Tour de France TV Coverage in the US Desperately Needs a Change. On Stage 21, We Saw What It Could Be.

It took 21 days, but when the Tour de France came to Paris, NBC and Peacock finally had the right person in the booth: Christian Vande Velde. The former professional rider and longtime NBC cycling correspondent had been there the whole time, but in a different role: leap-frogging the peloton throughout the three weeks of the Tour on the back of a motorbike.

On one hand, the man on the moto has been a welcome addition to Tour de France coverage over the past few years, with the likes of Jens Voigt, Alberto Contador, and Adam Blythe offering engaging insights from a former rider spectating the peloton from inside the race. On the other hand, the moto will always be a minor part in the grand scheme of Tour de France coverage.

In Paris on stage 21 this past Sunday, NBC proved that it is a bad idea to make your best TV asset sweat his butt off on the back of a moto for three weeks.

Immediately upon entering the sweet AC of the mobile Peacock TV booth, Vande Velde brought a new vibe to the commentary. Suddenly, enthusiasm filled the dead air and lag. Context was added to moves without obvious tactical ramifications. Most of all, it felt as if there was new room for the established duo of Phil Liggett and Bob Roll to effectively work at a pace they could handle.

Without a doubt, a moto commentator has value in the Peacock/NBC coverage, but only if the studio and booth coverage meet the standard of the in-race coverage. Instead, NBC’s booth has been defeated by Father Time. That the studio has been infected by distracting augmented-reality gizmos, and a skiing expert moonlighting as a cycling insider, hasn’t helped much either.

On paper, NBC/Peacock is doing what Eurosport does with its teams. In reality, the NBC team falls short because the entire team is operating at a lower level than its European counterparts—except Christan Vande Velde, who is genuinely a top-level presenter with a strong voice, quick reactions, and a dynamic understanding of modern cycling.

Most fan criticism of the American coverage of the Tour de France has been lobbed at lead commentator Phil Liggett. Liggett, who is 82 years old, is the easy target as he has lost his fastball. He is no longer quick, accurate, or current with his play-by-play commentary of the action. Liggett’s voice will always be iconic—he has been on the mic since the famous 1986 battle between Greg LeMond and Bernard Hinault—but icon status can only support errors for so long.

Frequently, Bob Roll, who is 66 years old himself, has to step in to correct or corral the discussion in the right way. That exacerbates the issue, as Roll is forced to be vigilant in managing what Liggett says. That limits Roll’s ability to provide deep color commentary on the racing action that other color commentators like Robbie McEwan have become so adept at delivering.

Even being a color commentator in the first place is pulling Roll from the broadcasting role he is best at, which is play-by-play. Any American viewer who watches the rest of Peacock’s cycling coverage will know this, as Roll partners with Vande Velde to provide a much more engaging two-man booth, even if that two-man team still desperately lacks a third person to keep cycling’s inevitable slower bits more exciting.

Liggett, still beloved by American cycling fans who laud his career but lament how far he has fallen from the top of his game decades before, could still contribute meaningfully as a third person in the booth, filling the hours of dead time in any Tour de France broadcast with stories and observations at a pace that better suits where he is today.

That being said, even that three-person solution wouldn’t really solve the apathy that NBC applies to its Tour de France coverage. The problems clearly come from a rinse-and-repeat attitude from the brass at Peacock. Not only does the comparison to Eurosport underscore this apathetic spirit, but so does the comparison to many major sports broadcast in NBC’s line-up.

Peacock and NBC have been making a concerted effort to bring in top talent to sports coverage. Broadcast talent and creative productions are huge reasons why they have been successful. Obviously, having titans of the industry like Mike Tirico helps. But so too does the elegant, light touch of Rebecca Lowe on the Premier League desk, or even better, the engaging odd couples that come from Peacock’s baseball coverage, bringing together two teams’ local color commentators for national broadcasts.

NBC and Peacock are capable of being the most exciting sports broadcasters in the American sports market. With cycling, they fall short. The change starts with something they can implement immediately: more Christian Vande Velde, please.