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Tour de France - statistics & facts

Recordbreakers, the yellow jersey, 2021 edition, key insights.

Detailed statistics

Tour de France entrants and finishers 1903-2023

Tour de France 2021: general riders ranking, by times

Tour de France 2021 : general teams ranking, by times

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Current statistics on this topic.

Individual Sports

Budget of selected Tour de France teams 2023

Winner average speed in the Tour de France 1903-2023

Tour de France total French TV audience 2022-2023

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• Cycling in France
• Outdoor sports in France
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Event history.

• Premium Statistic Tour de France winners 1903-2021, by podium position
• Premium Statistic Tour de France entrants and finishers 1903-2023
• Basic Statistic Most Tour de France wins 1903-2022, by country
• Premium Statistic Winner average speed in the Tour de France 1903-2023

Tour de France winners 1903-2021, by podium position

Tour de France winners from 1903 to 2021, by podium position

Number of entrants and finishers in the Tour de France from 1903 to 2023

Most Tour de France wins 1903-2022, by country

Countries with the most Tour de France titles as of 2022

Tour de France winner's average speed from 1903 to 2023 (in kilometers per hour)

• Premium Statistic Tour de France 2021: general riders ranking, by times
• Premium Statistic Tour de France 2021 : general teams ranking, by times
• Premium Statistic Tour de France 2021: best sprinters, by number of points
• Premium Statistic Tour de France 2021: Best climbers, by number of points
• Premium Statistic Salaries of the highest-paid Tour de France riders 2021
• Premium Statistic Budget of selected Tour de France teams 2023
• Premium Statistic Tour de France performance bonuses 2021

General riders ranking of the Tour de France in 2021, by times (in minutes)

General teams ranking of the Tour de France in 2021, by times (in minutes)

Tour de France 2021: best sprinters, by number of points

Ranking of the Tour de France sprinters in 2021, by number of points

Tour de France 2021: Best climbers, by number of points

Ranking of the Tour de France climbers in 2021, by number of points

Salaries of the highest-paid Tour de France riders 2021

Highest-paid Tour de France cyclists in 2021 (in million euros)

Tour de France teams with the biggest budgets in 2023 (in million U.S. dollars)

Tour de France performance bonuses 2021

Value of the Tour de France individual general classification bonuses in 2021 (in euros)

• Basic Statistic Tour de France riders with the most victories 1903-2022
• Basic Statistic Riders with the most Tour de France yellow jerseys 1903-2023
• Basic Statistic Tour de France riders with the most stage wins 1903-2023
• Premium Statistic Riders with the most Tour de France entries 1903-2023
• Premium Statistic Tour de France best-performing countries 1903-2021, by podium position

Tour de France riders with the most victories 1903-2022

Cyclists with the most Tour de France victories as of 2022

Riders with the most Tour de France yellow jerseys 1903-2023

Cyclists that have spent the most days in the yellow jersey at the Tour de France as of 2023

Tour de France riders with the most stage wins 1903-2023

Cyclists with the most Tour de France stage wins as of 2023

Riders with the most Tour de France entries 1903-2023

Cyclists with the most starts in the Tour de France as of 2023

Tour de France best-performing countries 1903-2021, by podium position

Countries with the most Tour de France victories from 1903 to 2021, by podium position

TV audience and sponsorship

• Premium Statistic Tour de France total French TV audience 2022-2023
• Premium Statistic TV channels broadcasting Tour de France 2021
• Premium Statistic Tour de France live broadcasters 2021, by geographical area
• Premium Statistic Tour de France sponsor partners 2021, by type
• Premium Statistic Tour de France revenue distribution 2019

Number of TV viewers of the Tour de France in France in 2022 and 2023 (in millions)

TV channels broadcasting Tour de France 2021

Number of TV channels broadcasting the Tour de France in 2021

Tour de France live broadcasters 2021, by geographical area

Number of broadcasters with live coverage rights for the Tour de France in 2021, by geographical area

Tour de France sponsor partners 2021, by type

Number of Tour de France sponsorship partners in 2021, by type

Tour de France revenue distribution 2019

Tour de France revenue in 2019, by source

Fan interest

• Premium Statistic Interest in watching Tour de France 2020 and 2021, by country
• Premium Statistic Share of the French population intending to follow the Tour de France 2021
• Premium Statistic Influencing factors for watching Tour de France 2021, by nation
• Premium Statistic Deterrents for not watching Tour de France 2021, by nation

Interest in watching Tour de France 2020 and 2021, by country

Level of interest in the Tour de France in selected countries worldwide in 2020 and 2021

Share of the French population intending to follow the Tour de France 2021

Share of the population intending to follow the Tour de France in France from 2016 to 2021

Influencing factors for watching Tour de France 2021, by nation

Most common reasons for watching the Tour de France in selected countries worldwide in 2021

Deterrents for not watching Tour de France 2021, by nation

Most common reasons for not watching the Tour de France in selected countries worldwide in 2021

Anti-doping rule violations

• Premium Statistic Sports with the most anti-doping rule violations worldwide 2020
• Premium Statistic Tour de France riders who committed anti-doping violations 1968-2023
• Premium Statistic Confidence in Tour de France teams for complying with the anti-doping rules 2023

Sports with the most anti-doping rule violations worldwide 2020

Number of anti-doping rule violations worldwide in 2020, by sport

Tour de France riders who committed anti-doping violations 1968-2023

Share of Tour de France riders who committed anti-doping rule violations from 1968 to 2023

Confidence in Tour de France teams for complying with the anti-doping rules 2023

Level of trust in the Tour de France teams in complying with the anti-doping rules in 2023, by team

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Bon bilan d'audiences pour le Tour de France 2022

L'édition 2022 du Tour de France affiche de belles courbes d'audience sur France Télévisions avec, notamment, une durée d'écoute record depuis 2011.

Le Tour de France attire toujours les foules, sur le bord des routes comme devant les écrans. Les bilans d'audiences de France Télévisions et Eurosport, publiés lundi, en témoigne. Au total, 41,5 millions de téléspectateurs ont regardé l'édition 2022 (seuil de visionnage d'une minute) sur les chaînes du service public et 4 millions sur la chaîne payante, selon Médiamétrie.

Sur France Télévisions, quatre étapes ont dépassé les 5 millions de téléspectateurs, contre deux en 2021, avec notamment 6,4 millions de personnes devant l'étape du 14 juillet (Briançon-Alpe d'Huez) , un record d'audience depuis 2003. A l'occasion de cette 12e étape, Eurosport a pour sa part réalisé son record d'audience historique, avec 218 000 téléspectateurs de moyenne.

« Un Français a regardé en moyenne 5 heures 41 minutes du Tour »

France Télévisions

En durée d'écoute, « un Français a regardé en moyenne 5 heures 41 minutes du Tour, soit 17 minutes de plus qu'en 2021, un record depuis 2011 » , précise France Télé dans son communiqué. En moyenne, pendant ce Tour, les après-midis de France 2 ont attiré 4 millions de téléspectateurs (41,3% de part d'audience) et celles de France 3, 2,5 millions (24,3% de PdA).

Enfin, l'émission Vélo Club , présentée par Laurent Luyat puis Céline Rousseaux (vers 17h45 sur France 2) a rassemblé en moyenne 2,1 millions de téléspectateurs (22,8 % de PdA).

Tour de France attracts 41.5m viewers for France Télévisions

Public service broadcaster lands biggest audience for cycling grand tour since 2011..

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• Four race stages on France Télévisions exceed 5m viewers, up from two in 2021
• Tour de France Femmes’ opening stage scores 3m viewers on France 2

This year’s edition of cycling’s Tour de France pulled in 41.5 million viewers on French public service broadcaster France Télévisions (FTV).

The figure is the biggest Tour de France audience for the network’s main channel since 2011.

Four race stages on FTV exceeded five million viewers, compared to two in 2021. Of that, 6.4 million watched the Briançon-Alpe d’Huez stage, marking the biggest audience for the stage since 2003.

FTV added that viewers watched an average of five hours and 41 minutes of the Grand Tour, which was 17 minutes more than in 2021 and the highest since 2011.

The broadcaster also drew an average of four million viewers for coverage on its FTV2 channel and 2.5 million on FTV3, representing an audience share of 41.3 per cent and 24.3 per cent respectively.

Stay up to date with the latest sports business news and insights.

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In Germany, an average of 1.2 million viewers watched the Tour de France on ARD, handing the public broadcaster an audience share of 11 per cent. This was up 9.8 per cent on last year’s audience of just over 1.1 million. An additional 279,000 tuned in on ARD’s One channel.

The event’s ninth stage drew the largest viewership for ARD with 1.7 million, representing a 12.5 per cent share.

The broadcaster’s Sportschau streaming platform amassed 11 million viewers, which ARD said was more than twice as many for the 2021 edition.

As the Tour de France wrapped up, the start of the returning women’s Tour de France Femmes saw three million viewers watch on FTV2, securing the channel a 27.8 per cent audience share on the afternoon of 24 th July.

Record Tour de France numbers for EBU members

August 1, 2022

Following news from Warner Bros Discovery Sports that the 2022 Tour de France attracted record-breaking audience engagement across 50 markets in Europe, it has been confirmed that the event also attracted the biggest TV audiences for EBU Members overall in terms of hours viewed since 2015.

The race, which featured an epic duel for the Yellow Jersey between Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogačar, Slovenia’s winner of the last two editions of the Tour, racked up a total number of well over 400 million hours viewed in aggregate for the following EBU Member broadcasters:

TV2 (Denmark); TV2 (Norway); ITV and S4C (UK); TG4 (Ireland); NOS (the Netherlands); VRT and RTBF (Belgium); RTL (Luxemburg); ARD (Germany); SRG-SSR (Switzerland); Czech TV (Czech Republic); RTV (Slovakia); RTV (Slovenia); RTVE (Spain); RTP (Portugal); and RAI (Italy).

