Versus to Air Daily Coverage of Tour Down Under

1/17/11 = VERSUS will kick off the cycling season with the 2011 Tour Down Under, the first race of the year on the UCI ProTour calendar.  In the 2011 competition, 19 teams will cover more than 470 miles during the six-stage race through Southern Australia. This year’s event will be the final cycling race outside the U.S. for seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong.  Armstrong will once again lead the U.S.-based Team RadioShack®, which just added Australian native Robbie McEwen to the roster, to compete against the world’s best cyclists.  Additionally, two superstar sprinters, rivals Mark Cavendish with team HTC-Highroad and Tyler Farrar with the newly created Team Garmin-Cervelo, will race through the streets of Adelaide as they battle each other to the finish line.
 
VERSUS will air daily 30-minute stage re-caps of the race from Jan. 18-22 at 6 p.m. ET, as well as a special one-hour show at 5 p.m. ET on Jan. 23 highlighting the final stage of the race.  Additionally, the network will stream the entire final stage of the race live on VERSUS.com on Jan. 22 beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET.  Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen, the undisputed voices of cycling, will be on site in Australia to provide insight and commentary for each day of the network’s coverage.  VERSUS will also kick off its week of coverage with a 30-minute special hosted by Paul Sherwen on Monday, Jan. 17 at 6 p.m. ET, as he interviews some of the top cyclists competing in this year’s race.
 
VERSUS.com is the online hub for cycling fans to find out everything about the 2011 Tour Down Under.  In addition to viewing the last stage live in its entirety, cycling fans can visit the site for in-depth editorial coverage from leading cycling experts, exclusive videos and interviews as well as information about teams and riders.  
 
VERSUS’ on-air schedule for the 2010 Tour Down Under follows (all times ET, subject to change):
 
Tuesday, Jan. 18   Stage 1, Mawson Lakes to Angaston, 6 p.m.
Wednesday, Jan. 19      Stage 2, Tailem Bend to Mannum, 6 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 20         Stage 3, Unley to Stirling, 6 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 21             Stage 4, Norwood to Strathalbyn, 6 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 22         Stage 5, McLaren Vale to Willunga, 6 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 23           Stage 6, Adelaide City Council Street Circuit, 5 p.m.