After Thursday's stellar performance, Tadej Pogačar has shown us that the race for the Maillot Jaune is well and truly on. Stages seven, eight, and nine of the Tour de France 2023 will provide us with the full complement of racing parcours starting on a Friday with a flat stage and it's safe to say, after such a brutal last two stages, the riders will be looking forward to a break from the climbs.
After disappointment on stage four, Mark Cavendish and his Astana teammates will be looking to try and stop the Dominance of Alpecin-Deceuninck and Jasper Philipsen on stage seven. A fast finish into Bordeaux will be the third opportunity for the Brit to scribe his name into the history books as he looks for the magical 35th stage win.
General Classification l Adam Yates
Saturday plays host to another tough hilly day out, as the race moves towards the Massif Central. It looks to be a prime opportunity for the breakaway, but twisty stages like these can throw up all sorts of upsets, so Jumbo-Visma will have to work hard to keep the Yellow Jersey safe on the shoulders of Jonas Vingegaard.
Sunday's finish up the Puy de Dôme will be the first Hors Categorie summit finish of this year's Tour. Will Pogačar be able to make any further inroads on Jonas Vingegaard's slender 25-second advantage, or will the Danish Dynamite show his climbing dominance once again? One thing is for sure, there will be nowhere to hide on the 13.3km 7.7% summit finish ahead of the first rest day.
With the race now well and truly opened up, 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 seven, eight and nine of this year's race.
Quick guide to watching Tour de France stages seven, eight and nine
As with the rest of this year's race, Tour de France stages seven, eight and nine 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
Tour de France stages seven, eight and nine: 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 from anywhere on the planet
If you’re abroad for Tour de France stages seven, eight and nine, 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.
Live stream Tour de France stages seven, eight and nine in the USA, Canada and Australia
In the USA and Canada, you can watch the Tour de France stages 4-7 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.
Tour de France stages seven, eight and nine 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 seven, eight and nine: the routes
Stage 7: Mont-de-Marsan to Bordeaux (Friday, July 7)
With an average only five meters of elevation per kilometer, stage seven of the 2023 Tour de France is undoubtedly a third opportunity for the sprinters. More intermediate sprint points will be available at kilometer 88, but the real challenges come in the final. After contesting the Côte de Béguey (1.2km at 4.4%) with 39km to go, it will be an all-out positioning battle into Bourdeaux, with a technical finish peppered with tight turns and roundabouts.
Stage 8: Libourne to Limoges (Saturday, July 8)
Stage eight could be a day for the breakaway. A rolling 200.7km route sees the riders follow the more technical backroads of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. The last 70km features three categorised climbs (one category three and two category four climbs) along with many more uncategorised kicks. The final climb, the Côte de Condat-sur-Vienne (1.2km at 5.5%) comes with just 10km remaining, before a slightly downhill dash into the finish in Limoges.
Stage 9: Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat to Puy de Dôme (Sunday, July 9)
For the climbers and GC contenders alike, respite is short-lived as the race enters its second mountain range, the Massif Central. A tough rolling stage winds its way through the rolling foothills, before another Hors Categorie test, this time a summit finish up the Puy de Dome. After tackling two fourth-category climbs and a third-category climb earlier in the stage, the riders will descend down to Clermont-Ferrand before starting the gruelling 13.3km at 7.7% test to the finish.
Disclaimer
We recommend VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example
1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service) 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad
We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services.
Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
