bridie o'donnell sbs tour de france

The Inner Sanctum

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Dr Bridie O’Donnell – Calling the Tour de France, and Calling for Change

Dr Bridie O'Donnell with her commentary partners Matt Keenan and Robbie McEwen. Credit: Twitter/Dr Bridie O'Donnell

Dr Bridie  O’Donnell is a former pro-cyclist, a medical doctor, a board member of the Collingwood Football Club. This year, like last year, she will be returning to our living rooms, as one of the commentators for the Tour de France, which starts later today.

This year will be a little bit different for Dr O’Donnell. Last year, in the midst of Melbourne’s COVID-19 lockdown, she was commentating from the Melbourne studio, while the rest of the team commentated for SBS’ Sydney studios.

She did that, while at the same time being the Officer for Women in Sport and Recreation for the Victorian Government.

This year, it will be a little bit easier she believes.

“I’m taking annual leave and travelling to Sydney,” Dr O’Donnell explained.

“I’ll be in the Sydney studio with Matt [Keenan] and Robbie [McEwen], and [Michael] Tomalaris. The whole team will be in one location, so it will be far more sociable, and it will be a lot easier for the producers.”

Dr O’Donnell is a former professional cyclist, who raced in Europe between 2010 and 2012. Before that, she was a champion rower and triathlete.

Dr O’Donnell’s crowning achievement as a cyclist was a successful tilt at the World Hour Record, where she rode 46.882km in the hour, eclipsing the previous record by 609 metres.

Dr O’Donnell explained that the final years of her cycling career prepared her for her commentary career, before she even realised.

“During my time as a professional cyclist living overseas, I had started ‘commentweeting’, which was something we needed to bring women’s cycling to the people,” she said.

“It wasn’t being covered by many networks at all, it was only the World Championships that were on TV, and they weren’t on until 2010.

“I would watch the Olympic Road Race and the World Championships and I would live-tweet the racing, which became a really popular way for people to get access to information.”

Dr O’Donnell, along with Matthew Keenan, and former champion Australian cyclist Robbie McEwen, have become the English speaking sound of the Tour.

Replacing award-winning stalwarts Phil Liggett and the late Paul Sherwen, who commentated the Tour de France for English speakers for 33 years, the trio has each brought their knowledge to the commentary team.

@Bridie_OD @davemacka @mwkeenan are awarded very special prizes from the #couchpeloton via @cmallet #SBSTDF pic.twitter.com/1HA7mOhMNj — SBS Sport (@SBSSportau) August 29, 2020

“I have a medical degree, and 20 years of medical experience, and I work in sports and events…Matt [Keenan] is an absolute encyclopaedia of knowledge, and nobody reads a sprint finish like Robbie McEwen,” Dr O’Donnell explained.

“So I think it’s a pretty great combination.”

O’Donnell brings her insight to the Tour de France coverage, but her insight stretches far beyond the living room. As a medical doctor, and a former professional athlete, she has a unique insight into high performance.

It’s one of the reasons that earlier this year, she was added to the board at Collingwood Football Club.

“What they were really seeking in me, and why they appointed me, was specifically that I came from another sporting background, and that I came from high performance and elite sport and had a knowledge of sports medicine, physiology and gender equality,” she explained.

Dr O’Donnell’s knowledge isn’t just shaping the football world. Last year, after Romain Bardet crashed, O’Donnell’s medical brain kicked into gear on commentary.

Bardet goes down in a nasty crash – let's hope he's OK, not sure 🇫🇷 could handle more #TDF2020 💔. Keeno was right too – it was Nairo. Unfortunately Mollema has abandoned #SBSTDF #TDF2020 LIVE NOW | @SBS | @SBSOnDemand | https://t.co/SdHOwOcRe1 pic.twitter.com/crLFpOw3MW — SBS Sport (@SBSSportau) September 11, 2020

Bardet looked clearly distressed, and was rushed back onto his bike, and back into the race, with all urgency to make sure he didn’t lose time.

After he crossed the line, Bardet was taken to hospital and was found to have a subdural haematoma. Bardet was safe and provided effective treatment, and the haematoma was not life-threatening.

