7 Pro Fan Tips for First-Time Tour de France Viewers
Watching the Tour de France for the first time this year? Here are some tips to make the most of your viewing experience.
During this year’s Tour de France, new viewers will tune in for the first time ever. Will you be among them? Whether you were taken in by the drama and excitement of Netflix’s Tour de France: Unchained or simply stumbled across the broadcast on TV, you’ve joined in with one of the most exciting sporting events of the year!
Despite the excitement surrounding the Tour, the best strategy for watching can be mysterious at best.
In this article, you’ll find seven simple tips for making the most of your Tour de France viewing experience this year. We hope these handy ideas help you figure out how, where, and when to watch the race broadcast. Beyond that, they’ll help you enjoy it — and continue enjoying it even when each stage is over.
Ready to dive into the tips before today’s stage? Let’s get started!
Tips For the Perfect Tour de France Fan Experience
1. Figure out where you can watch the broadcasts, highlights, and replays.
Do you want to watch the full stage? For a new fan, it can be a daunting proposition. An entire Tour de France stage takes several hours, and depending on the route, there may only be a few exciting moments throughout the day.
Instead, discover where you can watch highlights in addition to the full stage broadcast. For U.S. based viewers, NBC Peacock’s Tour de France hub and the NBC Sports YouTube channel are good resources to get started. Depending on your location, you may have different broadcast options.
Each Tour de France stage takes place at roughly the same time each day. However, for U.S. audiences, this will be in the morning. Broadcasts may start around 6:30 AM EST and conclude around 10-11 AM EST. If you would rather watch in the evening, ensure that you can access replays or highlights shows during your preferred viewing time. Most streaming services allow for replays of each full Tour de France stage.
Read more: Is Peacock worth it for U.S.-based viewers? Learn more in The Problem with Peacock
2. Don’t focus on watching every minute of every stage.
If you’ve ever watched the Olympics, you know: trying to see every single sport will drive you crazy. It’s much better to pick a few sports to watch over the course of the two weeks.
The Tour de France is very similar. Beginner viewers should pick a few select stages that sound the most exciting. For example, the mountain stages are usually the most dramatic and include GC battles! You can also choose to watch the end of flatter stages to catch the bunch sprint.
For a good guide to which stages to watch, check out this calendar created by a talented cycling fan, Yasmin Vingtoft (aka cycling.yazz on social media)! You can see the full calendar as well as a lot more helpful stage-by-stage info on her website.
3. Keep an eye on the jerseys.
Feeling a bit lost in the narrative of the race? Don’t worry. Knowing who’s in yellow, green, polka dot, and white gives you an immediate storyline.
When a team controls the yellow jersey for a stage, it influences the way they ride and defend their leader. A rider in the KOM jersey may seek out additional opportunities for mountain points, while you may see the green jersey holder contest in an intermediate sprint.
Focus on the goals of each jersey wearer on each individual stage. You might also think about the closest competitors — how might they try to get the edge over the leader on a specific stage? For GC, that may mean an attack on the final climb. Or, it could mean staying safely positioned through the finish as a bunch sprint takes place. Learn the roles of each jersey, and you’ll learn the overarching narrative of each edition of the Tour.
Read more: Discover the meaning of each jersey (and a lot more you might not know about the Tour de France) in our beginners guide! Check it out here, So You Want to Watch the Tour de France For the First Time?
4. Pick a rider or a team to cheer for.
If you’ve followed any other sport in the past, you definitely know: having someone to root for makes it instantly more engaging.
But unlike football, baseball, rugby, or other team sports, cycling is different. Although teams exist in cycling, individual riders can be just as important. Don’t hesitate to root for an individual rider you like even if you know nothing about their team!
How do you decide which riders to support? You can support the early leaders of each jersey contest — or their competition. After all, everyone loves an underdog! Or maybe you want to check out some cycling news or commentary to catch onto some favorites. Finally, it can be fun to check out the social media presences of some of the riders. While some only repost occasionally from their team, others let their personality shine through!
5. Listen in to the commentary.
Sure, there are tons of times when the commentary is lame. But at the end of the day, the experts in the booth are just that: experts. Throughout each stage, they will explain the nuances of the race, the tactics, and the history.
The more you listen to the analysis of the commentators, the more you’ll feel that you understand the race’s strategy, the motivations and goals of individual riders, and the overall trajectory of each stage. For many, this comprehension is an important first step from being a beginner to experienced cycling fan!
Read more: On your way to becoming a cycling buff? Learn the most common misconceptions about the sport in Debunking 15 Common Mix-Ups About Pro Cycling
In the U.S., Peacock coverage features Phil Liggett (who’s covered over fifty editions of the Tour!) and Bob Roll. If you want to hear from some of the other analysts surrounding the Tour de France, check out the Beyond the Podium show on NBC Sports’ YouTube channel.
6. Stick around for the interviews and podiums.
Speaking of podiums: once the stage is over, you just turn off the TV, right? Wrong! Don’t forget to stick around to hear interviews with the riders. These typically begin immediately after the end of the stage. You can expect to hear from some of the jersey leaders, particularly the yellow jersey, before and after the podium ceremonies take place.
The podiums can be held in the town center where the stage ends or even at the mountaintop finish! Watching the podium ceremonies for each jersey will let you know who’s in the lead for the next day’s stage. You’ll also have a chance to learn the time gaps for the GC competition, as well as the KOM and points contests standings.
You may also have an opportunity to hear more commentary after each stage. This can gear you up for the next stage and what to expect over the next days of the Tour.
7. Don’t listen to the “spin.”
Like with any sport, there’s a decent amount of hype and negativity about every team, rider, and stage. But remember: negativity will get you nowhere.
If you visit social media after the stage or on the rest days, try to steer clear of negatively toned discussions you see online. Cycling fans can be passionate, and that sometimes comes out as being hostile or too intense towards fellow fans. When you’re new to cycling, this can be intimidating, or even off-putting.
However, don’t hesitate to find safe spaces to engage online. Bluesky and Reddit can both be fantastic outlets for chatting with other fans. Finding community with other cycling fans is a perfect way to stay engaged with the Tour over three solid weeks of racing!
Read more: Is media hype and fan culture changing the Tour de France? Learn more in The Tour de France — The Greatest Show on Earth?
Embed from Getty ImagesThat’s it! Hopefully these tips will make your Tour de France viewing experience better. Even if you’ve never watched a single stage before, you’ll feel like a seasoned fan — and ready for an exciting three weeks of racing.
Which of these tips will you use for your Tour de France viewing experience this year? Let us know on social media or in the comments below! ★
