Tour de France 2017: Stage 1 Route, Live Stream and TV Coverage

The 104th edition of the Tour de France will start on Saturday with a 14-kilometre time trial in Dusseldorf, Germany.

The riders will face a fast and almost completely flat course that should favour the specialists. Longer than a traditional prologue but shorter than a normal time trial, differences between the main contenders for the yellow jersey should be minimal.

Eurosport 1 and ITV 4 will carry coverage of the stage for UK viewers, with live streams available via the Eurosport website and the ITV app. American viewers can tune in via NBC and their Live service.

Global Cycling Network made this short preview of the stage, detailing the full route:

With the start and finish in Dusseldorf, the riders will mostly follow the Rhine river toward the city centre and back. With the exception of a few bridges, elevation levels are almost non-existent.

Local hero and four-time time trial world champion Tony Martin is the obvious choice to win the stage. The 32-year-old hasn't been at his best in 2017 but did show improved form in the recent national championships, as shared by his team's official Twitter account:

In his prime, the German was almost untouchable when it came to time trials, and he has most likely been working with this specific stage in mind for months. Martin has regressed slightly in the last two years, however, and has never had much success in the shorter time trials in the Tour.

Other specialists to keep an eye on include Jonathan Castroviejo, Stefan Kung and Michael Kwiatkowski―the latter should like his chances over the shorter distance.

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As explained by Global Cycling Network's Simon Richardson and Tom Last in their preview, the lack of time-trial kilometres in this year's race means the top contenders likely emphasised climbing more in their preparations. Normally, the likes of Chris Froome and Richie Porte would rank among the favourites for the stage win, but they likely won't push too hard this time around.

The latter is seen as the biggest threat to dethrone Froome in La Grande Boucle and enters the race with plenty of momentum and few worries. He won't even have to think about his contract, as he announced he's set to stay with BMC just days before the Grand Depart:

Porte has the edge in form―he dominated a disappointing Froome at the Criterium du Dauphine―and has been time trialling extremely well of late. In all likelihood, he'll lead the contenders on Saturday but won't challenge for the stage win.