Cycling’s biggest race, Le Tour de France starts on Saturday, July 2 at the famous Mont-Saint-Michel on the west coast of France. Here’s your guide to finding a Tour de France live stream if you’re in Australia
Over 21 stages, the best riders in the world will battle for the ultimate prize in cycling – the yellow jersey which is awarded to the fastest man across the whole course.
Up for grabs as well will be the green jersey for the best sprinter, the white jersey for the best young rider and the polka dot jersey for the best mountain rider.
The last stage, as has become custom with the Tour is a short parade like stage, this year on Sunday, July 24 at just 113 kilometres into Paris.
With the race being in France, it does mean the times are less than fantastic for Australians. As an average, stages will finish shortly after 1am (AEST).
This year’s course will see a grand total of 3,535 kilometres raced, with brief ventures into Spain, Andorra and Switzerland.
Also on this year’s route is a finish on top of the famous Mont Ventoux and five summit finishes throughout the race as Chris Froome attempts to defend his crown.
SBS also have their own online streaming methods, allowing you to watch the Tour de France for free through whichever device you have available.
If you are on mobile or tablet, then the answer will be the SBS Tour Tracker app. This is available through both the Apple and Google play stores for free, and will give live video of the race – often starting before TV coverage begins, as well as analysis of the race.
On a PC or laptop, you will have to use Cycling Central to stream the race live.
The Roar will also be providing a live blog of every single stage from the race.
SBS will once again carry live coverage of every single stage from the Tour de France in Australia and will be the only option on TV.
Their coverage of the race is quite thorough with a team on the ground in France, and a mix of commentators expected to include the famous Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwin, along with Giro d’Italia favourites Robbie McEwen and Matthew Keenan.
Their coverage will start on most nights around 10pm (AEST), although this could be earlier or later depending on the stage. You will need to check local TV guides for this information. Their coverage will run all the way to the end of the stage where there will be a wrap up.
SBS will also show highlights of race each and every day from around 5pm (AEST) in an hour long package. A full stage replay will also be available during the day, normally from 1pm (AEST).
Stage number | Date | Stage type | Start | Finish | Distance |
1 | Sat July 2 | Flat | Mont-Saint-Michel | Utah Beach Sainte-Marie-du-Mont | 188km |
2 | Sun July 3 | Flat | Saint-Lô | Cherbourg-en-Cotentin | 183km |
3 | Mon July 4 | Flat | Granville | Angers | 223.5km |
4 | Tue July 5 | Flat | Saumur | Limoges | 237.5km |
5 | Wed July 6 | Mountain | Limoges | Le Lioran | 216km |
6 | Thu July 7 | Flat | Arpajon-sur-Cère | Montauban | 190.5km |
7 | Fri July 8 | Mountain | L’Isle-Jourdain | Lac de Payolle | 162.5km |
8 | Sat July 9 | Mountain | Pau | Bagnères-de-Luchon | 184km |
9 | Sun July 10 | Mountain | Vielha Val d’Aran | Andorre Arcalis | 184.5km |
Rest Day | Mon July 11 | Andorre | N/A | ||
10 | Tue July 12 | Hilly | Escaldes-Engordany | Revel | 197km |
11 | Wed July 13 | Flat | Carcassonne | Montpellier | 162.5km |
12 | Thu July 14 | Mountain | Montpellier | Mont Ventoux | 184km |
13 | Fri July 15 | Individual Time Trial | Bourg-Saint-Andéol | La Caverne du Pont-d’Arc | 37.5km |
14 | Sat July 16 | Flat | Montélimar | Villars-les-Dombes Parc des Oiseaux | 208.5km |
15 | Sun July 17 | Mountain | Bourg-en-Bresse | Culoz | 160km |
16 | Mon July 18 | Flat | Moirans-en-Montagne | Berne | 209km |
Rest Day | Tue July 19 | Berne | N/A | ||
17 | Wed July 20 | Mountain | Berne | Finhaut-Emosson | 184.5km |
18 | Thu July 21 | Individual Time Trial | Sallanches | Megève | 17km |
19 | Fri July 22 | Mountain | Albertville | Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc | 146km |
20 | Sat July 23 | Mountain | Megève | Morzine-Avoriaz | 146.5km |
21 | Sun July 24 | Flat | Chantilly | Paris Champs-Élysées | 113km |