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‘Tour de France: Unchained’ Will Turn You into a Cycling Fan

The new Netflix series is road cycling’s best opportunity in decades to expand its audience

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It’s been two decades since road cycling grabbed the collective attention of mainstream America, and those of us who pedaled a bike during the Lance Armstrong era remember our sport’s bizarre dalliance with Jane and John Q. Public. Cyclists graced the covers of glossy magazines . Hollywood A-listers dropped by the Tour de France . Dave from accounting bought a shiny Trek and started using words like “peloton” and “echelon” in meetings. Yeah, stuff got weird.

We all know what happened next: Lance’s doping confession zapped cycling’s growing popularity just as it was nearing a critical mass. After the dust settled, many fans—myself included—assumed road cycling would fade back into niche-sport anonymity for good, never again to be packaged and sold to a broad U.S. audience.

Well, we were wrong. On Thursday, streaming giant Netflix released Tour de France: Unchained , an eight-part cycling docuseries that takes viewers inside the 2022 Tour. I received advanced screeners for Unchained , and I watched each episode multiple times. My takeaway: Unchained is precision crafted to transform mainstream viewers into cycling fans. It’s preferential spot on one of the largest media platforms in history makes Unchained road cycling’s best opportunity since Lance to reach a broad American audience. Dave from accounting may have to dust off his old Trek.

The wide appeal of  Unchained is no accident, of course. The program is the cousin of Netflix’s wildly popular auto-racing series Formula 1: Drive to Survive , which has been credited with F1 racing’s global surge in visibility. The success of Drive to Survive already spawned Netflix’s two sister series: Break Point takes viewers inside professional tennis, and Full Swing  shines a spotlight on the professional golf tour. Unchained shares plenty of connective tissue with all three series . It was shot and edited by French production company QuadBox, which is a joint venture between filming firm Quad and Drive to Survive producer BoxtoBox Films (which also produced Break Point and Full Swing ). Yann Le Bourbouach, a QuadBox executive producer, told me that his staff had just one goal when they started brainstorming a cycling project back in 2018: “What we tried to achieve in this documentary is to appeal to a broad audience and not the hardcore fan.”

“Perhaps it is a bit pedological for the hardcore fans,” Le Bourbouach told me. “But I would love for people to see that a victory at the Tour de France occurs because of the work of many.”

You can read my interview with Le Bourbouach here .

So, why is Unchained so effective at reaching casual viewers? Like  Drive to Survive, Unchained blends human-interest narratives with inside-the-game access that brings the athletes and competition to life. Each episode focuses on a different collection of riders, coaches, and directors at the race, and then explores a familiar hero’s tale of adversity, setback, and ultimate triumph. The first episode charts the improbable comeback of Team Soudal—Quick Step’s Dutch sprinter Fabio Jakobsen , who starts the 2022 Tour just 22 months after he was nearly killed in a crash at the Tour of Poland. Another episode discusses French cycling’s repeated heartbreak (a French rider hasn’t won the Tour since 1985) by profiling two Frenchmen: Groupama-FDJ’s star-crossed racer Thibaut Pinot and AG2R-Citröen’s fanatical director Julien Jurdie. Lots of credit goes to Unchained’s producers for choosing the correct riders and directors to train their cameras on before and during the Tour: Danish rider Jonas Vingegaard , the race’s ultimate winner, is the focal point of another episode.

These human stories suck audiences in with humor, personality, and heart-tugging anecdotes of personal loss and struggle. Sprinkled amongst these tales is the explainer stuff to help casual viewers understand bike racing’s more enigmatic nuances, like drafting, teamwork, and how a rider actually wins the Tour. Rather than bash viewers over the head with clumsy diagrams and oratories on strategy, Unchained presents this information subtly and with care. In episode one, retired French rider Steve Chainel delivers the basics, and after that, it’s up to the viewer to pick things up as the series goes along. Want to know about teamwork? A sentence here and a line of dialogue there will tell you what you need to know. Sneeze, and you might miss it.

I found Unchained’s interpretation of cycling to be a welcomed salve to the goofy visuals and confusing explainers that pop up each year in the Tour’s American telecast. Diagrams may help casual fans to better understand the sport, but rarely do they entice total newbies to follow it. By weaving this information into the human narratives, Unchained incepts bike fandom into the brains of anyone who cares to see whether or not Jakobsen will overcome the demons from his horrific crash. It is the perfect entry point for a regular person to learn about bike racing and the Tour.

This type of sports storytelling is not new, of course, and Unchained,   Drive to Survive, and Netflix’s other sports documentaries are simply carrying on the tradition of legendary producers Roone Arledge and Dick Ebersol , architects of the modern Olympics telecast. But many of us who grew up watching NBC’s primetime Olympics coverage long ago tired of the cheesy and formulaic human-interest schtick that producers cram between the competitions. The storytelling in Unchained  is far more ambitious than the Olympics stuff. It’s raw at times. When a character cries, the audience has enough backstory to understand the weight of the moment. You can tell that the producers and camera people spent ample time with the athletes and team directors to cultivate their trust. Cameras are rolling when things go right, and when shit hits the fan.

There’s a big difference between cyclists and race-car drivers, so Unchained is also vastly different from Drive to Survive.  The latter series hoovers up the drama generated by those adrenaline-filled personalities that drive the cars, own the teams, and talk epic amounts of trash. Cycling has a different vibe. As someone who covered the sport for nearly 20 years, I would struggle to fill one page with one-the-record smack talk I heard—most of it was from one source: British sprinter Mark Cavendish. In cycling, the star athletes tend to keep their emotions and disagreements close to the vest. But Unchained does capture enough moments of tension and disagreement to keep hardcore fans satiated.

