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Tour de France owners ASO confirmed more details Thursday about the highly anticipated Netflix documentary project that will follow eight teams in the 2022 Tour de France.
ASO confirmed the documentary series will include eight episodes of 45 minutes each chronicling an “inside-the-bus” look at how some of cycling’s biggest teams and stars take on the three-week Tour de France.
Officials also said that filming already began in March with crews from Netflix and France Télévisions, and crews will follow the riders and stars through the race in July. Officials said the series will debut on Netflix sometime in the first three months of 2023.
“This project is part of our overall ambition to make our sport more accessible and meet an even wider audience,” said ASO managing director Yann Le Moënner.
“The series will offer fans a unique immersion behind the scenes,” Le Moënner said. “Through a narrative approach, which is additive to the competition itself, the public will be able to discover how the Tour de France represents the ultimate challenge for the competitors, in particular in terms of suffering, pushing their limits and team spirit.”
Eight teams confirmed to participate in high-profile documentary
Officials revealed several key aspects of the high-profile project, including the eight teams set to participate.
AG2R Citroën, Alpecin-Fenix, Bora-Hansgrohe, EF Education-EasyPost, Groupama-FDJ, Ineos Grenadiers, Team Jumbo-Visma, and Team Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl are all set to participate.
One key absence is UAE Team Emirates and two-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogačar. In an earlier interview with VeloNews, UAE team officials outlined their reasons why it chose to pass on the project.
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- Stories we want to see on the Tour-Netflix series
- Exclusive details about Netflix docu-series
Also missing is Spanish WorldTour team Movistar, which released its third season this week of its popular behind-the-scenes documentary “On the Least Expected Day.” The team’s backers at Movistar and Téléfonica already have their own streaming service, and opted to broadcast the third season of the Movistar series on its in-house channel rather than Netflix.
Even without teams such as UAE Team Emirates, Movistar, or Trek-Segafredo, the Netflix series should provide unprecedented access to how the major teams and stars prepare for the Tour as well as confront the daily challenges, setbacks, and elation that come with racing for three weeks across the Alps and Pyrénées.
Officials also said the longtime Tour de France production team at France Télévisions will play a key role in the project with Netflix and ASO, and it will broadcast a stand-alone documentary just days before the start of the 2023 Tour de France.
The series will be produced by Quadbox, a joint venture between QUAD and Box to Box Films, the production team behind the popular Formula 1 series, “Drive to Survive.”
“As the historic partner and broadcaster of the Tour de France, we are delighted to participate in this project which will allow everyone to experience part of the daily life of champions and teams,” said Laurent-Eric Le Lay, sports director at France Télévision. “It is additive to what we do every year during the race, and we believe that it will attract an even larger audience to this beautiful event.”