User reviews

As Episode 1 of "Tour de France Unchained" (2023 release; 8 episodes ranging from 34 to 49 min each) opens, we are in "Copenhagen, June 29, 2022", a couple of days before the 2022 Tour de France opens, and all teams are officially introduces to the adoring (and massive) Danish crowd. We then go to "28 days before" as we follow the Quick Step team, training for the Tour. World Champion Julien Alaphilippe is not in top form and legendary team manager Patrick Lefevere has some tough decisions to make... At this point we are less than 10 minutes into Episode 1.

Couple of comments: this mini-series is from the same production team that has brought the "Formula 1: Drive to Survive" documentary. In other words: the production team was given unfettered access, uses any and all camera work and in your face footage, and amps up the underlying tensions to the max, and then some more. I cannot speak for the "casual" pro cycling fan (if there is such a thing). I've been a pro-cycling fan my entire life (I grew up in Belgium, where it is almost a religion, frankly), and I watch the Tour de France every single year. This mini-series covers last year's Tour, and even though I know the overall outcome, this mini-series is nevertheless riveting and mesmerizing from start to finish. We have never witnessed the Tour as we see it in this mini-series. If it sounds like I am gushing, well, it's because I am!

"Tour de France Unchained" premiered on Netflix just last night, and I binge-watched 5 of the 8 episodes already (with the remaining 3 to follow tonight). This was one of the most anticipated releases for me so far in 2023. Even with that, my expectations were met, and then some! If you are a fan of pro-cycling in general, or of the Tour specifically, I'd suggest you drop everything right now, and head over to Netflix to see for yourself and draw your own conclusion.

*UPDATE* Tonight I saw the remaining 3 episodes. This is the best sports documentary that I have ever seen, period. I was so into it that I was sad to see it conclude. MUST SEE.

Great show, as good as Formula 1: Drive to Survive. But they left this out...

🚴 A CLASS ACT Tour de France, Stage 18 of 21 Lourdes to Hautacam (143km)

In Spandelles, Pogacar went wide and fell. By the time he got back on, Vingegaard - who had been wearing the yellow jersey since Stage 11 - had about 200m of daylight. Then an incredible gentlemanly act happened: when he realized his rival had fallen, Vingegaard refused to pull away. Instead, the yellow jersey on the line, he *waited* for the bruised Pogacar. When he caught up, Pogacar reached for Vingegaard's hand and the two competitors bumped hands. Sportscaster Phil Liggett commented, "In my 50 years in Tour de France, I have not seen anything like this."

At 5km, Vingegaard and Pogacar caught up with stage leader Van Aert (green jersey). Up for grabs were not only the stage win and yellow jersey but also green and polka dot points.

At 4.5km, Pogacar dropped! His green jersey points safe, Van Aert eventually left his team captain Vingegaard alone in front to win the stage. Vingegaard consolidated his supremacy by extending his lead over Pogacar by 1 minute 4 seconds to 3:26.

Three years ago, at 18 years old, Vingegaard was unknown, shoveling ice at a fish plant. This day, he is the leader at Le Tour, at the top of the Pyrenees. He might as well be at the top of the world.

NOTE: You can watch the above story on Peacock at the 30:34 mark of Stage 18 (each stage's highlights are still there as of June 2023).

This is a MUST if you love cycling. Improve sound with a 5.1 because you feel you're really inside the peloton. Great interviews and day-to-day misery and success from best top cyclists during last Tour. Also landscapes and POV are amazing.

Every chapter they follow a team and different riders highlighting one of them.

"Tour de France: Unchained" on Netflix offers a thrilling ride through the world's most prestigious cycling race. With stunning visuals and gripping narratives, it captures the essence of the competition and the athletes' relentless determination. A must-watch for sports enthusiasts and fans of the Tour de France.

Hope they produce another season!

