You can watch Tour de France stages 1, 2 & 3 live online and for free on ITVX in the U.K., and on SBS on Demand in Australia. A multitude of non-English-language channels are also offering free Tour de France coverage. Cycling fans in the US, meanwhile, can watch the action via Peacock, NBC and USA Network, while viewers in Canada can stream La Grande Boucle via FloBikes.
Read on and we'll show you how to watch Tour de France stages 1, 2 & 3 from anywhere with a VPN, and potentially for FREE.
Tour de France stages 1, 2 & 3 will take place on July 1, 2 & 3 (full schedule further down this page).
► U.K. — ITVX (FREE)
► Australia — SBS on Demand (FREE)
► U.S. — Peacock, NBC and USA Network
► Watch anywhere — Try ExpressVPN 100% risk free
It's the biggest race of them all but these days, the Tour de France means one thing: Tadej Pogačar vs Jonas Vingegaard. Between them the duo have won the last three editions of the race, with the Dane preventing his Slovenian nemesis from making three in a row last year, and this season both riders have been so far ahead of the pack it's been genuinely jaw-dropping.
12 months ago, it took a coordinated Team Jumbo-Visma effort to deny Pog, and UAE Emirates have responded by beefing up their squad with the additions of Adam Yates and Felix Großschartner. Pogačar and Vingegaard have only faced off once before this season, at the Paris-Nice, a duel that was won by the younger man. However, Pogačar subsequently fractured a wrist in April, which has given him plenty of resting time, but also means that Vingegaard is much more battle-ready for the Grand Départ.
Stages 1, 2 & 3 lead the peloton from Bilbao through the Basque Country to Bayonne on the south-west corner of France, and right from the get-go it's a race for the climbers rather than the sprinters. One of the best of them all, Tom Pidcock, could be another contender for the fabled yellow jersey, but time will tell whether Ineos Grenadiers want the Brit to stay in contention for the GC or go hell for leather for stage wins.
There's no such dilemma for Astana Qazaqstan's Mark Cavendish, who currently shares the record for the most ever Tour de France stage wins with the great Eddy Merckx, and could pull one clear before he hangs up his helmet for good. Here's how to watch Tour de France live streams of stages 1, 2 & 3 online from anywhere.
FREE Tour de France live streams
If you live in the U.K., Australia, France, Italy, Spain or Belgium, then you can look forward to a FREE Tour de France live stream in 2023.
That's because the free-to-air ITV4 and its ITVX streaming service in the U.K., SBS and SBS on Demand streaming service in Australia, France.TV in France, Rai Play in Italy, Teledeporte in Spain, and RTBF in Belgium all have rights to the action.
But what if you're based in one of those countries but aren't at home to catch that free Tour de France coverage? Maybe you're on holiday and don't want to spend money on pay TV in another country, when you'd usually be able to watch for free at home?
Don't worry — you can watch it via a VPN instead. We'll show you how to do that below.
Tour de France live streams around the world
It's only natural that you might want to watch a Tour de France live stream from your home country, but what if you're not there when the race is on?
Look no further than a VPN, or virtual private network. A VPN makes it look as if you're surfing the web from your home country, rather than the one you're in. That means you can access the streaming services you already pay for, from anywhere on Earth. Or anywhere that has an internet connection, at least.
For instance, a Brit who's currently in the U.S. could watch Tour de France live streams on ITVX, even though they're not in the U.K..
They're totally legal, inexpensive and easy to use. We've tested lots of the best VPN services and our favorite right now is ExpressVPN. It's fast, works on loads of devices and even offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Using a VPN is incredibly simple.
1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, ExpressVPN is our favorite.
2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance if you're in the U.S. and want to view a British service, you'd select U.K. from the list.
3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to ITVX or another website and watch Tour de France.
How to watch Tour de France live streams in the US
If you're in the U.S. you have a few options for watching Tour de France stages 1, 2 & 3. All three stages are being live streamed on Peacock. However, stage 1 is also on NBC, and stage 3 is on USA Network.
NBC can be accessed with one of the best TV antennas, while USA Network is available in some cable packages.
If you've cut the cord and don't have cable, you can watch Tour de France via several live TV services, including NBC's own Peacock, plus Sling TV and Fubo.