Dr O’Donnell’s commentary, and the profile of Bardet brought new attention to the dangers of concussion for cycling.

Two days later, Sergio Higuita crashed, and it seemed that concussions were being handled very differently. Higuita was still rushed back onto his bike, as is the nature of cycling. But he was assessed, holding onto the medical van for that assessment to take place, and after failing the assessment, Higuita withdrew from the race.

Dr O’Donnell thinks it might be the start of a change, now that there is more attention on the issue.

“Now we know the world is watching, and there are questions about head injuries, CTE, impacts of long term head injuries and the pressure that is being placed on a team or rider,” Dr O’Donnell explained.

We’re starting to ask questions, and to at least take into account the athlete’s wellbeing.”

There has been a history of the imperative of all cyclists and team directors to finish the race and at whatever cost. Cyclists are often treated for crash injuries holding onto the side of cars, while they ride on in pursuit of the peloton.

A crash in the bunch 💥🚵 #sbscyling #couchpeloton #dauphine pic.twitter.com/bYOVgAV0JU — SBS Sport (@SBSSportau) June 1, 2021

“We know that athletes aren’t always the best decision-makers for their own health, and this is why we need to remove the decision from them. We should ask if they’re ok to get back on, and the race or the team should have a protocol that decides that they’re not fit to get back on” O’Donnell said.

O’Donnell is excited about bringing her medical knowledge to commentary. She knows that her insight is good for fans, and good for the sport, and so is the trail she blazes.

“We’re seeing more sports in Australia really step up with the number of women commentators,” she said.

“I think people of all genders need to listen to voices that are different from each other, both the gender of the commentator, but also their perspective, their age, the type of experience they had racing.”

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Dr O’Donnell, and other female commentators like Daisy Pearce (AFL) and Isa Guha (cricket) are part of a new generation, that is bringing female voices to living rooms across Australia.

There are many like them around the world and it is making the experience better for fans.

“What we’re seeing now is the standard of commentary of professional sport is lifting remarkably,” Dr O’Donnell believes.

“I think where we have seen the evolution is firstly and importantly having Australian voices for Australian and New Zealand audiences.”

Despite Dr O’Donnell’s knowledge, it hasn’t helped her where its most important, the commentary tipping competition.

“I come last nearly every day, so I don’t want to drag anyone else down. There’s no money, no food, it’s just pride, and we don’t want Robbie to win again” she explained.

Even if she comes last in the tipping competition, Dr Bridie O’Donnell has become a leader for so many. Her commentary, full of insight, has grown to become an integral part of the Australian Tour de France coverage.

Catch the Tour de France, and Dr Bridie O’Donnell in commentary on SBS every night from 26 June to 18 July. The Inner Sanctum has all your Tour de France needs covered.

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About Author

Daniel Coppel

Daniel is a lawyer by trade. He covers netball and Olympics/Paralympics for The Inner Sanctum from Sydney. He has a particular focus on empowerment of sporting leaders off-field, and highlighting off-field contributions of athletes. He also appears on podcasts for a variety of sports.

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Dr Bridie O'Donnell

Dr Bridie O’Donnell graduated Valedictorian from the University of Queensland Medical School and won the JRS Lahz Prize for Most Outstanding Intern at Mater Adult Hospital. After rotating through various Medical and Surgical departments as part of junior residency she moved to Melbourne in 2001.

While working in Intensive Care and studying for physician exams, Bridie competed first in rowing and Ironman Triathlon. In 2006, she finished Ironman Austria, Ironman Hawaii and rode a bike course record at Busselton Ironman.

From 2007 to 2016, Bridie competed in road and track cycling. She won national championships, Oceania Championship, raced in the AIS National team in Europe and was a member of professional women’s teams in Europe and the United States. She represented Australia at three Road World Championships and broke the UCI Women’s Hour World Record in 2016, riding 46.882km at the Adelaide Superdrome.

Bridie returned to full-time work in 2013 at Epworth HealthCheck and teaching doctor-patient communication at Deakin University Medical School. In 2014, she took on an inaugural role as a breast physician at the Epworth Breast Service.

