This is not good news for cycling in the UK.
Firstly, I'd like to say that there are a lot of passionate cycling fans working at WBD, in front of and behind the scenes. The company is automatically 'disliked' by a cohort of the general public because it's a huge international conglomerate, but Eurosport have been showcasing cycling since 1991. They have, and continue to do a hell of a lot for our sport.
On the flip side, exclusivity on the biggest race in the world, the ONLY race where non-cycling fans might tune is, is very worrying. It's a significant barrier to entry into what is already a relatively niche sport in the UK.
ITV not only do a fantastic job themselves of broadcasting the race, live and with easily accessible highlights, they provide a gateway to WBD. The fans they 'convert' each July are more likely to subscribe to Discovery+/Max/Eurosport once they've realised how amazing our sport is. They must have made lifelong cycling fans of millions of people over the last few decades (including me).
Anyway, I really feel for Ned, Dave, Pete, Matt, Daniel, Gary and all the others behind the ITV production - thank you for all you've done for the sport.
@ianmacphotos@MHW_PR Really sad news, and a complete shock. We were only in touch in June, where he again went over and above to profer some advice for some friends visiting his beloved Mallorca for the first time. A true gentleman. Gan canny bonnie lad!
@marty_lawrance@twbpt I wonder if they’ve paid for the scaffold permit where they’d have to have demonstrated the requisite £5M public liability insurance.