There is a slew of names given to Belgium’s biggest cycling race: The Ronde; Flanders’ Finest; Ronde van Vlaanderen; the Tour of Flanders. With narrow cobbled climbs and rough spring weather, the spring Classic is a season-favourite for riders and fans alike.
The 110th edition of the cobbled one-day race starts in Antwerp on Sunday. Riders will race over 270km over 16 cobbled climbs (or ‘hellingen’) and seven flat cobbled sections, while the women’s race tackles a shorter 170km course into Oudenaarde an hour after the men’s.
Quick guide to watching the Tour of FlandersSwipe to scroll horizontallyCan I watch the Tour of Flanders for free?
Fans in Australia, the Netherlands, France and Belgium can watch Tour of Flanders 2026 for free thanks to broadcasters in their regions.
Fans in the host country of Belgium can watch the Tour of Flanders free of charge via the country’s public broadcaster VRT and its VRT Max free streaming platform. The same stream will also be hosted on Sporza‘s website.
In Australia you can watch for free with English commentary on SBS on Demand. In the Netherlands and France you can watch at no cost on NOS and France TV respectively.
Coverage is geo-restricted, so if you’re away from home at the time of the race, you’ll need a VPN to get your typical coverage while abroad – more on that below.
How to watch the Tour of Flanders while abroad
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…
– Should I use a VPN to watch cycling?
How to watch the Tour of Flanders in the UK
In the UK, the men’s Tour of Flanders will be broadcast on TV on TNT Sports 3 and online on HBO Max from 08:30 UK time. The women’s race will be shown on TNT Sports 4 from 14:00, as well as on HBO Max.
Both platforms are owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and require a subscription.
Packages for HBO Max begin at £36.98 with TNT Sports and standard ads, with a premium package costing £45.98 per month. TNT Sports is also £30.99 a month, but is cheaper with certain TV packages. BT customers, for example, can add it to their bundle for an additional £25 a month. Sky TV customers can do the same for an extra £22 a month.
How to watch the Tour of Flanders in the US and Canada
Flobikes has the rights to broadcast the Tour of Flanders in both the US and Canada.
Subscriptions for US customers cost $29.99 a month, or $150 a year. In Canada, the platform is CA$39.99 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.
How to watch Tour of Flanders in Australia
In Australia, Tour of Flanders will be available to watch for free on SBS.
The platform offers free coverage of cycling events and will also be showing Paris-Roubaix, Giro D’Italia and Tour de France coverage at no cost.
Outside Australia today? Use a VPN to access the free coverage of Tour of Flanders on SBS.
What time is the Tour of Flanders on?
UK coverage of the men’s race begins at 08:30 UK time on TNT Sports 3, with coverage of the women’s shown on TNT Sports 4 at 14:00.
In the US, FloBikes’ live broadcast of the men’s starts at 03:30 EST. The women’s race will be begin at 09:00 EST.
► Cycling TV and streaming guide
What to expect at the Tour of Flanders
Sandwiched 15 days after Milan-San Remo and a fortnight before Paris-Roubaix, this cobbled Classic is the highlight of the Belgian calendar, and boasts a stacked start list across both the men’s and the women’s races.
Last year, Tadej Pogačar attacked on the final climb at 19 kilometres to go to snatch the title from Mathieu van der Poel, who had been caught in a mid-race crash behind the dominant Slovenian.
In the women’s, Lotte Kopecky finished ahead of Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma-Lease a Bike), Liane Lippert (Movistar), and Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto) in a sprint-finish in a race also mired with crashes from the outset.
Traversing cobbled climbs and technical sections, the men’s race is likely to lead to a showdown between Mathieu van der Poel (one of only six riders to have won the Monument three times) and reigning champion, Pogačar. However, the presence of Wout van Aert, revved up after finishing a frustrating second place in Wednesday’s Dwars door Vlaanderen, and the surprise debut of Remco Evenepoel might may prove an electric combination.
If we needed more proof of Lotte Kopecky’s cycling prowess, she took her fifth Monument win at Milan-San Remo last month. Coupled with three existing victories in Flanders’ Monument, she looks to be the best placed to defend her title. However, other Ronde winners, Demi Vollering and Elisa Longo Borghini, will also be in attendance.
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.
Explore More