Watching the 2008 Tour of California from work or home

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Tour Tracker up and working


Mario Cipollini on Tour Tracker on Monday

Can't make it to the roadside for the Amgen Tour of California, which rolls out Sunday through Feb. 24? There are many ways to watch it from the comfort of your office or home computer. 

I'm not encouraging slacking off at work, but computer users will get an enhanced Tour Tracker that offers video streaming, expert audio and other cool doo-dads at the official website this year. There's also “play-by-play” offered by VeloNews and CyclingNews, as well as the highlights presented by Versus on cable TV.

You'll  have to look for the link to Tour Tracker on the Amgen Tour of California website. This is the third year the Adobe and Computer Sciences Corp. have combined attempted this, and frankly the second year was much more reliable than the first.

(Logging on Sunday, Tour Tracker appeared to be firing on all cylindars for the prologue. I was asked to update Flashmedia, which I did, to view the screen. After updating, I had to reboot to view the website. On Monday, the rider locater that uses GPS was very erratic, but the video and commentary was very good.)


Here's what the full-screen webcast offers:

  • Video — A live video stream of each stage, from start to finish. Users have the option of choosing two different scenes.
  • Live commentary — Former pro cyclist Frankie Andreu and journalist Joe Silva provide live audio coverage, along with silver medalist Mari Holden who reports from the road.
  • Maps — A user interface provides elevation cross-sections and a stage map, as well as rider and peloton positions.
  • GPS tracking — Something called Location Object Field Tracking enables viewers to track any of the 136 riders or 17 teams.
  • Photos — Images from the race are uploaded throughout the day, and bystanders can upload their pictures to a photo-sharing website.
  • Chat — A no-holds barred fan chat room.

    • In addition, Tachyon Networks will provide remote communications facilities that enhance the sights and sounds of the race, according to ToC press release.

    Meanwhile, VeloNews and CyclingNews will offer live text feeds once the racing begins.

    Versus is offering some 15 hours of cable TV coverage for this year's race. Here's the tentative Versus TV schedule (this updates previous):

    Sunday, 2/17/08: 5-7 p.m. (EST) Prologue in Palo Alto
    Monday, 2/18/08: 1-2 a.m. (EST) Recap
    Monday, 2/18/08: 11 p.m.-12 a.m. (EST) Stage 1 — Sausalito to Santa Rosa
    Tuesday, 2/19/08: 11 p.m.-12 a.m. (EST) Stage 2 — Santa Rosa to Sacramento
    Wednesday, 2/20/08: 11 p.m.-12 a.m. (EST) Stage 3 — Modesto to San Jose
    Thursday, 2/21/08: 11 p.m.-12 a.m. (EST) Stage 4 — Seaside to San Luis Obispo
    *Friday, 2/22/08: 11 p.m.-12 a.m. (EST) Stage 5 — Solvang time trial (not listed)
    Saturday, 2/23/08: 5-7 p.m. (EST) Stage 6 — Santa Barbara to Santa Clarita
    Sunday, 2/24/08: 1-2 a.m. (EST) Stage 6 — Recap
    Sunday, 2/24/08: 5-7 p.m. (EST) Stage 7 — Santa Clarita to Pasadena
    Monday, 2/25/08: 1-2 a.m. (EST) Stage 7 — Recap

    *(Note that the Friday schedule for Stage 5 coverage is not included on the schedule at the Versus website, but is listed on the  TV schedule at the Tour of California website.)

    2008 Tour of California map

    Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2008/02/16/watching-the-2008-tour-of-california-from-work-or-home/

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