Tour de France 2018 Stage 16 live stream: Watch online
By Zach Bigalke
Stage 16 of the 2018 Tour de France takes the remaining riders on a brief sojourn into Spain. The stage finish comes after descending the Col du Portillon.
For the 2018 edition of the Tour de France, the race organizers at Amaury Sport Organization opted to keep the bulk of the race within the boundaries of mainland France. Stage 16 offers the rare opportunity for the race to cross an international border into another country. As riders near the finish in Bagnères-de-Luchon the roads turn briefly onto Spanish soil.
Coming out of the rest day in Carcassonne, the peloton faces the second-longest stage of the 2018 Tour de France. The course includes five categorized climbs that include some critical spots in Tour history. Stage 16 includes a climb and descent of the Col de Portet d’Aspet. There the peloton will pass the spot where Fabio Casartelli fatally crashed in the 1995 race.
The finish doesn’t conclude on a summit. Instead, the descent of the Col du Portillon brings the peloton back into France. In the final six miles, the road drops 2165 feet in elevation down into Bagnères-de-Luchon.
Like the past few hilly stages, this early ride into the Pyrenees offers a chance for climbers out of contention for the general classification to make an audacious bid for a stage win. The remaining favorites still in the running for the yellow jersey will hang back and have their own battle among themselves.
As a result, you’ll get to catch two races for the price of one. With only six stages remaining, the action is heating up in earnest as the Tour de France makes its way toward the finale in Paris.
How to watch the stage
Here is how to catch Stage 16 at the Tour de France live on July 24. The action from Carcassonne to Bagnères-de-Luchon will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network. Live streaming of the action is available on NBC Sports Gold or FuboTV.
- Date: Tuesday, July 24, 2018
- Start time: 5:20 a.m. ET
- Start: Carcassonne, France
- Finish: Bagnères-de-Luchon, France
- TV Info: NBC Sports Network
- Live Stream: NBC Sports Gold, Fubo.TV
The afternoon in the Pyrenees comes complete with the threat of rain and thunderstorms. By the finish in Bagnères-de-Luchon, the peloton is nearly certain to have endured some precipitation on the climbs and descents. On a day when riders pass not just the Casartelli memorial but also the spot on the Col de Menté where Luis Ocaña crashed out of the 1971 Tour de France while wearing the yellow jersey, inclement weather could result in more historic crashes.
Next: Tour de France 2018 route breakdown and highlights
Entering the 2018 Tour de France, there were more hopefuls than could reasonably contend for the general classification. One of those individuals could come up big on Stage 16 in the Pyrenees. Look out for someone more than 20 minutes behind in the general classification.
That includes strong climbers like Julian Alaphilippe, Pierre Rolland, Warren Barguil, and Rafal Majka. Any of that quartet, or even someone like Adam Yates, could snatch victory in Bagnères-de-Luchon on Tuesday.
For more from The Tour de France, make sure to follow FanSided and stay tuned to our cycling hub for all the latest news and results.