Legend Lemond Heads Eurosport Tour Coverage
Three-time Tour de France winner Greg LeMond will make his TV debut at the Tour de France as Eurosport’s cycling consultant, 25 years after his legendary 1989 victory.
From the Grand Depart in Leeds on 5 July to the final stage on Champs-Elysées in Paris on 27 July all stages are live on the channel, with ten broadcast in full. LeMond is on-site to preview and review each stage live in his own show – ‘LeMond on Tour’.
Eurosport will celebrate its 25th consecutive Tour de France in style with a record 350 hours of broadcast on Eurosport and Eurosport 2, including over 90 hours live, all in high definition. Live action is on Eurosport, with highlights from the day’s stage on Eurosport 2 and repeats the following morning.
Live coverage starts on 3 July with the team presentation in Leeds between. LeMond and Eurosport’s presenters and journalists will be on-site to get the latest reactions from team managers and riders.
From 5 July onwards all stages are live, with ten broadcast in full including the opening weekend in Yorkshire, the third stage in London, the fourth in Lille, the fifth in Arenberg featuring the dangerous cobblestone section, the tenth in the Vosges, La Planche des Belles Filles, the 14th in the Alps in Risoul, the 17th and 18th in the Pyrenees, Plat d’Adet and Hautacam, and the final stage to Paris.
Two ‘LeMond on Tour’ 15-minute shows will be broadcast live every day from Eurosport’s on-site studio. The first previews the stage and is broadcast right before the live action. The show includes LeMond’s analysis, looks at the course profile and stakes of the day and features the latest rider and team interviews. Eurosport’s on-site crews will also broadcast exclusive behind-the-scenes reports thanks to unrivalled access to the teams. Fans will see how the teams relax or how Contador’s Tinkoff-Saxo team enjoyed the team presentation in Leeds.
The second ‘LeMond on Tour’ show is a live review of the stage broadcast right after the podium presentation. The show features LeMond’s expertise, interviews with the riders and hosts the team managers to discuss the stage’s talking points. British Eurosport commentator Sean Kelly, Tour de France multiple stage winner and four-time green jersey winner, will join the show after key stages for in-depth debate with Greg LeMond.
Fans can follow Eurosport’s exciting coverage of the Tour on Eurosport Player, Eurosport’s dedicated online TV service available on PC, mobile and tablet via the Player app.
Eurosport will also broadcast live the inaugural ‘La Course by Le Tour de France’, an event gathering the elite of women’s cycling a few hours before the men’s peloton arrives in Paris. The women riders will race the circuit in the historic heart of the city before fighting out a final sprint at the finish line on the Champs-Elysées. The broadcast of this innovative event is intended to underline Eurosport’s position as the home of cycling and its commitment to broadcast the best of women’s sports.
‘There will be a real race between Chris Froome and Alberto Contador,’ said LeMond. ‘I did not see anybody that was close to Froome during the last Tour. This year Contador looks back at the top as he showed during the Dauphiné. At the same time, he is still coming back in a way psychologically, he hasn’t been on a podium for three years. But he’s a class rider, he’s got a lot of talent. Sky is maybe a bit less dominant than it has been in the past, so yes, there should be a real race between Contador and Froome.’
He added: ‘The race is going to come down to the last week. The 20th stage is of course key as it’s an unusually long time trial of 54km, but I think there will be a clear advantage for one rider by the end of the Pyrenees stages which may be the decisive time. Psychologically if you’re any of the top favourites you would want a two-minute lead coming out of the Pyrenees. If you’re a climber, you’re going to need a three or four minute lead on Froome. I think Chris will probably have taken the lead after Chamrousse in the Alps, and he’ll be there ready to gain on his lead and increase it in the time trial. Unless Contador re-becomes Contador…’
