The Tour de France gets underway in Lille on Saturday and UK and American viewers are spoilt for choice when it comes to broadcast options this year.
Here in the UK, viewers have one more opportunity to enjoy free-to-air Tour coverage this year as ITV Sport broadcast each stage for a final time, with a daily evening highlights show too. For those of you who already have a TNT Sports subscription then the race will be broadcast as usual on the station. If you’re in the US this July then NBC is your best bet for full coverage of the race.
But who are the people whose voices we shall all hear for more than five hours on all the various broadcast streams this year? We take a closer look at some of the commentators and TV hosts working on the Tour.
ITV Sport (UK)
(Image credit: Getty Images/SWPix)
Host
Gary Imlach has been hosting ITV’s coverage of the Tour in the studio since the move over from Channel 4. The author, broadcaster and sports journalist has been covering the race since 1990 and is the first person you’ll see on screen in Lille on Saturday after that famous intro song.
Commentators
Ned Boulting is an author, podcast host and cycling expert who has been part of ITV Sport since 2001. He has written multiple books on his exploits covering professional cycling; his latest book, the Accidental Tour-ist, was released in June. Boulting commentates on the race for ITV alongside friend and colleague David Millar, who is a former pro cyclist. Millar is a four-time Tour de France stage winner and has previously worn the yellow jersey. Journalist and author Matt Rendell also does some shifts behind the mic.
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Pundits
ITV has not confirmed who will be joining Imlach in the studio. Former Olympic champion Chris Boardman has stepped away in the past few years and while former Team Sky rider Peter Kennaugh has stepped up, the Manxman is now working as a director at the XDS-Astana team.
Reporters
Matt Rendell reports from the media mixed zone after each stage, while fellow journalist and author Daniel Friebe roams the finish line and team buses for instant post-stage reaction. Both also provide cultural reportage.
How to watch the Tour de France on ITV
All stages are live on the ITV4 TV channel and the ITVX streaming platform. Coverage is free to watch, for the final time.
TNT Sports (UK)
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Host
Orla Chennaoui is the anchor and main host of TNT’s coverage, leading the conversation in much of The Breakaway, TNT’s post race show, as well as during the pre-stage discussion in the studio with various other pundits. Chennaoui previously worked for Sky Sports before moving to Eurosport.
Commentators
The stars of the show for TNT are commentators Rob Hatch and Sean Kelly, with the duo’s razor sharp analysis and insight a mainstay of their commentary. Hatch is well known to cycling fans, having commentated on the sport for years on Eurosport. Kelly is a highly decorated former professional cyclist with his palmarès including four victories in the Tour’s points classification, as well as five individual stage wins. Kelly also won Paris-Nice on seven occasions, as well as nine Monuments and the Vuelta a España.
Pundits
Joining her in the studio will likely be Robbie McEwen, Adam Blythe, and others with TNT’s full team for their Tour coverage not yet revealed. The three former pros often feature on TNT’s cycling coverage, with McEwen, Matt Stephens and Blythe included on the network’s Giro d’Italia broadcasts earlier this year. TNT often has an in-race pundit on a motorbike, with Bradley Wiggins formerly carrying out the role for the broadcaster. Blythe, Jens Voigt, and ex-pros have also been embedded in various races on a TV motorbike earlier this year. This year, recently retired Romain Bardet will be on the motorbike for stages 11-15
Luke Rowe, Michael Matthews, Matt White, Owain Doull, Zdeněk Štybar, Larry Warbasse and Jonathan Vaughters will be pundits throughout the three weeks, TNT Sports revealed.
Reporters
Matt Stephens and Hannah Walker have been the channel’s on-the-ground interviewers and pundits in recent years. Sharing resources with the pan-European broadcaster Eurosport, additional interviews often come in from other nation’s reporters such as Anders Mielke.
How to watch TNT Sports’ Tour de France coverage
All 21 stages of the Tour de France are live on one of the TNT Sports channels, usually TNT Sports 1. Discovery+ is the online platform for live streaming, with a subscription costing £30.99 a month.
NBC (United States)
Liggett (left) with Cadel Evans in 2015
(Image credit: Watson)
Host
Paul Burmeister, a veteran NBC sports anchor, will be back in the chair for his ninth Tour de France, hosting the studio coverage.
Announcers
Legendary Tour commentator Phil Liggett will host the coverage, alongside Bob Roll, for US broadcaster NBC this year. Liggett has been covering the Tour for 52 years, with his first-ever edition of the race coming in 1973.
Analysts
NBC also has an analysis show for each stage, with former American professional riders Chris Horner and Christian Vande Velde providing. Tejay van Garderen, DS at EF Education-Easypost, is also part of the show this year.
Reporters
NBC’s Steve Porino will be on the ground at the Tour mopping up the post-stage reaction on the ground in France. Former South African pro Robbie Hunter will be working alongside Porino.
How to watch the Tour de France on NBC and Peacock
All 21 stages of the Tour de France are live on the flagship NBC TV channel, which comes on most cable TV plans. There is a dedicated live streaming option via the Peacock platform, where plans start from $7.99 per month.
