AEG, presenter of the Amgen Tour of California, has once again partnered with NBC Sports Group and A.S.O., owner and producer of the Tour de France, to bring America’s most prestigious cycling race live to living rooms around the world.
For the fourth year, NBC Sports Group and A.S.O. will collaborate to produce the telecast and broadcast the excitement of the largest professional stage race in the U.S., including daily live HD coverage of the last two hours of each stage of the eight-stage race May 10-16 on NBCSN, with the exciting eighth and final day of racing on May 17 airing live on NBC.
Legendary cycling commentators Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen, who also announce the Tour de France annually, will return as the voices of the Amgen Tour of California men’s and women’s races this year – the 10th year of America’s Greatest Race. Adding color commentary based on their experience in the peloton will be recently retired cyclists Christian Vande Velde, who placed fourth in the 2008 Tour de France, and Jens Voigt, who competed in every Amgen Tour of California through last year and returns on the heels of his retirement as official race ambassador. For the women’s race highlight show, Olympic silver medalist Dotsie Bausch will join Liggett and Sherwen to provide additional insight about the women’s peloton. Steve Porino will provide inside-the-peloton perspective from the motorcade that travels with the cyclists, with Steve Schlanger reporting from the sidelines.
Cycling fans on-the-go will have the opportunity to follow all of the racing action, including commentary from the broadcast’s complete team of announcers as well as from former professional cyclist Frankie Andreu via the race’s award-winning Tour Tracker for mobile and online viewers. During the women’s race coverage, Andreu will be joined by current Australian professional woman cyclist Tiffany Cromwell.
Since 2007, the Amgen Tour of California has made it easy for fans to stay connected to the racing action from anywhere via the free Amgen Tour of California App available at amgentourofcalifornia.com/app. The app can be downloaded free of charge via iTunes, Google Play and the Apple and Android app stores.
Throughout the race, A.S.O. will distribute the live feed to international broadcast partners in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide.
“We are pleased to once again partner with A.S.O. and NBC Sports Group who are in a league of their own when it comes to cycling telecasts – they are the powerhouses behind the annual production of the Tour de France as well as the Amgen Tour of California for four years running,” said Kristin Bachochin Klein, executive director of the race and senior vice president of AEG Sports. “As America’s biggest stage race unfolds, viewers will see every challenge and triumph, set against the stunning California backdrop in all its HD glory.”
“This has been a fruitful partnership over the years, and we are excited to continue to evolve the telecast as the race grows and becomes even more successful every year,” said Yann Le Moenner, A.S.O. General Director. “Working with NBC Sports, as we do during the Tour de France, fans domestically and abroad will get to experience some of the best cyclists in the world racing in the great state of California.”
The 2015 Amgen Tour of California App will feature daily live coverage of the final two hours of each stage, full start-to-finish coverage via GPS, race situation and up-to-the-minute text commentary throughout the race, as well as live streaming of the Women’s Time Trial (May 15). Highlights of the Women’s Stage Race empowered with SRAM (May 8-10) will be available on-demand on the Amgen Tour of California App nightly.
“Fans are the lifeblood of the race. So that they never have to miss a moment of racing action, the Amgen Tour of California App exists to deliver an in-depth race experience to fans’ fingertips, wherever they may be, free of charge,” said Klein
Amgen Tour of California fans also can connect with the race through all of their favorite social media platforms. Links are available at the Social drop-down menu at amgentourofcalifornia.com and fans can use #AMGENTOC10TH and #AMERICASGREATESTRACE to join the conversation.
The 2015 Amgen Tour of California television schedule follows*:
Preview Show presented by Visit California:
- Saturday, May 2 at 9:30-10:30 p.m. PDT on NBCSN
- Sunday, May 3 at 8:30-9:30 p.m. and 11 p.m.-midnight PDT on NBCSN
Women’s Race empowered with SRAM On-Demand:
- Friday, May 8 at 8 p.m. PDT on the Amgen Tour of California app and website: Stage 1 presented by SRAM – South Lake Tahoe
- Saturday, May 9 at 8 p.m. PDT on the Amgen Tour of California app and website: Stage 2 presented by Amgen – South Lake Tahoe
- Sunday, May 10 at 8 p.m. PDT on the Amgen Tour of California app and website: Stage 3 presented by Visit California – Sacramento
Women’s Race Highlight Show empowered with SRAM:
· Friday, May 15 at 11 p.m.-midnight PDT on NBCSN
Men’s Race Live Broadcast:
- Sunday, May 10 at 2-4 p.m. PDT on NBCSN: Stage 1 presented by Visit California – Sacramento
- Monday, May 11 at 2-4 p.m. PDT on NBCSN: Stage 2 presented by Breakaway from Cancer® – Nevada City to Lodi
- Tuesday, May 12 at 2-4 p.m. PDT on NBCSN: Stage 3 presented by SRAM – San Jose
- Wednesday, May 13 at 2-4 p.m. PDT on NBCSN: Stage 4 presented by SRAM – Pismo Beach to Avila Beach
- Thursday, May 14 at 2-4 p.m. PDT on NBCSN: Stage 5 presented by Visit California – Santa Barbara to Santa Clarita
- Friday, May 15 at 2-4 p.m. PDT on NBCSN: Stage 6 presented by Lexus – Big Bear Lake Individual Time Trial
- Saturday, May 16 at 1:30-3:30 p.m. PDT on NBCSN: Stage 7 presented by Lexus – Ontario to Mt. Baldy
- Sunday, May 17 at 10-Noon PDT on NBC: Stage 8 presented by Amgen – L.A. LIVE (Downtown Los Angeles) to Pasadena / Rose Bowl Stadium
*Times subject to change
Photo © Christy Nicholson / EchelonDesignPhoto.com