EBU Members’ broadcasts were complemented by pan-European coverage on the TV and digital platforms of Eurosport and Global Cycling Network, with Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 2 achieving an overall reach of 37 million viewers.

The race also received widespread radio coverage from EBU Members across Europe throughout the 21 stages from early morning to late evening. The EBU Radio Members covering the event were notably DR (Denmark), NRK (Norway), CR (Czech Republic), RTVS (Slovakia), SR (Sweden), BBC (UK), VRT and RTBF (Belgium), NOS (Netherlands), SRG (Switzerland), ARD (Germany), RNE (Spain), RAI (Italy) and RTVS (Slovenia).

With Vingegaard emerging as the first Danish winner of the Tour since 1996, after the first three stages were held in Denmark, this year’s race held a particular appeal for Danish viewers. This was reflected in the viewing figures of TV2, the national broadcaster, which won an overall viewing share of 71.9 per cent and an average audience of 685,000 viewers for its coverage (best figures since 1997).

Other notable viewing share figures for broadcasters that are part of the EBU agreement included:

• VRT: 69.4 per cent (best since at least 2011)
• NOS: 50.6 per cent (best since at least 2011)
• RTBF: 37.9 per cent (best since at least 2011)
• RTV Slovenia: 35.3 per cent and an average audience of 143,000 viewers (historical record)

Peak audiences

• TV2 Denmark scored the highest peak viewing share of the entire race: 82.35 per cent for its coverage of Stage 2, a flat stage that took in the Danish scenery from Roskilde to Nyborg;
• TV2 Denmark also recorded an outstanding peak audience of 1,529,000 for its coverage of Stage 1, an individual time trial through the streets of the Danish capital, Copenhagen;
• ARD won the best peak audience for a stage (2,911,456 for Stage 12), followed by RAI (1,965,900 for Stage 9) and RTVE (1,940,000 for Stage 12).

Digital viewing

Strong linear coverage by EBU Members was accompanied by comprehensive and innovative digital coverage on their websites, apps, social media pages and OTT/streaming platforms. This included:

• ARD’s sportschau.de streaming platform attracted 11 million viewers, more than twice as many as in 2021
• On 3 July (Stage 3), TV2 in Denmark registered an all-time high number of daily users at TV2.DK (1.9 million), and on 24 July (final stage) TV2 broke its record for users of TV2 PLAY, its on-demand platform
• Daily unique visitors to VRT’s website Sporza.be averaged 691,432 between 1 July and 21 July, a 32-per-cent increase on the average number of daily unique visitors for the first six months of the year

“Every year, the subtle combination of free-to-air coverage by generalist EBU Member channels and Eurosport/GCN platforms allows us to showcase the biggest cycling race on Earth to reach a large audience throughout Europe,” commented Julien Goupil, Media and Partnership Director at [Tour organiser] A.S.O. “From Copenhagen where The Tour de France received one of its warmest welcome, to the Champs-Élysées after 21 exciting days of racing, the 2022 edition has thrilled millions of TV viewers on all continents. We are very happy to see such high ratings from EBU members showing the strength of the relationship between the Tour and European fans of all ages and backgrounds and providing all Tour de France stakeholders – hosting cities and regions, partners, participating teams and riders – a fantastic exposure associated with a complete digital ecosystem made of both Le Tour organic platforms and those of EBU Members. This also corresponds perfectly with the results obtained by host broadcaster France Télévisions (41.3 per cent and an average of 4 million viewers every day with an increasing proportion among the youngest).”

“We are convinced that this momentum will benefit as well the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift maiden edition that will see the greatest numbers ever for a women cycling race. More than ever, the Tour de France must be accessible to the greatest number as it is on the side of the roads,” he declared.

“As one of the most popular sporting events, the EBU is more than ever convinced that the Tour de France benefits from comprehensive coverage across Europe through the most popular free-to-air platforms of the EBU provided by its Members, together with Eurosport and Global Cycling Network,” added Frederic Sanz, Head of Cycling at Eurovision Sport. “EBU Members have experienced this year some very strong average ratings and viewing shares, reaching and entertaining more and more fans, and generating increased visibility for sponsors and tourism authorities, with a specific focus this year on the beautiful Danish cities and landscapes where the Tour de France started for the first time ever. Eurovision Sport is absolutely thrilled to have contributed to this overall success.”

In February 2020, Eurovision Sport and A.S.O. extended their media rights agreement for the Tour de France through to 2025. In addition, Eurovision Sport extended its agreement with Unipublic, a subsidiary of A.S.O, for the Vuelta a España, again through to 2025.

Related posts:

• WBDS: Record Tour De France audience engagement
• Rising audience for Tour de France
• Eurosport: 50m viewers for Tour de France
• Eurosport enhances coverage of Tour de France
• Entire Tour de France live on Eurosport

Other posts by Colin Mann :

• Analysis: SVoDs drive $220bn content spend
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Categories: Articles , Broadcast , Consumer Behaviour , FTA , Markets , Pay TV , Research

Tags: EBU , Jonas Vingegaard , Tadej Pogačar , Tour de France , Warner Bros Discovery Sports

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This year’s Tour de France , which culminated on Sunday July 24, 2022, attracted the biggest TV audiences since 2015 for European Broadcasting Union (EBU) countries overall, in terms of hours viewed.

The race, which featured a duel for the Yellow Jersey between Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogačar, Slovenia’s winner of the last two editions of the race, racked up a total number of well over 400 million hours viewed in aggregate for the following EBU member broadcasters:

TV2 (Denmark); TV2 (Norway); ITV and S4C (UK); TG4 (Ireland); NOS (the Netherlands); VRT and RTBF (Belgium); RTL (Luxemburg); ARD (Germany); SRG-SSR (Switzerland); Czech TV (Czech Republic); RTV (Slovakia); RTV (Slovenia); RTVE (Spain); RTP (Portugal); and RAI (Italy).

EBU members’ broadcasts were complemented by pan-European coverage on the TV and digital platforms of Eurosport and Global Cycling Network, with Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 2 achieving an overall reach of 37 million viewers.

The race also received widespread radio coverage from EBU members across Europe throughout the 21 stages from early morning to late evening. The EBU Radio Members covering the event were notably DR (Denmark), NRK (Norway), CR (Czech Republic), RTVS (Slovakia), SR (Sweden), BBC (UK), VRT and RTBF (Belgium), NOS (Netherlands), SRG (Switzerland), ARD (Germany), RNE (Spain), RAI (Italy) and RTVS (Slovenia).

TV viewing With Vingegaard emerging as the first Danish winner of the Tour since 1996, after the first three stages were held in Denmark, this year’s race held a particular appeal for Danish viewers. This was reflected in the viewing figures of TV2, the Danish national broadcaster, which won an overall viewing share of 71.9% and an average audience of 685,000 viewers for its coverage (best figures since 1997).

Other notable viewing share figures for broadcasters that are part of the EBU agreement included:

• VRT: 69.4% (best since at least 2011)
• NOS: 50.6% (best since at least 2011)
• RTBF: 37.9% (best since at least 2011)
• RTV Slovenia: 35.3% and an average audience of 143,000 viewers (historical record)

Peak audiences TV2 Denmark scored the highest peak viewing share of the entire race: 82.35% for its coverage of Stage 2, a flat stage that took in the Danish scenery from Roskilde to Nyborg.

TV2 Denmark also recorded a significant peak audience of 1,529,000 for its coverage of Stage 1, an individual time trial through the streets of the Danish capital, Copenhagen.

ARD won the best peak audience for a stage (2,911,456 for Stage 12), followed by RAI (1,965,900 for Stage 9) and RTVE (1,940,000 for Stage 12).

Digital viewing Strong coverage by EBU members was accompanied by comprehensive digital coverage on their websites, apps, social media pages and OTT/streaming platforms. This included:

• ARD’s sportschau.de streaming platform attracted 11 million viewers, more than twice as many as in 2021.
• On 3 July (Stage 3), TV2 in Denmark registered an all-time high number of daily users at TV2.DK (1.9 million), and on 24 July (final stage) TV2 broke its record for users of TV2 PLAY, its on-demand platform.
• Daily unique visitors to VRT’s website sporza.be averaged 691,432 between 1 July and 21 July, a 32% increase on the average number of daily unique visitors for the first six months of the year.

Julien Goupil, Media and Partnership Director at Tour de France organiser A.S.O., said “Every year the subtle combination of free-to-air coverage by generalist EBU member channels and Eurosport/GCN platforms allows us to showcase the biggest cycling race on Earth to reach a large audience throughout Europe.

“From Copenhagen where The Tour de France received one of its warmest welcome, to the Champs-Élysées after 21 exciting days of racing, the 2022 edition has thrilled millions of TV viewers on all continents.

“We are very happy to see such high ratings from EBU members showing the strength of the relationship between the Tour and European fans of all ages and backgrounds and providing all Tour de France stakeholders – hosting cities and regions, partners, participating teams and riders – a fantastic exposure associated with a complete digital ecosystem made of both Le Tour organic platforms and those of EBU members.”

Frederic Sanz, Head of Cycling at Eurovision Sport, said “As one of the most popular sporting events, the EBU is more than ever convinced that the Tour de France benefits from comprehensive coverage across Europe through the most popular free-to-air platforms of the EBU provided by its members, together with Eurosport and Global Cycling Network.

“EBU members have experienced this year some very strong average ratings and viewing shares, reaching and entertaining more and more fans, and generating increased visibility for sponsors and tourism authorities, with a specific focus this year on the beautiful Danish cities and landscapes where the Tour de France started for the first time ever. Eurovision Sport is absolutely thrilled to have contributed to this overall success.”

www.letour.fr www.ebu.ch

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Des audiences au sommet pour le Tour de France 2022

• le 18 juillet 2022

#FlashAudiences

37,3M de téléspectateurs ont regardé le Tour de France depuis le départ.

8,4M de téléspectateurs ce jeudi 14 juillet lors de la fin de la 12 e étape pour suivre la montée de l’Alpe d’Huez.

