It's getting mighty tense as the last few stages of the 2022 Tour de France roll by. Time is running out for defending champion Tadej Pogačar to scissor Jonas Vingegaard's two-minute lead and there are precious few UAE Team Emirates teammates left to rely on. Can the Slovenian pull something out of the bag? Will it all come down to a herculean time trial again? Here's how to watch the Tour de France 2022 and get a free live stream from anywhere.
Dates: Friday, July 1 - Sunday, July 24 (stage times below)
FREE live streams: ITV (opens in new tab) / S4C (opens in new tab) (UK) | SBS (opens in new tab) (AU) | Rai Sport (opens in new tab) (ITA) | France TV Sport (opens in new tab) (FRA) | RTBF (opens in new tab) (BEL)
Global streams: Peacock TV (opens in new tab) or USA Network via Sling TV discount (opens in new tab) / FREE fuboTV trial (opens in new tab) (US) | FloBikes (opens in new tab) (CA) | Sky Sport (NZ)
Watch anywhere: try No. 1 overall VPN 100% risk-free (opens in new tab)
With no specialist climber domestiques left, Pogačar struggled to make up the minutes he lost in the Alps in the Pyrenees. While 1580m-high stage wins are impressive, they mean less when your GC rival finishes on your wheel. Vingegaard has been imperious since he picked up the yellow jersey with his breakaway win on Stage 11 and looks an excellent bet for the overall title.
Still just 23, Pogačar will pick up the white jersey, regardless. He's as nailed on for the youth title as Wout van Aert is for green. Cofidis's Simon Geschke is almost home and hosed as King of the Mountains.
But riders can crack on the Tour de France. Take you eyes off one for a moment and they're gone. Are things really as sorted as they seem, will we see some late drama and who will take the prestigious final stage win in Paris? Whether you're after a live stream or just the evening highlights, read on for everything you need to know on how to watch the Tour de France anywhere this July.
2022 Tour de France stages and dates
- Stage 1 (ITT) - Friday, July 1 at 4pm CEST, 3pm BST, 10am ET
- Stage 2 - Saturday, July 2 at 12.10pm CEST, 11.10pm BST, 7.10am ET
- Stage 3 - Sunday, July 3 at 1.10pm CEST, 12.10pm BST, 7.10am ET
- Rest - Monday, July 4
Click to see full Tour de France stages and dates
- Stage 4 - Tuesday, July 5 at 1.15pm CEST, 12.15pm BST, 7.15am ET
- Stage 5 - Wednesday, July 6 at 1.35pm CEST, 12.35pm BST, 7.35am ET
- Stage 6 - Thursday, July 7 at 12.05m CEST, 11.05am BST, 6.05am ET
- Stage 7 - Friday, July 8 at 1.05pm CEST, 12.05pm BST, 7.05am ET
- Stage 8 - Saturday, July 9 at 1.05pm CEST, 12.05pm BST, 7.05am ET
- Stage 9 - Sunday , July 10 at 12.30pm CEST, 11.30am BST, 6.30am ET
- Rest - Monday, July 11
- Stage 10 - Tuesday, July 12 at 1.30pm CEST, 12.30pm BST, 7.30am ET
- Stage 11 - Wednesday, July 13 at 12.25pm CEST, 11.25am BST, 6.25am ET
- Stage 12 - Thursday, July 14 at 1.05pm CEST, 12.05pm BST, 7.05am ET
- Stage 13 - Friday, July 15 at 1.05pm CEST, 12.05pm BST, 7.05am ET
- Stage 14 - Saturday, July 16 at 12.15pm CEST, 11.15am BST, 6.15am ET
- Stage 15 - Sunday, July 17 at 1.05pm CEST, 12.05pm BST, 7.05am ET
- Rest - Monday, July 18
- Stage 16 - Tuesday, July 19 at 12.30pm CEST, 11.30am BST, 6.30am ET
- Stage 17 - Wednesday, July 20 at 1.15pm CEST, 12.15pm BST, 7.15am ET
- Stage 18 - Thursday, July 21 at 1.30pm CEST, 12.30pm BST, 7.30am ET
- Stage 19 - Friday, July 22 at 1.05pm CEST, 12.05am BST, 7.05am ET
- Stage 20 (ITT) - Saturday, July 23 at 1.05pm CEST, 12.05pm BST, 7.05am ET
- Stage 21 - Sunday, July 24 at 4.30pm CEST, 3.30pm BST, 10.30am ET
How to watch a FREE Tour de France live stream online
One of the best things about the Tour de France is that it's completely free to watch in lots of countries around the world. For example:
UK - ITV4 and ITV Hub streaming service (opens in new tab) / S4C and S4C on BBC iPlayer (opens in new tab)
France - France TV Sport (opens in new tab)
Belgium - RTBF (opens in new tab)
Italy - Rai Sport (opens in new tab)
Australia - SBS (opens in new tab)
If you're from any of the countries listed above but you're abroad right now, don't worry about missing out on that free coverage - all you need to do is download a VPN to watch a free Tour de France live stream (opens in new tab) and re-connect to your home streaming coverage.
