Tour de France 2018: Stage 19 time, TV schedule, and live stream info

It’s hard to believe, but we’ve come to the last mountain stage of the 2018 Tour de France. Like any good fireworks finale, the Tour saved the big stuff for last.

Stage 19’s three important climbs are all long and traditional. The Col du Tourmalet is the highlight. It will have been climbed 86 times in the 115-year history of the Tour de France, and it remains as tough as ever. At 17.1 kilometers and an average 7.3 percent gradient, Tourmalet is rated as Podium Café’s fourth-hardest climb of the Tour, and its placement almost smack in the middle of the stage seems deliberate to encourage some big, noble, probably heedless attack.

(Preferably by a Frenchman whose name rhymes with Snowman Parfait, if ASO has its druthers.)

Stage 19 will begin at 6:05 a.m. ET (12:05 p.m. local time). NBCSN will begin broadcasting at 7:30 a.m., as will the NBC Sports app. Commercial-free coverage for NBC Sports Gold subscribers will begin at 5:50 a.m. And if you have a subscription to FuboTV, you can also access coverage.

Here is the profile:

As far as the yellow jersey competition, the only question left, really, is whether Geraint Thomas cracks. Otherwise, this stage isn’t well-designed for big time gaps. The descent finish should allow chasers to close the gap on a solo rider, and the final up-and-down climb isn’t conducive to attacks, anyway.

If Thomas is going to crack, however, Stage 19 certainly has enough pure uphill kilometers to emphasize the point. And otherwise it should simply be a great day of racing. There’s not much left for a Romain Bardet, Steven Kruijswijk, Mikel Landa, or Dan Martin to ride for, so why not have a go on a monster stage? Even if it won’t win you the Tour, winning a stage like Friday’s certainly proves one’s mettle.

Victory will be a helluva door prize for whoever takes it, especially if it stems from a solo attack on the ascent to the Col du Tourmalet (of which you can expect many attempts). Yeah it may not mean much — stages this late rarely do — but it should at least be good popcorn material to get you through your morning. And there may be llamas involved.

We’re coming to the end of a long journey. Nobody feels good, but no less is anyone’s desire for a nip of glory. It’s best not to think too hard about these things and just enjoy the bright colors and loud noises.

Start time: 6:05 a.m. ET/12:05 p.m. local

TV schedule: NBCSN, beginning at 7:30 a.m. ET. Also available on FuboTV.

Streaming: NBC Sports app (free, with commercials) beginning at 7:30 a.m. ET., and NBC Sports Gold (paid, no commercials) beginning at 5:50 a.m.