Meilleure audience moyenne (6,4M tlsps) pour une étape du Tour depuis au moins 2006 !

12,7M de vidéos vues sur nos plateformes numériques , en forte hausse vs 2021 (+3,2M).

1,7M de vidéos vues quotidiennes les 13 et 14 juillet sur france.tv, francetv sport et franceinfo : une forte progression par rapport au plus haut niveau de 2021 (1M de vidéos vues).

Sources : *Médiamétrie – Restit’TV Seuil de vision 60 secondes non consécutives / Médiamétrie –  eStat

**Médiamétrie –  eStat

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23.2 million viewers watched the Tour de France Femmes live in 2022

Thanks to the Tour de France Femmes, women’s cycling is now the 4th most followed women’s sport, says Zwift report

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Last year's Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift , a momentous revival of a women’s edition of cycling’s most recognizable event, the Tour de France, was reported as  a smashing success . Millions of people across five continents and 190 countries tuned in to watch eight action-packed days of racing. Thousands more crowded the French countryside streets and banged on the finish line boards. 

As the main sponsor of the event, Zwift wanted to know just how successful its four-year investment is. Using data from sports intelligence company Nielsen Sports, Zwift set out to measure and analyze the impact of the 2022 race, hoping to answer the question: Was the race really the catalyst for change we all believed it would be? 

Highlights from the Neilson Sports report, published today , certainly impress.

• Last year, the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift (TdFF) achieved a cumulative live audience of 23.2 million across 8 stages
• 2.9 million - The average live audience per stage for the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift in 2022
• The TdFF commanded an audience share higher than that of the men’s Giro d’Italia
• The amount of social posts, reach and engagement for the Top 5 women’s cycling races grew by over 300% in 2022 vs. 2021 as a result of the introduction of TdFF
• 115 million - Women’s cycling attracts a large following, ranking it the 4th most followed women’s sports
• 73% of women’s cycling fans are interested in participating in sports/fitness activities vs. just 44% for the general population.
• Zwift saw an 8.9% growth in its female subscribers

"We knew the racing would be exceptional, but it was the millions of fans that made it game-changing"

Millions of people tuned in to watch the 2022 Tour de France Femmes.Thousands more crowded the French countryside streets and banged on the finish line boards. 

The report takes its conclusions from data that spans TV viewership, written media, and social media across eight key markets — the USA, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Australia and Japan. 

Broadcast coverage was a huge contributor to the race's success. Racing could be watched live in 190 countries, resulting in a live cumulative viewership of 23.2 million people with an average live audience of 2.9m per stage. 

Within the broader women’s sporting landscape, cycling attracts a following of over 115m, ranking it as the 4th most followed sport In these key markets. Only athletics, tennis and football (soccer) rank higher.

Of the eight key markets analyzed, France drew by far the biggest audience, with just shy of twenty million cumulative live views, followed by Germany and Spain. 

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Both in broadcast and written coverage, Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift traffic exceeded that of the men’s Giro d’Italia in 2022.

In addition to the traditional media channels, the report showcases how the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift helped grow the sport and its athletes on social media. Individual riders and teams reported a significant growth spike during the eight-day race. The report concluded that over the course of the race, the Instagram and Facebook profiles of the top 35 female riders grew by 8.6%. 

Whats more, other events benefitted, too. The amount of posts, reach and engagement of the Top 5 events —Tour of Flanders, Simac Ladies Tour, Madrid Challenge, Giro Donne and Paris Roubaix Femmes — increased over 300% thanks to the addition of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. 

"It would be an understatement to say we were thrilled by the response to the inaugural Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. As longtime supporters of women’s cycling, we knew the racing would be exceptional, but it was the millions of fans that made it game-changing," says Kate Veronneau, Zwift's Director of Women’s Strategy.

For Zwift itself, the four-year investment has already led to an 8.9% growth in its female subscribers, something Veronneau told Cycling Weekly is much desired.

Female Zwift users account for just 18% of all users, which is significantly lower than say Peloton’s female participation —estimated at 45 to 49%— or even female gym attendance in the U.S., which the IHRSA states is now 50.5%.

Who's watching women's cycling?

Young fans along the sidelines at the 2022 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift

While watching sports is still a male dominated activity, globally, the Nielsen Sports data shows there is a proportionally higher female interest (44%) in women’s cycling than general sports fans (38%). 

Women's cycling fans of all genders are, on average 39.5 years old, and are almost twice more likely than the general population to regularly watch sport on social media platforms. They're also an active bunch, with 73% of women’s sports fans being interested in participating in sports vs. 44% for the general population. To that end, Zwift says that future growth in women’s cycling participation looks promising.

"This is just the beginning. Our job now, as industry, fans, sporting media, and riders - is to keep the fires burning bright. We need to work together to ensure this big moment sparks action and investment at all levels of the sport," says Veronneau. 

"Women’s cycling is having a moment, we want you to help make it a movement. The more people that watch women, the more sustainable the sport becomes because a bigger audience means more broadcast coverage, more investment, more sponsorship, bigger salaries and increased prize money."

Read the report .

The Tour de France avec Zwift 2023

Kate Veronneau and Eric Min of Zwift pose with Marion Rousse at the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift

The Tour de France avec Femmes returns on Sunday, July 23. Eight exciting stages will see the women's peloton traverse across France for a total of 956 kilometers (594 miles).  

Read about the route, the contestants and where to watch in our 2023 guide .

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Cycling Weekly 's North American Editor, Anne-Marije Rook is old school. She holds a degree in journalism and started out as a newspaper reporter — in print! She can even be seen bringing a pen and notepad to the press conference.

Originally from The Netherlands, she grew up a bike commuter and didn't find bike racing until her early twenties when living in Seattle, Washington. Strengthened by the many miles spent darting around Seattle's hilly streets on a steel single speed, Rook's progression in the sport was a quick one. As she competed at the elite level, her journalism career followed, and soon she became a full-time cycling journalist. She's now been a cycling journalist for 11 years. 

Riding on cobbles is fun - you should try and find the pavé in your town and go on a silly ride with a club

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By Tom Davidson Published 27 March 24

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The inaugural Zwift Games in March 2024 is set to become the largest virtual racing event ever held, complete with sponsors like Oakley, Wahoo and Adidas.

By Kristin Jenny Published 22 February 24

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By Anne-Marije Rook Published 5 February 24

WorldTour cycling pro Ashleigh Moolmna-Pasio is using the tail end of her career to build virtual cycling and computer learning centers in Cape Town to educate and empower women

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Thursday, July 21st, 2022

FINAL STAGES OF 109TH TOUR DE FRANCE PRESENTED LIVE THIS WEEKEND ACROSS PEACOCK, NBC AND USA NETWORK

Live Coverage of Stage 19 Tomorrow Begins with the Tour de France Pre-Race Show at 7 a.m. ET on Peacock; Race Coverage Begins at 7:10 a.m. ET on Peacock

Jonas Vingegaard Holds General Classification Lead Heading into Stage 19; Two-Time Defending Champion Tadej Pogačar Sits in Second Place

Live Coverage of the Final Stage Begins This Sunday at 10:30 a.m. ET on Peacock & USA Network; Encore Coverage at 2 p.m. ET on NBC

Peacock To Stream Live, Commercial-Free Coverage of Every Stage from Start to Finish and Select Early Morning Stages Exclusively as They Happen

STAMFORD, Conn. – July 21, 2022 – NBC Sports’ live coverage of the 109 th Tour de France concludes this weekend with the final three stages across Peacock, NBC, and USA Network.

The Tour enters Stage 19 tomorrow (Castelnau-Magnoac to Cahors), with live coverage beginning at 7 a.m. ET with the Tour de France Pre-Race Show on Peacock. Tomorrow’s live race coverage begins at 7:10 a.m. ET on Peacock and continues on Peacock and USA Network at 8 a.m. ET.

Saturday’s live coverage of the penultimate Stage 20, beginning in Lacapelle-Marival and finishing in Rocamadour, starts at 6:30 a.m. ET with the Tour de France Pre-Race Show on Peacock. Live race coverage begins at 7:05 a.m. ET on Peacock and continues at 8 a.m. ET on Peacock and NBC.

Live coverage of Sunday’s final stage, which finishes on Paris’ Champs-Elysees, starts at 10 a.m. ET with the Tour de France Pre-Race Show on Peacock and USA Network. Live race coverage begins at 10:30 a.m. ET on Peacock and USA Network.  Encore coverage of the final stage of the 109 th Tour de France will be presented at 2 p.m. ET on NBC.

Jonas Vinegegaard (Jumbo – Visma) won Stage 18, marking the 25-year-old’s second stage victory this race and increasing his lead atop the overall standings. Two-time defending champion Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) of Slovenia remains in second place, trailing Vingegaard by three minutes and 26 seconds . Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) of Great Britain, the 2018 Tour de France champion, is currently in third place.

Peacock’s expansive programming features live sports coverage including MLB Sunday Leadoff , golf, NASCAR, INDYCAR, Triple Crown horse racing, the USFL,  Sunday Night Football , Olympic sports, Premier League, Notre Dame Football, and much more. Peacock also offers daily sports programming on the NBC Sports channel which streams Peacock Original  Brother from Another  and staples like  The Dan Patrick Show ,  Pro Football Talk Live , and  The Rich Eisen Show .

COMMENTATORS

NBC Sports’ coverage of the 2022 Tour de France features Phil Liggett , universally known as the “voice of cycling,” who calls play-by-play race action, marking the 50 th time he will cover the Tour de France , and his 45 th time calling the race on television. Bob Roll joins Liggett on the call as an analyst, with Liggett and Roll on site at each stage of the Tour de France for the first time since 2019. Steve Porino and former professional cyclist Robbie Hunter serve as reporters.

Paul Burmeister hosts daily pre-race and post-race studio coverage, along with former professional cyclist and analyst Christian Vande Velde and American Grand Tour champion Chris Horner .

