Tour de France 2018 Stage 9 live stream: Watch online

A series of cobblestone sections await Tour de France riders on the road to Roubaix in Stage 9. Here’s how to catch all the action live online on Sunday.

Every spring, the classics specialists of professional cycling attack the cobblestone-strewn course of Paris-Roubaix. The event, ending on the track at the velodrome in Roubaix, presents a unique challenge that is rarely replicated over the rest of the cycling season. Every few years, though, the Tour de France visits these roads near the Belgian border.

This year’s visit to Roubaix features one of the hardest courses put together out of the recent editions of the Tour de France to visit the cobbles. The remaining cyclists in the Tour peloton will take on more than 13 miles of cobblestones across 15 sections. In total, 14 percent of the 95.5 miles of Stage 9 will take part on the large paving stones used throughout rural northern France.

After a week of most flat stages and relatively predictable results, Sunday’s ride to Roubaix will present an injection of uncertainty to the proceedings. While this stage will look familiar to some riders in the peloton, many in the field will be wholly unfamiliar with the tactical vagaries of racing on these rustic roads.

This stage is tailor-made for the types of riders that compete along a similar course every spring. Peter Sagan claimed Paris-Roubaix this year while wearing the rainbow jersey of the world champion. The Slovak star will factor into the finish while wearing the green jersey of the points leader.

Unlike Paris-Roubaix, Stage 9 finishes on the road outside the velodrome in Roubaix instead of going onto the track. Even without the ride on the banked oval, though, several other past Paris-Roubaix champions will also be in the mix at the finish.

How to watch the stage

Here is how to catch Stage 9 at the Tour de France live on July 15. The action from Arras to Roubaix will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network. Live streaming of the action is available on NBC Sports Gold or FuboTV.

• Date: Sunday, July 15, 2018
• Start time: 6:20 a.m. ET
• Start: Arras, France
• Finish: Roubaix, France
• TV Info: NBC Sports Network
• Live Stream: NBC Sports Gold, Fubo.TV

The road between Arras and Roubaix will present plenty of challenges. Luckily for the participants in this year’s Tour de France, though, the weather should hold for Stage 9. Temperatures are expected to hover around the mid-80s throughout the stage. There is the slightest chance of precipitation toward the end of the stage as riders near Roubaix. But that is unlikely, and in general inclement conditions are unlikely to play a factor in an already-difficult stage.

That, however, has its own issues. Heat can create dust on the cobblestones, making them slick and creating just as much of an accident risk as a wet day. There really is no “perfect” condition for cobblestones unless you are the type of self-mortifying rider that loves the penitence of the rough ride.

Next: Tour de France 2018 route breakdown and highlights

Given his current form, Sagan will be the favorite to claim his third stage win of the 2018 Tour de France. He definitely poses a bigger threat on this stage than many of the true sprinters, who could struggle to maintain contact at the front given their unfamiliarity with these particular types of roads.

Current yellow jersey Greg Van Avermaet won Paris-Roubaix in 2016 and should manage to hold onto the lead in the general classification through the first rest day. Past winners Niki Terpstra (2014), John Degenkolb (2015), and Matthew Hayman (2016) will also be hungry for a stage win on this course.