🔥À demain. 9h. 👋 @NetflixFR pic.twitter.com/CSiiKthHqc — Tour de France™ (@LeTour) June 7, 2023

We see Vingegaard snap at his teammate Wout van Aert after van Aert drops him—and everyone else—to win stage four. British star Geraint Thomas disagrees with Team Ineos’ proposed plan for his teammate Tom Pidcock to attack on legendary climb l’Alpe d’Huez for a stage win—a move that Thomas believes will leave him vulnerable. And then there is the episode about Belgian sprinter Jasper Philipsen, who can’t seem to get out of his own way on a bike. That’s an episode you won’t want to miss.

The series isn’t perfect, and there are several characters who elude the cameras. Two-time defending champion Tadej Pogačar is a bit player in the series, despite his gravitas in the sport. And  Unchained is solely a story about the men’s Tour—there are no storylines around the women’s race. Le Bourbouach discussed both absences in our interview .

Of course, whether  Unchained grows cycling’s fanbase will likely depend more on Netflix’s recommendation algorithm than on the quality of the storytelling. That said, I am cautiously optimistic. I will endorse the series to those coworkers, family members, and fellow shoppers at Trader Joe’s in my life who have not yet caught the bike bug, and I cannot wait for my brother-in-law to refer to his daily commute as a “parcourse.” Unchained has all of potential to suck them in, tell them a good story or two, and sent them out into the world ready to go bonkers for the Tour de France.

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• As it happened: Vingegaard survives back to back attacks from Pogačar on stage 9

Tour de France: Unchained review - An addictive and entertaining Netflix series

The eight episodes are a compelling look back at the 2022 Tour de France

The ‘ Tour de France Unchained’ Netflix documentary has dropped and the debate has begun about the qualities of the series as people around the world start to watch the eight-episode series.

The EF Education-EasyPost team described the series as “Unflinching, ambitious, and beautifully shot” but they would, since they star in it and team manager Jonathan Vaughters is convinced it can give his sponsors extra visibility or even bring in new ones.  

Sporza in Belgium were less impressed, quick to dub the series ‘Cycling for Dummies’, criticising the simplistic nature of the storytelling, while overlooking the fact that not everyone has raced a bike or has years of Flemish cycling culture ingrained in their minds.

Netflix Tour de France documentary trailer reveals drama of 2022 race Netflix's 'Tour de France: Unchained' documentary coming on June 8 The subtle presence of Netflix at the 2022 Tour de France The complete guide to the 2023 Tour de France

Cyclingnews binged watched the eight episodes on Thursday morning with a critical eye, while understanding the series' wider aim of attracting new viewers to professional cycling and new fans to the sport, which worked so effectively for Formula 1 and Drive to Survive.

The combination of slick and fast editing, the constant showing of crashes and pain, the heightened drama levels and frequent background music left us a little nauseous, as if we had eaten too much Haribo on a hot day.  But ‘Tour de France Unchained’, as the producers hoped and planned, is very addictive and entertaining to watch, whatever your level of understanding of the sport.  

Eight carefully scripted episodes

The eight episodes are an excellent way to look back at the  2022 Tour de France  and better comprehend what happened both out on the road and behind the scenes on every stage.

Each episode is carefully scripted to fit a simplistic, feel-good narrative, following the Drive to Survive formats. But they also capture the tensions and rivalries within teams and the peloton, the thrill of road racing, the emotions of success and the pain of defeat. 

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Watching Grand Tour racing live on television can be far less entertaining, with long waits for the most dramatic moments. Tour de France Unchained packages the action and splices it with interviews to create an intense and addictive summary. It’s like switching on Milan-San Remo from the foot of the Cipressa rather than appreciating and understanding the impact of the long ride from Milan.  

The eight episodes remind us just how good the 2022 Tour de France was, from the rain-soaked opening time trial in Copenhagen, the daily battles for stage wins, the Vingegaard-Pogacar battles in the Alps and Pyrenees, the way Geraint Thomas fought for third place overall and the final stage in the Paris sunset on the Champs Elysees.

Tour de France Unchained is not complete because it focuses on just eight of the 22 teams but it offers a more complete, more layered, look back at the race than television ever can.

Some of the rider introductions feel very scripted - Geraint Thomas' spot in episode five starts out very stilted and entirely uncharacteristic of his usual affect but the series makes up for it with delightfully candid snippets sprinkled into the script.

Tom Pidcock admits to not enjoying the Tour de France before being given the opportunity to go for the Alpe d'Huez stage win. Neilson Powless' eyes cannot hide his heartbreak in the post-race vignette about the stage, after he suffered a stinging defeat on the climb.

The pre-Tour de France footage from training camps and other races helps present the riders at the centre of the episodes. Vignettes include Fabio Jakobsen's comeback from the terrible injuries of his 2020 Tour de Pologne crash and Thibaut Pinot’s unique character and many setbacks that make him so admired.

The intimate moments are revealing and give the riders a very human and fragile face, despite the over-use of crash footage and focus on the gladiator-esque suffering. There is lots of patriotic chest beating from Marc Madiot, lots of swearing in French from AG2R-Citroën directeur sportif Julien Jurdie and Patrick Lefevere can’t help but gloat after Yves Lampaert and Fabio Jakobsen win the opening two stages.

There are moving intimate family moments as Thomas talks about the risks he takes in races with his wife and Netflix even captures the post-stage phone conversations between Vingergaard and his partner.

Looking back at race tactics better than instant television ever can

The Netflix camera crews had all-area access to the eight teams and captured rarely-seen moments on team buses, in hotels and even meetings between directeur sportif and riders on the massage table. 

