By Ryan Berenz
Versus is once again the place for coverage of the Tour de France cycling race beginning Saturday, July 3, at 11:30am ET. Here’s the complete release from Versus, and you can get the entire Versus TV coverage schedule here.
ON-AIR, ONLINE AND ON iPHONE-VERSUS’ 10TH YEAR OF TOUR DE FRANCE COVERAGE PROVIDES FANS WITH AN ALL-ACCESS PASS IN HD TO THE MOST EPIC RACE EVER
New York, N.Y. (June 29, 2010)-VERSUS, the fastest growing sports cable network in the country and the exclusive television home of the Tour de France in the U.S., will begin its tenth year of wall-to-wall coverage of the most intense and grueling event in all of sports on Saturday, July 3, at 11:30 a.m. ET, live from Rotterdam, Netherlands. The 97th edition of the Tour de France is highlighted by cycling legend Lance Armstrong, riding for U.S.-based Team RadioShack, competing for his last chance to capture his historic eighth win.
On the heels of the hugely successful 2009 Tour which saw average viewership nearly double (up 98%) over the 2008 race, VERSUS will air an average of 14 hours of race action per day in full HD throughout the 23-day, more than 2,000-mile competition. Daily coverage includes live race action and an expanded primetime show. A complete schedule is available at www.VERSUS.com. Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen, the undisputed voices of cycling, will call all the race action and Frankie Andreu and Robbie Ventura will return as the field reporters. Craig Hummer and Bob Roll will host the pre-race and primetime show each day and night.
In the quest to deliver unprecedented access via unique production enhancements, VERSUS will have cameras on all U.S.-based team’s busses-RadioShack, HTC-Columbia, BMC and Garmin-Transitions-to give viewers an insider’s look at the team’s daily meeting as they prepare for the day’s stage. VERSUS will also have cameras in U.S.-team cars during race action showing viewers how the strategies and tactics are carried out. Other enhancements include a pointer feature which will easily identify and focus on one rider in the 200-plus peloton; exclusive, in-depth profiles and features on teams and riders such as Lance Armstrong, Alberto Contador, Mark Cavendish and Andy Schleck; advanced on-screen statistics/biometrics to illustrate the intensity at which the riders are competing; among others.
www.VERSUS.com, a critical part of the network’s un-matched and all-encompassing coverage, will once again be the official Tour website in the U.S. and the site has redoubled its 2010 offerings based on the huge surges in online usage during last year’s race. The 2009 Tour de France saw site traffic increase 117 percent over the 2008 race and served over 16 million videos, more than doubling the total for the 2008 competition (6.5 million) and nearly fives times as many from the 2007 race (3.4 million).
During the 2010 competition, for $29.95 via the “Tour Tracker” on www.VERSUS.com , viewers can access live streaming-offering a different perspective from the on-air coverage-from any computer and in full HD. The Tracker will allow viewers to pause and rewind live action and even access the full stage upon its completion via the on-demand feature. While watching online, viewers will have access to a live map, complete with GPS tracking, minute-to-minute updates on overall standings and rider positions, live chat and Twitter capabilities.
The network is also offering an iPhone app for cycling fans to access the Tour on-the-go on their 3.0 and 4.0 phones. The free app will provide access to highlight videos, detailed race results and standings as well as full course profiles. An app upgrade is also available for $14.99 in which fans can access live streaming video-on 3G or WiFi-without commercial interruption and the ability to access the full stage immediately following its conclusion via the on-demand feature. The live streaming is enhanced by real-time GPS tracking showing where the riders are on the course, including time gaps and breakaways, as well as minute-by-minute updates for each stage. While the application is currently available for download on iTunes and the iPhone app store, streaming video, live updates and rider lists will become available once the race begins on July 3.
VERSUS has partnered once again with MapMyRide.com (MMR) for the “Le Tour Challenge”-a competition which allows viewers to get on their bikes and compete “virtually” against actual race competitors and against other cyclists around the world during any given day’s stage for daily prizes.