TEJAY van GARDEREN JOINS NBC'S COVERAGE OF THE TOUR de FRANCE
NBC Sports announced that former professional cyclist Tejay van Garderen will join the network for its coverage of the Tour de France, which for the first time ever starts in Italy and ends in Nice, France. In between, there’s a record amount of climbing.
Van Garderen replaces Sam Bewley, a former professional cyclist from New Zealand, who was in the studio last year even as he was employed by Team Israel - Premier Tech as a sports director.
In the broadcast studio, van Garderen will join host Paul Burmeister and studio analyst Brent Bookwalter.
For more on this conflict of interest, read this recent post.
NBC’s team will include the legendary Phil Liggett, who will do the play-by-play, and Bob Roll, who will provide analysis during the race. Christian Vande Velde and Steve Porino will report from the race.
Stay tuned for more coverage of the Tour de France here at RIDING WITH as well as analysis of the new season of Netflix’s “Tour de France: Unchained.”
Some other facts about this year’s Tour:
176 riders will line up at the start of the Tour—22 teams of eight riders each.
The 2024 Tour will pass through Italy, San Marino, Monaco and France. Within France, the race will pass through seven Regions and 30 departments.
There will be eight flat, four hilly, and seven mountain stages (with four summit finishes), as well as two time trials and two rest days.
The summit of the Bonette pass in the Alps—2,802 meters or 8,400 feet— is the highest tarmac road in France and the highest point of the 2024 Tour.
52,230 meters: The total vertical gain during the 2024 Tour de France.
The 111th Tour de France will some politicking: French President Macron announced he would dissolve Parliament after his party took a shellacking in the European parliamentary elections. Now, French voters will head to the polls on June 30, during the second stage of the Tour, and on July 7, during the ninth stage of the Tour, which includes 32 kilometers of gravel, for the runoff.
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