The official trailer for the highly anticipated Netflix Tour de France documentary has been released. The series shows how the series portrays the pains and celebrations of professional cycling by combining video footage from TV and on the bike with moments captured by fans along the roadside, team buses, and intimate behind-the-scenes interviews.

A few days ago, a Netflix listing suggested the name of the series: Tour de France: Unchained. The trailer video ends with a wrench titled Tour de France: Au cœur du peloton.

Whatever the eventual title, the The series is expected to consist of eight 45-minute episodes, and according to several sources, the series will air in June, just before the 2023 Tour de France begins. It will air in 190 territories worldwide.

Other cycling documentaries are expected to air soon, including Jumbo-Visma, which will air All In: The Tour de France, and Soudal-QuickStep, which will air a documentary on the 2022 season on Amazon Prime.

Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters presented a two-minute video of the Tour de France series after delivering the keynote address at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Tuesday.

Cyclingnews was able to obtain a copy of the video (see embedded Twitter video below (opens in new tab)).

It begins with a shot from the series and the words of Groupama-FDJ team manager Marc Madiot: "You are soldiers and warriors. When you put on the jersey, you are a different person."

Also, Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) and Bob Jungels (AG2R Citroen in 2022) won stages, Tibor Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) struggled, Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) beat Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates), and other brief moments from each episode are shown.

It also includes comments from Jonathan Vaughters, team manager of EF Education-EasyPost, and the following quote, "The Tour de France is so simple: the Tour de France is so simple. The Tour de France is very simple: it's the toughest race in the world. It is the toughest race in the world."

Each of the eight episodes focuses on one of the eight teams involved in the project: AG2R Citroën, Alpecin-Fenix, Bora-Hansgrohe, EF Education-EasyPost, Groupama-FDJ, Ineos Grenadiers, Jumbo-Visma, QuickStep-AlphaVinyl.

Two-time Tour winner Tadej Pogachar's UAE Team Emirates was not involved after team concerns over the portrayal of the team and its sponsors, but some displayed in some race coverage and interviews.

"This project is part of our overall ambition to make our sport more accessible and meet a wider audience," ASO Managing Director Jan Le Moener said when confirming the series.

"Through a narrative approach that adds to the competition itself, the public can see how the Tour de France is the ultimate challenge for competitors.

The Netflix series was produced by Quadbox, a joint venture between Quad Productions, producers of F1's Drive to Survive series, and Box to Box Films.

Reports surfaced last spring that a series in the style of F1's Drive to Survive series would be produced, with video crews following the eight teams closely during the 2022 season, particularly during the Tour de France.

Netflix reportedly covered the €8 million production cost of the series and paid €1 million to all parties involved. Tour de France organizer ASO and host broadcaster France Televisions each got 250,000 euros; the eight teams split the remaining 500,000 euros, with each team receiving 62,000 euros ($67,000).

Soudal-QuickStep team manager Patrick Lefebvre complained that this was too little, but Vaughters told Cycling News that the teams, organizers, and the sport all get paid from the series He said he believes that they can.

"Drive to Survive," the fifth installment of which will launch on Netflix with the start of the 2023 F1 season, has been praised for helping to increase interest in F1, especially in new markets like the United States and among younger viewers

"It's been a great success.

"It pains me to say this, but I think ASO is supporting F1 in general with this project, and I agree with that," Vaughters said.

"Media rights agreements around the world are based on audience numbers. So as the popularity of cycling as a sport increases, so does the popularity of the Tour de France. So of course they will benefit."