Months of editing time allowed the producers to look back and dissect race tactics in a way that live and daily television never can. For example, the risks to Vingeggard’s overall chances of victory due to Wout van Aert's attacks to win stages are revealed in full.

The way tactical errors or just simple fate and misfortune can destroy a team and equally, how success brings exultation, leaves you mesmerised. 

Tour de France Unchained reveals just how Vingegaard could have lost the Tour de France due to his bike swap chaos on the cobbles of northern France or when he crashed during stage 15 to Carcassonne. 

Each of the eight episodes lasts around 40 minutes and combines two storylines from major moments of the race. AG2R Citroën Team, Alpecin-Fenix, EF Education-EasyPost, Groupama-FDJ cycling Team, Ineos Grenadiers, Bora-Hansgrohe, Team Jumbo-Visma and Team Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl all get their moment in the Netflix spotlight.

Tadej Pogcar's UAE Team Emirates opted not to be involved due to privacy and sponsor concerns but the Slovenian and the rest of the Tour de France peloton are included in the episodes because of the extensive use of television footage and on-bike video images.

Comments and context from French television commentator Steve Chainel, Britain’s David Millar and Orla Chennaoui help explain the unwritten rules of professional cycling and the Tour de France, while Vaughters, Lefevere, Madiot and Jumbo-Visma directeur sportif Grischa Niermann are natural storytellers, completing the picture. 

A second series is all but confirmed with the producers ready to work on different storylines and secure even better access with the teams at this year’s Tour de France.

It’s easy to criticise Tour de France Unchained for its Netflix format, stereotypical overly dramatic musical overdubs and sweetened narratives but the drama of the 2022 Tour de France is addictive, arguably more than Formula 1 and other sports can ever be.

Our conclusion:  Watch it, enjoy it, criticise it, enjoy the details it reveals and look forward to the 2023 Tour de France.

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Stephen is the most experienced member of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. He has been Head of News at Cyclingnews since 2022, before which he held the position of European editor since 2012 and previously worked for Reuters , Shift Active Media , and CyclingWeekly , among other publications.

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When cycling meets ‘war games’ – Tour de France: Unchained revitalises Netflix’s well-worn format

The format may be well worn by now but netflix delivers another compelling look behind the curtain at the tour de france, writes lawrence ostlere.

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A n empty chair in a dark room. A bearded man with a distinctly European flavour walks in and sits down, stares directly into the camera and introduces himself. He explains why this race is the biggest and the best, why it means everything, why the stakes are so high he might be shot or beheaded or at the very least sacked if he loses.

It cuts to his home in a beautiful rural location where his beautiful family are sitting around a beautiful old table having dinner, and they discuss the peril of his job. Then it cuts to the race, and his voice is describing the teammate he doesn’t really like, and on screen that teammate is beating him, or double-crossing him, or just looking a bit shifty.

Stop me if you’ve seen this one before. Netflix is back with another behind-the-scenes sport docuseries, following in the footsteps of Break Point , Full Swing and Drive to Survive . The producer James Gay-Rees was behind the brilliant movie documentaries Amy , Maradona and Oasis: Supersonic before focusing on sports series with colleague Paul Martin, and they have struck gold with a format that manages to reel in both the discerning sports fan and the curious passer-by.

So perhaps it is no surprise that watching Tour de France : Unchained feels an awful lot like an episode of, say, Drive to Survive . Then again, while it may all feel a little familiar, each sport delivers something a little different. Delving deep into tennis reveals the mental and physical grind of the tour; beneath golf’s surface is the psychological torment of a maddening game; Formula One is laced with danger in a cut-throat industry. What makes the Tour de France unique is the constant pain and suffering the riders endure, and the “war games” between rival teams that unfolds in real time on the road.

Unchained tells the story of the 2022 Tour, capturing the 21 stages across eight episodes. At the heart of the series is an epic duel between the double reigning champion, Tadej Pogacar , and the Danish pretender, Jonas Vingegaard . Vingegaard explains how he was working in a fish factory a few years ago until Jumbo-Visma took a chance on his potential. Bizarrely for a man from such a flat country, the highest mountains have become his strength, but he admits he will need his teammates to succeed. “To beat Pogacar, you cannot do it alone.”

Pogacar is two years younger than Vingegaard but he is presented as the all-powerful superstar of cycling, which seems about right. Not only can he stand more suffering than most, he actively enjoys it. “Pogacar is a masochist,” commentator David Millar explains to camera. “But he’s a sadist too.”

The series captures the growing stress of the leading protagonists and their teams, and brings out the tension within Vingegaard’s Jumbo-Visma as his multi-talented teammate Wout van Aert tries to find a balance between personal glory and team targets. Interviews reveal just how annoyed Vingegaard was by one of Van Aert’s solo surges to victory.

Ineos Grenadiers get plenty of attention, with a visit to the home of Geraint Thomas and a focus on Britain’s rising star, Tom Pidcock.

And it is not just the strongest teams which hog the limelight. An early episode captures AG2R’s Ben O’Connor, the Australian who finished fourth the previous year, carrying the hopes of the French underdogs. When a scan reveals he has torn his hamstring, O’Connor thinks his race is over, but his unhinged team principal insists it is merely a scratch and demands he gets back on his bike next day. Incredibly, O’Connor completes another stage of the Tour with a shredded leg muscle before hobbling out of the race.

One of the more poignant episodes follows Thibaut Pinot, the lovable Frenchman who has always carried home expectations wherever he goes. The cameras show him in his happy place, on his farm in Melisey – “donkeys bring me a pleasure I don’t get from most humans,” he says – and capture his frustration as he tries to rekindle his form of yesteryear. “I don’t like letting people down,” he says. “Sometimes I wish I was less popular and more successful.”