Cycling fan or not, this is a story about raw human emotions and the drive to conquer one's own fears. So much drama, passion, joy, heartbreak, and enthusiasm... and a great scenery of the beautiful French country-side, and Champs-Élysées in Paris, not to mention the super-human speed and skills of mere mortals. The story is very well scripted and filmed, makes you feel close with all the characters and the roller coster of emotions that they go through every day. The only other thing coming close to this is the Formula 1 series. Whereas there, a victory is 'cool' and highly dependent on the engine in your car, in the Tour de France, a victory is purely based on the raw physical and mental strength of the rider; equipment doesn't play a role. Here, victory is truly victory in every sense of the word.

A must watch!

After the succes of Drive to Survive, Netflix decided to create a similar series about the worlds biggest bike race: Le Tour de France.

Just like Drive to Survive, Tour de France, au coeur du peleton (In the heart of the peleton) relies heavily on great images and exciting footage and music and supposed conflicts between riders and teams. The creators also tried to bring across the horrific effort the riders have to make each day. The just in time finish of Fabio Jakobsen was a good addition but in the end, eight episodes with a lot of other stories is a bit short for this.

In future years In hope they will extend the series to 10 episodes or more and that more teams will participate. I also hope they will not make the same mistake as the creators of with Drive to Survive did by focusing to much on conflicts and pulling comments out of context.

I did enjoy this first season though and rate it 7/10 plus one point extra for encouraging the makers to make another season.

Netflix has done to the Tour de France what they did to Formula One racing. This show shows what it's like to be on the ground with some of the best bike racers in the world. Focussing on the best teams in the race, this series shows the rivalry, the challenges, and the victories achieved by both individuals and teams as they go through the gruelling stages of the race. Beautifully shot, this series shows just how epic and beautiful this race is, and that's saying a lot coming from someone who doesn't even own a road bike! (To be honest, I'm an avid mountain biker so it's certainly a related sport). I would 100% watch another season of this show.

This documentary series is absolutely fantastic, terrific, thrilling, more than any movie or fiction stuff. It is incredible to watch, even for a sport buff as I am, and cycling in particular. Cycling is the most difficult and the most dangerous sport in the world. Skiing is dangerous too of course, especially in downhill - ha ha ha - as cycling, but admit there is less suffering too. Because in cycling you suffer during endless training, BUT ALSO DURING THE event - in uphill this time ha ha ha- especially TOUR DE FRANCE, three damn, f...weeks of suffering, with only two days rest- mondays - during those three weeks. You suffer on the competition even more than during the training period, which is exceptional, with marathon too. For any other sport, you suffer far less the day of the contest than BEFORE the contest. To win swimming 200 meters freestyle race for instance, you swim twenty kilometers per day, but on D Day, you don't swim twenty kilometers... On TOUR DE FRANCE or any big tour, you suffer hell, AND ALSO RISK YOUR LIFE in downhill runs at more than 90 kilometers per hour speed. So, to summarize, you have to fight against pain, endless torturous pain for UPHILL, but also against fear in DOWNHILL, fear to fall and kill yourself, or being paralyzed, or being unable to come back before months, months, without any compensation and the risk to lose everything you obtained over the years with your guts, your endless pain, your sweat. Your mind, your blood, your dedication, your endless sacrifices for yourself and your family and relatives. And you also have to endure pain whatever the temperature, one degree or on the contrary thirty degrees above zero, or rain, rain, with all the risks of falls that means. So, if you watch this awesome series, you'll understand what I mean. You will also sweat, weep, and maybe also feel the inhuman strength, rage that lead those gladiators to fight against the impossible, against themselves at the risk of their lives. They explain here so many things, including strategies, inner feelings, the fantastic pressure on those men. It is not only focused on favourites, the expected champions, but also the supporting cyclists, the "servants" in charge to carry water, bring trouble to the opponents. I hope I have been understood. I would have expected something related to doping, but it would have been a too delicate, sensitive subject to talk about anyway. For me, there is much much hypocrisy around it, so much. Authorities, federations, claim to fight against but without doping, ninety percent of those gladiators would never make it till the end, and in times.... From time to time, to give the illusion to do "something" against, they - authorities - find a scapegoat who pays for the others. Lance Armstrong affair is the best example. This is an ALIEN and INSANE sport, if you watch this series very carefully and then try to make the good analysis.

