With 21 stages spread over three weeks of racing, completing a Tour de France is a challenge for everyone: riders, staff – and, yes, fans too. To make life a little easier, here are five can’t-miss stages we’ve marked in our calendars. Rearrange your meetings and set your PVRs for what we predict will be the most exciting moments of the Tour.

1. Stage 5 – Wednesday, July 11 – Lorient to Quimper | Stage 6 – Thursday, July 12 – Brest to Mûr de Bretagne

Last year’s Tour was widely criticised for its lack of breakaways, so this time around the route offers many more chances for escapees. Case in point: stages 5 and 6, which have technical, undulating profiles that make them look more like an Ardennes classic than traditional first-week Tour stages.

Stage 5 begins in L’Orient and winds its way north along the Atlantic coast before heading into the heart of Brittany. Things will get interesting about halfway through as the profile becomes a sawtooth filled with tight, narrow roads. If the day’s first breakaway is caught, a new one could certainly form, filled with punchy riders in search of a stage win and perhaps an early lead in the King of the Mountains competition.

Expect one climb, the Cote de Menez Quelerc’h, to be a launchpad for the stage’s winning move. It’s close enough to the end that a small group of riders can stay away to the finish, but not so far that the sprinter’s teams won’t have a chance at a sustained chase. If a larger, more selective peloton does make it to the finish, expect riders like Peter Sagan, Michael Matthews, and Greg Van Avermaet to prevail on the uphill sprint to the line.

But don’t expect those same riders at the end of Stage 6, which finishes atop the Mûr de Bretagne. Past Tour stages have seen a large peloton hit the base of this climb, so this year a new wrinkle has been added: a finishing circuit that will force riders to climb the Mûr not once, but twice. The goal is to have the first ascent force a selection that leads to a more exciting battle to win the stage.

This is a dangerous finish for General Classification riders as they struggle to find their climbing legs after several days on flatter roads. Some riders have used the Mûr as the basis for their Tour victories (Cadel Evans in 2012, Chris Froome in 2016). But others, caught by its steep opening kilometres, have lost valuable time.

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France’s Julian Alaphilippe is the perfect rider for stages like these, as his aggressive, attacking style epitomizes the term puncheur. Riding in only his second Tour de France, the Frenchman is a top favorite for both stages 5 and 6. Other contenders include Philippe Gilbert and Alejandro Valverde.

2. Stage 9 – Sunday, July 15 – Arras Citadelle to Roubaix

No stage during the Tour’s first week has riders more nervous than Stage 9. The reason? Almost 22K of cobblestones divided into 15 sectors, including some of the nastiest cobbled roads (or pavé) the region has to offer.

The pavé arrives 47.5K into the stage, with sectors 15 and 14 (sectors are numbered in descending order) both coming before the day’s Intermediate Sprint. But these are just an appetiser. The real racing begins once the peloton hits Marchiennes, the last town before the sectors become longer, harder, and much more frequent. For example, sectors 12 through 9 should cause the first major selection of the stage, with teams fighting to keep their leaders at the front and out of trouble. Sectors 4 through 2 are also pretty heinous, with wind direction likely to play a role as the race heads northwest to the finish in Roubaix.

The last five winners of Paris-Roubaix will all be racing at the Tour, including Peter Sagan, who won the race in April. Weather should be a deciding factor. It rained in 2014, wreaking havoc on the peloton and giving Italy’s Vincenzo Nibali, who excelled on wet stones, a clear advantage over his competition. But dry weather in 2015 kept the race together, with all the favourites crossing the line in a group only a few seconds behind the stage winner, Germany’s Tony Martin.

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Belgium’s Yves Lampaert is widely considered one of the sport’s up-and-coming cobbled contenders, and he comes to the Tour fresh from winning his first Belgian championship. Other contenders include Sagan, Van Avermaet, and Oliver Naesen.

3. Stage 11 – Wednesday, July 18 – Albertville to La Rosière

The second of three days in the Alps, Stage 11 should set the race on fire. It follows a similar model to last year’s route in the Pyrenees: low mileage, lots of climbing, and no flat valley roads to give riders a chance to regroup.