Ultimately the show delivers exactly what it promises: enough drama, tension and human interest to entertain the non-cycling fan, with plenty of original insight for those who watched every pedal stroke of the 2022 Tour and know exactly what’s coming around the next corner. Yes, the format is well-worn by now. But then this is the Tour de France, an epic race deserving of the full Netflix treatment, and Unchained is yet another compelling volume in the collection.

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Netflix’s new sports documentary ‘Tour de France: Unchained’ is your next binge obsession

New Netflix documentary takes up-close look at pro cycling

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With the success of its Drive to Survive documentary series chronicling life in Formula 1, Netflix is now trying to expand its sports coverage. After already tackling tennis and golf, professional cycling is now on the menu.

On Thursday, June 8, Tour de France: Unchained was released on the streaming service. Produced by the same company that also did Drive to Survive , it presents an up-close look at the biggest cycling race in the world over the course of eight episodes.

Here’s your trailer for Tour de France: Unchained – from the producers of Drive to Survive – coming 8 June! pic.twitter.com/S7F7szGP8m — Netflix UK & Ireland (@NetflixUK) June 2, 2023

With that all said, let’s give you a quick explainer of the show and what to expect in case you do want to watch it.

Where can I watch Tour de France: Unchained ?

Netflix. All eight episodes — running between 35 and 50 minutes — are online already.

What can I expect?

Tour de France: Unchained follows the marquee cycling race in the world, the eponymous Tour de France. Set during the 2022 edition of the race, the show profiles eight teams as well as their riders and support staff — including behind-the-scenes footage from team buses and in-race communication.

The eight teams who were involved in the production of the series ended up winning 11 of the 21 stages of the race, and the key moments and players are all represented. Who is not, at least as an active participant, is then-two-time reigning champion Tadej Pogačar: his UAE Team Emirates squad decided against participation, even though he obviously is a prominent part of the story that is being told.

So, which teams are featured then?

As noted above, eight teams and their riders participated in the show. Those are Jumbo-Visma, Ineos Grenadiers, EF Education-EasyPost, Ag2r Citroën, Alpecin-Deceuninck, Bora-Hansgrohe, Groupama-FDJ, and Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl (who have since changed their name to Soudal-Quick-Step).

You don’t know any of these names? It really does not matter. The teams and their most important personnel will be introduced — from the guy who used to work in a fish factory, to the rider who almost lost his life in a horrific crash a couple of years ago.

Who is the show’s intended audience?

The show tries to strike the balance between giving hardcore fans some behind-the-scenes footage and introducing newbies to the sport. Does it succeed in doing that? At times, but not consistently.

If you are a fan already you are probably looking for a bit more substance rather than the drama that is being presented (and, at times, seemingly manufactured). That said, the cinematography and pulling-back-the-curtain moments still make it a worthwhile experience.

Newcomers, meanwhile, will find a show that is similar in its approach to other popular sports documentaries — for better or worse.

Speaking of which, does it compare to Drive to Survive ?

Kind of. As noted above, Box to Box Films produced both shows so fans of Drive to Survive will recognize some stylistic elements. The footage is top-notch, the drama and tension are real (if at times a bit overblown), and narratives are being introduced to drive the story beyond what is happening on the roads.

That said, Formula 1 and pro cycling are different sports. The fast-paced intensity of F1 is not there, because it just can’t be. That does not mean the show has no appeal, though. It simply is a different one

OK, I’m hooked. When’s the next Tour de France?

The 2023 Tour de France, the 110th edition of the race, will start on July 1 in the Spanish city of Bilbao and over the course of 21 stages and 2,115 miles make its way to Paris. All eight of the teams plus a significant portion of riders featured on Tour de France: Unchained will participate again.

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Tour de France: Unchained review

Does the new Netflix Tour de France series prioritise spectacle over the true workings of the race?

A.S.O. / Charly Lopez

Stan Portus

High-octane portrayal of the Tour de France; Primes watchers on how the race works well

Overbearing at times; Arguably a sensationalised version of the race; Doesn't have the same insight as some other cycling media

Sports documentaries have become a staple of streaming platforms in recent years. Most shows either tell the remarkable stories of individual athletes or provide condensed, high-drama retellings of competitions for fans who want to relive the drama and gain behind-the-scenes insights.

So when Netflix announced a series on the Tour de France, many were – rightly – excited. Partnering with the Tour de France organisers and the production company behind the Formula 1 series Drive to Survive , Netflix looked set to give the world’s biggest bike race the same sports documentary treatment many other sports have received.

Despite its popularity, professional road cycling doesn’t get quite the same limelight as sports such as F1, and the only other major recent series to cover pro racing is The Least Expected Day , which focuses solely on the exploits of Team Movistar.

Tour de France: Unchained takes a different approach, following eight of the WorldTour teams that took part in the 2022 edition of the race. It provides insight into the chaos of the peloton, the backstories of individual riders and that very improbable likelihood in professional road racing: winning.

Having watched the first two episodes, the series looks to be a high-octane account of what was a dramatic edition of the Le Grand Boucle. But whether it will impress those deeply familiar with the mechanisms and tactics of pro racing is another question.

Battles, both physical and mental

Netflix remained tight-lipped about Tour de France: Unchained for a long time after the series was first teased in March last year.

It was only when one of the producers, Yann Le Bourbouac’h, spoke to the news website RMC in April that we got a good sense of what the show would be .

He described the series as aiming to seek out the characters of the race and working on the “boundary between documentary and cinema”.

The first two episodes of the series are pretty much true to this.