NBC SPORTS SOCIAL MEDIA:

Fans can keep up with the Tour de France through NBC Sports’ social media platforms throughout the race, including exclusive behind-the-scenes photos, interviews, video clips, up-to-date news reports and stories from around the cycling world through the NBC Sports Cycling Facebook page and @NBCSNCycling on Twitter. In addition, fans can visit NBCSports.com/cycling for a live stream schedule, stage maps, results, routes and more.

NBC SPORTS’ 2022 TOUR DE FRANCE SCHEDULE

(subject to change, all times ET)***All live coverage on NBC and USA Network is also available on the NBC Sports app:

– NBC SPORTS –

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Tour de France 2022

Latest news from the race.

Tour de France: Unchained review - An addictive and entertaining Netflix series

Jumbo-Visma auction Cervelo team bikes, and bids are already topping €10,000

Primoz Roglic 'stands by words' accusing Fred Wright over Vuelta crash

Tour de france 2022 overview, vingegaard crowned tour de france champion while philipsen wins stage 21.

Tour de France stage 21 - How it happened

Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) blasted across the finish line on the Champs-Élysées in Paris to take his second stage victory at this year's Tour de France, Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) won the Tour de France after finishing safely in the main field with his Jumbo-Visma teammates .

Results powered by  FirstCycling

Stage 20: Wout van Aert, Vingegaard go one-two in stage 20 time trial of Tour de France / As it happened

Stage 19: Laporte completes Jumbo-Visma domination with Tour de France stage win in Cahors / As it happened

Stage 18: Vingegaard soars to victory on Tour de France stage 18 to Hautacam / As it happened

Stage 17: Pogacar triples up on stage 17 mountain mayhem at Tour de France / As it happened

Stage 16: Hugo Houle wins stage 16 of Tour de France with solo attack in Pyrenees / As it happened

Stage 15: Philipsen blazes to victory in Tour de France stage to Carcassonne / As it happened

Stage 14: Michael Matthews takes solo win in Mende on Tour de France stage 14 / As it happened

Stage 13: Pedersen jumps from breakaway to win sprint on Tour de France stage 13 / As it happened

Stage 12: Pidcock claims sensational L'Alpe d'Huez victory on stage 12 of Tour de France / As it happened

Stage 11:   Vingegaard wins stage 11 of Tour de France as Pogacar cracks on Col du Granon / As it happened

Stage 10 : Cort takes breakaway sprint to win Tour de France stage 10 at Megève / As it happened

Stage 9: Jungels solos to stage 9 Alpine victory in 2022 Tour de France / As it happened

Stage 8: Van Aert surges to stage 8 victory in Lausanne / As it happened

Stage 7: Pogacar snuffs out Vingegaard's attack to win stage 7 / As it happened

Stage 6: Pogacar wins uphill sprint, takes yellow jersey / As it happened

Stage 5: Simon Clarke conquers cobbles to win stage 5 / As it happened

Stage 4: Wout van Aert takes stunning solo win in yellow jersey / As it happened

Stage 3: Groenewegen wins stage 3 sprint in Sønderborg / As it happened

Stage 2: Fabio Jakobsen wins crash-marred sprint stage 2 in Nyborg / As it happened

Stage 1: Lampaert stuns favourites to take yellow jersey / As it happened

Tour de France 2022 teams

• AG2R Citroen Team
• Astana Qazaqstan Team
• Bahrain Victorious
• Bora-Hansgrohe
• EF Education-EasyPost
• Groupama-FDJ
• Ineos Grenadiers
• Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux
• Israel-Premier Tech
• Jumbo-Visma
• Lotto Soudal
• Movistar Team
• QuickStep-AlphaVinyl
• BikeExchange-Jayco
• Trek-Segafredo
• UAE Team Emirates
• Alpecin-Fenix
• Arkea-Samsic
• B&B Hotels-KTM
• TotalEnergies

• Tour de France past winners
• Tour de France 2022 route
• Tour de France 2022 – The Essential Preview

Latest Content on the Race

Tour de France snubs – The most controversial rider non-selections

By Barry Ryan, Patrick Fletcher, Alasdair Fotheringham, Daniel Benson, Laura Weislo last updated 27 June 23

Cyclingnews looks at some of the most contentious omissions over the years

By Stephen Farrand published 8 June 23

Review The eight episodes are a compelling look back at the 2022 Tour de France

How long is the Tour de France?

By Katy Madgwick last updated 6 June 23

Feature The 2023 Tour de France will cover 3,405 kilometres. We take a look at the historic distances of the Tour de France

By Peter Stuart published 14 December 22

News The auction ends 19th December, proceeds go toward developing new cycling talent

By Cyclingnews published 28 November 22

news Slovenian addresses transfer speculation and 2023 plans in radio interview

Tour de France climate activists likely to get off with a fine

By Laura Weislo published 22 November 22

News Prosecutor requests €500 fine for six Dernière Rénovation protesters

Jonas Vingegaard: The Tour de France is hard, anything can happen

By Stephen Farrand published 8 November 22

News 2022 winner talks about the form and fortune needed to win cycling’s biggest race

Nairo Quintana again denies using tramadol as CAS confirms Tour de France disqualification

By Barry Ryan published 3 November 22

News 'I’ve had more than 300 doping controls and I’ve never had a problem with doping'

Court of Arbitration confirms Nairo Quintana's Tour de France tramadol disqualification

By Alasdair Fotheringham last updated 3 November 22

News Quintana loses appeal after CAS upholds blood tests revealed use of pain killer

Jonas Vingegaard: Defending the Tour de France is hard but I’m up for the challenge

By Stephen Farrand published 26 October 22

Interview An exclusive interview with the 2022 winner on the life-changing effects of the yellow jersey

Top News on the Race

Ganna: Hour Record finale so painful ‘I wanted to fall off or puncture’

Evenepoel strongly hints he will ride 2023 Giro d'Italia, not Tour de France

'I'm still the same Jonas' - Vingegaard returns in Croatia after post-Tour de France hiatus

Nairo Quintana denies tramadol use and confirms Vuelta a España participation

Nairo Quintana disqualified from Tour de France following tramadol positives

Mohoric suggests Epstein Barr Virus and COVID-19 held him back at Tour de France

Wout van Aert and Marianne Vos triumph in green in post-Tour de France criterium

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Tour de France 2022: ‘It’s going to be very hard’ - Mark Cavendish on route set up for all-rounders

Updated 14/10/2021 at 16:04 GMT

The 2022 route features a return to the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix and focuses more on summit finishes than bunch sprints, making it harder for the British cyclist to surpass the record for stage wins that he shares with Eddy Merckx. The hairpins of L'Alpe d'Huez make a comeback. It had already been revealed that the Grand Depart would set off from the Danish capital, Copenhagen.

Mark Cavendish was at the route reveal for the 2022 Tour de France

Image credit: Getty Images

Froome: Another Tour stage win would be an amazing way to end my career

4 hours ago

Of course, starting from Copenhagen, where I became world champion, brings back a lot of great memories, but those first days after the time trial could be really hectic.

• Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift to be brought to widest audience in Europe by Discovery Sports

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Official games

2023 Edition

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Tour Culture

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• The jerseys

Netflix and A.S.O., in partnership with France Televisions, announce a docuseries on the Tour de France 2022

Paris, March 31st 2022 - Netflix is partnering with A.S.O. to create a documentary series on the Tour de France 2022, with the participation of France Télévisions. Produced by Quadbox, a joint venture between QUAD and Box to box Films (Drive to Survive), the series will follow the journey of 8 teams taking part in the most difficult cycling race.

Consisting of 8 episodes of 45 minutes, the series will follow as closely as possible all the actors of the Tour de France, from cyclists to team managers to understand the multiple stakes of a race that has become a true international symbol, broadcasted in 190 territories. The backstages of eight iconic teams will be unveiled, from the preparation phase to the finish line: AG2R Citroën Team, Alpecin-Fenix, BORA-hansgrohe, EF Education-EasyPost, Groupama-FDJ cycling Team, Ineos Grenadiers, Team Jumbo-Visma and Team Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl.

Dolores Emile, Manager, EMEA Unscripted & Doc Series (France) at Netflix: “ We are very proud to unveil new aspects of the emblematic Tour de France. This is a unique opportunity to dive into the stories of its inspiring characters!"  

Yann Le Moënner, Managing Director of A.S.O.: “We are proud of this partnership with Netflix, France Télévisions and the Tour de France teams, which will offer fans a unique immersion behind the scenes. Through a narrative approach, which is additive to the competition itself, the public will be able to discover how the Tour de France represents the ultimate challenge for the competitors ; in particular in terms of suffering, pushing their limits and team spirit. This project is part of our overall ambition to make our sport more accessible and meet an even wider audience.”  

Laurent-Eric Le Lay, Sports Director at France Télévisions: “As the historic partner and broadcaster of the Tour de France, we are delighted to participate in this project which will allow everyone to experience part of the daily life of champions and teams. It is additive to what we do every year during the race and we believe that it will attract an even larger audience to this beautiful event.”

