BROADCAST GUIDE | The TOUR DE FRANCE returns with both Men and Women’s races broadcast LIVE on SBS

Cycling’s most prestigious event the Tour de France gears up for a momentous month of fierce competition this July.

Additionally, 2022 will see the very first Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, with both races available live, free and in HD exclusive to SBS from Friday 1 July.

SBS will provide extensive coverage of both the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift with the men’s race starting 1 July to 24 July and the women’s race from 24 July to 31 July.

Spanning four countries, the 109^th Tour de France will begin in Denmark’s capital city Copenhagen, before moving south through France, Belgium, and Switzerland, ending in Paris.

The race will feature nine new stage towns, with 21 stages in total including six mountain stages with five summit finishes, six flat stages, seven hilly stages and two individual time trials.

In France, the race will visit 8 regions and 29 departments with stage six boasting the longest trek at 220km while, stage five will see the return of cobbles after a four-year absence, with 19.4km of cobbles split across 11 sections.

In a ground-breaking first edition of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, riders will cross three regions and 11 departments over eight days, beginning in Paris and finishing in La super Planche des Belles Filles.

The race will feature a total of eight stages including two hilly stages, four flat stages, and two mountain stages with one summit finish at stage eight. Stage three will see the track begin to incline before reaching the striking ‘white roads’ of stage four where riders will navigate chalky tracks through the Champagne vineyards.

The race will also feature one mountain massif, the Vosges, during the last two stages, while stage five checks in as the longest stretch at 174km.

For the first time since 2019, the SBS commentary team will be back on the ground in France delivering exclusive coverage right from the heart of the action.

Collaborating to bring viewers expert commentary and trusted analysis for the 2022 Tour de France are Matthew Keenan whose cycling prowess brings him to his 16^th year commentating the Tour, world hour record holder and Australian Time Trial champion Dr. Bridie O’Donnell and Simon Gerrans, whose distinguished cycling career includes victories at Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Milan-San Remo, and stage wins at all three Grand Tours.

Joining the commentary team for the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will be two-time national road champion and founding member of the first-ever independent international women’s cycling union Gracie Elvin.

Reporting on location will be former Giro d’Italia stage winner and long-standing SBS presenter David McKenzie, SBS French Radio’s Christophe Mallet and Gracie Elvin.

The trio will also present daily highlight’s every evening from 5pm – 6pm on weekdays, and 4.30pm – 5.30pm on weekends. Together the team will deliver a comprehensive experience for viewers with breaking news, exclusive interviews, diverse voices from the race and stories from inside the peloton as they get up close and personal at every stage.

Mark Renshaw will provide audiences with unique insights and in-depth analysison how key stages are won and lost as host of a new complementary digital series The Finale.

Broadcast times vary, with most stages starting at 9:30pm AEST (full schedule below). Then, tune into SBS daily for Morning Updates from 7.00am, stage replays from 12.00pm on SBS and 2pm on SBS VICELAND and evening highlights from 5.00pm weekdays and 4.30pm weekends.

Every stage of the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will stream live on SBS On Demand and the SBS Sport website. SBS Sport will feature news, opinion, stats, highlights, and video on demand.  

SBS Director of Sport, Ken Shipp said:

“SBS has been at the forefront of a momentous year of cycling to date with Jai Hindley’s outstanding victory at the Giro d’Italia, becoming the first Australian to win this Grand Tour.

And with the first edition of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift taking place alongside the Tour de France this year, it’s set to be an unforgettable marker in the sport’s history.

As Australia’s cycling network, SBS is incredibly proud to broadcast these extraordinary moments in time, with our world class coverage which we will continue to deliver to Australian audiences for many years to come.”

The ŠKODA Tour Tracker app will return in 2022, streaming live pictures and allowing viewers to see real time data, stage profiles and catch-up video to complement the full Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift coverage, with a fully comprehensive offering. 

The Zwift SBS Tour de France podcast also returns, hosted by SBS French Radio’s Christophe Mallet and David McKenzie with experts and special guests.

Covering both the men’s and women’s event, the daily podcast features updates on the race, interviews with riders and fascinating conversations on the distinctly ‘French’ things that make this cycling race one of the biggest sporting events in the world. 

While riders tackle the mountainous French countryside, esteemed French chef Guillaume Brahimi will take viewers on a culinary journey when SBS’s food accompaniment Plat du Tour returns for its third year.

Airing during SBS’s coverage of the Tour de France, the series will feature 21 recipes that originate from different regions of France and correlate to the different tourstages.

Recipes include Langoustine and Truffle Pasta from the ancient city of Saint Gaudens, Raclette Savoyarde, a cheesy treat from the alps and Tourte des Pyrénées aux Myrtilles, a blueberry torte from the heart of the Pyrenees.

Plat du Tour segments will be available for catch-up on SBS Food Online and SBS On Demand and will air as special episodes on SBS Food after the 2022 Tour de France is complete. Plat du Tour is produced by Blink TV for SBS.

BROADCAST SCHEDULE