Fans around the world will have several ways to catch all the action of the 2014 USA Pro Challenge professional cycling race August 18-24, with nearly 30 hours of coverage from NBC Sports Group and Universal Sports Network, and daily livestreaming on the Tour Tracker. Featuring some of the highest climbs in professional cycling and jaw-dropping scenery, the USA Pro Challenge is more accessible than ever before, giving spectators a front row seat to the race from the comfort of their home or office.
The 550-mile international professional cycling race will start in Aspen and will take the riders and spectators through 10 official host cities, as well as many others, on the way to the exhilarating finish in downtown Denver. Featuring some of the best riders in the sport of cycling, the race comes on the heels of the 2014 Tour de France.
“Each year we have more than one million live spectators at the USA Pro Challenge, and while that is the best way to watch the race, we want to be sure all our fans have a chance to check out the action and excitement of professional racing in Colorado,” said Shawn Hunter, CEO of the Pro Challenge. “In 2014 we have an unprecedented amount of TV coverage through NBC Sports Group and Universal Sports Network, and we know our fans are really going to appreciate the various viewing options.”
Live Television Coverage and Nightly Post-Race Shows
NBC Sports Group presents 23 hours of heart-pounding coverage for the fourth annual USA Pro Challenge. Coverage will kick off with a preview show hosted by Steve Schlanger on Sunday, Aug. 17, at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Live daily coverage of the race begins Monday, Aug. 18, at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN and will continue over the seven days of competition. The final stage of the race will air live on both NBC and NBCSN on Sunday, Aug. 24. NBC Sports Live Extra will live stream NBC Sports Group’s coverage of the USA Pro Challenge to tablets and desktop computers.
The 2014 edition of the USA Pro Challenge also will feature a nightly post-race show on Universal Sports Network at 10 p.m. ET beginning Monday, Aug. 18, for an additional 7 hours of coverage. In addition, NBCSN will present an encore presentation of the nightly post-race show for the first three stages of the race.
Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen, the voices of cycling, will call the race action on site in Colorado for NBC Sports Group’s coverage, joined by analyst Christian Vande Velde and reporter Steve Schlanger. For the final two stages of the race, ‘Inside-the-Race’ correspondent Steve Porino will offer updates on race situations from aboard a motorcycle on the course. In addition, NBC Sports Group’s coverage will include highlights from cameras positioned on bikes, offering viewers another unique perspective of the course.
2014 USA Pro Challenge Television Coverage (all times ET):
Preview Show – Sunday, Aug. 17
- 7-8 p.m. ET NBCSN 2014 USA Pro Challenge Preview Show
Stage 1: Aspen Circuit Race – Monday, Aug. 18
- 5-7:30 p.m. ET NBCSN Live Coverage
- 10-11 p.m. ET Universal Sports Post-Race Show
- 11 p.m. -12 a.m. ET NBCSN Post-Race Show
Stage 2: Aspen to Crested Butte – Tuesday, Aug. 19 3:30-6 p.m. ET NBCSN Live Coverage
- 10-11 p.m. ET Universal Sports Post-Race Show
- 11 p.m. -12 a.m. ET NBCSN Post-Race Show
Stage 3: Gunnison to Monarch Mountain – Wednesday, Aug. 20
- 3:30-6 p.m. ET NBCSN Live Coverage 10-11 p.m. ET Universal Sports Post-Race Show 2-3 a.m. ET NBCSN Post-Race Show
Stage 4: Colorado Springs Circuit Race – Thursday, Aug. 21
- 3:30-6 p.m. ET NBCSN Live Coverage 10-11 p.m. ET Universal Sports Post-Race Show Stage 5: Woodland Park to Breckenridge – Friday, Aug. 22
- 3:30-6 p.m. ET NBCSN Live Coverage 10-11 p.m. ET Universal Sports Post-Race Show Stage 6: Vail Individual Time Trial – Saturday, Aug. 23
- 3:30-6 p.m. ET NBCSN Live Coverage 10-11 p.m. ET Universal Sports Post-Race Show Stage 7: Boulder to Denver – Sunday, Aug. 24
- 2-4 p.m. ET NBCSN Live Coverage 4-6 p.m. ET NBC Live Coverage 10-11 p.m. ET Universal Sports Post-Race Show
Online – USA Pro Challenge Tour Tracker
Fans around the globe also can watch the best of the best in professional cycling compete in the Colorado Rockies during the 2014 USA Pro Challenge via the free Pro Challenge Tour Tracker. Featuring live, nonstop action for the last two hours of the race each day, the Tour Tracker is the world’s premier online race viewing technology that offers both viewer flexibility and reliability. The Tour Tracker provides a rich experience to combine live video, real-time tracking of the race on course maps and profiles, live text commentary, current race situation, photo feeds, chat rooms, race standings and results, and so much more. New for 2014, this year the Tour Tracker will include rider ETA to the stage finish, distance traveled from the base of a climb and more detailed statistics on elevation.
Mobile – USA Pro Challenge Tour Tracker App
Available for free on the App Store and Google Play for all iOS and Android devices, the USA Pro Challenge Tour Tracker app puts the excitement of America’s toughest cycling race in a fan’s back pocket, providing real-time race updates and rider statistics on-demand at the swipe of a finger. The Tour Tracker app hosts the same features as the online tour tracker, improvised for on-the-go coverage.
Photo © Christy Nicholson / EchelonDesignPhoto.com
