Published by Lyn on 23 April 2024
The official Tour de France race guide ALWAYS SELLS OUT. It has all the info you need to follow the Tour de France, including stage times and maps. (Shortcut: Here for the standard edition. Here for premium).
Note that I am not the publisher - I only share available information here.
The Official Tour de France race guide is published in the months leading up to the race. ASO, the Tour de France organiser, licenses the publication of the guide in each country each year. This is why the availability and the quality varies across countries.
The UK edition of the TDF race guide
In my view, the UK edition is consistently the best English-language edition. If you live in the UK, US, Canada, Australia or anywhere else and you are following the Tour de France in person, then this is the edition you want to get your hands on. It is more comprehensive than the English editions released in the US and Australia.
You need to have the UK edition sent to a UK address. It cannot be delivered outside the UK due to ASO's licensing agreements.
There are two UK editions.
1) The Standard Edition of the Official Tour de France 2024 Race Guide (UK/English). It costs £11.99. You can buy it here direct from the publisher. It is available for pre-order now (I am told orders will be dispatched after the official release date on May 17).
2) The Premium Edition of the Official Tour de France 2024 Race Guide (UK/English). It costs £17.99. You can buy it here direct from the publisher. It is available for pre-order now (I am told orders will be dispatched after the official release date on May 17).
(Image from a previous year)
Readers outside the UK
As mentioned above, some of the versions below (published by local publishers on contract) are not as comprehensive as the UK English-language version. The UK edition is consistently more comprehensive than other editions and carries more maps, more route info, full stage times and more general race information. If you are outside the UK and it's possible to have a friend in the UK send you a copy, then that would be my recommendation if you are travelling to the TDF.
I will post links to other local editions here if and when they are announced.
* The Australian and New Zealand edition - I will post links here if/when it goes on sale.
* For the US – I will post links here if/when it goes on sale. In 2023 there was no US edition.
* The original French-language version is released in France and is sold at newsagents and tabacs (corner stores). It is not usually as comprehensive as the UK edition.
The UK edition from the official publisher can only be sent to a UK address. Some readers outside the UK set up temporary UK postboxes through this website. They have the guide shipped there and forwarded to their US (or other overseas) address, then they close the postbox.
What's usually included in the UK English-language edition?
I cannot speak for the US and Australian versions – this info relates to the UK English edition.
We find the UK version of the guide invaluable when planning our trips to watch the Tour de France. It's got maps of every stage, plus full team and stage profiles, as well as stage start and end times (they are particularly useful to have in one place both when planning and on the day).
There is a 'premium' edition as well as a 'standard' edition that includes stuff like:
Standard UK English-language edition
You can buy the standard edition here. It costs £11.99. It has:
- The only official UK Tour de France race guide with individual Tour de France stage maps + stage start/end times.
- Full breakdown of each team + interviews with leading riders.
- Tour de France Femmes info.
- A2 double-sided Tour de France and Tour de Femmes wallchart
- Special "Italian Masters" magazine to celebrate the Grand Depart being in Italy this year.
- Exclusive beer mats with last year's GC, green jersey and spotty jersey winners.
Premium UK English-language edition
You can buy the premium edition here. It costs £17.99. It has:
- The only official UK Tour de France race guide with individual Tour de France stage maps + stage start/end times.
- Full breakdown of each team + interviews with leading riders.
- Tour de France Femmes info
- Double-sided Tour de France and Tour de Femmes wallchart
- Special "Italian Masters" magazine to celebrate the Grand Depart being in Italy this year.
- Exclusive beer mats showcasing legendary TDF climbs.
- Souvenir socks.
(Image from a previous year).
Why get it?
We wouldn't go to watch more than one Tour de France stage without it. All the basic info is eventually replicated on the official TDF website, but having it in hard copy is handy (and easier/cheaper) if you're using phone data to access the web, if you're in a dodgy wifi zone or if your phone battery dies (yes, that was me in 2021).
We get dozens of emails every day asking for information about following the Tour de France – I always tell them to get a copy of the official race guide to make planning easier.
The guide has lots of info that can help you plan your trip. While it is published too early to include all road closure information (see this page for that), having all the stage information in one place is really handy. It basically replicates the official TDF website but in a much more easily digestible format and in more detail.
Each stage is profiled with a map that helps you put key cols and stage towns into perspective, and to see clearly where access roads may be. The pullout map then gives a full overview of how the stages interact.
Those UK links again ...
1) The Standard Edition of the Official Tour de France 2024 Race Guide (UK/English). It costs £11.99. You can buy it here.
2) The Premium Edition of the Official Tour de France 2024 Race Guide (UK/English). It costs £17.99. You can buy it here.
This guide SELLS OUT EVERY YEAR, often weeks before the Tour. If you are thinking of watching the Tour de France in person, you should order a copy as soon as it's released.
