The Giro d’Italia isn't just another bike race. It’s a three-week, pink-tinted fever dream through the Italian Alps that usually leaves fans in the States waking up at 4:00 AM just to catch the final climb. For a long time, watching this thing in the U.S. was basically a mess of sketchy pirate feeds or expensive cycling-specific apps that felt like they were held together by duct tape.
Things have changed. Seriously.
If you’re trying to figure out how to watch Giro d'Italia 2025 in USA, you can stop looking for GCN+ because it’s gone. It’s dead. We’re in the era of big-budget streaming now. This year, the 108th edition of the Corsa Rosa is following a specific broadcast path that is actually pretty straightforward, provided you know which "add-on" button to click.
The short answer: You need Max
Forget Peacock. Peacock is for the Tour de France. If you want the Giro, you have to go through Warner Bros. Discovery. In the United States, that means Max (the app formerly known as HBO Max) is the exclusive home for every single stage of the 2025 Giro d’Italia.
But here’s the kicker. Just having a standard Max subscription isn't always enough to see the live rubber hitting the road. You need the B/R Sports Add-On.
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WBD moved all their premium cycling content—including the Giro, Milan-San Remo, and a mountain of UCI events—under the Bleacher Report banner. Most people already have Max for The Last of Us or House of the Dragon, but they forget they need to activate the sports tier. The race kicks off on May 9 in Albania—yeah, you read that right, Albania—and runs through June 1, ending in Rome. If you aren't set up by then, you'll be stuck watching Twitter clips of the Maglia Rosa while your coffee gets cold.
Why the B/R Sports add-on is kind of a big deal
Honestly, the price is what people usually complain about first. You pay for the base Max plan, and then you tack on the sports package. It’s usually an extra ten bucks a month.
Is it worth it?
If you’re a die-hard fan, yeah. They give you the full Eurosport feed. That means you get the legendary commentary that actually knows the difference between a domestique and a GC contender. Plus, you get the "ad-free" feeds. There’s nothing worse than the peloton hitting the Mortirolo and the screen cutting to a commercial for insurance. Max avoids that. They also archive the full stages. So, if you value your sleep and don't want to be awake at dawn, you can watch the replay over lunch without some algorithm spoiling the result for you on the home screen.
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Don't get confused by FloBikes
I see this happen every year. Someone buys a FloBikes subscription thinking they’ve got the whole season covered.
Listen: FloBikes does NOT have the Giro d’Italia in the USA.
They have it in Canada. If you live in Toronto, FloBikes is your best friend. If you live in New York or Los Angeles, FloBikes will show you the UCI World Championships and the Tour of Flanders, but the Giro is a black hole on their schedule. Don't waste the $150 annual fee if your only goal is to watch Simon Yates or whoever else is hunting for pink this May.
The "I'm traveling" or VPN approach
Sometimes the American broadcast just doesn't cut it, or maybe you’re stuck in a hotel with terrible Wi-Fi and a Max account that won't log in.
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Some fans swear by using a VPN to tap into international feeds.
- RAI Play (Italy): This is the gold standard for atmosphere. It’s free, it’s Italian, and it’s beautiful. You need an Italian IP address.
- SBS On Demand (Australia): These guys are heroes. They often broadcast the Grand Tours for free.
- Discovery+ (UK): Similar to Max but with that specific British Eurosport flavor.
Using a VPN is a bit of a "grey area" for some, but for the tech-savvy fan, it’s the only way to get that authentic local flavor. Just make sure your VPN is fast enough. There is nothing more soul-crushing than a spinning buffer icon when a breakaway is being caught at the 1km-to-go banner.
What to expect from the 2025 route
The 2025 Giro is a bit of a weird one, starting with three stages in Albania before flying the whole circus over to the heel of Italy's boot. This isn't just a bike race; it's a logistics nightmare that makes for incredible TV.
You’ve got the individual time trials that will likely decide the early gaps—specifically Stage 2 in Tirana and Stage 10 in Tuscany. Then you have the Dolomites. If you only watch three days, make it the final week. We’re talking about passes like the Stelvio or the Gavia (depending on the snow) that are literally walls of ice and asphalt. The 2025 finish in Rome is basically a victory parade, but the mountain stages leading into it are where the real drama lives.
Actionable steps to get ready
Don't wait until the morning of Stage 1 to figure this out. The Max app can be finicky on certain smart TVs.
- Check your Max account: Log in now and see if the B/R Sports Add-on is active. Sometimes they run promos where it’s included for a few months.
- Verify your hardware: If you’re streaming on a laptop, ensure your browser is updated. If you're on a Roku or Apple TV, download the latest version of the app.
- Sync your calendar: The Giro stages usually finish around 11:30 AM EST. Adjust your workday accordingly.
- Avoid Spoilers: If you’re watching replays, turn off notifications for apps like Strava or Instagram. One "Congrats!" post from a team account can ruin five hours of tension in a second.
This race is the most beautiful thing in professional sports. The scenery is better than the Tour de France, the racing is more chaotic, and the stakes feel more personal. Now that you know exactly where to find it, all that's left is to find a good espresso and settle in for three weeks of Italian mayhem.