The first episode focuses on Team Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl. The first half of the episode builds up to Yves Lampaert’s victory in the opening time trial, but the main narrative is the comeback story of the team’s sprinter Fabio Jakobsen.

Jakobsen crashed severely at the Tour of Poland in 2020, which resulted in him needing 130 stitches and losing 10 teeth. At the time, it looked as though his professional bike racing career could be over.

The series shows Jakobsen’s crash with a grey filter laid over the top – as it does with many of the crashes it shows from previous races – and dramatic music. In an interview, Jakobsen then explains what it means to be back racing and within the fold of the team.

This set-up makes the depiction of Jakobsen’s win on stage 2 of the race a dramatic affair, aided by how the stage itself is portrayed.

With a countdown to the riders setting off, and four and a half hours of racing condensed into roughly 10 minutes, Tour de France: Unchained makes watching a stage of the Tour de France a fast-paced, intense experience.

“The peloton keeps moving – it never stops. If you’re in the peloton, you’re alive. If you’re not in the peloton you risk death,” one of the talking heads explains, and rolling drums play over the climax of the stage.

It feels as if the makers want to get a certain message across. And after a while, I ended up thinking, 'Okay, I hear you'.

Crashes and more crashes

Part of this intensity is due to Tour de France: Unchained focusing on the high-drama moments of the race – particularly crashes.

The opening episode repeatedly plays ominous, deep chords when riders hit the deck and early on in the second episode we see a fast montage of riders going down.

The second episode, focusing on Team Jumbo-Visma, who would go on to win the race with Jonas Vingegaard, is especially high-drama.

Focusing on stage 5, which saw the race head over the cobbled roads between Lille and Wallers-Arenberg, we see Team Jumbo-Visma’s plans for the entirety of the race thrown into the air. Vingegaard has to switch bikes multiple times and Primož Roglič crashes hard.

The racing is narrated by clips from race radio, commentary and insight from the likes of Orla Chennaoui, professional racer Steve Chainel and the riders themselves.

The narration from talking heads switches between the present and past tense, with, for instance, Chennaoui sitting in a studio describing what is happening in the race and riders then recounting what happened.

The pace of the first two episodes and this switching between what’s happening now and what has happened is hypnotic, if not a bit grating at times. It will be familiar to anyone who has spent enough time watching this kind of show.

Quick cuts, an overload of information and evoking the chaotic unfolding of events are used as a drive to retain and win your attention.

This isn’t particularly true to the experience of watching Grand Tours live, which can be quite unengaging, as you see riders ticking off another ‘transition stage’. But if it was truthful to that experience, Tour de France: Unchained might not have quite as much of a 'wow' factor.

For the uninitiated

‘Wow factor’ and high drama seem to be at the core of Tour de France: Unchained, which really seems to be an attempt to entice the uninitiated into the world of professional road racing.

This is also apparent in the role experts such as Chennaoui, Chainel and David Millar play in the first two episodes.

The three explain the objectives of the Tour de France as well as the team dynamics. They cover how there are stage winners as well as an overall winner, and what role a domestique plays in a team and why they might not always want to play that role.

Having the drama punctuated with this information will help ground and explain what’s happening for those who may not know the difference between a rouleur and a grimpeur.

However, compared to a series such as The Least Expected Day , which devotes a lot more time to the psychology and motivation of Movistar’s riders, Netflix’s take on the Tour de France can still feel as though it focuses on the spectacle first, with the deep dive into the workings of pro racing playing a lesser role.

Bottom line

Whether it’s an issue to turn the Tour de France into such a dazzling spectacle is really a moot point. After all, the race is a spectacle and the biggest one in professional racing at that.

In his book Mythologies , the French essayist and literary critic Roland Barthes described the Tour de France as a “modern epic” of Odyssean proportions.

Tour de France: Unchained tries to live up to that claim, presenting the extraordinary feat of racing across the whole of France in a remarkable – and quite a 'Netflix-y' – way.

Many will applaud this and hope the series does for cycling what Drive to Survive has done for Formula 1, with global analytics company Neilsen stating 2.7 million 26 to 35-year-olds became interested in F1 every month in the year beginning March 2020.

It’s just a shame, possibly, that those devoted to the sport may not get much more out of it than enjoying cycling’s turn on centre stage.

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'The Last Rider' is in Theaters Now—See Tour de France winner Greg LeMond's Journey on the Big Screen

Reviewers call it an "engaging, efficient race to the finish line"—just like LeMond's three Tour de France wins.

The documentary has it all: Bike racing, accidental shotgun blasts during turkey hunts, and almost cartoon-esque villains in the form of Bernard Hinault and Laurent Fignon. Written and directed by Alex Holmes, the movie has garnered a fair amount of attention and positive reviews in its launch week.

Greg LeMond himself was in Knoxville, Tennessee, for the movie’s premiere earlier this week. He told local news that, “What seems like the perfect life...people who seem like they’ve made it without a lot of struggle, it’s usually the opposite.”

The movie’s title, if you were wondering, is a reference to something LeMond’s coach has said: That LeMond was the ‘last rider’ to race (and win) clean, before the culture of doping invaded the sport of cycling.

Naturally, there are some critics of the movie who disagree with that sentiment, as well as some who are irritated when LeMond is referred to as the only American to win the Tour de France (since Lance Armstrong's titles were revoked).

Movie reviewer Craig D. Lindsey gave The Last Rider three stars on RogerEbert.com . He was suitably impressed with the film, calling it an “engaging, efficient race to the finish line” in his review. He did note that—while historically accurate—the movie seems to set two French riders up as the almost comical villains. He writes:

Basically, if you’re a fan of sports cinema where an all-American lad goes up against a Eurotrashy adversary (Fignon even looks like the blonde-haired dude who tried to kill Bruce Willis in “Die Hard”) on a televised world stage, “The Last Rider” gives a nice, nifty portrait of a guy who goes through one hell of an uphill battle—both figuratively and literally.

