.6km, mountain)
- September 2, Stage 18: 12.50pm - Salas - Alto de Gamoniteiru (159.2km, mountain)
- September 3, Stage 19: 3pm - Tapia - Monforte de Lemos (187.8km, hilly)
- September 4, Stage 20: 3pm - Sanxenxo - Mos (173.6km, mountain)
- September 5, Stage 21: 5.50pm - Padron - Santiago de Compostela (33.7km, ITT)
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 watch a La Vuelta a España live stream 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 anonymity 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 the La Vuelta a España, all you need to do is select a country showing matches from its list of available servers and connect. You'll then be able to hop over geo-restrictions, with the likes of Eurosport and Peacock 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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