Lance Armstrong may be retired, but the Outdoor Life Network is still working around the clock to broadcast live and replayed bicycle racing from the 2006 Tour de France.
The OLN TV's live coverage usually begins daily at 8:30 a.m. (ET) daily, including weekends, and concludes about 11:30 a.m. (ET). Coverage for some of the longer bike race stages in the mountains begins 30 to 60 minutes earlier.
In addition to the live coverage, its standard Tour de France broadcast schedule also includes bike race replays between 12 to 2 p.m., 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., 5 to 7 p.m., and midnight to 2:30 a.m. (all ET), as well as primetime coverage 8 to 11 p.m. on the East Coast and 9 to 11:30 p.m. on the West Coast.
That's more than 14 hours of Tour de France coverage a day.
Tour de France commentary will be provided by OLN's cycling trio — Phil Liggett, Paul Sherwen and Bob Roll.
There was some fear and loathing among bicyclists over whether OLN would offer a full commitment to the Tour de France after the retirement of Armstrong. With at least three Americans — George Hincapie, Floyd Landis and Levi Leipheimer — among the top 5 contenders for the crown, OLN must have realized the Tour would score a big audience again.
Here's a link to OLN's Tour de France TV schedule. It's a one-page .pdf document you can print out and tape on the side of the TV.
Where else to watch
— The official Le Tour de France website also offers live updates during the race. In addition to standings, it provides intermediate timing, positions of the leaders during the race, and news flashes.
— CyclingNews and VeloNews offer frequent race updates — sometimes minute-by-minute from the Tour de France. VeloNews launched a very cool bike race ticker with the Tour de Georgia that it used during the Giro d'Italia; Operation Gadget explains how it works here.
— Bike racing fans in Seattle can watch a taped broadcast of Stage 16 on a 30-by-40-foot inflatable outdoor screen at Magnuson Park on Wednesday, July 19. It's part of the Cascade Bicycle Club's Cyclefest Outdoor Cinema party. The free event runs from 6 to 10:30 p.m. and features a beer garden, food, Lady A and the Baby Blues Funk Band. Highlights of Stage 16, featuring Col du Galibier and three other mountain passes, will be shown at dusk.
— If you want to experiment, JumpTV is an internet subscription service to 180 broadcast outlets in 60 countries worldwide. Some of those stations — such as Canal Capital from Bogata, Colombia — list the Tour de France among their offerings.
— Got headphones for your computer at work? Follow the Tour in audio from the UK's Eurosport website and Dave Harmon and Sean Kelly. Look for the “audio/video” control at the right side of the web page.
— “Check the Tour de France on your cellphone” June 29 at Biking Bis.
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