How can you watch it?

The Last Rider is only premiering in select theaters, and at this point, no streaming plans have been released. You can see if it’s playing at a theater near you on AMC’s website here or do a local Google search, as it seems to be playing in select smaller theaters around North America.

Molly writes about cycling, nutrition and training with an emphasis on bringing more women into sport. She's the author of nine books including the Shred Girls series and is the founder of Strong Girl Publishing . She co-hosts The Consummate Athlete Podcast and spends most of her free time biking and running on trails, occasionally joined by her mini-dachshund.

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10 can't-miss movies to see during the Tour de France

If it's July we're glued to the Tour de France , and if we're not watching the race live we can still satisfy our passion for two-wheeled action and adventure with new and classic movies about cycling, the Tour, coming of age, deception, romance, and more.

There are dozens of good flicks out there, but here are a handful we're watching this July.

'The Triplets of Belleville' (2003)

"When her bicycle-enthusiast grandson is kidnapped by mysterious henchmen, an old woman is aided in her search by her faithful dog and three eccentric divas."

Available on  Amazon Instant Video

'Davis + Connie' (2014)

"America’s finest and most inspiring road racers, Davis Phinney and Connie Carpenter-Phinney."

From  Rapha.cc

'Clean Spirit' (2014)

"Amid high-profile scandals of doping among elite cyclists, one team dedicated to racing doping-free competes in the Tour de France."

Available on Netflix

'30 for 30: Slaying the Badger' (2014)

"Brothers in arms right like, well, brothers. But at the 1986 Tour de France, they also happen to win."   Available on  Netflix

'Pantani: The Accidental Death of a Cyclist' (2014)

"Follow the tragic life and death of a renowned cyclist Marco Pantani, who, after winning the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia, fell victim to addiction." Available on  Netflix

'Stop at Nothing: The Lance Armstrong Story' (2014)

"A hero's legend is a cheater's story. He rode a false path to glory — and saw his image turn on a dime."

Available on  Netflix

'El Diablo' (2014)

EL DIABLO / short film from feature length documentary "L'ULTIMO CHILOMETRO" from Stuffilm on Vimeo .

  Dieter "Didi" Senft is a "symbol and living metaphor of all cycling fans."

Available on Vimeo

'Portrait of My Grandfather : 80 and Still Cycling' (2014)

Portrait of my grandfather : 80 and still cycling from Florent Piovesan on Vimeo .

"A short documentary film about my grandfather and his passion for cycling. I made this as a gift for his 80th birthday (or his ‘4th 20th birthday’, as he likes to say)." 

'American Flyers' (1985)

"American Flyers takes you on the road for exciting world-class cycling competition as two brothers struggle to win a race and to regain the respect and affection they once shared."

Available on Amazon Instant Video

'Breaking Away' (1979)

"A bicycle enthusiast in a small college town spends his post-high-school summer trying to sort out his future while training for the two biggest races of his life." Available on Amazon Instant Video

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The 11 biggest box-office bombs of 2015 so far >

Disclosure: Mathias Döpfner, CEO of Business Insider's parent company, Axel Springer, is a Netflix board member.

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Review: ‘The Last Rider’ revisits the trials and triumphs of 1980s cycling great Greg LeMond

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There’s a ton of captivating archival footage throughout the sports documentary “The Last Rider,” which chronicles the career of legendary cycling champ Greg LeMond and, especially, his come-from-behind win in the 1989 Tour de France. It’s a loving, rousing look at an amazing athlete.

Yet for all its gripping, nail-biting action clips, there’s one moment in the film that rises above the rest — and it’s not set on the race course. It’s the heartfelt, heart-stopping testimony of LeMond’s longtime wife, Kathy, in which she recounts a near-tragedy the family endured in 1987.

That was when LeMond, the year after he became the first American to win the Tour de France, was shot by his brother-in-law, Patrick, during a horrible turkey-hunting accident. LeMond landed in a Davis, Calif., hospital with approximately 60 iron shotgun pellets embedded in his body (resulting in overwhelming blood loss) and was saved on the operating table.

Later, while keeping vigil for her husband, the eight-months-pregnant Kathy went into preterm labor and ended up in a nearby medical center to prevent an early delivery. Compounding matters, Patrick, distraught over the shooting, attempted suicide and was taken to a local psychiatric ward. Kathy tells this complex, harrowing story in a way that’s poignant, propulsive and unforgettable.

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There’s ample room for this kind of emotional deep dive, but, despite the LeMonds’ eloquent turns as interview subjects, director Alex Holmes (“Maiden”) doesn’t sufficiently explore perhaps the most troubling and profound aspect of Greg’s history: that at 13, he was sexually abused by a (male) family friend. There’s discussion of his ongoing feelings of shame and how cycling was in some ways an antidote to that. But the deeper psychological scars and how he dealt with the experience over time, as well as the depression he later endured, feel underexamined.

More details of how LeMond regained his physical abilities after the near-fatal shooting (about 30 unremovable pellets remained in his body) plus a more exact look at how he trained for and survived the grueling day-to-day of the Tour de France (a race he ultimately won three times) also might have enhanced the narrative.

LeMond is a fascinating character — engaging, driven, evenhanded, humble — and he’s front and center through most of the film. But Holmes fills the doc with so much footage from the 1989 Tour de France that, although a story centerpiece, it sometimes slows the film’s pace (and pulls a bit of focus from LeMond) when it should be gaining momentum. Only toward the end of its recounting of the 23-day, 21-stage race does it effectively pick up steam. The movie then joyously revels in LeMond’s triumph (by eight seconds) over his chief opponent, the boorish French super-cycler Laurent Fignon (who died in 2010 at age 50).

