The Tour de Romandie 2026 brings the world's best stage racers to Switzerland from April 28 to May 3 for an early form test of the major Grand Tour contenders.
The race has only 15 teams, with many WorldTour squads using their one allotted race invite decline per year to avoid the event. As a result we have a small peloton of only 103 riders.
The race opened with a prologue in Villars-sur-Glâne on Tuesday and builds toward a decisive mountain finish at Leysin on the final day, with all eyes on Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) as the central favourite. Whether you're at home or abroad, here's how to watch live, with all official TV channels, legitimate free streams, and a simple way to keep access to your home subscription securely through a VPN while travelling.
Tour de Romandie 2026 Race Times
Tuesday 28 April 2026 • Villars-sur-Glâne → Villars-sur-Glâne
| Timezone | First rider | Last rider | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local | CEST / UTC+2 | 15:45 | 17:27 |
Stage 1 - Wednesday 29 April 2026 • Martigny → Martigny
- Est. Finish: 17:26
Stage 2 - Thursday 30 April 2026 • Rue → Vucherens
- Est. Finish: 17:16
Stage 3 - Friday 1 May 2026 • Orbe → Orbe
- Est. Finish: 17:43
Stage 4 - Saturday 2 May 2026 • Broc → Charmey
- Est. Finish: 16:06
Stage 5 - Sunday 3 May 2026 • Lucens → Leysin
- Est. Finish: 15:58
Race Favourites
Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) heads a strong start list that includes Primož Roglič and Florian Lipowitz (both Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Oscar Onley (Ineos Grenadiers), Lenny Martinez and Antonio Tiberi (both Bahrain Victorious) and Carlos Rodríguez (Ineos Grenadiers). The route mixes a short prologue with relentless rolling terrain and that mountain finish at Leysin, keeping the GC battle alive deep into the week.
Tour de Romandie 2026 Startlist
How to Watch the Tour de Romandie
Broadcast rights vary by region. The table below covers the main markets with verified broadcasters, cost and free-to-air options.
Where to Watch the Tour de Romandie 2026
| Region | Broadcaster | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
United Kingdom | TNT Sports / Max | Subscription | Available via TNT Sports or Max app |
United States | FloBikes | Subscription | Live and on-demand coverage |
Canada | FloBikes | Subscription | Live and on-demand coverage |
France | La Chaîne L'Équipe / Eurosport Max 2 | Subscription | Also available via Max app |
Australia | SBS On Demand | Free | Free-to-air and free streaming via SBS On Demand |
Belgium | Eurosport / Max | Subscription | Regional Eurosport arrangement |
Netherlands | Eurosport / Max | Subscription | Regional Eurosport arrangement |
Italy | Eurosport / Max | Subscription | Regional Eurosport arrangement |
Legal Free Streams
Velora tip: Certain national broadcasters show the Tour de Romandie live for free, entirely legally:
- RTS Deux / RTS Sport app in Switzerland, confirmed on the official Tour de Romandie broadcast page
- SBS / SBS On Demand in Australia
If you're abroad, you can connect via VPN to your home country to access these official, legal feeds, just as if you were at home.
Using a VPN Legally While Travelling
Broadcasters often limit streams to home viewers. If you're travelling, a VPN lets you securely connect to your home country so you can keep watching your existing paid or free account from abroad.
Velora Choice: NordVPN
Use a secure VPN connection to watch cycling on your existing subscription services or free streams while you’re away from home. Always follow local laws and your provider’s terms of use.
Our editorial team uses NordVPN by choice, we all purchased it independently to watch cycling races wherever we are.
- 8,400+ VPN servers covering 167+ locations
- One of the fastest VPNs on the market
- Protection from surveillance & cyberthreats
- Use NordVPN on up to 10 devices
How to do it:
- Download NordVPN, our recommended VPN for streaming while travelling.
- Connect to your home country (e.g., UK for TNT Sports / Max, or Switzerland for RTS).
- Open your usual broadcaster's site or app and start watching safely.
Velora never endorses bypassing broadcast rights. A VPN should only be used to access official services, whether paid or free-to-air, while abroad.
Always use legitimate platforms. Unofficial streams often breach copyright and expose viewers to malware or fake ads.
When to watch the Tour de Romandie
Stage 1 finished on the climb to Ovronnaz, where Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) sprinted clear of a small breakaway group to take the stage. The seven-second gap to Florian Lipowitz and 16 seconds to Lenny Martinez on GC come from stage-finish bonus seconds rather than time gained on the road. See the race times table above for the key daily windows for the best racing action.