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Tour de France 2022: Tom Pidcock wins stage 12 on Alpe d’Huez – as it happened

The 22-year-old become the youngest ever winner of the queen stage of Le Tour as a revived Chris Froome came in third

• 14 Jul 2022 Tom Pidcock wins the 12th stage on Alpe D'Huez
• 14 Jul 2022 Pidcock goes off the front
• 14 Jul 2022 They arrive at Alpe d'Huez
• 14 Jul 2022 Pogacar's team manager leaves Tour after Covid positive
• 14 Jul 2022 Pidcock, Froome into lead breakaway
• 14 Jul 2022 And away we go!
• 14 Jul 2022 Preamble

GC after stage 12

• 1. Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Jumbo-Visma) 46hrs 28mins 46secs
• 2. Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Team Emirates) +2mins 22secs
• 3. Geraint Thomas (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +2mins 26secs
• 4. Romain Bardet (Fra/DSM) +2mins 35secs
• 5. Adam Yates (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +3mins 44secs
• 6. Nairo Quintana (Col/Arkea Samsic) +3mins 58secs
• 7. David Gaudu (Fra/Groupama-FDJ) +4mins 07secs
• 8. Tom Pidcock (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +7mins 39secs
• 9. Enric Mas (Spa/Movistar) +9mins 32secs
• 10. Aleksandr Vlasov (Rus/Bora-Hansgrohe) +10mins 06secs

Stage 12 result

• 1. Tom Pidcock (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) 4hrs 55mins 24secs
• 2. Louis Meintjes (Rsa/Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert Materiaux) +48secs
• 3. Chris Froome (GB/Israel-Premier Tech) +2mins 06secs
• 4. Neilson Powless (USA/EF Education-EasyPost) +2mins 29secs
• 5. Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Team Emirates) +3mins 23secs
• 6. Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Jumbo-Visma) Same time
• 7. Geraint Thomas (GB/Ineos Grenadiers)
• 8. Enric Mas (Spa/Movistar) +3mins 26secs
• 9. Sepp Kuss (USA/Jumbo-Visma) Same time
• 10. Giulio Ciccone (Ita/Trek-Segafredo) +3mins 32secs

Here’s our snap report, with Jeremy Whittle’s full piece to follow later.

Tom Pidcock speaks on the occasion of his maiden victory.

It’s not bad that, is it? I guess it’s made my Tour de France. If I get dropped every other day, now I don’t care. My first Tour? Not bad, is it? I lost enough time, I guess Jumbo didn’t want to risk it. I guess it worked out perfectly. That was one of any best experiences in cycling. That was unreal, when you are slaloming through people’s fists and flags. It was brilliant getting across with [Chris Froome]. He’s a legend and I just beat him up Alpe D’Huez. But he’s still Chris Froome, ain’t he?

Behind them, Powless comes home for fourth as the GC contenders arrive soon after, with a slight rejig to the overall GC. Pogacar leads the group home, with Vingegaard on his tail. The yellow jersey looks strong, Pogacar unable to land a blow, while Geraint Thomas looks in his best form since winning on l’Alpe in 2018. This time, another Briton is celebrating and looks near to tears.

🏆🇬🇧 @tompidcock wins in @alpedhuez ! 🏆🇬🇧 @tompidcock s’impose à @alpedhuez ! #TDF2022 pic.twitter.com/CF6EkrgoSb — Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 14, 2022

Tom Pidcock wins the 12th stage on Alpe D'Huez

A heroic ride, one where the foundations were laid by his daredevil descending and his climbing ability. That was executed to perfection. Meintjes comes in second, Froome rolling in third, after his own heroic ride. It’s been great to have the old man back on the grandest stage.

1km to go: Pogacar must make his move now or never, though Vingegaard covers up nicely, sticking to his back wheel. Thomas is again dropped. Pogacar and Vingegaard share a joke as they are caught up by Thomas once more.

1.5km to go: Sepp Kuss comes back up, and will lead Vingegaard up the hill, as Pidcock is on course to become the youngest ever winner on Alpe D’Huez at 22. He’s stayed well clear of Meintjes, and Froome is 90 seconds and more back as Pidcock comes to the gentler gradient, soon enough he will be able to almost enjoy his ride into Tour history.

2.5km to go: Here goes Pogacar! He goes on the attack, trying his best to crack Vingegaard, who stays on his wheel, as Thomas drops off the back, as does Roglic, with 4km to go for the main GC contenders. The top two are soon caught by Thomas, the podium in motion together.

3km to go: Pidcock has over 30 seconds on Meintjes, Froome well over a minute back. Pidcock exhales, in clear pain but staying determined. Roglic leads Vingegaard into the seething mass of supporters. Adam Yates has gone off the back now, though this has been a red-letter day for Team Ineos.

4km to go: Pidcock has this in his grasp, his first major win in his first Grand Tour will be L’Alpe D’Huez. Back in the pack, it looks as if Jumbo-Visma are attempting to crack Pogacar with Roglic leading them up. Sweet revenge for 2020? Perhaps so. Romain Bardet, second on GC, is in imminent danger of cracking, too. And he’s gone off the back. The GC, for the second day, will be smashed into splinters. Geraint Thomas remains in touch, sitting off the back of Pogacar, with Vingegaard up ahead of the two behind him in the virtual standings.

5km to go: Quintana has dropped off the back, and David Gaudu, who began the day in seventh, is also being spat out. There’s a bad omen for Bastille Day, with les Francais nowhere to be seen in the reckoning for stage or GC.

6km to go: We await a move by Pogacar. He needs to do something, and surely cannot wait until the Pyrenees to make his move. He may not have any teammates by then. The gap meanwhile from Pidcock to Meintjes opens up yet more to 18 seconds, Froome dropping ever further back as the roadside fills with tifosi.

7km to go: In the peloton, Vlasov has gone off the back, as has Thibaut Pinot, and Bob Jungels. Pidcock seems to have opened up the gap on Meintjes who is being closed down by Froome. It’s a lead of 11 seconds on Meintjes and 21 seconds on Froome.

8km to go: Meintjes looks to have the measure of Pidcock, who may have gone too early, and back in the field, Van Aert is done, and signals that his race is over, handing his bottle over to Roglic.

9km to go: The peloton continues to follow Wout van Aert up the mountain, as Pogacar waters himself down. Meintjes and Froome have been making headway on Pidcock, who hasn’t yet broken the chain, though has cracked Powless and Ciccone, whose race looks run bar having to climb the remaining 9km.

Pidcock goes off the front

10km to go: Powless gets back on, there will be plenty of oscillations within this group in the time still to go. It’s been steady, and so steady that Froome feels comfortable in going off the front. Pidcock is up there too, looking strong, and he’s by far the highest on GC, starting the day ten minutes back and in form. He goes off, and tries to crack the rest, Ciccone dropping off the back, Meintjes and Froome the closest to him but already some way back. This is one hell of a move from the Yorkshireman. He has the others in trouble, there is distance between them.

11km to go: Powless goes out the back of the leaders, and Froome looks in trouble too, but he manages to get back on the wheel. We’ve seen him do that before, but those were different days. Pogacar meanwhile is seeking to make his move, and pushing to the front. He has Marc Soler and Rafał Majka for company, his UAE teammates.

12km to go: There’s time to play with, and the first click is ridden in cagey style. Nobody is taking it up just yet, the crowd is not yet as thick as it will be up the mountain. Ciccone is the rider who is giving off the signs of someone trying to psyche out his opponents. Back in the pack, discussions are taking place, Van Aert ever the road captain, is leading them as he is second man down as Tiesj Benoot leads the peloton to the foot of the climb, and then drops back to let Van Aert take it up. The leaders pass the Dutch and Welsh corners.

They arrive at Alpe d'Huez

13.8km to go: Here we go, the steep ramps and hairpins, and the hammer goes down immediately among the final five. For the opening moments, they hunt in packs. Tom Pidcock meanwhile manages to lob his bottle into a bin and hit the target. A sign?

14km to go: The calm before the storm, and what can Chris Froome produce? It’s been the best ride of his time since his dreadful accident in practising before the Critérium du Dauphiné in 2019, where he broke numerous bones including his pelvis, femur and four ribs. Ahead of him, the climb approaches of queen stage, the mountains towering into the skyline. And Pogacar seems in chipper mode, talking to the camera. “It’s kinda hot, eh?” He performed similar antics yesterday and bonked himself in oblivion. Jumbo-Visma know he is not a rider for the heat, and seem to be riding him into trouble.

Here comes Bourg d’Oisans, the end of the rest of the stage, and the beginning of the end. Six minutes is the lead of the breakaway of the first climb up here in four years.

20km to go: The gap is six minutes or so, Jumbo-Visma having waited for Tiesj Benoot to rejoin their effort and to lead them along, giving Van Aert a rest, and Sepp Kuss, too. The peloton is now a small band of men and among them, Tadej Pogacar has been putting ice down his back but sits comfortably enough in seventh in the pack. The town of Bourg d’Oisans and the start of the final climb fast approaches. Nelson Oliveira, a former member of the breakaway, drops back into the field.

25km to go: The final 14km, l’Alpe D’Huez, approaches fast, and ahead of that, speeding past un lac, some water bottles are taken on. Each of the final five are taking their turn on the front before they all enter their own private hell, though accompanied by a bunch of screaming spectators and those wallies who runs alongside for selfies and in wacky costumes.

Jan Bruck gets in touch: “thanks, Strava, for the suggestion!. Living in Berlin, which is as flat as a pancake, it’s impossible to emulate the enormous effort which the professional cyclists are making when they ride uphill. However, living on the top fourth floor of an apartment block without a lift, I do at least get some idea of how exhausted they must feel when they get to the top.”

Sounds good for the waistline, Jan. Stairs generally are.

30km to go: It’s not all descent, there’s also a four-hairpin climb the field have to negotiate in the mountain pass. There’s really no respite. Up ahead of the peloton, Meintjes is struggling to live with Pidcock’s fearlessness, dropping into fifth in the leading pack. Pidcock looks back, and Froome looked to have lost his chain, as he descends at speed. He is showing admirable fortitude in chasing at such speed. They are going 100 km/h and over, with Pidcock is doing most of the over.

36km to go: There was something of a wobble as Pidcock and Ciccone (any relation to Madonna?) came close to running their racing lines into each other. Their speed down the hill had opened the gap back to five minutes. The shrewdies say they need four minutes - and good legs - to stay away and win up L’Alpe.

40km to go: Pidcock and Powless drive the breakaway along with their descending skills, as the moment of truth arrives soon enough. Reminder of the final five: Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost), Louis Meintjes (Intermarché), Giulio Ciccone (Trek-Segafredo), Chris Froome (Israel-Premier Tech) and Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers).