"Pedal Power" catapults you into the heart-thumping, tire-pounding world of the iconic Tour de France. Eight teams, one goal - this riveting documentary is an exhilarating ride. Strap in for a multi-dimensional exploration of passion, endurance, and the human spirit. It's a visceral symphony of sweat and gears that will leave you gasping for breath. With exquisite cinematography, an authentic voice, and an engaging narrative that will hook you from the start line, "Pedal Power" leaves other sports documentaries in its dust. A must-see that reminds us - the steepest climbs often lead to the most breathtaking views. "Pedal Power" - it's not just about the bike. It's a testament to the power of human will. Don't miss it!

For those, like me, who have never followed the TDF, or indeed really cares much for sport at all - this was an incredibly exhilarating series. The people and their inter-dynamics is practically Shakespearean, and the characters' arcs are as dramatic as any Oscar-worthy film. If you love documentary that is gripping and wildly engaging - dive in. I can't wait to watch the TDF in earnest this year and hope the series returns. I'm also pretty jazzed about the women's competition that follows immediately afterwards. Completely inspiring, I'm fully clipped in. My only criticism is I wish it was maybe two more episodes longer, I would have loved to get to know a few more riders and teams.

This series gives you great insights within some of the teams and definetely makes you excited for this years Tour De France. However - as with Drive to Survive - the scripted rivalries are a bit over the top. And the fake 'commentary' of the race, which is clearly added for this series later and solely added for dramatic purposes, ruins it a bit for me.

Its great to see the coöperation of some big names and teams and some of the race footage is really thrilling. It gives you even more respect for how deep they have to go during the Tour. Make it a bit less dramatic and youll get a great series and hopefully some new fans.

Whoever directed this documentary, is genius!!!!

I will say a couple of things, even though I'm not a pro cyclist, but this will want to make you get involved with cycling!!!! BELIEVE!!!!

Point 2, like any other sport, you have to put in the hard work and push HARD! Even though I have my favourite cyclist, I have the utmost admiration for these Le Tour professionals going head to head in the cycling equivalent of Mike Tyson.

I'm just a recent bike rider inspired by this surge of energy documentary!

Once you watch this, you'd be hooked and thoroughly inspired to ride your bike!!

Great documentary by #netflix.

Inside the Cycling Peloton" offers a thrilling and immersive journey into the captivating world of the Tour de France. The series impressively bridges the gap between cycling enthusiasts and non-cycling amateurs, making the sport intelligible to all. With meticulous attention to detail, the showrunners bring the race to life through an exceptional sound system that allows viewers to not only witness the race but also feel the rumble of the bikes as they tear through the roads. The series is filled with gripping suspense and expertly follows the chronology of the Tour de France, surpassing Formula 1 in its faithful representation. "Inside the Cycling Peloton" is a must-watch for those seeking an enthralling and authentic exploration of professional cycling's most iconic event.

I had no knowledge or interest of competitive cycling, but thought this looked like an interesting documentary.

Well... unchained is the best sports documentary I have ever watched.

Gripping from start to finish, you are introduced to the key players and feel for them through their immense suffering and joy.

These guys really go through the grinder, the climbs tyre you out just watching (pun intended) And the crashes..... the whole thing is terrifying and exhilarating

I now have a much better understanding of how it all works, and will be tuning in to watch this years event live.

I watched all 8 episodes in two days... even my wife loved it.

Do yourself a favour, sprint over to Netflix and check it out.

