2012 Tour de France TV coverage on NBC Sports

The 99th edition of cycling’s Tour de France starts Saturday, June 30, in Liège, Belgium. The race is made up of one prologue and 20 stages covering a total distance of 3,479 km. The route includes nine flat stages, four medium mountain stages, five mountain stages and two individual time trials. The race ends July 22 on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. Australia’s Cadel Evans won the 2011 race and is a favorite to repeat. NBC Sports Network airs the bulk of race coverage, which begins June 30 at 8am ET. NBC will air eight hours of live coverage July 7-8, the first time that cycling’s premier race gets live TV coverage on a broadcast network. See the full TV schedule below.

NBC’s Tour de France commentators (which sparked a lot of discussion last year):
Live race commentators: Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen
Field reporters: Craig Hummer and Steve Porino
Studio hosts: Liam McHugh, Bob Roll and Scott Moninger
Tech reporter: Robbie Ventura

Additional details from the NBC Sports Group press release:

As previously announced, NBC Sports Group, the exclusive U.S. television partner of the Tour de France, will surround this year’s race with 295 total hours of coverage and robust digital offerings including:
• 19 of the 21 stages live on NBC Sports Network;
• Stages 7 and 8 live on NBC; first ever live over the air coverage of the Tour de France;
• An average of more than 13 hours of race action per day, in full HD, throughout the 21-stage competition on NBC Sports Network including a nightly studio show;
• NBC recap shows on July 1 and July 22 for the first and final stages of the epic race.
• The nightly studio show, 8-11 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network, will feature a combination of race coverage and cycling insight, as well as highlights from some of the most compelling stories throughout the Tour. Each show will include analysis and strategy segments, as well as interviews with the riders at the start and finish lines.

2012 Tour de France TV coverage on NBC Sports