Vuelta a Espana highlights will NOT be on ITV4 this year – here’s where you can watch it
ITV4 cycling commentator Ned Boulting has confirmed that the channel will not be showing highlights of the Vuelta a Espana (the Tour of Spain) each night this year. ITV4’s Vuelta highlights show has always been extremely good, but they no longer have the rights.
You can still see the Vuelta on free to air UK TV though, and if you’re a casual cycling fan, I urge you to make the effort. It’s an easier race to follow as the points and mountains classifications seem so much less significant than at the Tour. Most years, there’s action in the general classification almost every day, on top of which most years the field is very strong.
Live coverage
You can get live coverage on Eurosport. A lot of people have Eurosport as part of their TV package, but if you don’t, you can sign up for the Eurosport Player (which has recently been rebranded as discovery+). This costs £6.99 for a month, which will cover the entire race, and you can don’t have to sign up for any longer than that. You can also pay £29.99 for a whole year (for which you would get live coverage of pretty much all the other major bike races next season too).
The Eurosport/discover+ player means you can follow the entire race on your phone, your laptop or via a TV app (or even on your telly plugged into your laptop as a workaround).
Highlights
A daily one-hour highlights programme will be broadcast on free-to-air channel Quest at 7pm. It’s a Eurosport production and will most likely be much the same thing they do for the Giro each year. Quest is available on Freeview and most of the other UK TV platforms, so there’s a good chance that you’ll be able to get it.
You can (and should!) also subscribe to get weekly email recaps of the race from me.
The Vuelta a Espana starts on Saturday.
This is an updated version of last year’s article about UK TV coverage of the Vuelta a Espana.
My husband and I have been watching the tour of Spain Highlights every night and have really been enjoying them.
The only thing is, I have been very disappointed that the last 2 night the winner of the stage have not been interviewed at the end, only the main contenders,
I think that is very unfair and disrespectful as that has probably been the highlight of that riders career. Shame on you.
regards
Anita
isnt it great that the commentry for this year dosent include paul sherwin
couldent watch the tour this year because of him lets hope thats it phil liggett
dosent seem to get so excited now hes not with him much more enjoyable to listen too
I’m not an enormous fan of Phil Liggett’s but have to say he’s seemed far more relaxed and much less by-the-numbers during this year’s Vuelta. It hadn’t occurred to me that Sherwen’s absence might be the reason for his improved form.
who the hell is David Miller to comment on cheating in the tour of Spain , and why does itv continue to employ him ??? Hes a doper plain and simple get rid of him !!!!!!
Time you’ve had adverts.aimless chatter you’re left about 35/40 minutes of actual cycling,thanks but no thanks
Glad to see broadcasters sync with the way I watch. Actually slightly prefer Boulting & Millar’s commentary but cannot cope with the ITV4 daytime ads – not so much their continued existence as their endless cycle of cancer charities, funeral plans, releasing equity from your home, donkey sanctuaries, health benefits from miraculous cures etc. Sooner ITV moves to an addressable ads system and can sift out the cycling fans from its usual daytime audience the better. Highlights show is boss though.
hmmph, I like the donkey sanctuary ones 🙂
In the UK, the Vuelta a Espana highlights are on Quest, it is a Eurosport/GCN production
https://www.tvguide.co.uk/m-detail/4273393/52309963/cycling-vuelta-a-espana
Oh, they’re doing the Giro thing.
Thanks for the info, been scouring itv for the last 24 hours, the highlights in Quest will do nicely.
Glad to find the Vuelta a Espana on Quest each evening shame the Eurosport commentary team are not of the same standard as the Tour. Part jibberish and the rest is ers and ums… Painful at times. At least its on tv each evening.
Sorry to find that ITV4 are not showing the vuelta as I do like their commentary team. I will have to get used to the Eurosport team on Quest.
It’s too bad ITV4 are not showing the Vuelta highlights – as they usually do. I’m based in the Channel Islands and our Freeview station choices does not include Quest (hhmmnn) so have purchased Eurosport Player for the month (£6.99) meaning I’ll be able to see the daily highlights and live coverage (or as a replay of the live coverage). At least there are options available (phew)
You can also watch the highlights programmes for free on the ‘Quest’ website
https://www.discoveryplus.co.uk/show/vuelta-a-espana-highlights
Yes, the presentation/commentary is a bit different to the usual ITV4/VTV standard, but it is better than nothing!