The final week of the 2026 Tour de France gets underway with stage 16, the 26.1km Individual Time-Trial from Evian-Les-Bains to Thonon-Les-Bains. After a well-deserved rest yesterday, the riders get back in the saddle to begin the final push towards Paris.
Stage 16 at a glance
The first time-trial rider will set off at 13:00 CEST, with the last expected to finish around 17:50. You can find full time-trial start time right here.
Defending champion Tadej Pogačar remains in control of the race, although perhaps not in the way he would have liked. The four-time winner's closest challenger was arch-rival Jonas Vingegaard, but the Dane crashed and broke his collarbone on Stage 15 on Sunday, ruling him out of the rest of the Tour.
Remco Evenepoel went on to win that stage atop Plateau de Solaison and is now second in the general classification, albeit five minutes behind Pogačar. The Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe rider is the favourite to win today's stage, but it would take something remarkable for him to overhaul the man in the Yellow Jersey.
With this the first of six successive stages, this week could well turn into a coronation for UAE Team Emirates-XRG's Pogačar, 27, who is aiming to equal Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Induráin's joint-record tally of five Tour wins.
Can I watch stage 16 of the Tour de France for free?
You can stream stage 16 of the Tour de France for free in Australia, France, Belgium, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands:
- 🇦🇺 Australia: SBS (English comms)
- 🇫🇷 France: France TV (Host broadcaster)
- 🇮🇹 Italy: RAI Play
- 🇧🇪 Belgium: RTB
- 🇪🇸 Spain: RTVE
- 🇳🇱 Netherlands: NOS
Those outside their usual country for stage 16 will need a VPN to get your usual coverage while abroad – more on that below.
How to watch the Tour de France stage 16 from anywhere
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.
Want to know more? We have an explainer on the benefits, costs, and considerations of using a VPN...
– Should I use a VPN to watch cycling?
Watch stage 16 of the Tour de France in the UK
In the UK, stage 16 will be shown live across TNT Sports and HBO Max.
Live streaming is available on HBO Max, with linear viewing on TNT Sports 1. Plans start at £25.99 per month, with rolling subscriptions available at £30.99.
However, if you just want to watch highlights, these will be on free-to-air Channel 5 at 7pm BST on Tuesday.
Watch stage 16 of the Tour de France in the US and Canada
For US viewers, this year's coverage of stage 16 of the Tour de France will be on NBC and Peacock
Both outlets come from the same NBCUniversal stable, with NBC available on many cable packages and Peacock – which is showing all 21 stages live – on a pay per month basis. It'll cost you $10.99/month.
In Canada, Flobikes is in charge of broadcasting stage 16 of 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.
Watch Tour de France stage 16 in Australia
In Australia, you can watch every stage of the Tour de France for free via SBS On Demand, including stage 16.
All you will need is an account with a valid Australian postcode (e.g. 2002).
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.