Watch Tour de France Femmes 2026 live streams from anywhere in the world as the prestigious stage race returns for its fifth edition across the first nine days of August.
The race begins on Saturday, August 1, in Lausanne as the Grand Depart is held in Switzerland for the first time, before ending in Nice the following weekend.
Tour de France Femmes: Need to Know
This year’s route looks harder than ever, with a total distance of 1,175km and 18,275m of climbing, so whoever is wearing the yellow jersey after Stage 9 will have truly earned their achievement. Defending champion Pauline Ferrand-Prevot is looking to become the first person to win back-to-back titles, but Giro d’Italia winner Demi Vollering will be among those trying to take her crown.
Widely considered the most prestigious event on the UCI Women’s World Tour calendar, the Tour de France Femmes is back for another year.
The race begins in Lausanne on Saturday, August 1, with Stage 2 ending in Geneva the following day. The race heads into France from Stage 4, beginning with an individual time trial and featuring a summit finish up Mont Ventoux on Stage 7, before the finale in Nice on Sunday, August 9.
There are plenty of stars to watch out for alongside Ferrand-Prevot and Vollering, including 2024 winner Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney, Puck Pieterse and Cedrine Kerbaol.
Below, Cycling Weekly has gathered all the key information on broadcasters and live streams so you can watch the Tour de France Femmes wherever you are.
Quick guide to watching the Tour de France Femmes
Can I watch the Tour de France Femmes for free?
Fans in Australia, France, Italy, Belgium, Spain and the Netherlands can watch the Tour de France Femmes for free.
In Australia, the race is being shown on TV and online by SBS, the country’s public service broadcaster. Streaming is available at SBS On Demand, with linear viewing available on SBS Viceland.
In France itself, the Tour de France will also be shown live via host broadcaster France Télévisions, with the action primarily on France 2 and online via France.TV.
You can also watch for free in Italy through RAI Play online, in Belgium on RTL and VRT, in Spain on RTVE, and in the Netherlands on NOS.
Coverage is geo-restricted, so if you’re not in any of these countries right now, and these channels are your usual port of call, you’ll need a VPN to get your usual coverage while abroad – more on that below.
How to watch the Tour de France Femmes while abroad
Most streaming platforms have geo-restrictions these days, which means they only work in certain countries. But being locked out of the races is a thing of the past thanks to a VPN.
A Virtual Private Network is a piece of internet security software that can alter your device’s location, so you can unblock your usual streaming services, even when you’re abroad.
How to watch the Tour de France Femmes in the UK
In the UK, the race will be shown live across TNT Sports and HBO Max.
Live streaming is available on HBO Max, with linear viewing on TNT Sports. Plans start at £25.99 per month, with rolling subscriptions available at £30.99.
Unfortunately, Channel 5 will not be showing highlights of the women’s Tour de France, as they did for the men’s edition. This will change in 2027, when the channel is set to return with highlights coverage of the race.
How to watch the Tour de France Femmes in the US and Canada
For US viewers, this year’s coverage of the Tour de France Femmes is going to be on NBC and Peacock
Both outlets come from the same NBCUniversal stable, with NBC available on many cable packages and Peacock – which is set to show all nine stages live – on a pay per month basis. It’ll cost you $10.99/month.
In Canada, Flobikes is in charge of broadcasting the Tour de France. Subscriptions cost CA$49.99 a month, with big savings for long-term plans. The Flobikes TV app is available on Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast and Apple TV, as well as on iOS and Android.
How to watch Tour de France Femmes in Australia
In Australia, you can watch every stage of the Tour de France Femmes for free via SBS On Demand.
All you will need is an account with a valid Australian postcode (e.g. 2034).
What to expect at the Tour de France Femmes
The Tour de France Femmes 2026 will mark the fifth edition of the prestigious stage race, which has rapidly established itself as the centrepiece of the UCI Women’s WorldTour calendar. This year’s route covers 1,175km, beginning in Lausanne and finishing in Nice, with nine consecutive days of racing and no rest days to test the peloton from start to finish.
After an opening weekend around the shores of Lake Geneva, with Stage 1 and Stage 2 both starting and finishing in Lausanne and Geneva respectively, the race begins to intensify on Stage 3 with a demanding finish in Poligny. The stage features the Category One Col de la Faucille (11.4km at 6.3%) among a series of climbs that will provide the first major test of the general classification contenders.
Stage 4 sees the race cross into France with a 21km individual time trial from Gevrey-Chambertin to Dijon, the first time the discipline has featured on the Tour for two years. The battle for the yellow jersey then moves into the mountains, with Stage 5 opening the climbing phase before the iconic summit finish on Mont Ventoux arrives on Stage 7 at an altitude of 1,910m.
The penultimate stage sees the riders tackle a gradual ascent to the Col de Toutes Aures before a technical descent into Nice, setting up a decisive final day on Sunday, August 9. Stage 9 covers 99.2km and features four ascents of the Col d’Eze before the race concludes on the Mediterranean coast.
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot made history in 2025 by becoming the first French rider to win the Tour de France Femmes, and the Team Visma | Lease a Bike star will return in 2026 aiming to become the first rider to claim multiple victories in the race.
Standing in her way will be a strong field of contenders, including FDJ United-SUEZ rider Demi Vollering, winner of the 2023 edition, and 2024 champion Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney of Canyon-SRAM, both of whom will be looking to reclaim the yellow jersey.
2026 Tour de France Femmes stage start and finish times
|
Stage |
Date |
Start |
Finish |
Distance |
Terrain |
Start time |
Est. finish time |
|
Stage 1 |
Saturday, August 1 |
Lausanne |
Lausanne |
138km |
Flat |
1:15pm BST / 8:15am EST |
4:44pm BST / 11:44am EST |
|
Stage 2 |
Sunday, August 2 |
Aigle |
Geneva |
147.9km |
Flat |
1:20pm BST / 8:20am EST |
4:47pm BST / 11:47am EST |
|
Stage 3 |
Monday, August 3 |
Geneva |
Poligny |
156.5km |
Hilly |
12:25pm BST / 7:25am EST |
4:40pm BST / 11:40am EST |
|
Stage 4 |
Tuesday, August 4 |
Gevrey-Chambertin |
Dijon |
21km |
ITT |
1:34pm BST / 8:34am EST |
4:55pm BST / 11:55am EST |
|
Stage 5 |
Wednesday, August 5 |
Macon |
Belleville-en-Beaujolais |
140km |
Hilly |
12:45pm BST / 7:45am EST |
4:41pm BST / 11:41 EST |
|
Stage 6 |
Thursday, August 6 |
Montbrison |
Tournon-sur-Rhone |
153.4km |
Hilly |
12:35pm BST / 7:35am EST |
4:41pm BST / 11:41 EST |
|
Stage 7 |
Friday, August 7 |
La Voulte-sur-Rhone |
Mont Ventoux |
146.8km |
Mountain |
11:50am BST / 6:50am EST |
4:17pm BST / 11:17am EST |
|
Stage 8 |
Saturday, August 8 |
Sisteron |
Nice |
171.9km |
Flat |
12:40pm BST / 7:40am EST |
4:43pm BST / 11:43am EST |
|
Stage 9 |
Sunday, August 9 |
Nice |
Nice |
99.2km |
Mountain |
3:05pm BST / 10:05am EST |
5:51pm BST / 12:51pm EST |
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