In 2017, she was appointed the inaugural head of the Victorian Government Office for Women in Sport and Recreation, and in 2018 she published ‘Life and Death – a cycling memoir’ about her experiences racing in the women’s professional peloton.

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, she worked in the Industry Recovery Group of Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions, and was then appointed Executive Director for the Public Events Team.

Bridie was the first woman to join SBS Cycling to commentate the Tour de France, covering the race in 2020 and 2021. She also graduated with a Master in Public Administration from the Australia and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG) in 2021.

She is currently on secondment to the Department of Health as Area of Operation Controller for the South-East Metro region in the COVID-19 response.

Updated 13 November 2021

Get excited: SBS Tour de France host Bridie O’Donnell fills us in on this year’s Tour de France Femmes

This is Bridie O’Donnell’s third year commentating the Tour de France for SBS, but only her first actually on the ground, reporting live from Europe. You can blame the pandemic for that.

“We are so excited — we’re leaving this weekend,” O’Donnell told Today, ahead of her trip a few weeks ago. Like the rest of us she was stuck at home as the past two Tours took place and she was understandably excited to get over to Europe as this one kicked off.

“Le Grand Depart for the men’s race will be in Copenhagen, so we will have a few days there before Team Presentation, then stage one kicks off on Friday, July 1,” she explains.

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O’Donnell joins Aussie cycling champ Simon Gerrans and Matthew Keenan, who this year celebrates his 16th year commentating the Tour.

They’ve been front and centre as the action has unfolded. And now they’re all in pole position to bring us all the action as the very first Women’s Tour event starts.

The Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift is an eight-stage race, and will see some of the world’s top female riders take to the roads on a course every bit as challenging as the one that preceded it, riding from July 24 right through to the end of the month.

O’Donnell, herself an ex-professional road racing cyclist, couldn’t be more excited.

“People are calling this the inaugural Women’s Tour de France, but in fact there have been some versions of a women’s Tour de France in the past,” she explains. “It’s not 21 stages yet, it’s eight, but it’s massive in it’s own way, because of what it will change.

“The fact there will be multiple countries broadcasting it like we are, the fact it will be beamed live into the living rooms of billions of people — that’s the game changer. Because people, cycling fans around the world, will get to see (world class riders) like Elisa Longo Borghini, and Grace Brown and Annemiek van Vleuten — the best women in the world — right there on their screens. Every single kilometre of it.”

O’Donnell admits that as a former professional rider she would have loved the opportunity to compete. But the next best thing will be commentating the race.

For this she will be joined by two-time national road champion and founding member of the first-ever independent international women’s cycling union Gracie Elvin. Reporting on location will be former Giro d’Italia stage winner and longstanding SBS presenter, David McKenzie, as well as SBS French Radio’s Christophe Mallet.

Australians are in with a good chance across the board this year. So why are we all of a sudden doing so well?

“My question for you is what is going on in the water with WA, because there are some very, very good performances coming from Perth riders,” O’Donnell says, pointing to high profile rider Jai Hindley’, who recently took out the Giro d’Italia.

“But I think we have always been doing well. Australia, as you would know, we have very high standards when it comes to international sport, even though our population and our geography could advise otherwise.”

The Aussies to watch this year, according to O’Donnell, are Ben O’Connor and Jack Haig.

“They are the two names you have to watch out for in the men’s Tour de France,” she explains.

As for the women, O’Donnell says she’s just excited they’ll finally be getting the recognition, coverage and exposure they deserve.

“It’s really exciting,” she says.

After the Tour wraps up, O’Donnell will spend some time holidaying in Corsica, enjoying a much-needed break.

“I had never seen any of Corsica, and then when the Tour de France went there a few years ago, the images were so amazing,” she explains.

“In a way, this is what the Tour de France does for so many of us — it creates the most magnificent three-week postcard of one of the most beautiful countries in the world.”

The Tour de France Femmes start on July 24. Check the SBS website for details.

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New SBS Cycling Commentary Team

SBS has unveiled its new team of cycling commentators comprising Matthew Keenan, Bridie O’Donnell and Simon Gerrans alongside David McKenzie, Christophe Mallet, Kate Bates, Gracie Elvin and Mark Renshaw.