How to watch Tour de France 2022 from outside your country
If you're keen to watch the Tour de France but you're away from home and the coverage is geo-blocked, then you could always use a VPN to access it (assuming you're not breaching any broadcaster T&Cs, of course). You may be surprised by how simple it is to do.
Use a VPN to get a Tour de France live stream from anywhere
Using a VPN is as easy as one-two-three...
1. Download and install a VPN - as we say, our top choice is ExpressVPN
2. Connect to the appropriate server location - open the VPN app, hit 'choose location' and select the appropriate location
3. Go to the broadcaster's live stream - so if you're from the UK, just head to ITV Hub and watch the cycling as if you were back at home!
How to watch a free Tour de France live stream in the UK
How to watch Tour de France 2022: live stream cycling FREE in Australia
How to watch 2022 Tour de France: live stream in the US without cable
- Related: how to watch Peacock from outside the US
How to watch 2022 Tour de France: live stream cycling in Canada
How to watch 2022 Tour de France: live stream cycling in New Zealand
How does the Tour de France work?
The Tour de France is the oldest - and, depending on who you ask, the most difficult and prestigious - of cycling's three Grand Tours, the other two being the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España.
This year's race is the 109th edition of the Tour, which is affectionately known as La Grande Boucle (the big loop), and unlike last year's event, which was fully contained within the borders of La République, this year's edition starts in Denmark and nips in and out of Belgium and Switzerland too.
The Tour de France is split into into 21 stages, each of which is completed every day - and there are three days set aside for the riders to rest. Stage 1 takes place on July 1 and Stage 21 is scheduled for July 24, with the breaks in the action set for July 4, July 11 and July 18 (all Mondays).
Two of the stages are individual time trials (Stages 1 and 20), during which each of the riders will race to set the fastest time, without their teammates helping out by creating slipstreams.
At the end of each daily stage, the rider who crosses the finish line first is crowned the 'Stage Winner', while the cyclist with the quickest overall time from the very start of the first day of the race gets to wear the iconic Yellow Jersey.
The overall winner of the Tour de France is the rider with the quickest time for all the stages put together. That means a rider can win the Tour de France without actually winning a single stage, as Chris Froome did in 2017.
There are several secondary competitions and prizes at stake too, including the points classification (leader indicated by a green jersey), mountains classification (polka dot jersey), young rider classification (white jersey), team classification (numbers on a yellow background rather than white), and combativity award (red bib).
How long is the 2022 Tour de France?
The 2022 Tour de France covers approximately 3,328km (2,068 miles). There are six flat stages, three hilly stages, 10 mountain stages (four of which are described as "medium" mountain stages), two individual time trials, and three rest days. For the third consecutive year, there's no team time trial.
2022 Tour de France route
The opening stage, known as the 'Grand Départ', of the 2022 Tour de France will take place in Copenhagen on July 1, while the the 21st and final stage sets off from the Paris La Défense Arena in Nanterre, and finishes in traditional style with a sprint down the Champs-Élysées in Paris on July 24.
At 220km (140 miles), the hilly Stage 6 from Binche to Longwy on July 7 is the race's longest stage, while the Stage 1 individual time trial on July 1 is the shortest, at 13km (8.1 miles).
