Road cycling is a sport that continues to gather new fans. This tends to happen on a four-year cycle as people tune into the road races at the Olympics. It gets you excited about this sport and what it has to offer, so you quickly do a bit of research. You suddenly discover there are loads of races throughout the year including all of the best cyclists around.
It’s something you want to be more involved with, so how can you watch the latest bike races from across the world?
Step 1: Download and install a VPN
Broadcasters and streaming services have the rights to show live cycling streams in different countries. If you’re located in the US, you’ll have different ways of viewing races than someone in the UK, Europe or Australia. Each country or region could have services that are specifically locked to that location – if you’re not from there, you’re missing out.
Downloading a VPN helps you bypass any regional restrictions. The best VPN software lets you choose where in the world your IP address will be located, so you have access to that country’s online services. It’s a must for cycling fans as our sport isn’t as widely broadcast as others so you will run into regional barriers.
This offers the freedom to watch any streaming service or broadcast channel you like!
Step 2: Find somewhere to watch the latest cycling events
Where can you watch cycling races online? A host of options are available, so let’s look at what you can choose:
Online betting sites
We’d arguably say that online betting operators are the best place to watch cycling online. It’s not “free” but it is the only option that doesn’t include a paid subscription of sorts. Join some of the non UK betting sites listed by CasinoGam and they’ll have live streams of the latest and most important cycling events on the planet. Coverage is fairly decent and widespread, though you won’t get things like commentary or dedicated analysis by broadcasters.
Max
Also known as HBO Max, this is one of the newest subscription streaming services in the US. Max prices begin at $9.99 a month for the basic service with ads (you can save a few dollars by paying $99.99 for the year in full). You also receive the Sports Add-On for a limited time – after which you’ll need to pay an additional $9.99 a month to keep it.
It feels a bit pricey, but it’s definitely worth it for cycling fans. The Sports Add-On gives you access to B/R Sports on Max with a dedicated channel for premier cycling events. It’s one of the few places to genuinely cater to cycling fans and there are things to watch throughout the year. Plus, you can watch different sports and have access to loads of exclusive shows on Max, so it starts making more sense as your go-to streaming platform.
Discovery Plus
Those of you based in the UK won’t have access to Max, but you can opt for Discovery Plus instead. It’s owned by the same company and lets you stream Eurosport for the decent price of £6.99 a month. You get plenty more sports thrown in for good measure, but Eurosport has always been the home of cycling for British users. It covers all the major road races throughout the year – from the Tour de France to La Vuelta Espana and much more. If you’re going to pay for a subscription service, this one might make the most sense as it’s super affordable.
Yes, this means you can access it from the US or elsewhere with a VPN. If you don’t like what Max has to offer and only want to get sports and a few additional channels or original shows, paying £6.99 a month makes way more sense.
FloBikes
Next, we have an app/service dedicated to cycling fans. If you’re not interested in getting anything other than cycling, this is the one for you. FloBikes has two plans – one that’s billed annually and one that is billed monthly. If you pick the annual one it works out at $12.50 a month while the monthly one will be $29.99 a month.
Both give you the same features; HD live streams and videos from all the cycling events you can think of. They’re available on-demand too, so if you miss a race because you’re out, you can watch the entire thing with commentary and analysis whenever you like – and as often as you want too! At the moment, FloBikes is only available in the US and Canada but a cheeky VPN will help cycling fans in the UK or wider Europe.
FuboTV
The final option is FuboTV – which is another one meant for a North American audience – and it collects multiple TV channels in one place. Signing up will give you access to hundreds of sports channels without needing satellite or cable installation at home. This includes channels that might show cycling events – like ESPN, BeIN, NBC, Fox and more.
Unlimited DVR is included, meaning you can record cycling events if you think you’ll miss them. The only downside is the price; it’s $49.99 for the first month and then $79.99 for all months after. We’d only recommend this if you’re going to get rid of your cable or satellite TV subscription for something else. Otherwise, it’s a bit of a waste of money.
On that bombshell, you’ve reached the end of our guide to watching cycling online. Many options present themselves at various price points. Our advice is to either pick the best one in your region or use a VPN to access whichever service you like the look of the most.