My husband and I have watched the Tour over the last 20 years, but this series is not just for those who've watched the Tour. While we both found this series totally absorbing, it also gave the basics for those who have not seen the Tour before so they could enjoy the stories told. The main joy of this series was watching the background stories and emotions behind the Tour. The series did not only explore the high level story of the two general classification contenders poised to win the entire tour. It also went into the stories behind other riders, their teams and their coaches. There are joys, thrills and heartbreaks, along with some excellent riding. I highly recommend and am looking forwards to season 2.

Well I didn't know much about the Tour de France, until I watched this Netflix series and I have to say I absolutely loved this documentary. For those of us who don't know much about cycling and racing, this show really takes you inside. You really get connected to several of the racers and you want all of them to win their stage. It is clear that the athletes also have mutual respect for each other. It is a cruel sport, and this level of athleticism is insane. So much admiration for these athletes and the sacrifices they make. It is a sport but also an addiction for all of those involved in it. The scenery is breathtaking, and watching the riders function as a team was super fascinating. Loved it!!! Watch it whether you ride a bike or not.

I Adore this series and enjoyed every damn second of it. Me being big into biking plays a big part in that. Great shots especially one where Fabio was racing against the clock and made it with 16 seconds before the time threshold. Seeing him collapse after reaching the finish line brought a tear to my eye. Beautifully depicted although i hate the fact that they had to over-dramatisize the whole ordeal.

Which brings me to some negatives: The "main characters" in this documentary need to be declared in the beginning, and the different stages need to be done in chronological order to prevent confusion. I can't follow a red thread in this docuseries if new protagonists are introduced randomly and if we jump to different stages back and forth in time. At least one of the two have to be proper. If we had followed a chronological time-order with the different stages, new protagonists popping up along the way wouldn't have been annoying. I understand why they decided to skip some stages and then jump back to some stages (dramatic value for their fabricated plots) but I really don't think that's necessary. I'd argue it's overdone, especially for a docuseries. The bike race in itself is already loaded with emotions, there is no need to overdo the dramatic scenes (and on top of that reach far and wide for new plots when the big plot is in front of you). This made the actual race storyline suffer due to creating unneccesary plotholes. At the end I got really annoyed by this. Stop trying so hard and let the race carry itself.

Despite these negatives, I still gave it a 8/10 as it was still entertaining, and it's about biking. I can't ask for much more, but I do feel that this genre of docuseries need some better directors.

It's criminal that season 3 marks the end of TDFU. Netflix has done it again with Tour de France: Unchained - a gripping, high-octane, and emotionally charged docuseries that captures the brutal beauty and raw humanity of the world's most iconic cycling race.

From the very first episode, the series throws you into the heart of the peloton with unprecedented access, cinematic visuals, and storytelling that rivals the best sports dramas. Even if you know nothing about cycling, this show will make your pulse race and your heart ache.

The emotional stakes are sky-high. You witness not just the triumphs, crashes, and controversies on the road, but the personal sacrifices behind every pedal stroke - the tears, tension, and team dynamics that define elite sport at its most unforgiving. It's Drive to Survive on two wheels - but in some ways, even more visceral.

What makes Unchained exceptional is how it balances stunning race footage with intimate, behind-the-scenes portraits of riders and staff. Whether it's the quiet stoicism of veterans or the wide-eyed ambition of newcomers, each episode dives into the psyche of what it takes to endure - and conquer - the Tour.

The cinematography is breathtaking. Helicopter shots sweeping over the Alps, GoPros capturing white-knuckle descents, and slow-motion close-ups that show every grimace and gasp. It's not just a sports documentary - it's a visual poem to suffering, strategy, and spirit.

Whether you're a lifelong cycling fan or just discovering the sport, Tour de France: Unchained is a masterclass in storytelling, adrenaline, and humanity. This isn't just a show about bikes - it's about dreams, defeat, and the drive to push beyond your limits.

10/10. Unmissable. Unforgettable. Unchained.