Beginning in Albertville, the stage will start fast as both stage hunters and domestiques from the GC teams try to make it into an early breakaway. Riders will certainly warm up on trainers before the start so they’re ready to attack as soon as the flag drops. Don’t be surprised if green-jersey contenders like Sagan and Matthews go on the attack to win maximum points at the sprint before riding easily to the finish.

But this stage is all about climbing. The first ascent begins soon after the sprint, and it’s a doozy: the Montée de Bisanne, a long climb with a steep average gradient. Up next is the Col du Pré, which starts gradually but steepens as it progresses. After a short descent and a few flat kilometers, the riders will climb yet again, this time up the Cormet de Roseland. The stage win could be decided here, as riders willing to gamble might forge enough of a lead to hang on to the finish, while the Tour’s main GC contenders will hedge their bets for the final climb of the day.

The day ends on La Rosière, the first true summit finish of the Tour. It’s a long, steady climb that suits riders (like Dutchman Tom Dumoulin) who can stay in the saddle and grind. That said, if the stage follows a fierce pace leading up to this final ascent, even Dumoulin might struggle to hold the wheels of the Tour’s fastest climbers.

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If Movistar leaders Nairo Quintana, Mikel Landa, and Alejandro Valverde play to their team’s collective strength by launching a series of coordinated attacks, this is the day to do it. Other contenders include Froome, Richie Porte, and Rigoberto Uran.

4. Stage 12 – Thursday, July 19 – Bourg-Saint-Maurice Les Arcs to Alpe d’Huez

If Stage 11 gave us a look at the future, then Stage 12 offers a nod to the past. Much longer than the previous stage, it’s a bit more old-school with three legendary summits on tap for what should be a blockbuster day.

The day begins with a downhill ride to the base of the Col de la Madeleine, a long climb that will take the riders to 2,000 meters for the first time this year. If it hasn’t formed already, the day’s big breakaway should occur here. After a long descent to the valley floor, a quick climb over the visually stunning Lacets de Montvernier, and the day’s Intermediate Sprint, the riders hit the base of their highest climb in the Alps, the Col de la Croix de Fer. Longer than the Madeleine, its early slopes run steep with a steadier, more gradual ride to the summit.

It’s about 40K from the top of the Croix de Fer to the bottom of Alpe d’Huez, with its 13 hairpins and rabid fans. Don’t be surprised if a rider from the breakaway stays away to take the win. After two hard days in the Alps, GC teams might be happy to let a break filled with polka dot jersey contenders and out-of-contention climbers establish a big lead and stay away to the finish.

Behind them, attacks will start flying once the yellow jersey group hits the Alpe. The Tour is far from over, and the Alpe offers the perfect chance to continue a winning bid.

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France’s Warren Barguil won two mountain stages as last year’s King of the Mountains, and he wants another polka dot jersey this year. A win atop Alpe d’Huez would be the perfect addition to his already prestigious Tour resumé. Other contenders include Froome, Quintana, and Landa.

5. Stage 17 – Wednesday, July 25 – Bagnères-de-Luchon to Saint-Lary-Soulan

The second of three days in the Pyrenees, Stage 17 has the potential to go down as one of the most exciting days in Tour history. It’s certainly the most innovative in recent memory, with three big climbs jammed into 65K of road, and an experimental start format that will see riders set off in waves according to their places on the General Classification.

The day begins at the base of the Montée de Peyragudes, an ascent the riders know well after climbing most of it during last year’s Tour. A short descent takes them to the base of the next climb: the shorter but steeper Col de Val Louron-Azet. But the real fun comes on the Col du Portet climb to the finish. Making its Tour debut, the Portet is the highest and steepest mountain summit this year, and is certain to decimate the field at the end of such an intense stage. With so many variables, it’s possible that the Tour will be won or lost on the long, steep slopes of the Portet.

We’re interested to see how teams handle the innovative start format. Will leaders wait for their teammates, thus negating the intention of the staggered start? Or will riders throw caution to the wind and blow the race apart right away? Will deeper teams like Sky and Movistar enter the day with multiple riders in the top 20, thus giving them a major advantage over their rivals? With so many questions and so much potential for excitement, this is a stage you won’t want to miss.

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Root for whoever resists the urge to negate the new starting format and attacks as soon as the stage begins. France’s Romain Bardet is a good pick. He’s unlikely to have any teammates with him at the start and might see this as his last chance to win the Tour. Other contenders include Froome, Quintana, and Nibali.

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