How to watch the Critérium du Dauphiné 2023: Everything you need to catch the French race live

The Critérium du Dauphiné beings on Sunday, one of the final events in the run up to the Tour de France, which is just over four weeks away. There are opportunities for sprinters, puncheurs, rouleurs and climbers over the eight days.

There will be an almighty tussle between general classification contenders for the yellow jersey at the end of the race, with defending Tour champion Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) lining up with Dani Martínez (Ineos Grenadiers), Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe), David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ), Mikel Landa (Bahrain-Victorious) and Ben O'Connor (AG2R Citroën) among others.

Keep reading to find out how to watch all of the key race in the southeast of France. Make sure you also read our guide to the riders to watch.

Quick guide to watching the Critérium du Dauphiné 2023

Like most big races the you can watch the Critérium du Dauphiné on the live-stream on GCN+, Discovery+ and Eurosport in the UK and in Europe. Subscription costs are £6.99/month or $8.99/month, and £39.99 or $49.99 for a year.

Flobikes will be showing the race in Canada; a year-long subscription will set you back $209.99. Meanwhile, NBC Sports via Peacock Premium ($4.99 per month in the US) will show the race in the USA. In Australia, you can watch for free on SBS on Demand.

Dates: 4-11 June

AUS FREE live stream: SBS On Demand

UK: Stream on GCN+ and Eurosport Player (£6.99/mon)

US: Stream on NBC Sports ($4.99 a month)

Anywhere: Watch your local stream from anywhere with ExpressVPN

There are many VPN options out there but ExpressVPN has consistently been highly rated by our colleagues at Cycling Weekly sister site TechRadar.

What to expect at the Critérium du Dauphiné

There are just eight days in the Critérium du Dauphiné, but those eight days will seem endless to the riders involved, as over 1,200km is tackled, with barely a flat road in sight.

The 75th edition starts in Chambon-sur-Lac, in the Puy de Dôme region, before crossing the Massif Central, heading into the Jura, and then in the Alps. There are four hilly stages, three mountain days and an individual time trial on the way to Grenoble.

There will possibly be only one sprint, on stage 3, and there is one ITT, on stage 4.

How to watch the Critérium du Dauphiné in Australia

Cycling fans in Australia get to watch the Critérium du Dauphiné live stream, and plenty of other races, for free on SBS. You can head to the SBS On Demand streaming service and watch the action live as well as full stage replays. 

They can also watch uninterrupted on GCN+. A monthly subscription will cost you $15.99AUD while a yearly subscription costs $64.99AUD.

Aussies away from home can use a VPN to watch the Critérium du Dauphiné live stream free from abroad. Download the VPN, set your location to 'Australia' using the in-app menu and watch live as if you are back at home.

How to watch a Critérium du Dauphiné live stream from outside your country

If you’re abroad during 2023 Critérium du Dauphiné, you might have a problem accessing your regular streaming service because of geo-blocking restrictions. Thankfully, there’s an easy solution.

Try a VPN, a piece of software which offers both online privacy and ability to change your IP address, meaning that you can access on-demand content or live TV like you would back at home while in another country. There are plenty of free VPNs but our sister site TechRadar recommends the paid ExpressVPN which it consistently rates as the best VPN provider.

Use a VPN to watch the 2023 Critérium du Dauphiné from abroad:

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How to watch the Critérium du Dauphiné in the US

In the US, the Critérium du Dauphiné will be aired live on NBC Sports via Peacock Premium ($4.99 per month in the US) .

How to watch the Critérium du Dauphiné in the UK

In the UK you can buy a month-long pass to get access to the live streams  of the Critérium du Dauphiné available via the GCN+ site or app, Eurosport player or the Discovery+ website.  Buying a pass costs just £6.99, although do remember that it will then auto renew at the same price each month unless you cancel.

However, you can also get a year-long pass for £59.99, which means a saving of £23.89.

If you’re based in the UK, you will be able to watch all of the live coverage from regular cycling broadcasters GCN+ and Discovery+ / Eurosport. 

If you only want the cycling, and not the other things that Eurosport offers, you can get a GCN+ subscription at a cost of £39.99 for the year, or you can buy a race pass for £6.99 per month. A GCN+ account also means you'll then have access to both live and on demand race footage as well as long or short highlight streams and in-depth analysis. There is also a library full of documentaries on the sport for you to check out.

If you happen to be out of the country when the race is on then you can just download a VPN and choose your location to watch live as if you are back at home. Setting up a VPN is simple – just download, install, open the app and select your location.

There are several VPN options out there, but we think going with Express VPN is the best.

ExpressVPN will also give you a 30-day money-back guarantee.  

What time is the Critérium du Dauphiné on?

UK coverage of the race will begin on GCN+ and Eurosport at about 14:00 BST every day. Highlights will be available later in the day. 

In the US coverage begins at about 18:00 EST every day. Replays are also available after the event.

You can find the full list of races that GCN will be broadcasting around the world over on their helpful racing schedule.