How to watch Tour de France stages 16, 17 and 18: live stream the action

We're into the final week of this year's race, so a Tour de France stages 16, 17 and 18 live stream is going to be a hot ticket if you want to stay up-to-date with the action. The Tour de France is free-to-air on ITVX (UK) and SBS On-Demand (AUS). Make sure you know how to watch for free with a VPN from anywhere.

A fiery second week has set up stages 16, 17 and 18 to all but decide the race for the Maillot Jaune with Tuesday's time trial and the queen stage 17 being two of the only remaining days for General Classification action.

Tuesday's time trial saw one of the best performances against the clock of all time. Jonas Vingegaard solidified his grip on the yellow jersey with a dominant victory over the entire field, but more importantly, he finished 1:38 ahead of close rival, Tadej Pogačar, and took a significant lead that appears insurmountable barring any disaster. It was a performance for the ages from the Dane as his Slovenian rival, despite finishing 1:13 ahead of Wout Van Aert in third, couldn't come close to his level on either the flat section of the course or the final climb up into Combloux. The overall standings now see Vingegaard 1:48 ahead of Pogačar and looking set to defend his Tour de France title.

With our two leaders heavily separated on the 22km time trial, the queen stage 17 will force Pogačar into action to try and gain close to a two-minute advantage on Vingegaard if he is to win the overall. 5000m of elevation gain crammed into a 165.7km route with two long category one climbs to kick-start the action, followed by a category two warm-up before the finish up the Col de la Loze. The Loze has featured only once in Tour history, in 2020, and with its brutal irregular inclines, ramps of up to 24% gradient on exposed roads and it being at a high altitude of 2304m, it is an absolute monster of a climb with an equally awkward descent to follow it until a final ramp up the altiport in Courchevel.

History would say this is Vingegaard territory, having made the decisive blow in the 2022 race on a high-altitude finish, but Pogačar has looked supreme since getting dropped on stage five. With Vingegaard's incredible TT performance, however, the chances of victory seem to have swung in his favour and he can now ride defensively behind Pogačar or attack him depending on how he feels.

Stage 18 should provide a chance for relative calm after the dust settles on the GC battle following the queen stage. It's one of the three remaining chances for the sprinters' teams and, after toiling away to survive in the Alps, they'll want to control any breaks and give their fast men a chance to fight for this win. The 184.9km route from Moûtiers to Bourg-en-Bresse presents little option for a break to obviously go and should end in a bunch sprint. Jasper Philipsen has won all four of the flat finishes so far and will want to keep that up while also securing the green jersey.

With the race now in its final week, and with so many questions yet to be answered, it’s good to know there are plenty of channels around the world broadcasting Tour de France 2023 live streams to help you keep up with the action. Here's how to watch stages 16, 17 and 18 of the Tour de France 2023.

Quick guide to watching Tour de France stages 16, 17 and 18

As with the rest of this year's race, Tour de France stages 16, 17 and 18 live stream on GCN+, Discovery+ and Eurosport, as well as ITV4, in the UK and in Europe.

Subscription costs are £6.99/month or $8.99/month, and £39.99 or $49.99 for a year.

Flobikes show the in Canada – a year's subscription to the service will set you back $209.99. Meanwhile, American viewers can watch via NBC Sports via Peacock Premium ($4.99 per month in the US) will show the race. In Australia, SBS on Demand gives you the option to watch the Tour for free.

AUS FREE live stream: SBS On Demand

UK: Stream on GCN+ and Eurosport Player (£6.99 per month)

US: Stream on NBC Sports ($4.99 per month)

Anywhere: Watch your local stream from anywhere with ExpressVPN

Watch Tour de France stages 16, 17 and 18: live stream in the UK

GCN+, Discovery+, Eurosport and ITV are all showing live streams of this year's tour de France action, along with highlights and analysis of each stage.

To gain access to Discovery+ and Eurosport coverage, you can subscribe for £59.99 a year, or £6.99 per month. Alternatively, access to GCN+ also costs £39.99 a year, or £6.99 per month. ITV's coverage (via ITVX) is free to view.

Welsh cycling fans also have the option of watching the race on Welsh-language channel S4C.

Watch Tour de France live stream anywhere on the planet

If you’re abroad for Tour de France stages 16, 17 and 18, don't worry about missing out – you can just download and install a VPN and use a location inside the United Kingdom to watch the broadcast live as if you were back home.