Take a look at the full details of the 2022 Tour de France route, map and stages (opens in new tab).
Tour de France winners
- 1903 - Maurice Garin
- 1904 - Henri Cornet
- 1905 - Louis Trousselier
- 1906 - René Pottier
- 1907 - Lucien Petit-Breton
- 1908 - Lucien Petit-Breton
- 1909 - François Faber
- 1910 - Octave Lapize
- 1911 - Gustave Garrigou
- 1912 - Odile Defraye
- 1913 - Philippe Thys
- 1914 - Philippe Thys
- 1919 - Firmin Lambot
- 1920 - Philippe Thys
- 1921 - Léon Scieur
- 1922 - Firmin Lambot
- 1923 - Henri Pélissier
- 1924 - Ottavio Bottecchia
- 1925 - Ottavio Bottecchia
- 1926 - Lucien Buysse
- 1927 - Nicolas Frantz
- 1928 - Nicolas Frantz
- 1929 - Maurice De Waele
- 1930 - André Leducq
- 1931 - Antonin Magne
- 1932 - André Leducq
- 1933 - Georges Speicher
- 1934 - Antonin Magne
- 1935 - Romain Maes
- 1936 - Sylvère Maes
- 1937 - Roger Lapébie
- 1938 - Gino Bartali
- 1939 - Sylvère Maes
- 1947 - Jean Robic
- 1948 - Gino Bartali
- 1949 - Fausto Coppi
- 1950 - Ferdinand Kübler
- 1951 - Hugo Koblet
- 1952 - Fausto Coppi
- 1953 - Louison Bobet
- 1954 - Louison Bobet
- 1955 - Louison Bobet
- 1956 - Roger Walkowiak
- 1957 - Jacques Anquetil
- 1958 - Charly Gaul
- 1959 - Federico Bahamontes
- 1960 - Gastone Nencini
- 1961 - Jacques Anquetil
- 1962 - Jacques Anquetil
- 1963 - Jacques Anquetil
- 1964 - Jacques Anquetil
- 1965 - Felice Gimondi
- 1966 - Lucien Aimar
- 1967 - Roger Pingeon
- 1968 - Jan Janssen
- 1969 - Eddy Merckx
- 1970 - Eddy Merckx
- 1971 - Eddy Merckx
- 1972 - Eddy Merckx
- 1973 - Luis Ocaña
- 1974 - Eddy Merckx
- 1975 - Bernard Thévenet
- 1976 - Lucien Van Impe
- 1977 - Bernard Thévenet
- 1978 - Bernard Hinault
- 1979 - Bernard Hinaultdagger
- 1980 - Joop Zoetemelk
- 1981 - Bernard Hinault
- 1982 - Bernard Hinault
- 1983 - Laurent Fignon
- 1984 - Laurent Fignon
- 1985 - Bernard Hinault
- 1986 - Greg LeMond
- 1987 - Stephen Roche
- 1988 - Pedro Delgado
- 1989 - Greg LeMond
- 1990 - Greg LeMond
- 1991 - Miguel Indurain
- 1992 - Miguel Indurain
- 1993 - Miguel Indurain
- 1994 - Miguel Indurain
- 1995 - Miguel Indurain
- 1996 - Bjarne Riis
- 1997 - Jan Ullrich
- 1998 - Marco Pantani
- 1999 - Lance Armstrong*
- 2000 - Lance Armstrong*
- 2001 - Lance Armstrong*
- 2002 - Lance Armstrong*
- 2003 - Lance Armstrong*
- 2004 - Lance Armstrong*
- 2005 - Lance Armstrong*
- 2006 - Óscar Pereiro
- 2007 - Alberto Contador
- 2008 - Carlos Sastre
- 2009 - Alberto Contador
- 2010 - Andy Schleck
- 2011 - Cadel Evans
- 2012 - Bradley Wiggins
- 2013 - Chris Froome
- 2014 - Vincenzo Nibali
- 2015 - Chris Froome
- 2016 - Chris Froome
- 2017 - Chris Froome
- 2018 - Geraint Thomas
- 2019 - Egan Bernal
- 2020 - Tadej Pogačar
- 2021 - Tadej Pogačar