Tour de France 2013 TV Schedule: Daily Coverage Info for Cycling's Premier Event

When it comes to the sport of cycling, everything pales in comparison to the grandeur of the Tour de France. Considering the 2013 edition is the 100th running of the race, it's going to be an especially prestigious event this year. 

Starting on Saturday, June 29, the top cyclists in the world will embark on a 21-stage, 2,115-mile journey all over France ending on July 21. 

Winning will take a blend of endurance, strength and speed as riders attempt to navigate the various stages of the race, which include mountain stages through the Pyrenees and the Alps and flat stages to give the sprinters in the field the opportunity to shine. 

Here's everything you need to know to catch every minute of the action as each rider attempts to etch their name into history. 

Date	Stage	Location/Coverage	TV	Time (ET)
Saturday, June 29	1	Porto-Vecchio to Bastia	NBCSN	7:30 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Sunday, June 30	2	Bastia to Ajaccio	NBCSN/NBC	7:30 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Monday, July 1	3	Ajaccio to Calvi	NBCSN	6:30 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Tuesday, July 2	4	Nice to NIce	NBCSN	9 a.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Wednesday, July 3	5	Cagnes-sur-Mer to  Marseille	NBCSN	8 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Thursday, July 4	6	Aix-en-Provence to  Montpellier	NBCSN	8 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Friday, July 5	7	Montpellier to Albi	NBCSN	8 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Saturday, July 6	8	Castres to Ax 3 Domaines	NBCSN/NBC	8 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Sunday, July 7	9	Saint-Girons to  Bagnères-de-Bigorre	NBCSN	6:30 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Monday, July 8	REST DAY
Tuesday, July 9	10	Saint-Gildas-des-Bois to  Sain-Malo	NBCSN	8 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Wednesday, July 10	11	Avranches to  Mont-Saint-Michel	NBCSN	8 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Thursday, July 11	12	Fougères to Tours	NBCSN	8 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Friday, July 12	13	Tours to  Saint-Amand-Montrond	NBCSN	8 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Saturday, July 13	14	Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule to  Lyon	NBCSN	8 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Sunday, July 14	15	Givors to Mont Ventoux	NBCSN	8 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Monday, July 15	REST DAY
Tuesday, July 16	16	Vaison-la-Romaine to Gap	NBCSN	8 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Wednesday, July 17	17	Embrun to Chorges	NBCSN	8 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Thursday, July 18	18	Gap to Alpe-d’Huez	NBCSN	6 a.m - 11 p.m.
Friday, July 19	19	Bourg-d’Oisans to  Le Grand-Bornand	NBCSN	6 a.m - 11 p.m.
Saturday, July 20	20	Annecy to Annecy-Semonz	NBCSN	7:30 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Sunday, July 21	21	Versailles to  Paris Champs Élysées	NBCSN	11:30 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Sunday, July 28	-	Recap Show	NBC	12:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

*NBCSN=NBC Sports Network. Information, full times and specific listings via NBC Sports. 

Top Contenders

Chris Froome, Team Sky

There's no doubt that Chris Froome is the odds-on favorite to be donning the yellow jersey come July 21. 

For one, he already showed that he can have success on the big stage—he finished in second place in last year's Tour. Secondly, the man who finished ahead of him, Team Sky teammate Bradley Wiggins, won't be competing in this year's race. 

That makes Froome Team Sky's unquestioned leader heading into the race. Considering the team's emergence as a top team in recent years, it's safe to say that he's surrounded by the talent necessary to help him make a serious run at the yellow jersey. 

Alberto Contador, Saxo-Tinkoff

A strong candidate to steal Chris Froome's thunder on the podium is a man who has already been there before: Alberto Contador. The 28-year-old Spanish all-arounder won the Tour de France title in 2007 and 2009 and will be seeking to become one of four cyclists in history with three titles. 

Contador has been showing that he's still a strong contender in recent runs. He finished second overall in the 2013 Tour of Oman and won last year's Vuelta a Espana.

Froome remains a favorite, but Contador will be sure to challenge him at times. The battles that those two will have throughout the race are sure to be a key storyline. 

Joaquim Rodriguez, Katusha

Outside of the all-arounders with the best chance to win, Spanish climber Joaquim Rodriguez stands out as a specialist who could challenge for the yellow jersey.

The key for Rodriguez will be excellent runs through the time trials. They aren't his strong suit, and he could lose time to Contador and Froome if he isn't at his absolute best. 

However, if Froome or Contador fail to separate from Rodriguez in those crucial stages, they're going to have a strong challenger on their hands. Rodriguez is capable of defeating either of them on the mountain stages, as Rodriguez did on Stage 12 of the 2010 Tour, defeating Contador to take the stage. 

Don't be surprised to see him competing for stages once again in the 2013 race.