TV Coverage

Author
Discussion

alock

Original Poster:

4,224 posts

210 months

Friday 23rd March 2018
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For the last few years, I've enjoyed the TV coverage of the TDF and would like to start watching some of the other races. The obvious option is a Eurosport subscription but I'm struggling to see what you actually get for your money.

I work a typical office job so cannot watch live coverage. I would also struggle to find the time to stream the full coverage later so ideally want a 1-2 hour highlights program every evening available to stream at any time later in the day. Something similar to what Channel 4 offer for F1 would be perfect.

Do Eurosport offer a highlights program and if they do, what do people think of it?

youngricharduk

235 posts

84 months

Friday 23rd March 2018
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ITV4 has a great highlight programme on for the TDF and Vuelta at 7pm, they cover other races as well but not as many as Eurosport.

TwistingMyMelon

6,385 posts

204 months

Friday 23rd March 2018
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I was in same position as you OP a couple of years back, enjoyed the TDF but bugger else on terestrial tv

I then had an injury so needed a month off and discovered Eurosport Player: https://gb.eurosportplayer.com/schedule

Its great, it cost about £20-30 a year and covers all main UCI races, you watch online, but can stream through a phone/tv/tablet/PC

Ive discovered so many races i would have never known about, recently had Paris - Nice , milan san remo etc

It was better when I first signed up, but you can watch Eurosport 1 & 2 live, or watch anything they have shown on demand. Its an odd interface and the descriptions for on demand take getting used to,

Otherwise there are loads of 5-10 minute highlight programmes on Youtube, Incycle with Ned Bolting is good if you only have a few minutes spare

Hope that helps

alock

Original Poster:

4,224 posts

210 months

Friday 23rd March 2018
quotequote all
I'm struggling to understand what each listed program contains? If I use the link and look at their schedule for stage 5 of the Tour of Catalunya, I get the following options over today and tomorrow. None of this is long enough for full live coverage of 212km. Is it coming in and out of live coverage or are they all highlight shows?

My guess is that the 3 x 1 hours shows after 11pm are the same show and it's highlights of the entire stage?

The 3 earlier shows are maybe live coverage mixed with highlights of what's happened since the last live coverage?

Today

14:30 - 16:00
Live Cycling: Tour of Catalunya
Stage 5: Llívia - Vielha Val d'Aran (212.9km)

14:30 - 17:00
Cycling: Tour of Catalunya
Stage 5

19:00 - 20:30
National Tours : Tour of Catalunya
Stage 5

23:00 - 00:00
National Tours : Tour of Catalunya
Stage 5

Tomorrow

00:00 - 01:00
National Tours : Tour of Catalunya
Stage 5

07:45 - 08:45
National Tours : Tour of Catalunya
Stage 5


I often wonder if I over think things like this and should just sign up anyway smile

Bobley

697 posts

148 months

Friday 23rd March 2018
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When you install the app and start watching you wont understand how eurosport scheduling works any clearer.

There will be loads of feeds to watch. Some are live streaming from the host broadcaster so there's no commentary, then you have the full coverage with commentary and at some point there will be a Greg Lemonds highlights or suchlike. You wont know which way to look. I just press buttons and hope there are bikes. Usually works?!

Best of all, even though you only pay £3/month you can cast it from the phone to a smart TV or a Google Chromecast and get full HD quality.

TwistingMyMelon

6,385 posts

204 months

Friday 23rd March 2018
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Glad its not me....the downside to ES is the complete arse about face they do the content listing

You can have 3 episodes of one stage of one race-

One will be the race with no commentary starting from 100k in

One will be the above with UK commentary

One will be the above with French commentary

No descriptions to tell you what each episode is!

Then they will show an hours show on the same stage in the evening.....that wont be able to play on demand!!

If the on demand shows feature the E1 or E2 in the corner in means they have commentary as they were on TV...usually

As you say, they usually pick up races once they have been going a bit , so its a 5 hour stage, they will show the last 3 hours

I just scroll along and watch any decent climbs and then the last 45 minutes

Once you get the hang of it it works, they used to use such a better system

I put up with it as the coverage and commentators are very good....although Calton Kirby isnt for everyone.....I think hes really good

Gren

1,947 posts

251 months

Friday 23rd March 2018
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Eurosport is the only way to watch most cycling on TV.

