EXCLUSIVE: PEACOCK ANNOUNCES ITS TOUR DE FRANCE LINE UP
Phil Liggett returns for his 53rd year covering cycling's biggest bike race.
Phil Liggett, the voice of cycling who will turn 82-years-old later this summer, will return to Peacock to do the play-by-play for the Tour de France, which begins on July 5, according to a spokesman for NBC Sports.
NBC and its streaming service, Peacock, have the exclusive rights to air the Tour de France in the United States through 2029. Comcast / NBC Sports have served as the home of the Tour de France since 2001.
The line up has remained relatively stable for the past few years.
Liggett will be joined in the booth by Bob Roll, a longtime commentator and former professional cyclist. Christian Vande Velde will provide commentary from a motorcycle following the race and Steve Porino will report from the field.
In the studio in Connecticut, veteran television reporter and anchor, Paul Burmeister, will return as host of the pre-race show. Brent Bookwalter and TeeJay van Garderen, both former professional cyclists, will return as studio analysts.
In a webinar with a Bethesda-based real estate firm, Vande Velde said that viewership has remained strong over the past few years and returned to levels not seen since 2009 when Lance Armstrong made his comeback after retiring from the sport.