How long can they stay together? Expect them to be split as soon as the climb begins. Pidcock though, in ripping round those bends, braking at the latest possible moment, is clattering down the Oisans valley.

45km to go: So begins the descent, Van Aert leading the main field down, Pogacar has two teammates for company ahead of the climb that could remake - or break - his Tour. Vingegaard has plenty of company as they fly down the valley. There’s the odd plateau and dip to climb back out of.

50km to go: L’Alpe D’Huez approaches at the bottom of the valley. It takes the average amateur 30 minutes more than the average pro, say Strava.

Van Aert is asked to do Jumbo-Visma’s final pull up the Col, as they seek to crack Pogacar, and the peloton takes 13 seconds off the breakaway in the kilometre Van Aert pulled them along for.

The final ascent of tomorrow’s stage will be up the legendary Alpe d'Huez and its 21 hairpin turns. To get a sense for those incredible efforts, we're challenging you to climb the same amount of elevation. Saddle up and join the challenge: https://t.co/ljmWSiutaT pic.twitter.com/B4J6ePS4aR — Strava (@Strava) July 14, 2022

54km to go: With Jumbo-Visma looking so strong, and Tadej Pogacar having lost Brandon McNulty as a UAE teammate, it seems they are going to attempt to deliver a killer blow to follow up yesterday’s crack-up. Nathan Van Hooydonck is leading Jumbo’s jet up the hill. And that have dropped big climbers like Warren Barguill and Pierre Latour, the peloton down to 35 seconds. This is where the guts of the race may lie. Van Hooydonck peels off, having done his turn, as the gap to the front drops to five minutes and they go over the top of the Col de la Croix de Fer, Tom Pidcock looking to fly down the hill after Ciccone takes the mountain points, Powless taking second.

57km to go: Christophe Laporte is the first Jumbo-Visma rider to drop off the front, having led his team at the front of the peloton for the last 40km or so. He’s done a fine job. Up the front. Louis Meintjes, perhaps the best climber there, takes up the strain. Then Froome has a go on the front. As the field goes past these ski villages, plenty are dropping back in the field to the safety in numbers of the grupetto. The Jumbo-Visma pace is whittling down the field.

60km to go: Jumbo-Visma seem to be allowing the break to stay away. The gap is 6’ 30” as they enter the steepest part of the Col de la Croix de Fer, and then comes another long, long descent. The nine men are staying away, though Pidcock, going off the front attempt to draw the sting from them, and splits the group. Oliveira, Goosens, Perez and Schonberger look to have gone. Make that five, and that includes Chris Froome.

65km to go: The calculations are being done for the breakaway, and it seems likely that seven minutes should be enough to stay away at L’Alpe, and with Tom Pidcock descending, the Oisans Valley may be be just the place for him to keep the gap at that distance. Much to play for amid the breakaway group, on the back of which Froome sits, though he almost comes a cropper when a director’s car gets a bit too close for comfort. The gap drops down by about 30 seconds, which isn’t a good portent for the group’s survival. At the side of the road, a sign for Laurent Jalabert: “Allez Jaja.”

Jalabert, the disgraced dauphin of French cycling, the last winner of a Grand Tour in winning the Vuelta in 1995, now works as a commentator on French TV. This week, he’s been embracing more controversy in criticising the eco-protestors who disrupted the race earlier this week. ““Perfect that they didn’t appear on screen,” said Jaja. That didn’t go down well with those who recalled his leading role in the protests that followed the Festina Affair.

72km to go: Froome tips a bottle of water over his head. The word is that it may reach 36 degrees on the road today, and they are having to work so hard on this long, long climb. Still, the gap is at seven minutes. The pace of the peloton is 15 km/h. Pidcock and Ciccone at the front are putting the pressure on, and Froome is out of the saddle. looking ungainly. He always looked ungainly at his height so that may be no guide.

75km to go: The peloton is beginning to shell riders out the back, and a grupetto is forming. The breakaway group has seven minutes on the peloton, who are being led along by Christophe Laporte with Wout van Aert covering up the yellow jersey of Jonas Vingegaard.

Pogacar's team manager leaves Tour after Covid positive

83km to go: This climb up the Col de la Croix de Fer is almost 30km long, and contains some very steep sections.

Col de la Croix de Fer: 28,5 km@5,2%. Needless to say this is a long-ass climb. The climbing record is held by Quintana and Valverde: 1 hour 7 min 53 sec in 2015. Normally, Jumbo-Visma should set a high pace and already drop some of the UAE guys. #TDF2022 pic.twitter.com/4JmOOFd84x — Mihai Simion (@faustocoppi60) July 14, 2022

Meanwhile, problems mount for the UAE team. To follow the Covid outbreak has struck Pogacar’s team, the manager has now been forced to abandon, following Vegard Stake Laengen and George Bennett pulling out while Rafal Majka, who couldn’t rescue Pogacar on Wednesday, able to ride as he isn’t considered contagious.

UAE team manager, Joxean Fernandez Matxin, has left the Tour following a positive covid test. #TDF2022 — ITV Cycling (@itvcycling) July 14, 2022

85km to go: A slowdown as fuel is taken on, something Pogacar forgot to do enough of yesterday. The peloton seem happy enough for a group containing Pidcock to stay away, though we are not yet halfway, and after this saunter through the Maurienne valley the riders will soon enough reach the bottom of Col de la Croix de Fer. Amid the leadership group, Powless and Ciccone seem to be having words. Here comes the climb, which will soon enough shut them up.

90km to go: Pidcock has Powless on the limit, his technique far superior. The gap becomes huge, the Leeds lad reading the camber of the road expertly. It looks terrifying. And he has opened up over a four-minute gap on the peloton, who seem to be idling down in the style of Gladys Emmanuel when they are probably at a speed that would make your hair curl. Powless, at the bottom, joins up with Pidcock, who takes something of a breather. It’s at 4’ 56” as they head to a feeding station, riding into a headwind, as the breakaway group joins back together, Froome’s familiar hunched riding style is unavoidable.

Dan, from Moston, messages in: “Don’t forget to mention Pidcock’s off road palmares.”

With pleasure, per the Huddersfield Examiner:

In 2017, Pidcock joined the Telenet–Fidea Lions team, winning his first British National Under-23 cyclo-cross championships title in Hetton-le-Hole, Sunderland, a year later. In 2018, he joined the new British cyclo-cross team TP Racing, and during the season that followed, he won the under-23 cyclo-cross World Cup, the under-23 Superprestige, the under-23 European Championship, and the under-23 World Championship - as well as the senior British National Championship.

Pidcock, Froome into lead breakaway

100km to go: Pidcock and Froome are soon enough on the tail of the breakaway group of Perez, Ciccone, Meintjes and Powless. Oliveira, Goossens and Schönberger, and then comes a descent, where Froome continues to slipstream as the downhill ride to the bottom of the valley resumes, the Col du Télegraph. Pidcock gets there first, Froome taking longer to get on the tail but managing it eventually. This would be some feat if he manages to pull off a famous win on a stage he has never conquered though worn yellow up l’Alpe. Nelson Powless clearly fears the Brit duo, and pings off the front at breakneck speed. He’s in good form this year, and may have the legs on Froome but not Pidcock, who catches him up, and they speed along together, even catching out a local vulture by surprise with their pace.

110km to go: Dave Langlois gets in touch: “ Poor old Tadej’s team is so weak in nearly every sense. The lack of clear instructions yesterday was bewildering. As soon as Pogacar was isolated with JV team pulling the 1-2 trick, surely they should have told him to let Roglic go, playing with the gap, and cover only the Dane. To try to cover both was insane and suicidal. He deserves a much better team.”

Jumbo-Visma will surely try something similar today. They are in control, and the rest seem happy enough with that.

120km to go: Pidcock has flown by Froome, too, old v new. Froome isn’t a bad descender, or came to be a decent one, when thinking of the Giro d’Italia breakaway he mounted to win that race in 2018. Pidcock, clearly fearless, is spinning away from everyone, gaining 40 seconds on the peloton, and showing off his cyclo-cross skills. Pidcock flying along like he is taking on Snake Pass. Froome, to be fair, catches up, and his bravery, considering how smashed up he got in 2019, is admirable. He is slipstreaming expertly.

125km to go: The long descent to Saint-Michel de Maurienne begins, and Tom Pidcock is showing off his skills in flying down the mountain, taking 20 seconds on the pack.

130km to go: Chris Froome, you say? He’s set off in front of the peloton, and fancies doing something. They let him go, as he is some way down the GC. Perez makes it to the summit of the Galibier, of which the riders will not be sad to see the last of for another year. He goes clear 22 seconds of the rest. The bunch go over the top, and there’s signs that a couple of UAE teammates of Pogacar were struggling, and that’s bad news for him. Jumbo-Visma seem to have the race under control. It’s been pretty calm out there.

135km to go: Meintjes has dropped Zimmerman, and joins Ciccone as the chase builds up. Jumbo-Visma are sending their climbers up the road, including Sepp Kuss and Primoz Roglic, and in the same group there’s Tom Pidcock and a few others in this third group. Plans are afoot, though it’s not quite clear what they might be. Van Aert leads the main field, as per usual, Jumbo-Visma in formation, and Thibaut Pinot’s hopes of staging a break are shut down for now. Anthony Perez, of Cofidis, a Frenchman, goes off at the front of the break. It’s Bastille Day, and he probably wants la famille to see him in action. He builds up a lead of 18 seconds, so quite a dig.

140km to go: Giulio Ciccone, the Trek-Segafredo rider, sets off after that leading group, who have opened up a bit more of an advantage but at 1’ 28” is not much. Ciccone has 46’ to make up. There’s still 8km to climb, so let’s see how it shakes out. It looks hot, that summer rain long forgotten. Louis Meintjes and Georg Zimmermann from Intermarche are chasing down, too, and that would make a trio within that group, as Kobe Goossens is up there.

