NBC Sports Prioritizes Data in Presentation of 113th Tour de France

Wearable tech returns to the coverage, and a brand-new mobile unit is rolled out for the 2026 edition

The 21-stage Tour de France is nearing its conclusion. The 113th edition wraps up Sunday on the streets of Paris, with veteran cycling play by play caller Phil Liggett and analyst Bob Roll once againleading the commentary.

The presentation of the Tour de France, which has aired across NBC linear and digital platforms, is a heavy logistical and technical undertaking from a production standpoint, rivaling other sports and entertainment broadcasts from remote destinations.

Just the fact that we do it this way can't be overlooked, says NBC Sports Coordinating Producer Joel Felicio. When you go to a basketball game, you have six cameras, everything's hard-lined. Here, it is essentially a moving game that you're covering, whether it's onsite here or in Stamford. It's amazing. There's a laundry list of things that could go wrong every single day, but it works.

In NBC Sports' Tour de France production, on-screen data display keeps viewers informed on cyclists' racing position, race summary, and other information. (Photos: NBC Sports)The production has incorporated key data and technology from the 2025 coverage. NBC Sports first partnered with wearable-technology supplier WHOOP last year, integrating rider data into the storytelling. This year, Felicio and his team have had a better understanding of how to leverage the insightful information.

The WHOOP data landed in my lap, he says. Now that I've been looking at the WHOOP data for the riders, I'm like, Wow, this is really interesting.' It's telling. It's progressing the story. That has been fun.

Among the data points covered in the storytelling is riders' sleep-recovery information, Felicio notes, adding that NBC Sports on-air cycling talent have started to wear the WHOOP product themselves.

Other technology also is integrated into the broadcast. For at-home viewers, routes on each stage are displayed via a 3D mapping system showing the riders relative to one another against the different types of terrain. Viewers get a new perspective of the time gap between riders, the terrain itself, and what the upcoming route looks like as it twists and turns at various elevations.

This was the second year that NBC Sports has partnered with wearable-tech provider WHOOP to incorporate cyclists' data into its Tour de France coverage.The NBC Sports studio show for the Tour de France continues to feature an augmented-reality environment. In a studio dubbed the sandbox, where on-air talent Tejay van Garderen and Brent Bookwalter discuss racing strategy and team tactics, the AR helps them analyze a breakaway situation during a particular stage.

Says Felicio, We want to break it down so that even the casual viewers can understand what's going on.

Inside the Production of the Tour de France

Coming out of COVID, the NBC Sports production of the Tour de France reverted to a REMI model operated out of the broadcaster's facility in Stamford, CT. This created more efficiencies and expanded the capabilities for the show, according to Dominic Torchia, VP, engineering and technology, NBC Sports.

As a result, the teams at NEP Belgium and Woods Communications developed a brand-new mobile unit, which debuted this year and features a small flypack, audio and video stations, and necessary storage capabilities.

It's purpose-built for NBC's Tour de France, says Torchia. It's got all the creature comforts we need for the crew onsite, including all the technical components. Just the way that we're able to park and get running right away is a lot better than the way we've had to do it before. It's easy for everybody.

The unit traditionally sits at the finish line for each of the race's 21 stages, with additional support from European telecommunications provider Orange. Typically, an engineer and video operator sit in the unit, providing onsite engineering support and ensuring that all the appropriate signals are sent to the U.S.

They've spent the last few years coming up with a great, stable system for having bandwidth available at each one of the finish lines, adds Torchia. It's a monstrous challenge for them.

NBC Sports' 2026 Tour de France coverage has aired on NBC and streamed on Peacock and NBCSN.The entire Tour de France production is produced from a control room in Stamford, with 20-plus transmission feeds, an increase from 2025, sent from Europe. Transport is via a combination of fiber, low-earth-orbit satellites, and 5G cellular networks, with additional support provided by Amazon's AWS Global Network and Orange Events.

The Tour's world-feed production deploys more than 20 cameras across each stage. NBC Sports has six unilateral cameras onsite, along with two helicopters and up to six moto cameras. Former professional rider and roaming reporter Christian Vande Velde is an integral component of the broadcast, providing updates on road conditions and weather and interviewing cyclists at the finish line.

NBC Sports' Tour de France effort is led by President, Production/Executive Producer Sam Flood and EVP, Studio and Remote Operations and Production Planning, Ken Goss.

Onsite production isoverseen by NBS Sports Senior Director, Operations and Production, Lisa McLeod. Day to day onsite operational and logistical support is provided by Woods Communications, led by President Tom Woods and Director, Production Operations, Anne Rapoport. The NEP Belgium technical team, including EIC Kevin Mertens and Engineer Jeroen Van Bulk, provides the onsite broadcast-production services for the 21 stages.

LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2026/07/24/nbc-sports-prioritizes-data-in-...
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