The HBO MAX service (initially named HBO MAX, then called merely "MAX", and now recently re-named back to "HBO MAX") offers live streaming bicycle racing coverage to customers in the United States. With GCN+ ceasing operations, HBO MAX is the primary streaming option for cycling fans in the USA.
Let's take a look at how much the HBO MAX service will cost, features, race coverage, and some more pros and cons:
Which cycling races will be on the HBO MAX service?
Thus far, the cycling schedule on HBO MAX includes:
- the Giro d’Italia
- the UCI Mountain Bike World Series and Track Champions League
- Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne
- E3 Classic
- Strade Bianche
- Tirreno–Adriatico
- Milan–San Remo
- Tour of the Basque Country
- Il Lombardia
- Superprestige, X2O Trofee, and Exact Cross cyclocross events
It's also worth noting what you WON'T find on HBO MAX:
- the Tour de France, Paris-Roubaix, Tour of Flanders, and La Vuelta (those are on Peacock)
- the UCI Cyclocross World Cup, and UCI Cyclocross World Championship
How much does HBO MAX cost for cyclocross fans, and what about Bleacher Report?
As of August 2025, HBO MAX comes in 3 tiers:
- Basic with ads: cheap, but does not have sports like cycling, $9.99 / month or $99.99 annually. This tier won't be of interest to cycling fans
- Standard: includes cycling, $16.99 / month or $169.99 annually
- Premium: includes cycling, $20.99 / month or $209.99 annually
It was previously announced that live sports on MAX would only come with a second, add-on subscription to Bleacher Report. That approach has been abandoned, and users only need one subscription to watch cycling on HBO MAX moving forward.
The primary difference between "Standard" and "Premium" (the two tiers that will appeal to cyclocross fans) are:
- 4k resolution video on Premium vs. only 1080 on Standard. Might be important if you have a modern TV, but meaningless for customers with older TVs, or those who plan to watch on mobile phone and tablet devices
- You can stream on more devices at the same time (perhaps important for big families) on the Premium tier
- Premium also has "Dolby Atmos" audio (when available)
Do these streams have ads?
Yes, live sports still has ads, no matter which MAX tier you subscribe to. You still get the ads, like you'd see on TNT or TBS or Eurosport - if the feed provider puts them there. "Ad Free" just means no additional ads, beyond those already in the source material.
What else, besides cycling, is on HBO MAX?
Subscribers to the HBO MAX service get a bunch of other sports beyond cycling... this is a pro, in that you get more, but a con, because if you only want to watch cycling, you're paying for content (arguably, more expensive content - like the NBA) that you may not be interested in at all.)
This includes select live games from the MLB, NHL, NBA; NCAA Men's March Madness, soccer, and golf. Note - this is only select games/matches, not all - Discovery has claimed "more than 300 per year", for reference. Generally, these will be games that you would have found on the TNT, TBS, and TruTV channels on cable/satellite.
There are of course lots of movies and TV shows, as well. Cycling fans might not care about these, but it's a nice bonus to have access to additional content for other family members.
A word about CNN Max
Subscribers to the HBO MAX "standard" and "premium" tiers also have access to CNN Max, which offers live-streaming news coverage, and shows like Jake Tapper and Anderson Cooper. This is a nice free bonus if you aren't already getting CNN from a cable or satellite subscription.
What if I don't like HBO MAX for cycling?
The primary alternatives to HBO MAX are Peacock and FloBikes. Note: these services will carry different content with little to no overlap, so they aren't necessarily direct competitors. You can watch cycling... but not the same races.
Carefully check their schedules of coverage before deciding which (or both) you will subscribe to. For cyclocross fans in particular, note that FloBikes has the rights to the World Cup and World Championships, while MAX will have the rights to most other cyclocross, like the Superprestige and X2O Badkamers Trofee series. Don't subscribe to Peacock for 2024/25 if you only care about watching cyclocross.
How did cycling end up on HBO MAX, anyway?
The GCN+ streaming service (now defunct) was the leader in live and on-demand subscription cycling streaming for the United States. GCN was a part of Play Sports Network, which was in turned owned by Warner Bros. Discovery.
HBO MAX is another business unit under the Warner Bros. Discovery corporate umbrella. When Warner Bros. Discovery folded the GCN+ service, some of the content formerly distributed by GCN+ was moved to the HBO MAX service, including cycling.
What about replays?
If you can't watch live, HBO MAX offers a nice replay archive to catch up on cycling on your own timetable. This is especially nice for cyclocross fans in the United States, since many of the races are in Europe and take place very early in the day. Instead, just catch up with the replay on HBO MAX after your weekend morning ride.
The HBO MAX tie-in to Hulu and Disney+
Can't get enough streaming? Longing for the days of your old cable or satellite subscription that was more expensive and contained a bunch of channels you never watched? We seem to be returning to those days.
In 2025 you can now get a combo subscription that includes HBO MAX, Hulu, and Disney+ in a single subscription, for those interested.