The cycling calendar begins on SBS with the Tour of Italy tomorrow, followed by Vuelta of Spain, Tour de France and Tour de France Women with Zwift – over 810 hours of live cycling content in 2022.

SBS Sporting Director Ken Shipp said: “SBS is incredibly passionate about our commitment to cycling – we’ve been giving Australians a front row seat at the world’s biggest events for over 30 years, and our goal continues. to be to deliver the best of cycling to the Australian public.We are delighted to have a trusted team of presenters and experts at the forefront of our coverage, bringing a range of perspectives and providing entertaining analysis and complete.

“The T our of France, Tour de France Women with Zwift, Tour of Italy and Vuelta of Spain are among the biggest annual sporting events in the world. They are at the heart of SBS’s sports programming and each year we provide extensive coverage to millions of fans across Australia. As Australia’s cycling network, we look forward to investing more in the sport to further expand our coverage in the years to come.

The new team follows the exit of former commentators Robbie McEwen and Michael Tomalaris who left in recent months with few details from SBS, raising some concerns among sports fans.

Matthew Keenan, known for his encyclopaedic knowledge of world cycling, world hour record holder and Australian time trial champion, Dr Bridie O’Donnell and Simon Gerrans, whose illustrious cycling career includes victories in Liège, provide expert commentary and reliable analysis on SBS cycling coverage. -Bastogne-Liège, Milan-San Remo and stage victories in the three Grand Tours, plus a stint in the leader’s yellow jersey at the Tour de France. Former Giro d’Italia stage winner and longtime SBS presenter David McKenzie and SBS French Radio’s Christophe Mallet will continue to provide highlights and fan engagement with the popular ZWIFT SBS Cycling podcast. A multiple national track and road champion, Kate Bates brings extensive racing experience and a talent for broadcasting to the team. And rounding out the SBS cycling presentation team are Gracie Elvin, two-time national road champion and founding member of the first-ever independent international women’s cycling union, and Mark Renshaw, internationally renowned sprinter and training specialist.

The Giro d’Italia is “the toughest race in the most beautiful place in the world” and the 105th edition of the magnificent Italian race will be no exception. Starting tomorrow until Sunday May 29, the 2022 Giro d’Italia kicks off in Hungary, with the picturesque Lake Balaton as a backdrop.

Australian stars Richie Porte and Caleb Ewan are set to feature with Porte looking to contest the battle for the overall win, while Ewan will be looking for stages in a race where he already has five stage wins in his career.

All 21 stages of the Giro d’Italia will be broadcast live on SBS On Demand with television coverage on SBS beginning at the crucial stage moment later each evening. There are two linear opportunities to catch the daily one-hour show on SBS: 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. AEST (4:30 p.m. on weekends).

With catch-up replays as well as extended previews and analysis videos via SBS On Demand throughout the three-week race, SBS is home for all things Giro d’Italia.

In July, the Tour de France and Tour de France Women with Zwift come to SBS for a jam-packed month of cycling encompassing the biggest and best races in the world. The 21 stages of the Tour de France and the eight stages of the Tour de France Women with Zwift will be broadcast live and for free on SBS and SBS On Demand, with daily highlights and much more. More details on the SBS broadcast schedule will be revealed soon.

Dr. Bridie O’Donnell Dr Bridie O’Donnell graduated valedictorian from the University of Queensland Medical School. Between 2000 and 2006 she was a rower and competed in the Ironman triathlon, finishing the Ironman Hawaii World Championships in 2006. In 2007 she started road cycling and in 2008 after winning the national time trial title she raced for the Australian national team, and then professional Italian teams in Europe and the United States, representing Australia at three world championships between 2008 and 2012. From 2013 to 2017, Bridie managed and raced for the team Women’s Rush in the Cycling Australia National Road Series. In 2016, she broke the UCI hour world record. In 2017 she was appointed as the first Director of the Office for Women in Sport and Leisure by the Government of Victoria and in 2018 her memoir Cycling: ‘Life and Death’ was published, detailing her experiences as a professional cyclist in Europe.