E3 Harelbeke is on today - great 1 day cobbled classic, Gent Wevelgem on Sunday. Tour of Flanders next weekend and Paris Roubaix the weekend after. Milan Sanremo was last weekend. Pretty much all live and ToF and PR have around 7 hours of coverage each plus highlights later in the day

Far far better racing the any of the grand tours. Most grand tour stages you may as well only watch the last 15 minutes - either for the sprint of the mountaintop finish.

E65Ross

34,947 posts

211 months

Friday 23rd March 2018
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Love this season of racing....Classics are fantastic! Worth looking at tiz-cycling.racing too

old'uns

540 posts

132 months

Friday 23rd March 2018
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alock said:
I'm struggling to understand what each listed program contains? If I use the link and look at their schedule for stage 5 of the Tour of Catalunya, I get the following options over today and tomorrow. None of this is long enough for full live coverage of 212km. Is it coming in and out of live coverage or are they all highlight shows?

I often wonder if I over think things like this and should just sign up anyway smile
apart from 1 or 2 mountain stages in the Grand Tours, Eurosport don't usually show the whole stage/race.
IF anything of significance happens then that will shown as highlights as they go live.
Local broadcasters France/Belgium may show whole 1 day / stages but as you're not there....

£30 i think at moment for 1 yr, i use it quite bit, as said above the new format can be confusing but it is there somewhere, i've logged-in on 2 devices at the same time so you could in 'theory' share the cost whistle

Gren

1,947 posts

251 months

Friday 23rd March 2018
quotequote all
E65Ross said:
Love this season of racing....Classics are fantastic! Worth looking at tiz-cycling.racing too
Cracking last 50k at E3. proper racing

Master Bean

3,519 posts

119 months

Friday 23rd March 2018
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Search for live cycling on YouTube. There are various channels that stream live or put the last hour up. Kind of dodgy but I'm cheap.

TwistingMyMelon

6,385 posts

204 months

Friday 23rd March 2018
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Good cycling podcast to accompany the season as well: https://thecyclingpodcast.com/

Great listen and notifies you of upcoming races and plenty of infomed debate

Harpoon

1,860 posts

213 months

Friday 23rd March 2018
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TwistingMyMelon said:
Glad its not me....the downside to ES is the complete arse about face they do the content listing
I've sat watching what I thought was a live stream of Paris-Roubaix on ES and only to realise after 30 minutes (or more) it was a repeat of the previous year rolleyes

Great value subscription though - I got my (yearly) sub for £1.99 during Black Friday last year. Needed a new e-mail address to sign up with as it was "new" customers only.

Matt_N

8,900 posts

201 months

Friday 23rd March 2018
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Steep hill is a good site to catch up on race highlights too.

Ian_sUK

733 posts

179 months

Friday 23rd March 2018
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Why not branch out a bit and watch the uci mtb coverage on redbull TV? It's live and on catch up, cross country and downhill and it's free!

condor

8,837 posts

247 months

Friday 23rd March 2018
quotequote all
I have Eurosport1 & 2 as part of a fairly basic TV package with Virgin Media - there is also a designated 'Bike' Channel too.
I'm currently watching the highlights package of stage 5 of the Tour of Catalunya 1900-1945. First 10 mins was introduction/route diagram/signing in session and start, a couple of incidents, then action from 20km onwards. Race win and listings.
You could always record the live racing and watch it later.
From 1945 it goes to highlights of a Flanders race with Peter Sagan, Tony Martin and Geraint Thomas participating.


Edited by condor on Friday 23 March 19:53

Chicken Chaser

7,744 posts

223 months

Friday 23rd March 2018
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I think I'm beginning to prefer the classics and monuments over the GTs. Some brilliant racing these last few weeks.

E65Ross

34,947 posts

211 months

Friday 23rd March 2018
quotequote all
Yeah I think they're amazing. I haven't seen E3 yet but I'll watch it tomorrow. I love the GTs beca9of the building tension and just the fact they're racing basically every day.... But for outright excitement the classics are awesome! Roll on Gent-Wevelgem

S100HP

12,645 posts

166 months

Friday 23rd March 2018
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E65Ross

34,947 posts

211 months

Saturday 24th March 2018
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Gren said:
E65Ross said:
Love this season of racing....Classics are fantastic! Worth looking at tiz-cycling.racing too
Cracking last 50k at E3. proper racing
Watched this earlier. Epic.

what a magnificent ride from Terpstra, when it went down to 12 seconds with 4km or so to go I thought he'd lost it, but the following group playing cat and mouse allowed him to keep riding. Mega ride!