MDcatV

Neat ideas, might be cool to watch. Something small and graphical at the bottom or corner of the screen that would show where riders were on a certain race/stage, and profile or something so we knew what was upcoming. However, my major complaint with the coverage (I'm talking OLN/VS) is that it's a television program like the Olympics is now, and not covered like a sporting event. I wish they would just simply SHOW THE DAMMED RACES and stop making it a television program/production. Get rid of the stupid athlete profiles, doping updates, training tips, climbing tips, equipment highlights and other junk that is filler and distracts from what is actually occurring in the race. You can get all that stuff on cycling news.com.

daytonian

Have a real time power tap screen of say 5 diff random riders per day, maybe a sprinter, some climbers, and a jens voight all around rider. Everytime cameras on the rider the power numbers are in the corner. They did this in 04 but it was haphazard.

GuitarWizard

The power numbers thing would be awesome.

imnotclever

1. Single color team jerseys. No jerseys should have any color similar to the 4 leaders jerseys. i.e. make the leaders easily recognizable.
2. HRM and Speed stats displayed more often.

DocRay

Yes, but unlike F1, cycling offers close racing and passing. You cannot tell me that the angle of a rider behind the three guys going for the sprint isn't exciting.

DocRay

Surely there must be another way to see a Discovery rider win?


Another trick from autoracing -custom helmet designs so we can see who's who, and a following avatar that indicates what gear they are in and their heart rate in real time.

DocRay

This is good. They should make all bikes have power meters and cameras -maybe then Cannondale will stop their "legalize" marketing.

bdcheung

- Better commentators. Americans are largely ignorant to the intricacies of cycling; in order to increase support, you must increase understanding. Commentators who can explain the tactics, technologies, and progression involved in a race clearly will educate new viewers; any sport is more enjoyable when you can understand what's going on (see my fiancee for example).


- Better technology. I love the concept behind the Adobe TourTracker, though its implementation is far from perfect. Americans tend to be data junkies (just look at the evolution of NASCAR television coverage) and cycling needs to play catch-up. A lot of riders don't want to carry the GPS units, but we don't need them to. Put GPS devices on the motorcycles. What's the distance from the front of the break to the peloton? How strung out is the peloton? How fast is the break/peloton going? When will the group catch the solo flyer? An influx of information will also make viewers more informed.

bbattle

+1

More cycling coverage of the Classics, daily coverage of the Vuelta and the Giro.

If the ToC and ToG were bigger races, they might attract more interest among Americans. I'd love to see a late fall grand tour here in the States, a month or so after the Vuelta.

DocRay

Many teams use Garmin devices. The best use of GPS in TV is World Rally Racing, no longer shown on Speed.

I still can't believe the Paris-Roubaix is not live on US TV.

bdcheung

Who, aside from Milram? Additionally, I was referring to the GPS units that allow you to be tracked, like those implemented in the Tour of California to track individual riders.

All1NTao

+1 to cameras, course profile, power tap readings, and GPS on every bike. They would be able to explain the sport in new ways for instance, if they were talking about team tactics they could pan out and highlight all the members of a single team in the peleton. Expalining the waters couriers in the rear, LTs around the GC man, and attackers on the front, or a lead out train, or preparing for a mountain assault.

voltman

Televise it more than once a week.

Mojo GoGo

Add color streaks behind riders based on their sprint based on their speed a la Fox's hockey coverage back in the day

patentcad

Wait. Aren't you the Canuck who has been screaming 'They're ALL doping' here for years?

Now it's just Disco?

Enthalpic

Have more intermediate sprints and/or KOM contests with MUCH larger prize purses and time bonuses.

curveship

+1. If we're thinking of a true TV-friendly bike race, I'd say:
- build it off the downtown crit series, like Atlanta, which are already popular with spectators
- lots of $$$ primes, like every 5 laps. Sell them to corporate sponsors
- team leaders wear a distinct jersey or helmet, so new viewers can find the "big guys" at a glance
- smaller teams and fewer of them to make the action easier to follow (packs should NASCAR size)
- lots of cameras with good editors
- more tattoos

Jinker

As far as TTs go, showing time-shifted split screen with riders covering the same parts of the course gives you a really good impression of just how much (or little) distance a rider needs to make up. Particularly exciting in around technical turns where you can see time made or lost quite easily.

I first saw this on TSN watching Canadian rally coverage.

mtdecap

For identifying riders, maybe use what nascar uses...where the bubble pops up over the driver to tell you who's who, in what place, whatever. Usually they just do it two drivers at a time.

DocRay

I'm not big fan of over-doing sports, they ruined baseball this way. They are definitely over doing it with NASCAR. Even hockey, hard to be interested in the Stanley cup finals when it's played in June.

DocRay

More personality of the riders would be nice...at least Zabriskie is interesting to listen to.

I'd like to focus on the race, without the interviews and hype BS -it could get like indy500 real fast, 90% hype BS/10% actual racing, to the point that no one cares any more.

Those FOX NASCAR pop-ups are cool, if they had Rider, HR, gear. The only way to really know gears is by electronic groupsets linked to transponders.

Oh, and for crissake, it's time for HD in cycling.

gfrance

You remember a few years back OLN did have a half hour segment showing the Running, just before the evening Tour broadcast. Great to pop open a brew and get ready for the Tour. I loved it. But noelse did since it got canceled for next year, in favor of Bull Riding Rodeos.

botto 

tattoo's have been passé for years. didn't you know?

DocRay

99.99% of my students now have tattoos, this is so they can be unique.

botto 

exactly.