Yes, there are many exhilarating, you-are-there moments set from Paris to the Pyrenees and the French Alps that are worth revisiting, but an overall trim of these would have helped.

Aside from the stirring recent interview clips with Greg and Kathy, there’s input from Cyrille Guimard, the onetime French cyclist who coached LeMond, Fignon and five-time Tour de France winner Bernard Hinault (who, as covered here, betrayed teammate LeMond during the 1986 Tour). We also hear from 1988 Tour winner Pedro Delgado, who competed against LeMond and Fignon in the 1989 contest.

They all offer vital and enlightening commentary, though adding a few more recent cycling participants and observers into the mix might have given the film — and LeMond’s story — greater context. (There is only passing reference to disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong , which is odd since LeMond was a vocal opponent of performance-enhancing drugs and Holmes directed a 2014 doc about Armstrong.)

That said, if “The Last Rider” may prove a bit hyper-focused for the less initiated viewer, sports and pro cycling enthusiasts should find it an inspiring and transporting journey.

'The Last Rider'

In English, French and Spanish with English subtitles Rating: PG-13, for thematic elements and brief strong language Running time: 1 hour, 42 minutes Playing: Starts June 23, Laemmle Monica Film Center, Santa Monica; AMC Burbank Town Center 8; Laemmle Town Center 5, Encino; AMC Rolling Hills 20, Torrance

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The new Greg LeMond feature film is out now — here's where to watch it near you

"The Last Rider" is shown in movie theaters all across America; here's where to find it in your city

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Now playing in theaters across the country, The Last Rider is a new feature-length documentary that chronicles Greg LeMond's rock bottom year and his legendary comeback at the nail-biting 1989 Tour de France .

Directed by award-winning filmmaker Alex Holmes, viewers are given an intimate portrait of one of America's greatest athletes of all time as he maneuvres betrayal, childhood sexual abuse, getting shot, and coming back from the brink of death to face his rivals and win the Tour de France by just eight seconds — the closest winning margin in the race's history till this day.

"Good stories; they're timeless in a way," LeMond told  Cycling Weekly, "And it's funny; it's only years later that people can appreciate something. Had I had a Netflix [show] to help others understand what was happening at that time, that would have been…well, I'd love to have had a little more forgiveness at the time and understanding what I went through."

Cycling Weekly got an advanced viewing of the film and came away with the following sentiment:

The Last Rider is a story "of persistence, of hope and overcoming, of reclaiming a lifelong dream, and of one of the greatest comeback stories in sports. 

While this comeback happens at one of the most nail-biting editions of the Tour de France's 109-year history —and the film does do an excellent job building the tension— The Last Rider is much more than a documentary of that legendary race. 

The Last Rider is a showcasing of one man's personal journey with his mental and physical health, a true love story between him and his childhood sweetheart turned wife Kathy, and our beloved sport at its absolute best."

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Read the full review here .

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Cycling Weekly 's North American Editor, Anne-Marije Rook is old school. She holds a degree in journalism and started out as a newspaper reporter — in print! She can even be seen bringing a pen and notepad to the press conference.

Originally from The Netherlands, she grew up a bike commuter and didn't find bike racing until her early twenties when living in Seattle, Washington. Strengthened by the many miles spent darting around Seattle's hilly streets on a steel single speed, Rook's progression in the sport was a quick one. As she competed at the elite level, her journalism career followed, and soon she became a full-time cycling journalist. She's now been a cycling journalist for 11 years. 

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By Adam Becket Published 8 July 24

The new Greg LeMond documentary will resonate with American audiences, whether they're cycling fans or not. Here's why.

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By Stuart Clarke Published 20 April 15

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The Last Rider review – a Tour de France triumph like no other

A likable protagonist and a tense final act make this account of Greg LeMond’s improbable victory in 1989 exciting and affecting

T wo key elements are required if a sports documentary is to connect with audiences beyond the existing fans: a likable central character who has battled seemingly insurmountable odds to achieve success and a nail-biting final act. The Last Rider , Alex Holmes’s account of American cyclist Greg LeMond’s incredible triumph in the 1989 Tour de France , contains both. LeMond had previously won the gruelling race, in 1986, so he wasn’t a complete outsider. However, he had nearly lost his life in a shooting accident in 1987 and been written off as a serious contender in the race. It’s a conventional documentary, but a quality one. Spectacular archive footage from the event captures an inescapable sense of excitement – infectious, even to cycling agnostics in the audience – and interviews with LeMond and his wife, Kathy, are unexpectedly affecting.

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Tour de France 2024 Livestream: How to Watch Every Stage Online, Full Schedule and More

The 2024 Tour de France, the biggest event in cycling, is happening now. Here's how to watch at home.

The 111th Tour de France is officially underway. After today's rest day, hundreds of professional cyclists return for the Tour's second week. The race got started in Italy this year, but the riders are now cycling through France. There are 21 stages of the race spread across 23 days, but you don't need to be in Europe to catch the action because the competition is streaming live on Peacock .

Watch Tour de France on Peacock

One of this year's top contenders to win the Tour de France is Danish rider, Jonas Vingegaard, who won the 2023 Tour de France. Ranked after Vingegaard are Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia and Adam Yates of Britain who both are on the UAE Team Emirates. In general rankings, the top contender from the United States — ranked #12 overall — is Sepp Kuss from Colorado. 

