News on Netflix: After Formula 1, the series Le Tour de France promises tears and blood

Do you have to be a cycling fan to enjoy this Netflix series dedicated to the Tour de France? This is the question that many subscribers of the platform will surely ask themselves, at the start of the eight episodes of the Tour de France: At the heart of the peloton, which will outline the main facts of the 2022 edition of the Grande Boucle.

This new docuseries was created by the same production team as Formula 1: The Drivers of Their Destiny, which has become one of Netflix’s most popular series on AlloCiné with an audience rating of 4.4/5.

This exciting series in the world of F1 (a total of five seasons to date) has also managed to retain an audience that does not watch motor racing, especially thanks to its breathless pace and its “characters” who appear directly in the series. (Read our dedicated article).

Formula 1’s recipe for success is reproduced identically to the Tour de France, with each episode depicting the race from the perspective of two competing teams. Thus, the biggest stages of the race are crossed, from the cobblestones of the North to the Alpe d’Huez, of course not forgetting the final route on the Champs Elysées in Paris!

However, the Tour de France could not be a carbon copy of its “big sister”, for the simple reason that the two sports are only distantly related. While an F1 driver is often associated with the technical performance of his car, a cyclist, on the other hand, must first of all use his physical abilities and mind to hope for triumph.

This first season, which we hope won’t be the last, is somewhat of a public introduction to this world.

Looking for Gunther

Therefore, these first episodes aim to introduce us to the main characteristics of the Tour de France (without going overboard with technical terms), the technical and collaborative aspect of the cycling team, and of course to introduce us to the heroes of this series.

What would their destiny pilots be without its stars Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo, but also without its shadow characters, Toto Wolff, Christian Horner or Gunther Steiner?

Only time will tell if the Tour de France series succeeds in introducing colorful characters whose popularity with the public will influence – for better or for worse – the place they occupy in the world of cycling.

Featuring a different team in each episode, the docu-series doesn’t just feature cycling superstars. The stakes of victory vary from one team to another, we sometimes wonder if we follow the sprint stakes with more passion without affecting the general classification than the progress of the yellow jersey.

Cycling is a sport whose practice is generally associated with the word “pain”. By filming the athletes in close-up, especially during the fall, the series reminds us that we can only hope to win the Grande Boucle by shedding blood, sweat and tears during the round’s twenty-one stages.

It’s a safe bet that if you like Formula 1: Drivers of Their Destiny, you’ll love Tour de France: At the Heart of the Peloton. The series manages to both identically reproduce the elements that made the Netflix show so successful, and also stand out enough from the show to avoid the impression of a carbon copy.

Blood, sweat and tears

The series is an undeniable success, although sometimes it leaves you wanting more in terms of characters (we hope to learn more about them in future seasons). The plot of the program focuses primarily on the progress of the races and not enough behind the scenes of the Tour de France, which we imagine would have nothing to envy in the ruthless world of Formula 1.

Thanks to the Netflix series, F1 has experienced an unprecedented resurgence in popularity, with significant increases in audience share during telecasts, but also greater exposure for its drivers and sporting directors.

The comic potential of Jasper Philipsen, the vengeful spirit of Mathieu van der Poel, champion Jonas Wingegaard reclaiming his title, not forgetting Frenchmen Thibaut Pinault and David Gaudeau…all the elements seem to be in place. A great 2023 edition of Tour de France and by extension the second season of the even more successful Netflix series!

So let’s hope that the Tour de France series also succeeds in promoting cycling races to a new audience and especially to the younger generation. The success of the program will be beneficial for both the tour organization and Netflix.

No other sports race could have been a better successor to Formula 1 than the Tour de France. That’s why it won’t be a surprise if this Thursday, June 8, about a month before the start of the 2023 edition, the series can record a great audience for the world’s most beautiful bicycle race from next July.

Eight episodes of the documentary series Tour de France: Heart of the Peloton are available now on Netflix!