145km to go: Up the Galibier they continue, where they spent much of Wednesday climbing up. The organisers have shown little mercy. Those three flat days in Denmark feel like a long time ago. The leading group’s advantage, once around two minutes, starts to drop rapidly. It’s a fearsome climb but the peloton, starting to split off at the back, is motoring along, with Van Aert leading them, and Vingegaard covered up but occasionally getting out of the saddle.

152km to go: Guy Hornsby gets in touch: “What a day it was yesterday. That last 5km blew the race apart. It was a perfect tactical day for Jumbo and a dismal one for an already depleted UAE. As for Pog, you have to think others will feel they can attack him now. But Pogacar is also such a strong rider he’ll surely have something to come. There’s a really good analysis on the Cycling Podcast saying Pog was tactically a bit naive, such as chasing Roglic when there’s no need and also perhaps putting in attacks at the end of stages but was it worth it?

“But it’s ok, just Alpe D’Huez today. This could get very messy. Or it could turn on its head. Days like yesterday really leave things so exciting.”

It’s hotting up, and there’s a chase of the leaders from a small group but Wout van Aert makes his way to pick up the minor points on offer from an intermediate sprint that otherwise has little to do with the rest of the standings. Kobe Goossens took first position ahead of Oliveira, and Van Aert gains seventh by blazing away from the peloton to collect seventh.

The lineup in the breakaway: La composition de l'échappée : 🇫🇷 @LouvelMatis 🇦🇹 @schoeni1994 🇺🇸 @NPowless 🇫🇷 @PerezAnthony1 🇧🇪 @KobeGoossens 🇵🇹 @Nelsoliveira89 #TDF2022 pic.twitter.com/AOsuERYD3T — Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 14, 2022

155km to go: An early prang, suggesting that they are going at quite a lick. Yves Lampaert is one of those involved, as is Steven Kruijswijk. Nothing too heavy, but some running repairs are required. Powless stays up front, and a group joins him: Anthony Perez (Cofidis), Nelson Oliveira (Movistar), Kobe Goossens (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert), Matis Louvel (Arkea-Samsic) and Sebastian Schonberger (B&B Hotels-KTM).

160km to go: The first checkpoint of the day will be Le Monêtier-les-Bains , where today’s intermediate sprint takes place, only 11km or so into the stage, reason being that the rest of it is uphill and down dale.

And away we go!

The stage begins with a steep climb, and as Christian Prudhomme waves them away, Warren Barguill makes an early show before Nelson Powless goes off on his own. And makes instant headway, the American. Those in the peloton won’t be thanking him for these early efforts. Chris Froome looks to be up the front of the pack. Remember him?

As they near the départ réel in Briancon , a reminder of just how up and down the stage will be. There’s a bit of rain around, something we could do with in London.

🇫🇷 @LeTour - #12 🏔 21 virages de légende ! #PronoDuJour ❓: Les sprinters pourront marquer des points au pied du 1er col. Qui raflera la mise avant de rejoindre le grupetto ? Citez ce tweet pour jouer et tentez de gagner un Maillot Vert dédicacé. #SKODAWeLoveCycling #TDF2022 pic.twitter.com/GPoIQlrB3y — ŠKODA WeLoveCycling France (@WeLoveCyclingFR) July 14, 2022

Richard Moore, in Étape , wrote the following on this famous win for the Colombian.

Herrera remains understated, modest and humble; on the other hand Hector Urrego, who commented on his victory at l’Alpe d’Huez, not so much. He can recall it as though it happened yesterday. Talking about it now inspires the same passion and emotions. He slips into the present tense as he recalls Lucho’s great victory, as though reliving it: ‘In the last three kilometres, Herrera goes solo. Is not possible in the world of cycling, but is true! Herrera goes to the victory with the Colombian flag on his jersey! Millions in Colombia and around the world see the birth of a new champion from Colombia, South America. We’re happy! We’re the best in this moment!’

At Lord's, but paying homage to Lucho Herrera who won on L'Alpe D'Huez in 1984 @JohnBrewin_ . Café de Colombia were not just the most exciting team in cycling then, they were the most exciting team in sport. pic.twitter.com/FL2J7g6idR — Gary Naylor (@garynaylor999) July 14, 2022

Pogacar, who not long before he cracked was mugging for the camera and miming the eating of his food supplies, said the following at the finish line:

Maybe I was under-fuelled today or I just had a bad day. Everyone always has a bad day [sometimes]. I felt good until the final climb but it’s far from finished, the Tour. I got attacked by Jumbo-Visma. They played it well today [and] tactically they did a really good job. In the last climb it was difficult, but we will see tomorrow. I want revenge. The Tour is not over.

What did Bernard Hinault do the next day after he lost the yellow jersey to Greg Lemond in 1986? He went on the attack on a stage up to Alpe D’Huez, and tried to take the time back. He ended up with Lemond for company as they went over the summit together in one of the famous images of Le Tour.

Todays @LeTour climb up the 21 hairpins ALPE D'HUEZ will always be remembered by @LeMondFans in this iconic image by @grahamwatson10 of the 1986 battle between @GregLemond and Hinault #slayingthebadger #cycling pic.twitter.com/jU8N4PR5xB — Splace_Sports (@Splace_Sports) July 14, 2022

Already busy at the summit finish, according to Nico Roche.

Busy on the Alpe D ‘Huez pic.twitter.com/65G6Wpt3iC — nicholas roche (@nicholasroche) July 14, 2022

From 2015, an interactive guide to riding up Alpe d’Huez.

Jeremy Whittle was there to witness history on Wednesday.

“I was a bit surprised that the time gaps were this big,” Vingegaard said after winning the stage. “On the other hand, it was also a super-hot stage. We attacked on the Télégraphe and again on the Galibier, so we really had a plan to make the race hard today. I think the harder it is, the bigger the gaps will be at the end, and I think that was in my advantage.” But the 25-year-old Dane said that when he attacked he didn’t know Pogacar was struggling. “No, but I took the chance. I didn’t know if he was suffering, but they told me on the radio that it was steeper at five kilometres to go, and I was thinking: ‘Either they make it hard, or I try to attack.’ So that’s what I did.”

Wednesday was one of those days that will live on in Tour lore. The late, great Richard Moore wrote a brilliant book on key stages in Le Tour – Étape – in 2014, and were Richard able to pen a follow-up, then surely the cracking of Tadej Pogacar on the Col du Granon would have been included. The same climb once cracked Bernard Hinault, after all, though that was at the end of his career, with five Tours already in the bag, rather than the two Pogacar has collected. He is 23, but the sight of him at the summit yesterday was one of agony, at the effort involved and the probable loss of the Tour to Jonas Vingegaard.

To follow? Only Alpe d’Huez , the most famous summit finish in cycling. It is 13.9km long, bridging 1118 vertical metres with an average gradient of 8% and to win the stage is to join one of the sport’s immortals, those sweeping yet tight hairpin bends, the roads full of tifosi going absolutely bananas. The last winner here was Geraint Thomas in 2018, when he ended up winning the whole Tour. So, four long years since the race visited l’Alpe, and Thomas, in fine form this year, may be in with a chance of being a double winner. Only Gianni Bugno, Marco Pantani, Peter Hinnen and Hennie Cooper have managed that. This is the 70th anniversary of Le Tour’s first visit here, when the winner was Fausto Coppi.

For Pogacar, a chance for instant redemption. For Vingegaard, the chance to cement his status.

From William Fotheringham’s pre-Tour guide:

Cruelly, the organisers make the riders go back up the Galibier the way they came over less than 24 hours earlier, before crossing the Croix de Fer to tackle L’Alpe D’Huez for the first time since 2018. That year’s winner, Geraint Thomas, looks to be back to his best form; today, the chances are the victor will come from an early break, and given it’s Bastille Day all France will be rooting for Pinot or Romain Bardet.

GC standings

• 1. Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Jumbo-Visma) 41hrs 29mins 59secs
• 2. Romain Bardet (Fra/DSM +2mins 16secs
• 3. Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Team Emirates) +2mins 22secs
• 4. Geraint Thomas (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +2mins 26secs
• 5. Nairo Quintana (Col/Arkea Samsic) +2mins 37secs
• 6. Adam Yates (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +3mins 06secs
• 7. David Gaudu (Fra/Groupama-FDJ) +3mins 13secs
• 8. Aleksandr Vlasov (Rus/Bora-Hansgrohe) +7mins 23secs
• 9. Alexey Lutsenko (Kaz/Astana) +8mins 07secs
• 10. Enric Mas (Spa/Movistar) +9mins 29secs
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Tour de France 2022: Behind the scenes with the WBDS mixed reality Cube

By Adrian Pennington 2022-07-12T15:56:00+01:00

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Behind the scenes at this year’s Tour de France 2022, Warner Bros. Discovery Sports used the Cube studio to enhance its coverage of cycling’s greatest show.

“If you’re not on the edge of your seat enjoying what we’re doing we probably haven’t taken you to the edge of understanding what is really taking place,” says Scott Young, SVP Content and Production at Warner Bros. Discovery Sports (WBDS) Europe. 

Riders competing on Stage 9 of the Tour de France 2022, with coverage by Warner Bros. Discovery Sports.

Source: Getty Images

Young’s mission is to give diehard fans and newcomers alike the most informative, close up and entertaining experience of sporting action. The current focus is on the Tour de France 2022 (TDF 2022) which is not only the jewel in world cycling’s crown but arguably the broadcaster’s most prestigious event.

• Scott Young talks about how Discovery Sports took the Olympics virtual
• Inside Discovery’s Winter Olympics broadcast coverage
• See the latest broadcast technology at this year’s IBC Show

“Cycling is synonymous with Eurosport and this is the 30th anniversary of the Tour on Eurosport,” says Young. “As sports producers, every year you look at how you can innovate your coverage. It is very important for us that the cycling fan knows we are the home of cycling and that we’ll find the best talent and the right technology to tell the story of the competition, the teams and athletes over 25 days and 21 stages.”

