Passion for cycling on TV continues to grow
Many of the figures covering the Tour have been present since the start of the sport’s boom, writes Alan Tyers
‘Cycling relates directly to people’s lives, it’s something you do, not just watch’
These are good times to be a fan of cycling on television. Alongside Eurosport’s continued sterling efforts, ITV is showing every minute of live action from the Tour de France for the first time. The ITV coverage is sharp and balanced, treating a sophisticated audience with respect. As other sports battle to find their space in a media dominated by the bully football, cycling is having a bit of a moment. I asked Ned Boulting, ITV’S commentator, why it had enjoyed such an upsurge over the past dozen years.
“A lot of factors all came together at once,” said Boulting. “You had a cohort hitting middle age who had some disposable income, and, as our cities became clogged and unbearable, cycling became a sensible means of transport.
“The government’s Cycle To Work scheme meant you could get an interest-free loan on a bike. With the obesity crisis, people began to look for ways to participate in sport. And then the credit crunch and recession meant that hard-hit people were looking for affordable ways to get around.”
Cycling on television, Boulting reckons, benefits from a link between participation and elite excellence that few other sports match.
“The conditions I mention were the fertile ground into which the seeds of extraordinary success were planted. First, the [Dave] Brailsford mission on the track, and then Team Sky on the road, gave Britain a scale of achievement that nobody could have predicted. Cycling is different from other sports in that it relates directly to people’s everyday lives, it’s something you do, not just watch. That gives us an audience who are not only passionate but also informed and invested.”
There is an unusual continuum in the Tour’s television coverage, as well. Gary Imlach has been presenting since Channel 4 showed cycling in the 1980s, and ITV’S programme is made by the same producers. Cycling’s Middle-aged Men In Lycra (MAMILS) are watching the sport with the figures who were there in their teens.
“I come from a football background,” said Boulting. “The football fanbase is disdainful of whoever covers football. Everyone thinks they can do it better. With cycling there is very little that gets on mainstream telly. So, when July comes around, the initiated million or so loyal viewers feel a sense of ownership, almost a protective sense about the coverage.”
The passion of cycling fans is also inelastic in the face of apparently never-ending drug scandals. “Cycling is extremely resilient to shock and scandal,” he said. “Throughout our time on ITV, nothing seems to have dented its appeal and, in fact, it continues to grow.”
In part due to an excellent team: Chris Boardman explains complicated things in simple terms. David Millar retired recently enough to give insights into what former rivals are thinking. The polyglot Daniel Friebe can talk to riders in their own language. And Boulting believes the recent signing of Philippa York will take them to the next level.
“Pippa was an immense talent, and I recall an interview on the Champs Elysee with Bradley Wiggins, in his breakthrough 2009 Tour, being quick to reference Pippa as the first British rider to finish fourth; a feat he had just equalled. Three years later he won the Tour.
“I am so pleased she is joining us on ITV. She’s the missing piece of the puzzle, which ultimately gives context around Britain’s rise to the very top.” A sporting, and a broadcast, success story: beacons both.
Tour de France Highlights, 7pm, ITV4.