The Tour de France 2026 will begin on Saturday 4 July in Barcelona, as Tadej Pogaar and Jonas Vingegaard once again fight it out for the yellow jersey.The race begins with a team time trial in Spain, before the race enters France on stage three, with five mountain ranges, punchy days, sprint opportunities, and an individual time trial on the route.Tour de France: Free StreamsFree Streams: SBS (Australia), France TV (France), RAI (Italy) RTBF (Belgium), RTVE (Spain), NOS (Netherlands)Watch Anywhere: Unlock your free stream with NordVPN (75% off)For many riders and fans alike, the Tour is the season's peak the biggest stage where the greatest stars challenge each other over some of cycling's most legendary battlefields.The race enters the Pyrenees as early as stage three. Following that mountain range the race heads north to Bordeaux before cutting diagonally across the country, through the Massif Central, onto the Vosges, before heading down into the Alps and two stage finishes up Alpe d'Huez.Alongside Pogaar and Vingegaard, Tom Pidcock, Paul Seixas, Remco Evenepoel and Mathieu van der Poel are among the stars to watch over the three weeks of the French Grand Tour.Below, Cycling Weekly has gathered all the key information on broadcasters and live streams so you can watch the Tour de France wherever you are.Quick guide to watching the Tour de FranceUK: TNT Sports /HBO Max (30.99/mon)US: Peacock ($10.99/mon)Canada: Flobikes ($49.99/mon)Australia: SBS (Free)Free live streams: SBS (Australia), France TV (France), RAI (Italy) RTBF (Belgium), RTVE (Spain), NOS (Netherlands)Anywhere: Watch your local stream from anywhere with NordVPNCan I watch the Tour de France for free?Fans in Australia, France, Belgium, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands can watch the Tour de France for free.In Australia, the race is being shown on TV and online by SBS, the country's public service broadcaster. Streaming is available at SBS On Demand, with linear viewing available on SBS Viceland.In France itself, the Tour de France will also be shown live via host broadcaster France Tlvisions, with the action on France 2 or France 3 and online via France.TV.In Italy through RAI Play online, in Belgium on RTL and VRT, in Spain on RTVE, and in the Netherlands on NOS are also all free.Coverage is geo-restricted, so if you're not in any of these countries right now, and these channels are your usual port of call, you'll need a VPN to get your usual coverage while abroad more on that below.How to watch the Tour de France while abroadMost streaming platforms have geo-restrictions these days, which means they only work in certain countries. But being locked out of the races is a thing of the past thanks to a VPN.A Virtual Private Network is a piece of internet security software that can alter your device's location, so you can unblock your usual streaming services, even when you're abroad. Unlock your Tour de France stream with NordVPNWith super fast connections, multi-device support and able to unlock any platform, NordVPN is our favourite for streaming. 30-day money back guarantee 3 months extra free 75% offGet NordVPN today and unlock your streaming service from anywhere in the world.View Deal Should I use a VPN to watch cycling? Explaining the benefits, costs, considerations, and best VPNs for streaming the racesHow to watch the Tour de France in the UKIn the UK, the race will be shown live across TNT Sports and HBO Max. Live streaming is available on HBO Max, with linear viewing on TNT Sports. Plans start at 25.99 per month, with rolling subscriptions available at 30.99.However, if you just want to watch highlights, these will be on free-to-air channel 5 every evening, as part of a new deal.How to watch the Tour de France in the US and CanadaFor US viewers, this year's coverage of the Tour de France is going to be on NBC and PeacockBoth outlets come from the same NBCUniversal stable, with NBC available on many cable packages and Peacock which is set to show all 21 stages live on a pay per month basis. It'll cost you $7.99, or you can go ad-free for $13.99.Meanwhile, in Canada, Flobikes is in charge of broadcasting the Tour de France in Canada. Subscriptions cost CA$39.99 a month, with big savings for long-term plans. The Flobikes TV app is available on Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast and Apple TV, as well as on iOS and Android.What to expect at the Tour de FranceThe Tour de France 2026 will be the 113th edition of what most bike racing fans view as the