The BBC seems to be completely ambivalent to day to day events in the TDF. Yesterday was a good example; perhaps one of the most fierce days racing with a British rider battling to defend his lead and not a single mention on the news at 10pm.

This morning The Today programme similarly overlooked any update.

This has been a pattern this year. I wonder if the BBC has decided to scale back coverage deliberately because everyone’s got their knickers in a twist about governance in UK Cycling.

http://www.bbc.com/sport/cycling/40625279
Write up every day

Yeah, but apart from the write up every day.

Perhaps they’re worried about the Have Your Say comments on the website.

Apparently there’s a bunch of idiots wearing lycra causing road closures and traffic issues all over France, the whole of Europe is out rioting at the roadside to tell them they need Le Road Tax and they n’avez Pas le insurance and to achete une voiture but they just cycle past regardless overtaking each other, occasionally punching one of those protesting at the roadside, riding on the wrong side of the road, going the wrong way round roundabouts and generally not obeying the rules of the road. There are several of the same cars that have been stuck behind them for TWO WHOLE WEEKS, it’s a disgrace I tell you.

Yeah, but apart from the write up every day.

Sure but I wan’t commenting about reporting on the website, sorry I should have made that clear. Reporting on its website will never reflect the degree to which the BBC regards a sport as important or reflective of the national psyche because the website isn’t constained by time or bandwidth (well not in any meaningful way.

The sports that get reported on national news are the ones that we regard as being ‘important’ at a country level and reflect our national identity. So chosing not to report on a sport sends an important message.

In recent years the trend of underreporting the TDF changed but we’ve reverted back to type. We here all know it’s the biggest, most physically demanding sporting event in the world with the highest numbers of spectators for a single event and even with a three time British champion in the race of his life (yesterday’s stage was a corker) the mainstream TV news doesn’t even report on it.

TWO WHOLE WEEKS,

You mean three weeks.

The BBC don’t like having to say SKY on a daily basis. Everytime someone at our BBC says that three letter word Rupert Murdoch laughs like the devil.

Meh, Wimbledon final and the British Grand Prix this weekend, both of which figure vastly more highly on the consciousness of Joe Public, who doesn’t understand why today was ‘exciting’ when it finished exactly as it started.

Yesterday was a pretty big day for sport including some British successes. Not that surprising it got bumped.

You mean three weeks.

Not yet, still a week to go…I was trying to stick to the facts as they stand today not get sucked into hyperbole. 😛

Joe Public, who doesn’t understand why today was ‘exciting’ when it finished exactly as it started.

F1 fans will get it

It’s simply not interesting to most. I’m a cyclist and I’ve never checked progress online or anywhere.
It’s every bit as boring as F1 or the Carp fishing championships to me.

I’m sure the carnival atmoshpehere when there is great, but it doesn’t translate to the telly. Just a bunch of guys cruising in a bunch mostly.

Nah, it’s actually worse in person! Stand for an hour to watch them pass in 5 seconds. Maybe on a big mountain.

@bedmaker – It’s quite clear you don’t check progress of the TdF.

but it doesn’t translate to the telly. Just a bunch of guys cruising in a bunch mostly.

Most longer format sports find it hard to get an audiance these days, it’s like a grad chess game, each move looks meaningless but the overall match is thrilling at times.

The BBC reporting is pretty basic, not really surprising as there is so much good specialist content available elsewhere online.

Bit of a vicious circle, not shown on mainstream telly or covered in the papers, so most people don’t know about it or what’s going on! The uk is only interested in Football and rugby anyway.

Your Sport is never represented by the mainstream as much as you think it should be.

Your Sport is never represented by the mainstream as much as you think it should be.

Possibly but I’d argue that this was not the case with cycling between 2012 and about 2015. We’ve seen a bug drop off last year and this year.

It may have been a big weekend for sport but tThe Today programme was still reporting on the majority sport that is cricket. In terms of participation and inclusion cycling beats cricket easily but for some reason the mainstream broadcast media still sees it as especially relevant.

TdF is covered in all the “quality” papers. Guardian, Torygraph, Times.

Love riding bikes but have no interest in watching other people do it on TV.
Also, Froome makes me want to smash my TV so best avoided really.

@bedmaker – It’s quite clear you don’t check progress of the TdF.

Not sure what that means… I’ll probably check out the crash compilation on youtube once it’s all over though 🙂

They don’t report it because most people don’t give a flying **** about cycling.
Yes, it’s popular when the Olympics are on, but so are loads of random sports.

5Live mentioned it (albeit briefly). The sports monkey even pronounced Bauke Mollema’s name relatively accurately. Their lack of cycling knowledge was fairly obvious though. The line was that Froome retained his lead despite getting a puncture. It sounded like he had to stop and change it himself. What a trooper.

Well it has been reported at times on the Radio1 new bulletins, which means it must have been on Radio 4&5 as well.

Also Geraint Thomas crashing out was the top sport news item on BBCWales last week.

And as others have pointed out it is daily on their website.

they’re already angried up the complainers with a female actor, they put lycra louts on the news and they’ll lose the license fee within minutes.

slowpuncheur – 5live have Rob Hayles on the live commentary team, and he does know just a little bit about cycling.

not shown on mainstream telly

Apart from every stage in its entirety live on ITV4.

The BBC’s idea of sports coverage is to blurt out the results without any warning, thereby spoiling any potential enjoyment that might have been possible during viewing of the recording/highlights program.

This is particularly annoying with F1, where they tend to start the report with the name of the winner so, by the time they’ve said “Lewis” (or “Sebastian”, etc) they’ve already blown the plot.

Why can’t they use the same tactic as they do with football – “if you don’t want to see the results, look away now” ?

They don’t report it because most people don’t give a flying **** about cycling.

That might be a resonable argument but very few people care much about cricket these days and cycling has exploded in popularity since 2012. For example, in two weeks time over 20,000 will take part in just one UK based cycle sportive.

TdF is covered in all the “quality” papers. Guardian, Torygraph, Times.

The Metro covers it pretty well too, including a weekly column from Ned Boulting.

I honestly think the coverage is excellent. Immeasurably better than 15 years ago, where it really did get a cursory nod when it finished and nothing more.

That might be a resonable argument but very few people care much about cricket these days and cycling has exploded in popularity since 2012.

Sauce?

For example, in two weeks time over 20,000 will take part in just one UK based cycle sportive.

You mean fewer than go and watch a single game of cricket?

Do you think the TUE revelations have anything to do with it?

Hasn’t won a stage so nothing to report on really. Having to do a feature for the not bothered brigade trying to explain the guy finishing in 34th place is winning probably isn’t worth it for them.

He’ll be in there next week. Wimbledon and F1 put paid to anything this week, though surprised there wasn’t a 5 second mention in passing.

@bedmaker – It’s quite clear you don’t check progress of the TdF.

Not sure what that means… [/quote]
Just if you had been checking progress you would know it has been anything but boring. Some superb racing going on.

Sorry I don’t get your complaint.

ITV4 show the whole thing, this is free to view digital TV. And really good highlights? The audience couldn’t be better catered for if it tried!

BBC report football, there are so many matches happening all at the same time, none of them are free to view, its the national sport, so makes sense to give an update on the important highlights on the news.

I suspect it might also be a rights thing.
There may be a clause that only allows a certain amount of use of footage.
That footage will be targeted at the more popular bulletin times so it might have been on, you may have missed it.

bbc only report on sports they show.

see also question of sport!

Glad they’re not on the front page news TBH.

Only encourages doping questions and Froomy isn’t even British fergawdsake.. 😛