Here’s everything you need to know about how to watch the 2024 Tour de France, including the full route, schedule and best livestream option .

How to Watch the 2024 Tour de France Without Cable

Select stages of the 2024 Tour de France will air on NBC, but for all the Tour de France action, including every stage of the race, you'll find that streaming live on NBC's platform, Peacock . This also includes the races being broadcast on NBC. 

Peacock subscriptions start at just $5.99 a month. In addition to the complete Tour de France, Peacock gives subscribers access to other live sporting events, plus news, exclusive TV shows, hit movies and more. If you have a Peacock Premium or Premium Plus plan, you can stream the 2024 Summer Olympics , as well as many of the PGA tournaments .

Watch the Tour de France on Peacock

Don't miss the best athletes around the globe compete during the prestigious Tour de France. Sign up for Peacock to catch the action.

Plans starting at $6/month

When is the 2024 Tour de France?

The 2024 Tour de France begins on Saturday, June 29 in Florence, Italy and finishes on Sunday, July 21, 2024, in Nice, France. Due to the Summer Olympics , this is the first time the race will not end in Paris.

What channel is the 2024 Tour de France on?

Select stages of the race will air on NBC. However, the entirety of the Tour de France will stream live on Peacock.

2024 Tour de France Schedule

Below, you'll find the route schedule, stage schedule and broadcast schedule for the 2024 Tour de France.

All times in Eastern.

Saturday, June 29 - Stage 1 Race Start: 6:30 a.m. Locations: Florence to Rimini Distance: 206 KM Watch on: Peacock

Sunday, June 30 - Stage 2 Race Start: 6:05 a.m. Locations: Cesenatico to Bologne Distance:  199.2 KM Watch on: Peacock

Monday, July 1 - Stage 3 Race Start: 6:50 a.m. Locations: Plaisance to Turin Distance: 230.8 KM Watch on: Peacock

Tuesday, July 2 - Stage 4 Race Start:  7:00 a.m. Locations:  Pinerolo to Valloire Distance:  139.6 KM Watch on: Peacock

Wednesday, July 3 - Stage 5 Race Start: 6:55 a.m. Locations:  Saint Jean de Maurienne to Saint Vulbas Distance:  177.4 KM Watch on: Peacock

Thursday, July 4 - Stage 6 Race Start:  7:00 a.m. Locations:  Mâcon to Dijon Distance:  163.5 KM Watch on: Peacock

Friday, July 5 - Stage 7 Race Start:  7:10 a.m. Locations:  Nuits Saint Georges to Gevrey Chambertin Distance:  25.3 KM Watch on: Peacock

Saturday, July 6 - Stage 8 Race Start:  6:00 a.m. on Peacock, 8:00 a.m. on NBC Locations: Semur en Auxois to Colombey Les Deux Églises Distance:  183.4 KM Watch on: Peacock, NBC

Sunday, July 7 - Stage 9 Race Start:  7:05 a.m. Locations:  Troyes to Troyes Distance:  199 KM  Watch on: Peacock

Monday, July 8 - Rest Day

Tuesday, July 9 - Stage 10 Race Start:  6:55 a.m. Locations:  Orléans to Saint Amand Montrond Distance:  187.3 KM Watch on: Peacock

Wednesday, July 10 - Stage 11 Race Start:  6:55 a.m. Locations:  Évaux les Bains to Le Lioran Distance:  211 KM Watch on: Peacock

Thursday, July 11 - Stage 12 Race Start:  6:55 a.m. Locations:  Aurillac to Villeneuve Sur Lot Distance:  203.6 KM Watch on: Peacock

Friday, July 12 - Stage 13 Race Start:  7:30 a.m. Locations:  Agen to Pau Distance:  165.3 KM Watch on: Peacock

Saturday, July 13 - Stage 14 Race Start: 6:30 a.m. on Peacock, 8:00 a.m. on NBC Locations:  Pau to Saint Lary Soulan Pla D'Adet Distance:  151.9 KM Watch on: Peacock, NBC

Sunday, July 14 - Stage 15 Race Start: 6:55 a.m. Locations:  Loudenvielle to Plateau de Beille Distance:  197.7 KM Watch on: Peacock

Monday, July 15 - Rest Day

Tuesday, July 16 - Stage 16 Race Start: 6:50 a.m. Locations: Gruissan to Nîmes Distance:  188.6 KM Watch on: Peacock

Wednesday, July 17 - Stage 17 Race Start: 6:05 a.m. Locations:  Saint Paul Trois Châteaux to Superdévoluy Distance:  177.8 KM Watch on: Peacock

Thursday, July 18 - Stage 18 Race Start: 6:55 a.m. Locations:  Gap to Barcelonnette Distance:  179.5 KM Watch on: Peacock

Friday, July 19 - Stage 19 Race Start:  7:05 a.m. Locations:  Embrun to Isola 2000 Distance:  144.6 KM Watch on: Peacock

Saturday, July 20 - Stage 20 Race Start:  7:35 a.m. on Peacock, 4:00 p.m. on NBC Locations: Nice to Col de la Couillole  Distance:  132.8 KM Watch on: Peacock, Replay on NBC

Sunday, July 21 - Stage 21 Race Start: 10:10 a.m. Locations:  Monaco to Nice Distance:  33.7 KM Watch on: Peacock

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Brad Pitt Puts Pedal to Metal in First Teaser for ‘F1’ Movie

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F1 stars Pitt as former driver Sonny Hayes, who returns to the racing circuit with the goal of “building a car for combat,” as his character tells his crew chief played by Kerry Condon at the onset of the teaser. From there, the teaser is entirely dialogue-free, focusing instead on the racing action as soundtracked by Queen’s “We Will Rock You.”

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