The big spring classics are finally here in Belgium, and the E3 Saxo Bank Classic will kick things off. It takes place on the same roads and famous climbs as the Tour of Flanders, but on a shorter course. The race will feature specialists including the Big 2, Mathieu Van der Pol and Wout Van Aert, who are in absolute top form. [E3 Learn how to watch the Saxo Bank Classic 2024 live stream from anywhere with a VPN and for free.

No more hiding, no more preparation races or training camps. This is where the Flanders Cycling Week begins and the serious competition begins.

The 66th E3 Saxo Bank Classic is a 207 km long race that starts and finishes in Harelbeke. After this first cobblestone, there is a long gap of 60 km until the next climb up La Houp.

From here, riders' legs will be shattered by one challenge after another, including the Aude Kruisberg, the Teienberg, the Boineberg, and two more challenges, the Paterberg and the Aude Quaremont. From the peak of the final climb, the Tegenberg, there is a 20-km flat stretch to the line of the Harelbeke, which will determine the winner in 2024.

No one is a hotter contender than the duo of Mathieu van der Pol (Alpecin-Desseuninck) and Wout van Aert (Team Wisma | Lease-a-Bike), but the chaos of the cobbles often leads to a surprise winner.

Among those taking on the big two are Mads Pedersen (Lidl Trek), Marc Hirschi (UAE Team Emirates), Arnaud De Lier (Lotto Destony), and Julien Alaphilippe (Soudal-Quickstep), Matteo Jorgenson and Christophe Laporte (Team Visma | Lease-a-Bike), Matej Mohoric (Bahrain-Victorius), Magnus Sheffield (INEOS Grenadiers) and Stephan Kühn (Groupama-FDJ).

Rain is forecast for the second half of the race, which will add extra spice to an already firey route, make the cobbled climbs a bit more difficult, and bring more spectacle to the viewer.

Wherever you live, here's how you can watch the race.

If you live in Belgium, enjoy a free live stream of the E3 Saxo Bank Classic in 2024. Belgium's Sporza will be offering a free stream of this one-day UCI World Tour race.

For those who need English commentary, the E3 Saxo Bank Classic free live stream on SBS On Demand in Australia is another great option.

But what if you live in Belgium or Australia and are not home to watch the E3 Saxo Bank Classic free live stream? Maybe you are on vacation and don't want to spend money on pay-per-view in another country when you can usually watch it for free.

Don't worry - you can watch via VPN instead. Here's how to do it.

It's natural to want to watch the 2024 E3 Saxo Bank Classic live stream from your home country, but what if you're not on site when the race is taking place?

Nothing beats a VPN, or virtual private network, which makes it appear as if you are surfing the Internet from your home country, not the country you are in. That means you can access the streaming services you've already paid for from anywhere on the planet. Or at least, anywhere you have an Internet connection.

They are completely legal, inexpensive, and easy to use. We've tested many of the best VPN services, and our current favorite is NordVPN. It's fast, works with a variety of devices, and has a 30-day money-back guarantee.

The VPN is incredibly easy to use.

1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we have mentioned, NordVPN is our favorite.

2. select the location you want to connect to with the VPN app. For example, if you are in the US and want to see Australian service, select Australia from the list.

3. sit back and enjoy the action; access SBS or another streaming service to watch the action.

For U.S. cycling fans, choose an Australian streaming service. View the 2024 E3 Saxo Bank Classic on FloBikes. Subscriptions are US$149.99 per year or US$29.99 per month.

And if you are currently out of the US but want to watch the race, don't forget to use NordVPN above.

The E3 Saxo Bank Classic will be broadcast live on Eurosport and Discovery+.

A "standard" subscription to Discovery+, which includes Eurosport's cycling coverage, costs £6.99 per month or £59.99 per year. In addition to year-round cycling streams, the package also includes other live sports such as snooker, tennis, motorsports, and the Paris Olympics.

The Premium subscription includes all of these, plus TNT sports (Premier League, Champions League, and Europa League soccer, plus rugby, wrestling, UFC, and MotoGP) for an additional £29.99 per month.

If you are currently traveling abroad, don't worry, you can still watch from abroad with NordVPN.

Canadian bike fans can watch the 2024 E3 Saxo Bank Classic on FloBikes. Subscriptions are CAN$150 per year or CAN$29.99 per month.

I'm not home right now; use NordVPN or another VPN service to make your device think you're in Canada.