WARNER BROS. DISCOVERY GEARS UP TO PRESENT EVERY STAGE OF THE TOUR DE FRANCE LIVE

Heroes will be immortalised in the quest for the iconic yellow jersey and new stories will be told as Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) Sports Europe prepares to present next-level coverage of the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift for fans across Europe and Asia.

A race steeped in history and the pinnacle of professional cycling, the Tour de France sets out from Lille with its 112th Grand Départ on 5 July with all 21 stages of the 3,320-kilometre race shown live on WBD’s channels and platforms. This comprises every market in Europe, with exclusivity in 44 territories, and across the Asia-Pacific region, on Eurosport, TNT Sports in the UK and Ireland, and every stage live on WBD’s streaming platforms Max, HBO Max and discovery+* 

Hot on the wheels of the men’s race, the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift encompasses nine stages for the first time this year, making it the longest race on the UCI Women’s World Tour, covering 1,165 kilometres, beginning on 26 July with WBD again showing every stage live on its channels and platforms.

NEW NAMES IN THE SADDLE

Legendary French rider, multiple Tour de France stage winner and twice on the podium, Romain Bardet joins WBD’s expert cycling team for the first time, fresh from retiring from racing last month. He will bring his experience and inimitable insights from competing alongside the current crop of riders to viewers by taking on a new reporting role, following the race from WBD’s innovative motorbike feature during stages 11 to 15, which this year features a second handheld camera to get even closer to the riders.  

Romain Bardet said: “I have this opportunity, while all my contemporaries will still be on the bike suffering, to decipher events with the benefit of hindsight and analyse things in an independent way. I'm throwing myself into the unknown, but I've got a great team around me, lots of good people encouraging me, so I'm really looking forward to it.

"Having ridden eleven Tours de France, I know all the climbs and that will enable me to prepare my stages as I did when I was a rider. I'm going to try and analyse what you can expect from the riders and put myself in their frame of mind. Ultimately, when you're a cyclist, there's a whole part that isn't really conveyed through media interviews: the depth of the race tactics, climbs etc. So, I want to try and develop that link a little more so what you see on screen makes more sense to the people who are going to watch it. I want to try and develop that link a little more.”

He follows Tour de France stage winner Jens Voigt who will be WBD’s motorbike on stages 1-10 before former Great British National Road Race Champion Adam Blythe carries coverage from stages 16 to 21. They join an all-star team of on-site reporters getting up close to the action and riders including Anders Mielke, Florian Pigeon, Louis-Pierre Frileux, Hannah Walker, Asbjoern Myhre, Matt Stephens and two-time Tour de France winner Alberto Contador (final stage only).

In addition to its pan-European coverage, available in 20 languages, WBD will bring millions of cycling fans a local flavour through its daily pre and post-race studio analysis shows in:

• France (Les Rois de la Pedale) for Eurosport with Jacky Durand and Steve Chainel
• Spain (La Montonera) for Eurosport with Eduardo Chozas and Alberto Contador
• Germany (Velo Club) for Eurosport with Berie Eisel, Robert Bengsch and Jens Voigt
• UK and Ireland (The Breakaway) for TNT Sports, hosted by Orla Chennaoui with 12-time Tour de France stage, and green jersey winner, Robbie McEwen and Adam Blythe 

For the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, WBD’s studio show will be hosted by Ashleigh Wilmot with regular guests including three-time World Champion Dani Rowe, World Championship silver medallist Audrey Cordon-Ragot and former professional riders Alice Wood and Dani Christmas. Leading WBD's on-site coverage will be Audrey Cordon-Ragot (stages 1-3 on the motorbike) and former professional rider Iris Slappendel (stages 4 -7 on the motorbike) with Matt Stephens and Laura Alvarez providing additional reporting.

NEXT-LEVEL COVERAGE WITH NEW QUAD SCREEN FEATURE

WBD will operate in partnership with race organiser Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) and the host broadcaster to level-up how fans can engage with the riders, race and its stories by delivering the most technical broadcast of a cycling race in history. 

For the first time for its coverage of the Tour de France, WBD will introduce a new ‘quad screen’ feature which combines available race feeds from the helicopters and motorbikes following the race, opening up new ways to consume the action. Superfans can follow specific riders and receive a complete picture of the breakaway, peloton and grupetto. The new feature also supports teams competing by serving them real-time updates to improve in-race tactical analysis and safety.

