There's another way to watch the Tour de France for free on UK TV, thanks to Welsh broadcasters

There is some good news for British cycling fans who baulked at this year's subscription price hikes: the Tour de France will be shown free-to-air in the UK after all. Welsh-language broadcaster S4C has secured the rights to the 2026 race, bringing a mix of live stages and highlights back to UK television. Select stages will also be available live on BBC iPlayer.

S4C's coverage, sublicensed from TNT Sports and produced by Sunset & Vine, will run across the full three weeks from 4 to 26 July, on S4C and its digital platforms. The channel is available UK-wide, so this is not a Wales-only offer. The presenting team of Rhodri Gomer, Peredur ap Gwynedd, Gruff Lewis and Manon Lloyd will lead the broadcast.

“I am very happy that S4C is broadcasting the Tour de France once again, for the 13th year in a row." said Peredur ap Gwynedd. "It's pretty bonkers that we've broadcast the race since 2014. And of course, with a stage of the Tour taking place in Wales next year, the word 'exciting' doesn't even come close to how I feel about the future!"

The obvious limitation is language: the commentary is in Welsh. English-language viewers in the UK still face a choice between a TNT Sports/HBO Max subscription (£30.99 a month, or £25.99 billed annually) and the free workaround set out in our 'how to watch the Tour de France guide' — a VPN pointed at Australia's free SBS On Demand.

Channel 5, meanwhile, will show an hour of free English-language highlights each evening.

The bigger story may be what comes next. S4C says it is in talks to cover the 2027 mens' Tour de France. It starts in Edinburgh on 2 July 2027, with opening stages crossing Scotland, England and Wales before the race heads back to France. It would be the first time the Tour de France has ever passed through Wales — which makes the broadcaster's involvement all the more fitting.

For now, though, Welsh fans can settle in for three weeks of free racing, from the team time trial in Barcelona to the finish on the Champs-Élysées. If you want the full rundown of every broadcaster, subscription and free option in English, check out our how to watch guide below.