Christophe Mallet Christophe is a long-time television presenter, podcast host and executive producer of the French program for SBS Radio. In 2017 he was awarded the National Order of Merit – he was incredibly honored to be presented as Chevalier de l’Ordre du Mérite in France. During his more than 10 years at SBS, Christophe has been involved in numerous projects, including hosting the Tour de France highlights show alongside Kate Bates, and has been heavily involved in coverage of the Dakar Rally. by SBS. He was also responsible for producing over 4,200 radio shows on the SBS radio network.

David McKenzie David McKenzie brings nine years of experience as a professional cyclist to SBS, providing in-depth analysis of the race, the riders and everything viewers need to know about road racing. Beginning his career on the track, David made his first appearance for Australia aged just 16. He joined his first professional cycling team in 1997 after a stint at the Australian Institute of Sport and in 1998 won the Australian National Road Championship. On the professional cycling circuit, David has competed in Australia and across Europe for various teams, winning stages at several events including the Giro d’Italia, Tour of Japan and Tour Down Under.

Gracie Elvin Gracie is a two-time national road cycling champion. She represented Australia at the Rio Olympics in 2016, competed in two Commonwealth Games and competed in eight separate road and mountain bike world championships. Gracie was part of the GreenEDGE pro team for eight years. She won UCI races in Europe, finished second in the Tour of Flanders and was team captain in numerous team victories. She is also a co-founder of the first-ever international women’s cycling union – the Cyclists’ Alliance – and cares deeply about gender equality and ensuring that she leaves the sport in a better place than when she started. .

Kate Bates Kate Bates is a world track champion, two-time road and track Olympian, Commonwealth Games track gold medalist, national road champion and World Cup winner on the road. It has a track record and distinctions worthy of a racing team. For this, she was inducted into the Cycling Australia Hall of Fame. One of the best cyclists in the world in the 2000s, Bates represented Australia on the track at the Athens Olympics in 2004 in the individual pursuit, and on road and track at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Bates has made the points race his own, winning double Commonwealth Games gold in the discipline in 2002 and 2006, a host of World Cup and national victories while also reaching the world title in 2007.

Marc Renshaw Mark Renshaw is a retired Australian cyclist, who raced professionally between 2004 and 2019 for teams Française des Jeux, Crédit Agricole, HTC–Highroad, Belkin Pro Cycling, Etixx–Quick-Step and Team Dimension Data. During his 16-year career, he was best known as the main point guard for fellow countryman Mark Cavendish, helping him win more than 20 Tour de France stages. His most notable victories are the overall overall victory in the 2011 Tour of Qatar, the stages of the Tour Down Under, the stages of the Tour of Britain and the stage victory of the Tour of Turkey, and the race of a Clásica de Almería day. He participated 10 times in the Tour de France and in 2004 he also participated in the Athens Olympics in the track points race.

Matthew Keenan 2022 will be Matt’s 16th year commentating on cycling’s biggest event, the Tour de France. After two seasons of amateur racing in Europe, Matt turned to commentary, having since commentated on the Commonwealth Games, Tour of Spain, Paris-Nice, Giro d’Italia and Tour of Qatar. Known for his supreme cycling knowledge and ability to recall detailed information about individual cyclists, Matt is internationally recognized as one of the industry’s leading commentators.

Simon Gerrans Simon Gerrans holds the unique position of being the first Australian to win a stage in all three Grand Tours – the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana. He discovered competitive cycling as a teenager at the suggestion of Australian cycling legend Phil Anderson, who was then living on a property near the farm of Gerrans parents in country Victoria. Anderson, who viewed Gerrans’ cycling as rehabilitation from a serious knee injury after a motorcycle racing accident, encouraged him to pursue the sport competitively. Simon has been a proud ambassador and active fundraiser for the Chain Reaction Challenge Foundation since 2010 and was the founder of the Victorian Inter-School Cycling Series.

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Gear up for the 2024 Cycling Grand Tours on Australia’s Home of Cycling, SBS

All of the rivalry begins with the giro d’italia this weekend – just eight weeks until tour de france 2024.

Watch Home of Cycling Promo here Watch Giro d’Italia Promo here Images available here .

