Why You Can Trust CNET Paris-Roubaix 2024: How to Watch a UCI World Tour Cycling Livestream for Free
The world's best riders take on the Queen of the Classics.
The UCI World Tour heads to the rugged roads of northern France this weekend for the 2024 edition of the Paris-Roubaix.
Widely regarded as the toughest one-day race on the road cycling calendar, Paris-Roubaix features some of the most grueling cobblestone stretches on any of the Spring Classics. The peloton's ordeal eventually concludes after almost 160 miles in the iconic velodrome in Roubaix.
Last year's event saw Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) claim victory in the men's race while Alison Jackson (EF Education-Cannondale) was the 2023 women's race winner.
Below, we'll outline the best live TV streaming services to use to watch the Paris-Roubaix live wherever you are in the world.
The 256.6km one-day race is known as "The Hell of the North," and these cobblestones might give you a clue as to why.
Paris-Roubaix 2024: Where and when is it?
The 2024 Paris Roubaix Femmes takes place on Saturday, April 6, at 1:35 p.m. CET local time, making it a 7:35 a.m. ET or 4:35 a.m. PT start in the US. For viewers in the UK it's a 12:35 p.m. BST start, while in Australia the action begins at 9:35 p.m. AEST.
The Men's race meanwhile starts on Sunday, April 7 at 11:10 a.m. CET local time, which is 5:10 a.m. ET or 2:10 a.m. PT in the US, 10:10 a.m. BST in the UK and 7:10 p.m. in Australia.
How to watch the Paris-Roubaix 2024 online from anywhere using a VPN
If you find yourself unable to view the race locally, you may need a different way to watch -- that's where using a VPN can come in handy. A VPN is also the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds by encrypting your traffic, and it's also a great idea if you're traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network, and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins.
With a VPN, you're able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to what you want to watch. If your internet provider or mobile carrier has stuck you with an IP address that incorrectly shows your location in a blackout zone, a VPN can correct that problem by giving you an IP address in your correct, non-blackout area. Most VPNs, like our Editors' Choice, ExpressVPN, make it really easy to do this.
Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, including the US, UK and Canada, as long as you have a legitimate subscription to the service you're streaming. You should be sure your VPN is set up correctly to prevent leaks: Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems to be circumventing correctly applied blackout restrictions.
Looking for other options? Be sure to check out some of the other great VPN deals taking place right now.
ExpressVPN is our current best VPN pick for people who want a reliable and safe VPN, and it works on a variety of devices. It's normally $13 a month, and you can sign up for ExpressVPN and save 35% -- the equivalent of $8.32 a month -- if you get an annual subscription.
Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Livestream the Paris-Roubaix 2024 in the US
US cycling fans can watch all the action live via NBC, as well as streaming service Peacock.
NBC's streaming service Peacock offers access to a wide selection of top tier cycling events, including the Tour de France. You'll need to have a Peacock Premium or Premium Plus account to stream races live, which costs $6 a month or $60 per year.
Livestream Paris-Roubaix 2024 in the UK
Viewers in the UK will need to subscribe to Eurosport or the streaming service Discovery Plus to watch this year's action live.
A subscription to Discovery Plus in the UK costs £7 per month or £60 for the year.
The service is available on a wide array of devices, and also includes access to all Eurosport TV channels.
Stream Paris-Roubaix 2024 in Australia for free
It's good news for cycling fans Down Under, with the 2024 Paris-Roubaix set to be broadcast for free in Australia on SBS.
Viewers can livestream Paris-Roubaix coverage on the free-to-use SBS On Demand service.
The platform has dedicated apps for Android and iOS, and you can also access the service on Android TV, Amazon Fire TV stick, Apple TV and most smart TVs.
Stream Paris-Roubaix 2024 in Canada
Dedicated cycling streaming service FloBikes is the place to watch live coverage of this year's race in Canada.
A subscription to FloBikes currently costs $150 per year (roughly CA$190), which works out at $12.50 per month (roughly CA$16). The service has dedicated apps for Android and Apple devices.
Quick tips for streaming Paris-Roubaix 2024 using a VPN
- With four variables at play -- your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN -- your experience and success when streaming the 2024 Paris-Roubaix live may vary.
- If you don't see your desired location as a default option for ExpressVPN, try using the "search for city or country" option.
- If you're having trouble after you've turned on your VPN and set it to the correct viewing area, there are two things you can try for a quick fix. First, log into your streaming service subscription account and make sure the address registered for the account is an address in the correct viewing area. If not, you may need to change the physical address on file with your account. Second, some smart TVs -- like Roku -- don't have VPN apps you can install directly on the device itself. Instead, you'll have to install the VPN on your router or the mobile hotspot you're using (like your phone) so that any device on its Wi-Fi network now appears in the correct viewing location.
- All of the VPN providers we recommend have helpful instructions on their main site for quickly installing the VPN on your router. In some cases with smart TV services, after you install a cable network's sports app, you'll be asked to verify a numeric code or click a link sent to your email address on file for your smart TV. This is where having a VPN on your router will also help, since both devices will appear to be in the correct location.
- And remember, browsers can often give away a location despite using a VPN, so be sure you're using a privacy-first browser to log into your services. We normally recommend Brave.