Geo-blocking restrictions can prevent you from viewing your usual TV services while overseas. But by using a VPN – a piece of software which offers both online privacy and ability to change your IP address – you can access on-demand content or live TV like you would back at home, even while in another country.

Setting up a VPN is simple – just download, install, open the app and select your location.

Try out Express VPN for its speed, security and simplicity to use. It is also compatible with a range of devices and streaming services (e.g. Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Xbox, PS4, etc.), giving you the option to watch wherever you want.

Our sister site TechRadar recommends the paid ExpressVPN, which it consistently rates as the best VPN provider. There are other great options out there, of course, but Express VPN gives you the added benefit of a 30-day money back guarantee and three months free with a yearly plan.

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Watch Tour de France stages 16, 17 and 18: live stream in the USA, Canada and Australia

In the USA and Canada, you can watch the Tour de France stages 16, 17 and 18 on NBC Sports, while on-demand streams and highlights will also be available.

Canadian cycling fans also have the option of watching the action on FloBikes.

In Australia, SBS show the racing live every day, with highlights packages also available.

Watch Tour de France stages 16, 17 and 18: live stream in Europe

Discovery+ and GCN+ are all available across Europe, including viewers in France, Belgium and the Netherlands.

In addition to Discovery+ and GCN+, French viewers also have the option to watch their home race on France TV Sport, with Rai Sport in Italy, RTBF in Belgium and NOS in the Netherlands all available, too.

Tour de France stages 16, 17 and 18: the routes

Stage 16: Passy to Combloux (Tuesday, July 18)
Stage 16 was the only time trial of the 2023 race and was a huge day for the overall standings. The 22.4km route from Passy to Combloux gave those more suited to a punchy TT a chance to make the difference, particularly up the final climb, the Côte de Domancy (2.5km at 9.4%). It was a hot 34-degree day in the valley in Sallanches before they started the climb, and was a brutal all-out effort in the heat under the aero helmet for our two GC favourites: Jonas VIngegaard and Tadej Pogačar. Vingegaard put in the performance of a lifetime to not only win the stage but gain 1:38 of an advantage over Pogačar going into the queen stage.

Stage 17: Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc to Courchevel (Wednesday, July 19)
This is it, the queen stage of the 2023 Tour de France and on paper, one of the hardest days of racing throughout the whole year. Stage 17 is only 165.7km, but the route is jam-packed with hellish climbs including two first-category tests in the opening 70km, the Col des Saisies (13.4km at 5.1%) and the Cormet de Roselend (19.9km at 6%). With those leg-sapping efforts in the legs, they'll then face the comparatively 'easy' Côte de Longefroy (6.6km at 7.5%) before facing the final monster on a day topping out over 5000m of elevation gain – the Col de la Loze (28.1km at 6%). As the highest point of the race, it's also where the Souvenir Henri Desgrange will be awarded and could be where the yellow jersey is decided as its final 5km all average over 9% gradient with maximums of 24% on a narrow path designed to link Meribel and Courchevel. It's an unrelenting climb with inconsistent gradients that break the riders' rhythm, and due to its high-altitude nature, should provide a key moment in this year's monumental fight for the yellow jersey between Vingegaard and Pogačar. After they crest it, they won't even be finished as they will have to safely navigate a technical and dangerous descent into Courchevel, before a final sprint up the ramp on the ski resort's altiport. It should be one of the hardest stages in recent memory and could play host to a historic final chapter in one of the best GC battles this century.

Stage 18: Moûtiers to Bourg-en-Bresse (Thursday, July 20)
The sprinters' teams should be back on duty on stage 18 if they've made it inside the time cut on the hideous day that precedes stage 18. It will be a long day in the saddle on the 184.9km route from Moûtiers to Bourg-en-Bresse before we possibly see one of the final bunch sprints of the 2023 Tour. There are two fourth-category climbs along the route, the Côte de Chambéry-le-Haut (1.6km at 4.1%) and the Côte de Boissieu (2.4km at 4.7%), but neither are hard enough nor near enough to the finish to have any effect on the sprint teams. The only issue for them will be if a huge break goes at the beginning of the stage and they are unable to control it after such a difficult mountain day the day before. Jasper Philipsen will, of course, be the favourite if it does end in a flat finale, having won all four flat sprints so far at the 2023 Tour. Everyone else will simply be trying to dethrone the Belgian flyer.

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