5/05/2022

The countdown is on until the three biggest Grand Tours in professional cycling take off on SBS - Australia's cycling network.

The Giro d'Italia, the Vuelta a Espa a, and two of the biggest sporting events in the world - the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift - will all be broadcast live and exclusively free on SBS and SBS on Demand. With more than 810 hours of cycling content across 2022, SBS is the number one destination for Australian cycling fans.

Providing expert commentary and trusted analysis across SBS's cycling coverage are Matthew Keenan who's known for his encyclopaedic knowledge of world cycling, world hour record holder and Australian Time Trial champion Dr. Bridie O'Donnell and Simon Gerrans, whose illustrious cycling career includes victories at Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Milan-San Remo and stage wins at all three Grand Tours, plus a stint in the leader's yellow jersey at the Tour de France. Former Giro dItalia stage winner and long-standing SBS presenter David McKenzie and SBS French Radio's Christophe Mallet will continue to provide highlights and fan engagement with the popular ZWIFT SBS Cycling podcast. Multiple national champion on the track and road, Kate Bates, brings a wealth of racing experience and broadcast talent to the team, and rounding out the SBS cycling presenting team is two-time national road champion and founding member of the first-ever independent international women's cycling union, Gracie Elvin, and internationally renowned sprinter and lead-out specialist Mark Renshaw.

SBS Director of Sport, Ken Shipp, said: SBS is incredibly passionate about our commitment to cycling - we've been giving Australians a front row seat to the world's greatest events for more than 30 years, and our goal continues to be to deliver the very best of cycling to Australian audiences. We are excited to have a team of trusted presenters and experts fronting our coverage, bringing a range of perspectives and providing entertaining and comprehensive analysis.

The Tour de France, Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, Giro d'Italia, and Vuelta a Espa a are some of the world's biggest annual sporting events. They're at the heart of SBS's sporting line-up and, every year, we provide extensive coverage for millions of fans across Australia. As Australia's cycling network, we look forward to investing further in the sport to make our coverage even bigger over the years to come.

The Giro dItalia is the toughest race in the world's most beautiful place and the 105th edition of the magnificent Italian race will be no exception. Clicking into gear tomorrow until Sunday 29 May, the 2022 Giro d'Italia starts in Hungary, with the picturesque Lake Balaton as the backdrop.

Australian stars Richie Porte and Caleb Ewan are set to feature with Porte looking to contest the battle for the overall win, while Ewan will be on the hunt for stages in a race where he has five stage victories already in his career.

All 21 stages of the Giro dItalia will be live in full on SBS On Demand with television coverage on SBS starting at the crucial time in the stage later each night. There are two linear opportunities to catch the daily one-hour highlights show on SBS: at 7.00am and 5.00pm AEST (4.30pm on weekends).

With catch-up replays as well as extended highlights and analysis videos via SBS On Demand throughout the three-week race, SBS is the home for all things Giro dItalia.

In July, the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift are coming to SBS for a cycling-packed month encompassing the biggest and best races in the world. All 21 stages of the Tour de France and all eight stages of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will be live and free on SBS and SBS On Demand, with daily highlights and much more. More details about SBS s broadcast schedule will be revealed soon.

For more information, visit the new SBS Sport website: sbs.com.au/sport

SBS CYCLING TEAM BIOS

DR BRIDIE O'DONNELL

Dr Bridie O'Donnell graduated as Valedictorian from the University of Queensland Medical School. Between 2000 and 2006 she was a rower and competed in Ironman triathlon, finishing the Ironman Hawaii World Championships in 2006. In 2007, she began road cycling and in 2008 after winning the National Time Trial title, she raced in the Australian National Team, and then Professional Italian teams in Europe and the United States, representing Australia at three World Championships between 2008-2012. From 2013-2017, Bridie managed and raced for Rush Women's Team in the Cycling Australia National Road Series. In 2016, she broke the UCI Hour World Record. In 2017, she was appointed the inaugural Head of the Office for Women in Sport and Recreation by the Victorian Government and in 2018, her cycling memoir: Life and Death was published, detailing her experiences as a professional cyclist in Europe.

CHRISTOPHE MALLET

Christophe is a television presenter, podcast host and long-time Executive Producer of SBS Radio's French program. In 2017 he was awarded a National Order of Merit - he was incredibly honoured to be introduced as a Knight of the Order of Merit in France. Over the course of his 10+ years at SBS, Christophe has been involved in many projects including hosting the Tour de France highlights show alongside Kate Bates, and has been heavily involved in SBS's coverage of the Dakar Rally. He's also been responsible for producing more than 4,200 radio shows across the SBS radio network.

DAVID MCKENZIE

David McKenzie brings nine years' experience as a professional cyclist to SBS, providing in-depth analysis of the race, the riders and everything viewers need to know about road racing. Starting his career on the track, David made his first appearance for Australia at just 16. He joined his first pro

LINK:	https://www.sbs.com.au/aboutus/sbs-unveils-cycling-presenters-and-comm...
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