Visma-Lease a Bike has reportedly denied the Tour de France’s TV coverage access to radio communication between riders and sports directors since stage 17 of this year’s edition.
In-race radio clips have been used since their experimental introduction during the 2022 Tour de France Femmes Avec Zwift, the audio being incorporated into the live coverage several minutes after recording, depending on the content, to keep other teams from ‘listening in’ and influencing the race – in theory.
While many of the included audio snippets have not exactly been illuminating, there have been plenty of examples that have adding real colour to the coverage, perhaps none more so than Tadej Pogačar’s dramatic capitulation in the Alps in 2023.
However, according to Wielerflits, the team of defending champion and current second-overall Jonas Vingegaard put a stop to team radio access following the stage to Superdévuloy, making the decision due to a ‘series of incidents’. The damage on that stage was minimal in the end, but when Pogačar attacked on the Col du Noyer, Vingegaard looked like he was flagging and the teammates who had been posted in the breakaway proved valuable – not a day heavy with tactics, but there would be tough stages to come.
Merijn Zeeman, one of the Visma’s sports directors, has no problem with the broadcast of encouragement – for instance, the immortal words of Grischa Niermann: “Come on, eh!” – but the potential broadcast of tactical instructions would unsurprisingly be an issue, and the team believes the line is vague; it’s not clear who makes the decision of what to include and how the assessment is made.
Though there were no specific ‘incidents’ listed in Visma’s doubts this week, the team plans to evaluate their involvement in the scheme for future Tours, and they’re not the only ones expressing doubts. In fact, according to Cycling Weekly, there are at least six teams debating whether they’ll renew the contract with ASO in 2025, not under current terms anyway.
One of the reasons given is that the compensation is much too low to make it worth their while, each participating team getting only €5,000 for their trouble, while broadcasters pay €60,000 to include the clips – Eurosport has opted in from the start, but NOS and Sporza are among those that decided against it. For its first inclusion at the 2023 Tour, 17 of 22 teams signed up, with 15 re-upping for 2024, but there’s been increasing chatter as to the true value.
It seems there may at least be fewer teams sharing their comms in future, so enjoy it while it lasts.
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