Tour de France 2018 Stage 12 live stream: Watch online

Alpe d’Huez might be the most well-known climb in cycling. The Tour de France finishes on the iconic slope on Stage 12, the last day in the Alps.

The race organizers made no mistake with the final Alpine stage at the 2018 Tour de France. Climbed for the first time at the Tour de France in 1952, the 21 switchbacks to the ski resort at Alpe d’Huez are iconic in the sport of cycling. This climb will feature at the Tour for the 30th time this year when it serves as the summit finish for Stage 12.

After two hard stages through the Alps, it is a fitting way to cap the ride through the first set of high mountains in the 2018 Tour. Coming out of Bourg-Saint-Maurice, the road slopes downward for the first 17 miles until the peloton reaches the first categorized climb of the day. The beyond-category Col de la Madeleine is an iconic mountain at the Tour de France in its own right. While not the steepest climb, the Madeleine features 15 miles of climbing.

From there, the Lacets de Montvernier offers a short but punchy second-category climb. Then the Col de la Croix de Fer comes up net, with almost 18 miles of nearly continuous climbing. Those three climbs will soften up riders’ legs ahead of the Alpe d’Huez. After three previous stages in the mountains, only the heartiest will survive at the front on this stage.

The general classification will get its most thorough shakeout yet on this stage. Look for yellow jersey hunters to pull no punches on Alpe d’Huez, as the strongest stamp their foot down and take charge of the 2018 Tour de France.

Greg Van Avermaet finally cracked in yellow on Stage 11. Van Avermaet took the initiative on the road to Le Grand-Bornand. But he had no more energy left in the legs to defend the jersey on the second day in the Alps. Now the onus is on Geraint Thomas and Team Sky to defend the yellow jersey as we enter the second half of the race.

How to watch the stage

Here is how to catch Stage 12 at the Tour de France live on July 19. The action from Bourg-Saint-Maurice to Alpe d’Huez will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network. Live streaming of the action is available on NBC Sports Gold or FuboTV.

• Date: Thursday, July 19, 2018
• Start time: 6:00 a.m. ET
• Start: Bourg-Saint-Maurice, France
• Finish: Alpe d’Huez, France
• TV Info: NBC Sports Network
• Live Stream: NBC Sports Gold, Fubo.TV

The weather should stay sunny throughout the Stage 12 ride through the French Alps. At the start in Bourg-Saint-Maurice the temperature will be in the 70s. Throughout the day, the heat will fluctuate as riders gain and lose elevation. But there should be nothing but dry roads to greet the riders on their slog through the mountains.

Next: Tour de France 2018 route breakdown and highlights

After the big shake-up in the general classification on Stage 11, the ride to Alpe d’Huez is going to further settle the hierarchy at the top of the standings. We will learn which GC contender is best positioned to wear yellow to Paris, and who is most likely to challenge that leader. You won’t want to miss this action on Thursday