Of these options, we recommend Peacock: It costs just $4.99/month with ads, or $9.99 without, and includes lots more great content in addition to Tour de France live streams.
If you go the Sling TV route, you'll want Sling Blue, which is $45 per month and comes with more than 40 channels, including NBC (in select regions) and USA Network. And right now, Sling is offering $25 off your first month.
Fubo, meanwhile, costs $75 per month for 161 channels, including NBC and USA network. Sports fans will find a number of niche sports channels among its lineup.
If you already use those services but aren't in the U.S. right now, you can watch Tour de France live streams by using a good cycling VPN. And if, for whatever reason, you can't get it working, do remember that you have the comfort of a 30-day money-back guarantee with ExpressVPN.
How to watch Tour de France live streams in the UK
As explained above, every Tour de France stage is being shown for free in the U.K. courtesy of ITV and ITVX (formerly ITV Hub).
For those who prefer Welsh-language commentary, S4C is also providing free coverage of the race. This can be accessed for free via BBC iPlayer.
Alternatively, there's Discovery Plus and Eurosport, which have ad-free Tour de France coverage. As Eurosport is part of Discovery Plus, it doesn't matter one which you subscribe to.
Discovery Plus is available for £6.99/month or £59.99/year. You can sign up for Discovery Plus here, or access the service via Amazon Prime Video — and here you can get a seven-day free trial of the service. Plus, if you don't already have Amazon Prime itself, you can get a 30-day free trial of that too.
On holiday this week? Sign up to ExpressVPN or another VPN service and you'll be able to use the services you already subscribe to.
How to watch Tour de France live streams in Canada
Cycling fans in Canada can watch Tour de France on FloBikes, which costs US$150 per year.
Not at home right now? Use ExpressVPN or another VPN service to trick your device into thinking you're still in Canada.
How to watch Tour de France live streams in Australia
As you may already be aware, Aussies can watch Tour de France for free on SBS and SBS on Demand.
Not in Australia right now? You can simply use a VPN, such as ExpressVPN, to watch Tour de France on your SBS account, as if you were back home.
Tour de France 2023 route
Tour de France 2023 stages and start times
(All times ET)
Stage 1 – Sat 01/07, Bilbao (182km) – 6.30am
Stage 2 – Sun 02/07, Vitoria-Gasteiz to San Sebastián (209km) – 6.15am
Stage 3 – Mon 03/07, Amorebieta-Etxano to Bayonne (185km) – 7am
Stage 4 – Tue 04/07, Dax to Nogaro (182km) – 7.10am
Stage 5 – Wed 05/07, Pau to Laruns (165km) – 7.05am
Stage 6 – Thu 06/07, Tarbes to Cauterets (145km) – 7.10am
Stage 7 – Fri 07/07, Mont-de-Marsan to Bordeaux (170km) – 7.15am
Stage 8 – Sat 08/07, Libourne to Limoges (201km) – 6.30am
Stage 9 – Sun 09/07, Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat to Puy de Dôme (184km) – 7.30am
Rest day – 10/07
Stage 10 – Tue 11/07, Vulcania to Issoire (167km) – 7.05am
Stage 11 – Wed 12/07, Clermont-Ferrand to Moulins (180km) – 7.05am
Stage 12 – Thu 13/07, Roanne to Belleville-en-Beaujolais (166km) – 7.05am
Stage 13 – Fri 14/07, Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne to Grand Colombier (138km) – 7.45am
Stage 14 – Sat 15/07, Annemasse to Morzine (152km) – 7.05am
Stage 15 – Sun 16/07, Les Gets to Saint-Gervais-les-Bains (180km) – 7.05am
Rest day – 17/07
Stage 16 – Tue 18/07, Passy to Combloux (22km ITT) – 7.05am
Stage 17 – Wed 19/07, Saint-Gervais-les-Bains to Courchevel (166km) – 6.20am
Stage 18 – Thu 20/07, Moûtiers to Bourg-en-Bresse (186km) – 7.05am
Stage 19 – Fri 21/07, Moirans-en-Montagne to Poligny (173km) – 7.15am
Stage 20 – Sat 22/07, Belfort to Le Markstein (133km) – 7.30am
Stage 21 – Sun 23/07, Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines to Paris (115km) – 10.30am
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