The most challenging test of endurance in the world of sports, and most popular bicycle race every year is the Tour de France. Watching the Tour de France is an extremely thrilling experience for both cycling and non-cycling fans. The three week event is broadcast on TV, with different stages attracting different audiences. The biggest crowds gather during the mountain stages and in Paris, on the final day. In fact the event is covered by close to 100 TV channels, and is said to attract a global tourism audience of over 40 million.
While there are many channels that broadcast the event on TV, there are still many fans who prefer to keep track of their favorite cyclist or team online. Fortunately, there are a few places where you can watch Tour de France online, including the following:
NBC Sports LiveExtra
Live Extra is an NBC Sports Network service that is offered via participating cable, telco TV and satellite providers that grants fans access to NBC Sports coverage of live events broadcast on NBC and NBCSports Network. So, cycling fans can access the Tour de France live stream by going to NBCSports.com/LiveExtra or downloading the Live Extra mobile device app for Android and iOS.
However, it is important that broadcasting regulations also apply to NBC, which means that their sports content can only be offered online in the US and US territories. As such, fans outside these regions cannot access the Tour de France live stream, though they can still view event clips, expert commentary and Tour de France highlights, which do not require a Pay TV subscription.
Additionally, all Tour de France live coverage is usually archived and made available on-demand for a limited amount of time, so if you do not mind watching the replay, this would be a nice way to watch the event in HD.
Steephill TV
This is one of the best ways to follow the Tour de France from your PC from anywhere in the world. The site offers coverage of each stage, standings, pictures, 3D tours, interactive maps, and street view of each stage, to make you feel like you are part of the race. Steephill allows fans to watch the live stream by offering a list of TV and online coverage of the race, so that it is easier to find free or paid options for your area. New live coverage options are listed before the event starts. Popular TV and online links include:
- Versus – for live coverage and night rebroadcasts on TV in the US
- ITV4 – for live coverage of the race, daily highlights, and comprehensive previews in the UK
- J Sports – for live video in Japan
- RTVE – for live TV and online streaming of the Tour de France in Spain
- Eurosport – for live TV and online coverage
Some links are also shared on Daily Motion and Sport Lemon websites. It is important to note that US fans can use an English proxy server to access live coverage of the Tour de France on ITV4.
Cyclingfans.com
Like Steephill TV, Cycling fans provides a list of pirated streams where you can watch the Tour de France live online, depending on your region. The site also offers lots of other information about the race, like news, schedules, maps, stages, photography, videos, results, highlights, and of course, links for live video streaming, live audio streaming, and live internet radio for this exciting race.
VIPBOX Sports
This is an awesome place to go if you have no way to watch the Tour de France event. The site offers a variety of sports from basketball, football, baseball to horse racing and cycling. It offers both major and minor sports from around the world, which means that VipBox will most likely have a channel that is streaming the Tour de France live, when the event is on. When you arrive at the site, select cycling, and you will be provided with a list of ongoing and upcoming games. If the race is going on, click on it to reveal the different channels for viewing. You can select any link to start viewing, but you need to get past the ads first.
SBS – Special Broadcasting Service
This is an Australian multilingual and multicultural broadcasting service for ethnic communities that was established in 1978. It provides TV, radio and online programming on a variety of fields, including sports. As part of its online sport offering, SBS hosts different comprehensive sports sites, including Cycling Central, The World Game, and Speedweek.
Cycling Central allows SBS to offer race highlights, exclusive web video shows, interviews, the latest news, and Tour de France live coverage. SBS also offers coverage of other special events like Paris-Roubaix, Vuelta d’Espana, Giro d’Italia, and Tour Down Under, though the live feed is restricted to Australians.
SBS mobile Device app – Tour de France Tour Tracker
SBS also offers an Android and iOS mobile app known as the Skoda Tour Tracker, to allow fans to follow the Tour de France event on the go. The app offers in-depth access and analysis of just about every aspect of this exciting cycling race, as well as live video and GPS tracking, so you can be part of the action irrespective of where you are.
While the Tour de France live video streaming and GPS tracking features are limited to only Australians in Australia, fans in the US and other parts of the world can enjoy other features like video recaps of each stage, professional photography of the race each day, daily results and overall standings, breaks, chases and time gaps during the race, rider and team listings with profiles, rider search option by name, team or country, and stage previews comprising map, profile, description, and details of Sprint lines.
Eurosport
Fans from the UK and other European nations can access Tour de France live coverage from Eurosport.com, or Yahoo Eurosport. You will be able to see all upcoming events within a 24 hour window and the results for each race, as well as other information like teams, stages, standings, map, news, videos, and reports on previous winners. If you are outside the viewing region, you may have to use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) like Witopia to get an IP address originating in Europe.
The official site for the Tour de France is www.letour.fr, where you can find all information about the race, riders, teams, maps, stages, and anything else. There are a few other sites where you can watch the race online, like Rai TV (Italian) and NOS (Netherlands). However, like other sites from different countries, the live coverage is not accessible in the US. So, make sure you access such sites using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to get an IP address for that country, while ensuring your online privacy.