Stage 4 Results
Broc → Charmey • May 2 • 149.6km
| Pos | Rider | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 | Tadej Pogačar | UAE Team Emirates-XRGUAE Team Emirates-XRG | 3:40:24 |
| 🥈 | Florian Lipowitz | Red Bull-BORA-hansgroheRed Bull-BORA-hansgrohe | +0:14 |
| 🥉 | Pablo Castrillo | Movistar TeamMovistar Team | +1:42 |
| 4 | Lorenzo Fortunato | XDS Astana TeamXDS Astana Team | +1:42 |
| 5 | Sergio Higuita | XDS Astana TeamXDS Astana Team | +1:47 |
| 6 | Yannis Voisard | Tudor Pro Cycling TeamTudor Pro Cycling Team | +1:47 |
| 7 | Luke Tuckwell | Red Bull-BORA-hansgroheRed Bull-BORA-hansgrohe | +1:47 |
| 8 | Junior Lecerf | Soudal Quick-StepSoudal Quick-Step | +1:47 |
| 9 | Jefferson Cepeda | Movistar TeamMovistar Team | +1:47 |
| 10 | Alexander Cepeda | EF Education-EasyPostEF Education-EasyPost | +1:47 |
| 11 | Cristian Rodríguez | XDS Astana TeamXDS Astana Team | +1:47 |
| 12 | Luke Plapp | Team Jayco-AlUlaTeam Jayco-AlUla | +1:47 |
| 13 | Nairo Quintana | Movistar TeamMovistar Team | +1:47 |
| 14 | Jørgen Nordhagen | Team Visma | Lease a BikeTeam Visma | Lease a Bike | +1:47 |
| 15 | Lenny Martinez | Bahrain VictoriousBahrain Victorious | +1:47 |
| 16 | Primož Roglič | Red Bull-BORA-hansgroheRed Bull-BORA-hansgrohe | +2:00 |
| 17 | Albert Withen Philipsen | Lidl-TrekLidl-Trek | +2:05 |
| 18 | George Bennett | NSN Cycling TeamNSN Cycling Team | +2:05 |
| 19 | Carlos Rodríguez | INEOS GrenadiersINEOS Grenadiers | +2:05 |
| 20 | Anton Schiffer | Team Visma | Lease a BikeTeam Visma | Lease a Bike | +2:05 |
| 21 | Felix Großschartner | UAE Team Emirates-XRGUAE Team Emirates-XRG | +2:05 |
| 22 | Michael Leonard | EF Education-EasyPostEF Education-EasyPost | +2:05 |
| 23 | Damiano Caruso | Bahrain VictoriousBahrain Victorious | +2:05 |
| 24 | Marco Frigo | NSN Cycling TeamNSN Cycling Team | +2:05 |
| 25 | Clément Berthet | Groupama-FDJ UnitedGroupama-FDJ United | +3:34 |
| 26 | Adrien Boichis | Red Bull-BORA-hansgroheRed Bull-BORA-hansgrohe | +3:34 |
| 27 | Lukas Nerurkar | EF Education-EasyPostEF Education-EasyPost | +3:34 |
| 28 | Laurens De Plus | INEOS GrenadiersINEOS Grenadiers | +3:34 |
| 29 | Finn Fisher-Black | Red Bull-BORA-hansgroheRed Bull-BORA-hansgrohe | +3:34 |
| 30 | Daniel Martínez | Red Bull-BORA-hansgroheRed Bull-BORA-hansgrohe | +3:34 |
The third day of racing, Stage 2, is another challenging day for the riders. It is up and down all day on the 173.1km route from Rue to Vucherens. However, most of the race is on a circuit with just 33.8km from the start to the first passage of the finish line. Attacks could come at any time but the race is due to finish at around 17:16 CEST, but allow leeway of about 15 minutes either way. Maybe tune in for the start of the final lap with about 50km to go at around 16:15 CEST, again with 15 minutes leeway either way.
Stage 3 is another tough day, they all are in Romandie, but this one is very back loaded like Stage 1. The 176.6km loop starting and finishing in Orbe has a hefty ascent of the Col Mollendruz which is around 9km long with an average gradient of 6% and a max of 8%. It would be a good idea to start watching before this climb at around 16:30 CEST with the finish expected in Orbe at around 17:43 CEST.
Into the fifth day and Stage 4, the riders tackle the hardest looking of the days with four brutal climbs over a course of 149.6km starting in Broc and finishing in Charmey. A good place to start watching would be at the penultimate climb of the Saanenmöser (6km at 4.5%) which starts with around 45km to go. The time to aim for there is 14:50 CEST. The start of the final climb, the Jaunpass (8.1km at 7.9%) is due to start around 15:20 CEST and the finish at 16:06 CEST.
The sixth and final day sees the riders take on the only summit finish for Stage 5. If you only want to see the final ascent and not the majority of the 178.2km route from Lucens to Leysin then tune in from around 15:45 CEST for the 15km ascent at 6% with a max of 12% with the finish likely being at 15:58 CEST.
Quick Recap
- Watch live via official broadcasters such as TNT Sports, Max, FloBikes, RTS Deux, La Chaîne L'Équipe and Eurosport Max 2
- Access free and legal coverage via RTS in Switzerland and SBS On Demand in Australia
- Travelling abroad? Use a VPN to keep access to your home subscription safely
- Avoid illegal or pirate streams, they're unsafe and breach copyright
- Watch the Tour de Romandie live, free (where available), and securely, wherever you are
Velora Choice: NordVPN
Use a secure VPN connection to watch cycling on your existing subscription services or free streams while you’re away from home. Always follow local laws and your provider’s terms of use.
Get NordVPN - Special OfferVelora only promotes VPN use to maintain access to legitimate, paid, or free-to-air services while abroad.
Cover image: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
*Updated by Tim Bonville-Ginn, 29th April
