The Tour Down Under kicks off the Women’s WorldTour and WorldTour seasons from Saturday, and is a must-watch as 2026 gets underway.
The women’s race begins on Saturday 17 January, running until Monday 19 January in South Australia over three stages. Defending champion Noemi Rüegg (EF Education-Oatly) will be present, as will Ally Wollaston (FDJ United-SUEZ) and former winner Amanda Spratt (Lidl-Trek), at the start of her last year.
Quick guide to watching Tour Down Under 2026
- UK: TNT Sports / Discovery+ (£30.99/mon)
- US: Peacock (from $10.99/mon, $109.99/year)
- Canada: Flobikes ($39.99/mon)
- Australia: 7plus (Free)
- Anywhere: Watch your local stream from anywhere with NordVPN
How to watch the Tour Down Under in the UK
In the UK, the race will be shown on TNT Sports. These are Warner Bros. Discovery’s premium channels.
The event can also be streamed on Discovery+, with a package now priced at £30.99 a month. This might be handier if you’re getting up in the middle of the night to watch the action.
How to watch the Tour Down Under in the US and Canada
For North American viewers, this year’s coverage of the Tour Down Under is split across Peacock and FloBikes.
Peacock, which is the streaming platform of NBC, has the rights to show the Australian race in the US. Subscriptions start at $10.99 a month, or $109.99 a year, for the ‘Premium’ offering with ads. Viewers can pay a little bit more to watch without ads thanks to ‘Premium Plus’, priced at $16.99 a month, or $169.99 a year. A longer subscription will secure your Tour de France streaming.
Flobikes is in charge of broadcasting the Tour Down Under in Canada. Subscriptions cost 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.
(Image credit: SWpix.com/Zac Williams)
Can I watch the Tour Down Under for free?
Fans in the home country of Australia, can watch the Tour Down Under for free thanks to the race’s deal with Seven. That means you can watch on TV on 7Mate and 7two, and online on 7plus.
That’s different to the rest of the year, when racing coverage is provided by SBS, the country’s public service broadcaster.
Coverage is geo-restricted, so if you’re not in any of these countries right now, and these channels are your usual port of call, you’ll need a VPN to get your usual coverage while abroad – more on that below.
How to watch the Tour Down Under while abroad
Most streaming platforms have geo-restrictions in place, meaning they only work in certain countries. But being locked out of the races is a thing of the past thanks to a VPN, so you can continue to watch the Tour Down Under while on the move.
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.
Our colleagues over at TechRadar know everything there is to know about VPNs and they rate NordVPN as the best VPN out there right now.
Want to know more? We have an explainer on the benefits, costs, and considerations…
– Should I use a VPN to watch cycling?
What to expect at the Tour Down Under
The Tour Down Under is the beginning of the season for most, apart from those who have taken part in the Australian National Championships, so it’s a chance for all to shake their rust off and get into the thick of action.
The men’s and women’s races might be shorn of some of cycling’s top-level stars, but that just means there is more room for emerging talent and for new names to stake a claim. Two years ago, that was Isaac del Toro and Oscar Onley in the men’s race, two names we’re all much more familiar with, while in the women’s, Sarah Gigante and Ally Wollaston have both partly emerged Down Under.
The women’s race sees three lumpy stages around Adelaide, for the longest race yet, while the men will similarly have hilly stages, five of them, after an opening day time trial.
For the first time, all 14 Women’s WorldTour squads will be present, while all 18 men’s WorldTour teams have also headed to Australia.
What time is the Tour Down Under on?
|
Stage |
Date |
Start and finish time (ACDT) |
Start and finish time (GMT) |
Start and finish time (ET) |
|
One |
Saturday, 18 January |
11:10 – 15:02 |
00:40 – 04:32 |
19:40 – 23:32 (16 Jan) |
|
Two |
Sunday, 19 January |
11:10 – 14:49 |
00:40 – 04:19 |
19:40 – 23:19 (17 Jan) |
|
Three |
Monday, 20 January |
11:10 – 15:04 |
00:40 – 04:34 |
19:40 – 23:34 (18 Jan) |
|
Women’s One-Day Race |
Tuesday, 21 January |
15:30 – 18:08 |
05:00 – 07:38 |
00:00 – 02:38 |
|
Stage |
Date |
Start and finish time (ACDT) |
Start and finish time (GMT) |
Start and finish time (ET) |
|
Prologue |
Tuesday, 20 January |
18:00 – 20:30 |
07:30 – 10:00 |
02:30 – 05:00 |
|
One |
Wednesday, 21 January |
11:10 – 14:03 |
00:40 – 03:33 |
19:40 – 22:33 (20 Jan) |
|
Two |
Thursday, 22 January |
11:10 – 15:02 |
00:40 – 04:32 |
19:40 – 23:32 (21 Jan) |
|
Three |
Friday, 23 January |
11:10 – 14:52 |
00:40 – 04:22 |
19:40 – 23:22 (22 Jan) |
|
Four |
Saturday, 24 January |
11:10 – 15:39 |
00:40 – 05:09 |
19:40 (23 Jan) – 00:09 (24 Jan) |
|
Five |
Sunday, 25 January |
11:10 – 15:26 |
00:40 – 04:56 |
19:40 – 23:56 (25 Jan) |
See also: Cycling TV and streaming guide
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