How to watch Tour Down Under 2026: free cycling streams online from anywhere

Detailed view of Kangaroo signal while the peloton compete during the 25th Santos Tour Down Under 2025, Stage 5 a 145.7km stage from McLaren Vale to Willunga Hill 371m / #UCIWT / on January 25, 2025 in Willunga Hill, Australia.

(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)

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The first men's WorldTour race of the year begins on January 20th where the peloton will take to the start ramp in Adelaide to tackle the six stages of the 26th Tour Down Under.

Read on and we'll show you how to watch Santos Tour Down Under 2026 live streams from anywhere with a VPN, and potentially for free.

Tour Down Under 2026 live streams: TV schedule, Dates

Tour Down Under 2026 live streams take place between Tuesday January 20th and Sunday January 25th 2026.
► Start time: The start time for the Prologue on Tuesday 20th is 6 p.m. (ACDT) Stages 1 to 5 all start at 11:10 a.m. (ACDT) / 12:40 a.m. (GMT) / 7:40 p.m. - day before (ET)
• FREE STREAM — 7Plus (Australia)
• U.S. — Peacock/NBC
• U.K. — Discovery+
• Watch anywhere — Try NordVPN risk-free

The 2026 World Tour starts on the heat scorched hills of South Australia with six stages of action that begin with an incredibly short 3.6km prologue.

Following this evening hit out which will more than likely reward a true specialist rather than a contender for the overall, the race heads right into three testing stages. Although on paper they may favour a sprint finish, with plenty of hills on route, be prepared for some surprises.

As usual Stage five is the Queen stage and features three ascents of the legendary Willunga Hill, the third of which will almost certainly decide the winner of the race. Unless that is, they burn too many matches and can’t recover for the 170km final stage, with repeated climbs around the city of Stirling.

Favourites to take the Ochre Jersey and first World Tour win of the year will be Aussie star Jay Vine and his team mate defending champion Jhonatan Narváez (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Kiwi, Finn Fisher-Black (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) and Ben O’Connor (Jayco AlUla) who will be desperate to put a terrible 2025 behind him.

For the sprint stages, all eyes will be on the young Mathew Brennan to see if he can pick up where he left off last year and continue his stratospheric rise.

Read on for details of how to watch the Santos Tour Down Under 2026.

Can I watch Tour Down Under 2026 for free?

Watch Tour Down Under 2026 from anywhere in the world with a VPN

It's only natural that you might want to watch a Tour Down Under 2026 live stream from your home country, but what if you're not there when the races are on?

Look no further than a VPN, or virtual private network. A VPN makes it look as if you're surfing the web from your home country, rather than the one you're in. That means you can access the streaming services you already pay for, from anywhere on Earth. Or anywhere that has an internet connection, at least.

They're totally legal, inexpensive and easy to use. We've tested lots of the best VPN services and our favourite right now is NordVPN. It's fast, works on loads of devices and even offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Using a VPN is incredibly simple.

1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, NordVPN is our favourite.

2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance if you're in the U.S. and want to view an Australian service, you'd select 'Australia' from the list.

3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to 7plus or another streaming service and watch the action.

How to watch Tour Down Under 2026 live streams in the U.S.

In the US, fans can watch the men's Tour Down Under on Peacock, NBC's streaming service.

A Peacock Premium subscription costs $10.99 monthly or $109.99 per year for an ad-supported plan, or the ad-free Peacock Premium Plus costs $16.99 a month or $169.99 a year. Peacock and NBC are also the US broadcasters of the Tour de France.

And if you're currently out of the U.S. but still want to watch the races, then don't forget to explore NordVPN set out above.

How to watch Tour Down Under 2026 live streams in the U.K.

British flag — (Image credit: Shutterstock)

Fans in the UK can stream the men's Santos Tour Down Under on TNT Sports via Discovery+.

Discovery+ is the streaming platform for TNT Sports. A Sports package subscription costs £30.99 a month (£25.49 if you pay annually) and the service is home to pretty much the entire cycling calendar.

You can also watch on television if you add TNT Sports to your TV package, but Discovery+ streams at any time, with highlights too, so UK fans can watch the action from down under at a more sociable time.

If you're currently traveling overseas, don't worry, as you can use NordVPN to watch your usual service from abroad.

How to watch Tour Down Under 2026 live streams in Canada

Canada flag — (Image credit: Shutterstock)

In Canada, the Santos Tour Down Under will be on FloBikes, the cycling streaming specialist.

FloBikes is the North American broadcaster for loads of races throughout the year, not just the Australian season opener. Monthly plans cost US$29.99 or CA$39.99, but you'll save big with an annual plan at US$149.99 or CA$203.88.

Not at home right now? Use NordVPN or another VPN service to trick your device into thinking you're still in Canada.

How to watch Tour Down Under 2026 live streams in Australia

Australian flag — (Image credit: Future)

As we've said above, all stages of the men's Tour Down Under will be shown for free on TV on 7Mate and 7two, and online on 7plus for fans in Australia.

Note this is different to most of the year, where SBS show most cycling races – Seven West Media have exclusive broadcast rights for the Tour Down Under.

Outside Oz? Use NordVPN to unblock geoblocking while you are out of Australia.

Tour Down Under 2026 Schedule

Note: GMT: –10.5 hours | ET: –15.5 hours

Disclaimer

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.

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Simon Warren has been obsessed with cycling since the summer of 1989 after watching Greg Lemond battle Laurent Fignon in the Tour de France. Although not having what it took to beat the best, he found his forte was racing up hills and so began his fascination with steep roads. This resulted in his 2010’s best-selling 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs, followed to date by 14 more guides to vertical pain. Covering the British Isles, Belgium, France, Italy and Spain he has been riding and racing up hills and mountains for over 30 years now. He hosts talks, guides rides, has written columns for magazines and in 2020 released his first book of cycling routes, RIDE BRITAIN. Simon splits his time between working as a graphic designer and running his 100 Climbs brand and lives in Sheffield on the edge of the Peak District with his wife and two children.

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