How to watch Tour de France 2025 for free

The 2025 Tour de France is set to begin on Saturday, July 5, with its Grand Départ in Lille Métropole. This year’s edition returns to a 100% French route for the first time in five years, offering riders a challenging blend of flat sprints, punishing climbs, and technical time trials across 21 stages.

Stage 1 kicks off at 1:10 PM local time (7:10 AM ET), promising an intense start as the peloton rolls out from northern France.

In this guide, we’ll cover how to stream the Tour de France live from anywhere – whether you’re watching on free French channels or premium platforms like Peacock and ITV. You’ll also learn how to use a VPN to unlock coverage if it’s blocked in your location.

How to watch Tour de France for free

1. Choose a VPN provider – I consistently get the best results using NordVPN, which is currently discounted.
2. Connect to a server in a country where the Tour is officially broadcast (for free) – for example, the UK.
3. Open your streaming app of choice – ITVX is ideal for free streaming
4. Click on the live stream and enjoy the race!

Why you need a VPN to stream the Tour de France

ITVX, the UK’s official broadcaster, also holds exclusive rights to stream the Tour de France for free. However, it’s only accessible from within the UK. If you're abroad, you won’t be able to access ITVX or other geo-restricted platforms like Peacock Premium (in the US) unless you use a VPN to change your virtual location.

A VPN lets you connect to a US server, making it appear as though you’re browsing from within the country. This gives you full access to ITVX or Peacock Premium’s live coverage, highlights, and exclusive content, no matter where you actually are.

Free streaming options for Tour de France 2025

Here’s how you can stream the 2025 Tour de France for free using official broadcasters from around the world. These services are geo-restricted, but you can access them by connecting to a VPN server in the corresponding country.

Streaming service	Country	Language	Coverage	VPN server to use
ITVX	UK	English	Full live stream	UK
SBS	Australia	English	Live race coverage & highlights	Australia
ARD/Sportschau	Germany	German	Livestream of all stages	Germany
NOS	Netherlands	Dutch	Full live stream	Netherlands
France TV	France	French	Full live broadcast	France

My top 3 VPNs for watching Tour de France

• NordVPN – consistently rated the fastest and most reliable, with a global network of over 7700 servers.
• Surfshark – delivers excellent performance and unlimited connections, all at a very wallet‑friendly price, thanks to its 3200 servers.
• IPVanish – user‑friendly, dependable, and backed by more than 2400 servers, great for straightforward streaming.

Tour de France 2025 overview

The 2025 Tour de France is the 112th edition of cycling's most prestigious stage race. This year, the entire event takes place within France for the first time since 2020, covering 3,320 km over 21 stages from July 5 to July 27. The race starts in Lille and finishes on the iconic Champs-Élysées in Paris.

The route features a mix of 7 flat stages, 6 hilly stages, 6 mountain stages (with 5 summit finishes), and 2 individual time trials. Major climbs include the legendary Col du Tourmalet, Mont Ventoux, and a high-altitude finish at Courchevel Col de la Loze, the highest point of the race at 2,304 meters.

Stage	Date	Start > Finish	Type	Distance
1	Sat 07/05	Lille Métropole > Lille Métropole	Flat	184.9 km
2	Sun 07/06	Lauwin-Planque > Boulogne-sur-Mer	Hilly	209.1 km
3	Mon 07/07	Valenciennes > Dunkerque	Flat	178.3 km
4	Tue 07/08	Amiens Métropole > Rouen	Hilly	174.2 km
5	Wed 07/09	Caen > Caen	Individual Time Trial	33 km
6	Thu 07/10	Bayeux > Vire Normandie	Hilly	201.5 km
7	Fri 07/11	Saint-Malo > Mûr-de-Bretagne Guerlédan	Hilly	197 km
8	Sat 07/12	Saint-Méen-le-Grand > Laval Espace Mayenne	Flat	171.4 km
9	Sun 07/13	Chinon > Châteauroux	Flat	174.1 km
10	Mon 07/14	Ennezat > Le Mont-Dore Puy de Sancy	Mountain	165.3 km
Rest 1	Tue 07/15	Toulouse	Rest Day	—
11	Wed 07/16	Toulouse > Toulouse	Flat	156.8 km
12	Thu 07/17	Auch > Hautacam	Mountain	180.6 km
13	Fri 07/18	Loudenvielle > Peyragudes	Individual Time Trial	10.9 km
14	Sat 07/19	Pau > Luchon-Superbagnères	Mountain	182.6 km
15	Sun 07/20	Muret > Carcassonne	Hilly	169.3 km
Rest 2	Mon 07/21	Montpellier	Rest Day	—
16	Tue 07/22	Montpellier > Mont Ventoux	Mountain	171.5 km
17	Wed 07/23	Bollène > Valence	Flat	160.4 km
18	Thu 07/24	Vif > Courchevel Col de la Loze	Mountain	171.5 km
19	Fri 07/25	Albertville > La Plagne	Mountain	129.9 km
20	Sat 07/26	Nantua > Pontarlier	Hilly	184.2 km
21	Sun 07/27	Mantes-la-Ville > Paris Champs-Élysées	Flat	132.3 km

Watch TDF with NordVPN

Top 10 Tour de France contenders

The top 10 contenders for the 2025 Tour de France are shaped by recent results, past Tour performances, and current form. The race is widely expected to be a battle between the two dominant riders of recent years, but several other stars are legitimate podium threats.

Rider	Team	Credentials & recent form
Tadej Pogačar	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	Defending champion (2020, 2021, 2024); won Giro, Worlds, Dauphiné in 2024; top favorite.
Jonas Vingegaard	Visma-Lease a Bike	Tour winner 2022, 2023; 2nd in 2024; strong return at Dauphiné after injury.
Remco Evenepoel	Soudal Quick-Step	3rd in 2024 Tour; time trial specialist; strong in mountains; determined to improve.
Primož Roglič	Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe	Five-time Grand Tour winner; new team; always a GC threat.
João Almeida	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	Key Pogačar domestique; Tour de Suisse winner; could podium if given freedom.
Adam Yates	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	Consistent climber; 3rd in 2023 Tour; strong support for Pogačar, but a podium outsider.
Carlos Rodríguez	INEOS Grenadiers	Young Spanish climber; 5th in 2023 Tour; improving each year.
Simon Yates	Visma-Lease a Bike	Giro d’Italia 2025 winner; strong support for Vingegaard, but a GC outsider.
David Gaudu	Groupama-FDJ	French hope; 4th in 2022 Tour; consistent climber.
Tom Pidcock	INEOS Grenadiers	Versatile; stage winner; outside chance for GC if he focuses on it.