The Cycling Grand Tours begin with the Giro d’Italia this Saturday May 4, live and free on SBS and SBS on Demand, kick starting a magnificent cycling season of fierce rivalries, steep climbs and impressive stage wins.

Once a victor has been crowned with the pink jersey for the Giro d’Italia, the cycling Grand Tours continue with the world’s biggest annual sporting event, the Tour de France , setting off from Italy for the first time in history. Commencing in Florence on June 29, riders will trace a path east across the country before heading back west towards France and into the Alps.

The Tour de France will be followed by the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift which will be held as a standalone event for the first timefrom August 12. The Vuelta a España, the third and final Grand Tour of the year will gear up from August 17 finishing off an incredible season of cycling, excitement, and world thrilling sporting events across Europe.

Australia’s Home of Cycling, SBS, will deliver all the action of the cycling Grand Tours and competitive leg shaking stages to Australians with more than 300 hours of live cycling content, and a vast selection of highlights, podcast series and replays.

With spectacular passion and an impressive wealth of experience, the 2024 SBS Cycling commentary team of experts will provide trusted analysis taking viewers along the ride of every stage of the races that capture the attention and eyes of the world. For the Giro d’Italia Australia’s ‘voice of cycling’ Matthew Keenan will lead the commentary team, joined by former Giro d’Italia stage winner David McKenzie , dual-Australian road national champion Gracie Elvin , internationally renowned sprinter and lead-out specialist Mark Renshaw, along with the first Australian to have won a stage in all three Grand Tours Simon Gerrans, and Australian national time trial champion Dr. Bridie O’Donnell. For the 2024 Giro d’Italia SBS has also invited guest commentators, former professional Australian road racing cyclists Mitchel Docker and Patrick Shaw to provide their expert analysis and ensure audiences don’t miss any of the action.

SBS Director of Sport, Ken Shipp, said: “SBS is Australia’s unrivalled destination for cycling. This year with the Grand Tours we are expecting to see some of the biggest talent and fiercest rivalries we’ve seen in decades. The broadcast will be led by incredibly experienced experts who will work alongside our passionate production team to deliver action-packed coverage of the 2024 races. Cycling unites people from across the globe every year for the Grand Tours and we couldn’t be prouder to be Australia’s home of cycling.”

Headlining this year’s Giro d’Italia which gears up Saturday May 4, is a stellar line up of general classification contenders including two-time Tour de France winner, Tadej Pogačar, and fellow Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas. Contenders also include talented Australian hopefuls Ben O’Connor and Luke Plapp. There will also be plenty of sprinter strength with Australians Sam Welsford and Caleb Ewan to square off against Fabio Jakobsen, Jonathan Milan, Olav Kooij, Juan Sebastian Molano and Gerben Thijssen in the race. Competitors will race across the steep slopes of the Italian Alps, Dolomites and Apennines with the pink jersey being crowned to the victor on Sunday May 26.

The Giro d’Italia route features two-time trials and six summit finishes, with the highest point in the race, once again being the Stelvio Pass, the highest altitude ever reached by Giro d’Italia riders. With coverage of every pedal stroke, all 21 stages of the race will be available live in full on SBS On Demand with coverage on SBS Viceland starting later each night. There will also be hour-long highlights shows broadcast on SBS, with catch-up replays, extended highlights and analysis videos throughout the three-week race accessible on SBS On Demand.

After the Giro d’Italia concludes on Sunday May 26 the Tour de France commences Saturday June 29 until Sunday July 21 as the best male cyclists in the world battle it out to secure the yellow jersey. All 21 stages will be available to stream live and free on SBS and SBS On Demand with the race starting for the very first time in history in Florence, Italy. The best female cyclists will then gear up for the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift which commences on Monday August 12 after the 2024 Olympics with some riders planning to head straight back on the bike after competing in the Olympics. All 8 stages of the race will also be available to stream live and free on SBS Viceland with daily highlights and more on SBS On Demand.

For more information, visit the SBS Sport website: www.sbs.com.au/sport

For a PDF of this media release, click here .

We acknowledge that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples maintain a unique, unsevered and strong spiritual and cultural connection to land and waters, and practice language, lore and culture which enriches our lives and identity as a nation.