The Tour he says is an extraordinary sporting event. “Even if you’re not a cycling fan you know the Tour is a classic cycling race and an amazing tourism postcard. So, when we look at the scale of the event, we are asking ourselves: how do we explain cycling to those more casual viewers who probably don’t know the intricate detail of how it works?” 

This is where the mixed reality studio Cube comes into its own.

“What we do in a day boggles the mind”

Debuted at the Pyeongchang Olympics, the Cube has evolved over successive tennis Grand Slams and Olympics into a highly sophisticated and reliable tool that is the centrepiece of WBDS’ Tour de France coverage.

From July 1 to July 31, an entire month of production covering both the Tour and the first edition of the Tour de France Femmes is being broadcast live with the Cube – the longest running single production the studio has been used on.

“Eurosport is the world’s most complex sports broadcaster,” Young claims. “What we do in a day boggles the mind. The complexity of how we deliver a sport across our 50 markets is extraordinary.”

”When riders are ‘teleported’ into the [Cube] studio they know it’s a safe environment in the company of experts.”

Host feeds originating from tour organiser Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) are ingested into Eurosport’s production facility in Paris, where a broadcast team manage the process of getting coverage to air in 19 languages (with 19 race commentaries). 

The Cube studio floor space is leased from IMG at Stockley Park, but the Production Control Room (PCR) is in Discovery’s HQ in Chiswick.  Eighteen production staff run the Cube operation (between both London sites); another 12 sit across the data operation in Paris and another 20-crew travel with the Tour.

Young says, “You still need the expert talent to maximise use of the Cube otherwise all you’ve got is an interesting LED screen.”

‘Teleporting’ athletes into the studio

A key feature of the Cube is the ability to present live interviews between studio and athletes. This ‘teleportation’ requires a chroma key facility on site for the athlete with the video streamed directly into the Cube via Epic Games Unreal 5 – the first time this version of the games engine has been used in sports broadcasting.

Scott Young, SVP Content and Production at Warner Bros. Discovery Sports (WBDS) Europe.

“Unreal’s processing speed is greater than traditional TV graphics systems because it can process volumes of data. You can have an athlete appear as if they’re standing in the Cube. In the early days, we created a teleportation graphic (a hologram that revealed the person much like the transporter in Star Trek). We’ve stopped doing that because we realised that is the only reason you know the person isn’t there.

“Generally, viewers aren’t really focussed on whether the athlete is physically there or not. They are much more interested in the genuine one-on-one rapport with our talent.” 

He says that some of the biggest tennis stars in the world will walk directly into the green screen studio on site (at major tournaments) “because they know it’s going to be an entertaining interview and they trust the technology.

“It’s the same here. When riders are ‘teleported’ into the studio they know it’s a safe environment in the company of experts.”

Our biggest challenge is…

For this year’s Tour and Tour de France Femmes, a raft of new innovations, augmented reality analysis tools and unique virtual backdrops will enhance the viewing experience even further. 

An ‘inclinometer’ feature will be introduced, a 3D representation bringing to life the gradients faced by the peloton. New technologies within the Cube environment will also showcase some of the finer, tactical nuances of the sport such as echelons and time trial setup. 

“Understanding the topography of an event [on] the scale of the Tour is a challenge,” says Young. “TV tends to flatten topology out, slow everything down in motorsport or dim the real noise and atmosphere of a tennis final. Trying to bring the enormity of what the athletes are actually up against into our studio is the biggest challenge we face.

Go behind the scenes at the Wimbledon Championships 2022

“We’ve done a lot of work with graphic design to help the audience understand what is going to unfold. It’s not just showing a yellow line wandering through a Google map but illustrating that today’s climb is so tough most people couldn’t walk up it let alone cycle it. We need our audience to understand what a superhuman feat it is to go on Tour and every day climb these mountains.

“The inclinator is important to show, for instance, the rate of descent, which can be as much of a challenge for riders as uphill, particularly in wet weather.”

Meeting (and exceeding) audience expectations

The 109th edition of the Tour de France started in Copenhagen with the individual time trial before moving to France and Switzerland and culminating with the General Classification honours being awarded at the final stage on Paris’ iconic Champs Elysees on 24 July. Every minute is available to watch on discovery+, Eurosport and Eurosport App and partner site GCN+.

The Tour de France Femmes starts on the 24th at the Eiffel Tower and ends a week later at La Planche des Filles in eastern France.

“We don’t need to over cut the host feed,” Young explains. “We get one of the world’s best sports’ coverage by ASO and we have a fantastic working relationship with them that allows our teams to talk to the riders at the beginning and end of each day. During the race it’s how close can we bring the viewer to the action through the screen.”

Stage 9 of the Tour de France 2022 takes riders from Aigle to Châtel and was won by Bob Jungels (AG2R Citroen).

Returning to give expert opinion from the heart of the race itself is Sir Bradley Wiggins. Along with fellow ex winner Alberto Contador he broadcasts live from a motorbike following the peloton. Former road racing pro Iris Slappendel will report from inside the peloton throughout the eight-stage Tour de France Femmes.

“This is where the audience expects to go in sport,” says Young. “They want to be on the field of play. They don’t want to be in the grandstand anymore from a television viewing perspective.”

In this respect, Young is excited about the introduction of team radio conversations between cars and riders, similar to that between drivers and teams in F1. ASO are testing this during the Femmes with a view to deploying it at future Grand Tours and next year’s Tour de France.

“If I were to choose a piece of innovation I would love to see everybody develop – and we’d be happy to do this hand in glove – it would be to get cameras on the bikes or riders. As technology gets lighter and less intrusive, which might be thanks to 5G, then to be in the middle of the peloton or a fast descent, would be an extraordinary piece of television.”

After this year’s race the Cube is being packed up and revamped with new LED screens in time for the Australian Open 2023 but the technology “will see a big leap forward” ahead of the Paris Olympics 2024. 

For more about the Cube and what it’s capable of, read IBC365’s look behind the scenes at the Tokyo Olympics .  

• Behind the scenes
• Broadcast technology
• Broadcasting
• Live Production
• Mixed Reality

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New Report Looks at the Impact of Tour de France Femmes Race Coverage in 2022

Using Nielsen data, the report delves into broadcast and written coverage, audience profiles, and social media. The numbers indicate something major.

Highlights from the report include:

• 23.2 million - The cumulative live audience for the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift in 2022
• 2.9 million - The average live audience per stage for the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift in 2022
• >300 percent - The amount of social posts, reach and engagement for the Top 5 women’s cycling races grew by over 300 percent in 2022 vs. 2021 as a result of the introduction of the Tour De France Femmes
• +8.6 percent - the increase during the Tour in Facebook and Instagram followers for the top 35 female riders competing in the Tour de France Femmes
• 115 million - Women’s cycling attracts a large following, ranking it the 4th most followed women’s sport

Chris Snook, Director of PR and External Communications for Zwift, told Bicycling , “We began our long-term sponsorship of the Tour de France Femmes because we believed it is essential to the growth of women’s cycling and would be a catalyst for change. One year in, we wanted to show the world [with this report that] the Tour de France Femmes is delivering on that promise.”

The report comes just a week and a half before the action begins for the women in Clermont-Ferrand for the second Tour de France Femmes . Zwift’s goal in releasing the report is to emphasize how important it is to support and invest in women’s cycling .

.css-dd784d:before{width:100%;-webkit-filter:invert(32%) sepia(81%) saturate(5886%) hue-rotate(5deg) brightness(105%) contrast(104%);filter:invert(32%) sepia(81%) saturate(5886%) hue-rotate(5deg) brightness(105%) contrast(104%);height:2.1875rem;margin:0 auto;content:'';display:block;margin-bottom:0.25rem;-webkit-background-size:2.1875rem;background-size:2.1875rem;background-repeat:no-repeat;-webkit-background-position:center;background-position:center;}.loaded .css-dd784d:before{background-image:url(/_assets/design-tokens/bicycling/static/images/quote.53198c0.svg);} .css-1hihk6d{font-family:Velo,Velo-fallback,Velo-roboto,Velo-local,Georgia,Serif;font-size:1.625rem;line-height:1.2;margin:0rem;margin-left:0;text-align:center;}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-1hihk6d{font-size:1.5rem;line-height:1;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-1hihk6d{font-size:1.6875rem;line-height:1.1;}}@media(min-width: 61.25rem){.css-1hihk6d{font-size:1.875rem;line-height:1.1;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-1hihk6d{font-size:2.375rem;line-height:1.2;}}.css-1hihk6d b,.css-1hihk6d strong{font-family:inherit;font-weight:bold;}.css-1hihk6d em,.css-1hihk6d i{font-style:italic;font-family:inherit;} “It also stems from the belief that you need to see it to be it.”

“Our main campaign, #WatchTheFemmes, is a call to action, because the more people that watch the racing, the more investment the sport gets leading to greater opportunities for the teams and riders competing,” Snook said. “It also stems from the belief that you need to see it to be it. The Tour de France Femmes can help bring more eyeballs to the sport and allow young girls and women to be inspired to ride their bikes.”

The report numbers are impressive across the board. But maybe most encouraging is that 73 percent of women's cycling fans are interested in participating in sports or fitness activities, proving that viewing the race really has the opportunity to encourage more women and young girls to get on bikes. The future of women’s cycling is bright, thanks in part to the prominence of the Tour de France Femmes.

Micah Ling is a freelance writer who lives in the mountains of Colorado. She splits her free time between mountain biking and trail running.

.css-1t6om3g:before{width:1.75rem;height:1.75rem;margin:0 0.625rem -0.125rem 0;content:'';display:inline-block;-webkit-background-size:1.25rem;background-size:1.25rem;background-color:#F8D811;color:#000;background-repeat:no-repeat;-webkit-background-position:center;background-position:center;}.loaded .css-1t6om3g:before{background-image:url(/_assets/design-tokens/bicycling/static/images/chevron-design-element.c42d609.svg);} Tour de France

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