greatest bike race in the world. It will cover 3,333km over the course of three weeks and 21 stages with two rest days along the way.Starting on Saturday 4 July, the French Grand Tour begins in Barcelona with a team time trial, and then another lumpy stage in Spain, before it heads north to France to finish stage three in the Pyrenees.From there, the race deals with the Pyrenees early, then cuts through the Massif Central up to the Vosges, then through the Jura to the Alps, where there is a showdown on Alpe d'Huez with two stages back-to-back on the antepenultimate and penultimate days. The race ends on Sunday 26 July in Paris with a repeat of the Montmartre circuit which was such a success last year.There are multiple contenders for the famous yellow jersey, but Tadej Pogaar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) stands above them all. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) will attempt to the do the double after he won the Giro d'Italia in May. Remco Evenepoel is back, but with a new team in Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe, where he will share leadership with last year's third-place, Florian Lipowitz, while the hopes of France hinge on the success of 19-year-old Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM).In between all those, there's a hatful of sprinters, puncheurs, and climbers who will be hoping to make their mark with a stage win.2026 Tour de France stage start and finish timesStageDateStartFinishDistanceTerrainStart timeEst. finish timeStage 14 JulyBarcelonaBarcelona19km TTT4:05pm BST / 11:05am EST6:16pm BST / 1:16pm EST Stage 25 JulyTarragoneBarcelona182kmHilly12:45pm BST / 7:45am EST4:26pm BST / 11:26am ESTStage 36 JulyGranollersLes Angles196kmMountains11:10am BST / 6:10am ES3:54pm BST / 10:54am ESTStage 47 JulyCarcassonneFoix182kmMountains12:10pm BST / 7:10am EST 4:23pm BST / 11:23am ESTStage 58 JulyLannemezanPau158kmFlat1:05pm BST / 8:05am EST4:37pm BST / 11:37am ESTStage 69 JulyPauGavarnie-Gdre186kmMountains11:25am BST / 6:25am EST 4:29pm BST / 11:29am ESTStage 710 JulyHagetmauBordeaux175kmFlat12:15pm BST / 7:15am EST4:13pm BST / 11:13am ESTStage 811 JulyPrigueuxBergerac182kmFlat12:15pm BST / 7:15am EST4:20pm BST / 11:20am ESTStage 912 JulyMalemortUssel185kmHilly12:35pm BST / 7:35am EST4:47pm BST / 11:47am ESTRest dayStage 1014 JulyAurillacLe lioran167kmMountain12:10pm BST / 7:10am EST4:10pm BST / 11:10am ESTStage 1115 JulyVichyNevers161kmFlat1:05pm BST / 8:05am EST4:40pm BST / 11:40am ESTStage 1216 JulyCircuit Nevers Magny-CoursChalon-sur-Sane181kmFlat12:40pm BST / 7:40am EST4:40pm BST / 11:40am ESTStage 1317 JulyDoleBelfort205kmHilly12:20pm BST / 7:20am EST5pm BST / 12pm ESTStage 1418 JulyMulhouseLe Markstein Fellering155kmMountain12:30pm BST / 7:30am EST4:40pm BST / 11:40am ESTStage 1519 JulyChampagnolePlateau de Solaison184kmMountain12:20pm BST / 7:20am EST4:55pm BST / 11:55am ESTRest dayStage 1621 JulyEvian les BiansThonon-les-Bains26kmITT12pm BST / 7am EST4:50pm BST / 11:50am ESTStage 1722 JulyChamberyVoiron175kmFlat 12:35pm BST / 7:35am EST4:28pm BST / 11:28am ESTStage 1823 JulyVoironOrcires-Merlettee185kmMountain11:50am BST / 6:50am EST4:25pm BST / 11:25am ESTStage 1924 JulyGapAlpe d'Huez128kmMountain1:15pm BST / 8:15am EST4:34pm BST / 11:34am ESTStage 2025 July Le Bourg d'oisainsAlpe d'Huez171kmMountain10:30am BST / 5:30am EST3:29pm BST / 10:29am ESTStage 2126 JulyThioryParis Champs-lyses130kmFlat3:25pm BST / 10:25am EST6:40pm BST / 1:40pm ESTStageDayStartFinishDistanceEstimated stage times (CET)18 MayNessebar Burgas147km13:40-17:0529 MayBurgasVeliko Tarnavo221km12:00-17:02310 MayPlovdivSofia175km13:05-17:02Rest Day11 May412 MayCatanzaroCozenza138km13:40-17:03513 MayPraiaa MarePotenza203km12:15-17:00614 MayPaestumNapoli142km12:45-17:04715 May FormiaBlockhaus244km10:50-16:53816 MayChietiFermo156km13:15-17:04917 MayCerviaCorno alle Scale184km12:35-17:00Rest Day18 May10 (ITT)19 MayViareggioMassa42km13:15-17:141120 MayPorcariChiavari195km12:35-17:021221 May ImperiaNovi Ligure175km13:00-17:011322 MayAlessandriaVerbania189km12:40-17:001423 MayAostaPila133km12:55-16:581524 MayVogheraMilano157km14:00-17:07Rest Day25 May1626 MayBellinzonaCar113km13:45-17:011727 MayCassano d'AddaAndalo202km12:10-17:001828 MayFai della PaganellaPieve di Soligo171km13:15-17:041929 MayFeltreAlleghe151km12:30-16:542030 MayGemona del Friuli 1979-2026Piancavallo200km11:00-15:592131 MayRomaRoma131km15:25-18:36We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. 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