Streaming platform Netflix has released the second season of its first-of-its-kind documentary series about the Tour de France. It will came out 11 June at 08:00 in the UK. This equates to 03:00 US east coast time, midnight on the US west coast, and 17:00 in Sydney, Australia.
Titled 'Tour de France: Unchained', or 'Tour de France: Au cœur du peloton' ('Inside the peloton') in French, here's everything you need to know about it.
The big news is that this year's series features Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) and Mark Cavendish (Astana-Qazaqstan) as well as the stars of season one.
What is it?
Tour de France: Unchained is the second season of a Netflix documentary series that tells the story of the 2023 Tour de France.
The initial news of its production came in March 2022, with camera crews then embedding within seven teams at the race. Created as part of a joint venture between Quadbox and Box to Box Films, the makers of F1: Drive to Survive, the series offers exclusive, behind-the-scenes access to the highs and lows of the Tour de France. France Télévisions also contributed to the production.
The second season consists of eight episodes, each lasting around 40 minutes. Below is a chart of the episode titles, and which teams they are focused on. However, it is less structured than last year, so most episodes contain many different narratives.
What's it like?
Our very own Adam Becket reviewed the first season, concluding: "It's a thrilling watch for both those who know cycling, and those who are new to the sport. It might prove too general for the committed fan, but there is something for everyone."
"There are flaws, with the absence of Pogačar the biggest, and it appearing surface level at times," he writes. "However, professional cycling is a confusing sport, and Unchained does an excellent job of breaking down the barriers to entry to show just how enthralling it is."
Who's involved?
It was originally understood that eight teams had given exclusive access to Netflix camera crews for the series. These were: AG2R Citroën, Alpecin-Deceuninck, Bora-Hansgrohe, EF Education-EasyPost, Groupama-FDJ, Ineos Grenadiers, Jumbo-Visma and Soudal Quick-Step.
Netflix’s Tour de France: Unchained's second season also includes Tadej Pogačar of UAE Team Emirates and Mark Cavendish of Astana-Qazaqstan. The UAE team are featured quite heavily, in an update from the first season.
As part of the series, the teams’ managers have undergone sit-down interviews, much like those in the F1: Drive to Survive episodes. These include Groupama-FDJ's Marc Madiot and EF Education-EasyPost's Jonathan Vaughters.
A number of journalists, working across various outlets around the world, have also been interviewed for the series. Among them is Eurosport presenter Orla Chennaoui, who revealed her involvement on her Instagram page.
What do we already know about it?
The producers of the series released a teaser trailer for the second season last month. In it, questions over doping and "scandals" appeared, as well as lots of footage of crashes.
A clip shows last year’s winner, Jonas Vingegaard, walking to his team bus while a narrator speaks of "scandal", before a second clip shows the recently retired Thibaut Pinot being asked if he thinks an unnamed rider is doping.
Of course, the story of the race, won by Jumbo-Visma’s Vingegaard, will already be well known to cycling fans.
When will it be released?
The series has been available to stream on Netflix on 11 June. This came a week after the Critérium du Dauphiné, the key precursor stage race to the Tour.
Unchained is available in 190 territories, and was released at 08:00 in the UK. This equates to 03:00 US east coast time, midnight on the US west coast, and 17:00 in Sydney, Australia.
You can access it here on Netflix's website.
How much did it cost?
According to reports, for the first season, Netflix covered the production costs of €8 million to make the series, paying a total of €1 million to the different parties involved. The participating teams are understood to have been given around €62,000 each.
Will there be a third season?
It is unknown at this stage whether there will be a third season, covering the 2024 race, but it should be pretty clear to judge come the Tour de France, with the camera crews standing out by each team taking part. It is therefore unknown which teams and riders will be taking part.
Have Netflix produced Tour de France documentaries before?
Tour de France: Unchained is Netflix’s first official docuseries about the French Grand Tour.
The streaming platform has, however, produced three seasons of a fly-on-the-wall series about the Movistar team, titled ‘The Least Expected Day’, covering the squad’s 2019, 2020 and 2021 seasons.
Similar docuseries have been made about WorldTour teams Soudal Quick-Step, Jumbo-Visma and SD Worx for Amazon Prime.
