The centenary edition of the Tour De France will be one the world has never seen before. Cycling’s grandest tour has already pedaled out the epic 3,404 km, 21-stage race for Stage 1’s 213 km on the island of Corsica, the only region of France never to host Le Tour. The final stage, on Sunday July 21, will start at the gardens of the Palace of Versailles and finish in Paris around the Arc de Triomphe on the cobblestones of the Champs-Élysées. And for the first time in history, the race will finish at dusk. NBC Sports has partnered with the mobile fitness app MapMyRide to cover every stage of the 100th Tour in ways unimaginable to cycling enthusiasts a short time ago.
All stages of the Tour de France will be live streamed on NBCSports.com and within the NBC Sports Live Extra mobile app. All-access plans are $29.99 (U.S. only). Le Tour is easily the most beautiful and amazing spectacle in the world of sport. As the 100th edition rolls through quaint French towns, over breathtaking mountain passes, and through the rolling hills of the countryside, MapMyRide will give you remarkable inside access to each team and rider’s performance. Fans can track the progress of their favorite riders live via GPS and follow each stage on an interactive map.
NBC Sports Network will feature more than 70 hours of live coverage during the 23 days of the 100th edition of the Tour including nine stages live on the flagship station, NBC. MapMyRide is doing its part to promote the Tour’s 100th edition as well. Cycling enthusiasts and casual riders can join the challenge and by riding on any or all of the 21 Tour stage days from June 29 to July 21. For every stage each person rides, they receive one entry for that week’s random prize drawing. The fitness app has added five Tour Challenge achievement badges for 100 miles, 250 miles, 500 miles, Half Tour and Full Tour. If that’s not enough, the company is awarding MapMyRide Tour jerseys to the first 150 riders to earn a 500-mile badge, plus a maillot juane to every rider who tackles the full Tour distance.
Social media and new mediums of information has certainly elevated the world of cycling. Le Tour’s organizers have put considerable effort in making the race accessible online and over social media. VeloNews compiled statistics from the 2012 edition including 11.5 million unique visitors and 133 million page views in July 2012 in four languages. Le Tour’s social media channels have attracted nearly 1 million fans on Facebook, 150,000 followers on Twitter, and more than 800,000 downloads of the Tour de France app. Numbers that will surely grow with the excitement and spectacle of the centennial grand tour.
The stage has been set for the world’s most iconic endurance race. Le Tour’s centennial edition will prove to be another grueling journey accompanied by amazing feats of athleticism. The partnership of MapMyRide and NBC Sports brings fan access to another level. It won’t be long before these innovative ways to watch athletic competition are across all leagues and sports.