La Choralis Fourmies Féminine returns on Sunday 13 September 2026, with UK viewers able to watch the closing part of the race live on HBO Max. The French one-day race is the final round of the 2026 Coupe de France Femmes Professionnelles and has a 126.4km route around Fourmies, combining a longer opening loop through the Avesnois with the finishing circuits that have traditionally made this a race for fast riders who can survive repeated changes of pace.
The race starts at 14:30 CEST, which is 13:30 BST in the UK. French television coverage is scheduled from 16:20 CEST on France 3 Hauts-de-France’s digital platforms, while the French Cycling Federation also lists HBO Max and Vélo+TV coverage from 16:00 CEST. For British viewers, that places the live window at roughly 15:00 BST onwards, with the finish expected during the late afternoon.
La Choralis Fourmies Féminine 2026 start time and TV details
- Date: Sunday 13 September 2026
- Race start: 14:30 CEST / 13:30 BST
- UK broadcaster: HBO Max
- French digital coverage: France 3 Hauts-de-France / france.tv from 16:20 CEST
- Additional coverage: Vélo+TV
- Race distance: 126.4km
- UCI classification: 1.Pro
HBO Max is therefore the straightforward option in the UK. The broadcast will not cover the entire race from the neutralised start, but the scheduled live window is well placed for the important part of the afternoon. Fourmies is rarely a race where the first hour decides everything. Positioning becomes increasingly important as the peloton returns towards the finishing circuit and teams have to decide whether to protect a sprinter or use the rolling roads to make the race harder before the final kilometres.
There is a useful distinction between the race start and the television start. Anyone following from 13:30 BST will need race updates rather than pictures during the opening kilometres. Viewers interested mainly in the decisive phase can join the live coverage from around 15:00 BST without missing the part of the race most likely to shape the result.
Why the 2026 route could make the broadcast worth joining early
The 2026 edition is not simply a procession towards a conventional bunch sprint. As explained in our La Choralis Fourmies Féminine route guide, the organisers have introduced a new Avesnes-sur-Helpe loop that gives teams more terrain on which to apply pressure before the race reaches Fourmies. None of the individual climbs is severe enough to define the race by itself, but the repeated rises and accelerations can reduce the number of riders capable of contesting the finish.
That matters because the race has attracted riders with very different ways of winning. The 2026 Fourmies start list contains genuine sprint options alongside riders who would prefer to attack before the final straight. A team with the fastest finisher has an obvious reason to control, but rivals can make that control expensive by using the Avesnois section and the repeated circuits rather than waiting for the last kilometre.
The recent history of the race supports that tension. Lorena Wiebes won the 2025 edition in a sprint, extending a remarkable winning season, but Fourmies has not always produced the same type of finale. Silvia Zanardi won in 2024 and Pfeiffer Georgi took victory in 2023, results that show why reducing the race to a simple forecast of a mass sprint misses some of its character. Our history of La Choralis Fourmies Féminine traces how the relatively young race has developed since its first edition.
What time should UK viewers tune in?
For viewers who want as much live racing as possible, 15:00 BST is the sensible target. That corresponds with the French Cycling Federation’s stated HBO Max and Vélo+TV broadcast window and should leave well over an hour of racing to watch. France Télévisions begins its dedicated digital coverage slightly later, at 16:20 CEST or 15:20 BST.
If you are only interested in the final selection and sprint, joining at around 16:00 BST should still leave enough time to understand how the race has developed rather than arriving during the final kilometre. The exact finish time can move with race speed, weather and the tactical pattern, so treating any projected finish as an appointment to the minute is risky. A fast edition can put the peloton ahead of schedule.
The opening phase is still worth tracking even without live pictures. Breakaway composition can tell viewers which teams have avoided responsibility and which squads will have to spend riders controlling the gap. Once the live feed begins, the size of the peloton and the amount of work already done by the main sprint teams will give a better indication of whether Fourmies is heading towards a large finish or a more selective final hour.
-
Photo Credit: Getty
What to watch once the pictures begin
The most important detail is not necessarily the time gap to the breakaway. Watch which teams are doing the chasing and how many riders they still have available. A manageable gap can become awkward very quickly if only one squad is prepared to work, particularly on a circuit where repeated accelerations make an orderly chase harder than it looks on paper.
Positioning into the later rises is the second clue. A sprinter who repeatedly has to close gaps from the back of the group can spend much of the energy needed for the finish before the lead-out begins. Conversely, a team that keeps its leader near the front without committing too many domestiques may arrive in Fourmies with enough numbers to control attacks and still organise the sprint.
For anyone new to the event, our beginner’s guide to La Choralis Fourmies Féminine 2026 covers the race’s place on the calendar, its character and the basic tactical picture. The live broadcast should then make more sense as the race moves from the open roads back towards Fourmies and the balance shifts from conserving riders to fighting for position.