The revolutionary innovations housed at WBD’s award-winning mixed reality Curve studio will once again be deployed to provide the deepest level of cycling analysis in broadcasting. Purpose-built storytelling tools include:

• A virtual wind tunnel to demonstrate the impact of aerodynamics on riders
• An inclinometer which explains the punishing gradients riders face on specific climbs
• Virtual team bus where presenters will dissect race tactics used by teams
• Integration of VeloViewer data for the first time, providing even deeper route profile analysis and more visual storytelling to pinpoint where the entire race could be won or lost

Bringing cycling fans even more content beyond the live action, WBD will also serve up a vast array of free and exclusive content across its far-reaching digital and social media platforms to engage the widest possible audience with the Tour de France.

Scott Young, EVP at Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe, said: “In a golden era for the sport, cycling continues to captivate our audiences as riders keep pushing the boundaries of what is physically possible on a bike. To match the level of thrilling racing from the peloton, we are levelling up our coverage of this historic race this year to include even more ways for fans to enjoy every stage in all their glory.

“We are excited to introduce new storytelling innovations such as our quad screen feature. And by adding another superstar storyteller in Romain Bardet to our presentation team alongside fellow legends of the sport, we know fans will benefit from fresh insights and experience, ensuring our coverage is fit for the modern era. This ultimate cycling package has already attracted the attention of some the world’s biggest brands which we have partnered with to enrich our storytelling, and we know our viewers will love our most advanced race coverage yet.”

NEW ORIGINAL DOCUMENTARY TELLS THE ULTIMATE CYCLING STORY

Eurosport and TNT Sports will also air a new, original production titled Cycling Africa – The Rise of African Pro Cycling, which premieres on 20 July. The hour-long documentary tells the ultimate cycling story dedicated to the upcoming historic UCI Road World Championships in Rwanda in September – the first time the World Championships have been hosted on the African continent.

It explores a new generation of African riders, from local heroes to global contenders, following their journeys of passion, hope and ambition as a continent races towards a defining moment in professional cycling history.

Authentically told by some of the world’s recognisable cycling personalities, an all-star cast features:

• Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (South Africa) – eight-time African Championships winner, riding her last World Championships this year
• Biniam Girmay (Eritrea) - African cycling icon, the first Black African cyclist to win a stage at the Tour de France and the green jersey winner last year
• Chris Froome (Great Britain) – four-time Tour de France winner
• David Lappartient – UCI President
• Miria Nantume (Uganda) - Rising star who races in Europe for the first time this year
• Plus, other characters and voices from the world of African cycling

In December, a 90-minute special edition is planned for WBD’s streaming platforms which will incorporate new footage filmed on-site in Rwanda at the 2025 UCI Road World Championships.

SURGING POPULARITY RESULTS IN RECORD CYCLING SALES

The growing popularity and appeal of cycling globally has seen WBD level up its advertising partnerships this year, attracting record commercial investment from five powerhouse brands which will help to amplify the stories of the historic race and its riders. These include Zwift, WHOOP, VELUX, Lidl and Škoda who will feature across WBD’s linear and digital race coverage and will benefit from brand exposure and storytelling in tandem with the planet’s most prestigious cycling race. 

WBD has harnessed its in-house creative capabilities to develop a purpose-built campaign for Škoda that will run across its digital platforms and sees former World Champion Lisa Brennauer, Tour de France winners Andy Shleck and Bernard Hinault explore their storied association with the sport.

This year’s Tour de France is set to be one of the most competitive races in living memory. A trio of superstars will be mounting their challenges for the yellow jersey with Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar the hot favourite for his fourth title ahead of Denmark’s two-time champion Jonas Vingegaard and Belgium’s Olympic gold medallist and World Champion Remco Evenepoel. In the women’s race, the previous two winners Kasia Niewiadoma (Poland) and Demi Vollering (The Netherlands) will be looking to hold off a strong chasing group including Switzerland’s Marlen Reusser and Italy’s Elisa Longo Borghini.

The Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift is the jewel in the crown of WBD’s comprehensive cycling portfolio which includes more than 1,000 live races per year spanning the entire men’s and women’s UCI World Tour season, the Grand Tours, World Championships and every race at the Olympic Games.

*Max will soon rebrand to HBO Max and will show every TDF and TDFF stage in France, Greece, the Nordics, Iberia, Central and Eastern Europe; HBO Max remains WBD’s streaming platform in Belgium and the Netherlands; discovery+ is the streaming platform for Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom ahead of HBO Max launching in 2026.