Streaming platform Netflix has released the third and final season of its first-of-its-kind documentary series about the Tour de France. It came out on 2 July at 08:00 in the UK. This equates to 03:00 US east coast time, midnight on the US west coast, and 17:00 in Sydney, Australia.
Titled 'Tour de France: Unchained', or 'Tour de France: Au cœur du peloton' ('Inside the peloton') in French, here's everything you need to know about it.
This year's episodes features Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), and Mark Cavendish (Astana-Qazaqstan) and Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) as well as the stars of the first two seasons.
Sadly, this will be the final season of the show, with Netflix not renewing it for a fourth time.
(Image credit: Tour de France / Netflix)
What is it?
Tour de France: Unchained is the third season of a Netflix documentary series that tells the story of the 2024 Tour de France.
The initial news of its production came in March 2022, with camera crews then embedding within seven teams at the race. Created as part of a joint venture between Quadbox and Box to Box Films, the makers of F1: Drive to Survive, the series offers exclusive, behind-the-scenes access to the highs and lows of the Tour de France. France Télévisions also contributed to the production.
The third season consists of eight episodes, each lasting around 40 minutes. Below is a chart of the episode titles, and which teams they are focused on. However, it is less structured than the first year, so most episodes contain many different narratives.
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The episodes tend to focus on moments within the race, as opposed to specific teams.
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Episode number
Title
Team
1
David v Goliath
Arkéa-B&B Hotels, dsm-firmenich PostNL, Visma-Lease a Bike
Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale, Visma-Lease a Bike, UAE Team Emirates
What's it like?
Our very own Adam Becket reviewed the first season, concluding: "It's a thrilling watch for both those who know cycling, and those who are new to the sport. It might prove too general for the committed fan, but there is something for everyone."
"There are flaws, with the absence of Pogačar the biggest, and it appearing surface level at times," he writes. "However, professional cycling is a confusing sport, and Unchained does an excellent job of breaking down the barriers to entry to show just how enthralling it is."
Last year, he wrote: "Season two builds on a solid format and turns it into something I really think all cycling fans and beyond should watch. It is gripping."
For season three, Tom Davidson concluded: "I'd recommend watching season three – and seasons one and two, if you haven't already. From a fan perspective, it will be missed when it doesn't return next year."
Who's involved?
It was originally understood that eight teams had given exclusive access to Netflix camera crews for the series. These were, at the time: AG2R Citroën, Alpecin-Deceuninck, Bora-Hansgrohe, EF Education-EasyPost, Groupama-FDJ, Ineos Grenadiers, Jumbo-Visma and Soudal Quick-Step.
Netflix’s Tour de France: Unchained's second season also included Tadej Pogačar of UAE Team Emirates and Mark Cavendish of Astana-Qazaqstan. The UAE team are featured quite heavily, in an update from the first season, and reflecting Pogačar's stature now.
The third season features: Visma-Lease a Bike, UAE Team Emirates, Ineos Grenadiers, Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, Soudal Quick-Step, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, Groupama-FDJ, Alpecin-Deceuninck, EF Education-EasyPost, Cofidis, Arkéa-B&B Hotels, Intermarché-Wanty, dsm-firmenich PostNL, Astana Qazaqstan and TotalEnergies.
As it is a French production, it's notable all the French teams are involved.
As part of the series, the teams’ managers have undergone sit-down interviews, much like those in the F1: Drive to Survive episodes. These include Groupama-FDJ's Marc Madiot and EF Education-EasyPost's Jonathan Vaughters.
A number of journalists, working across various outlets around the world, have also been interviewed for the series. Among them is Eurosport presenter Orla Chennaoui, who revealed her involvement on her Instagram page.
In the trailer, there are references to the new era of the super-teams, with UAE Team Emirates-XRG and Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe picked out specifically in the opening shots. Pogačar is shown early on, with his teammate Mikkel Bjerg joking that "everything the light touches is Tadej’s kingdom". Mark Cavendish, in his final Tour outing, is included in the documentary, as well as Jonas Vinegaard's Visma-Lease a Bike, although they were not included much in the trailer.
Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, meanwhile, are shown as frustrated: "The Tour is a fucking circus and we are the clowns." Rolf Adag, the team's sports director, asks: "Why do we lose our shit on the first day?"
Of course, we all know that Tadej Pogačar won.
Les jambes tremblent déjà.TOUR DE FRANCE : Au cœur du peloton, saison finale, le 2 juillet. pic.twitter.com/rdRivEmMFWJune 4, 2025
When will it be released?
The series was made available to stream on Netflix on 2 July. This came just days before the 2025 Tour de France is set to begin.
Unchained is available in 190 territories, and was released at 08:00 in the UK. This equates to 03:00 US east coast time, midnight on the US west coast, and 17:00 in Sydney, Australia.
According to reports, for the first season, Netflix covered the production costs of €8 million to make the series, paying a total of €1 million to the different parties involved. The participating teams are understood to have been given around €62,000 each.
Will there be a fourth season?
While the series has been popular with fans and has brought cycling to a broader audience, Netflix France decided not to renew it for a fourth season, so there will be no Netflix cameras at the race this year.
In a statement shared with Cycling Weekly in February, a Netflix spokesperson revealed the third season, due to air in June this year, will be the last.
“After three seasons, we are naturally coming to an end of this cycle,” the statement read. “We're very proud of the work we've done and of the public response to the documentary series, which has allowed us to offer a fresh take on this legendary competition."
According to a report in Le Parisien, viewing figures had been weaker than hoped. It is understood that Netflix’s aim with the series was to grow its subscriptions in France, and while figures abroad have been strong, those in France were said to be disappointing.
Have Netflix produced Tour de France documentaries before?
Tour de France: Unchained is Netflix’s first official docuseries about the French Grand Tour.
The streaming platform has, however, produced three seasons of a fly-on-the-wall series about the Movistar team, titled ‘The Least Expected Day’, covering the squad’s 2019, 2020 and 2021 seasons. There was also a film about Mark Cavendish, called Never Enough, which is available on Netflix.
Similar docuseries have been made about WorldTour teams Soudal Quick-Step, Jumbo-Visma and SD Worx for Amazon Prime.
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Tom joined Cycling Weekly as a news and features writer in the summer of 2022, having previously contributed as a freelancer. He is fluent in French and Spanish, and holds a master's degree in International Journalism. Since 2020, he has been the host of The TT Podcast, offering race analysis and rider interviews.
An enthusiastic cyclist himself, Tom likes it most when the road goes uphill, and actively seeks out double-figure gradients on his rides. His best result is 28th in a hill-climb competition, albeit out of 40 entrants.
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