Versus and AEG, the management group presenting the Amgen Tour of California, announced a multi-year agreement to provide television coverage of the eight stage race.
Versus will provide live HD coverage of the 2011 Amgen Tour of California, which takes place from 15-22 May, including the first-ever mountain top stage finish atop Mt. Baldy. The network will air highlights of the stages each night during the eight-day competition at 11 p.m. ET.
“Versus’ commitment to cycling is stronger than ever and we look forward to continuing our coverage of the largest road race in America,” said Marc Fein, executive vice president of programming, production and business operations for Versus, via press-release.
Since Versus first aired coverage of the Amgen Tour of California in 2007, the network has seen average viewership growth of 46 percent. Last year’s race had 3 million of viewers tune in to the network’s daily coverage.
Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen will call all the race action, with Bob Roll returning as field reporter.
Online, Versus.com will offer predictions from Phil, Paul and Bob along with daily standings and results, video recaps of each stage, interactive MapMyRide stage maps and additional features, including: fan forums and live chats with Versus announcers.
Stages for the 2011 Amgen Tour of California
- Stage 1: Sunday, May 15 - South Lake Tahoe to North Lake Tahoe-Northstar at Tahoe Resort
- Stage 2: Monday, May 16 - North Lake Tahoe-Squaw Valley to Sacramento
- Stage 3: Tuesday, May 17 - Auburn to Modesto
- Stage 4: Wednesday, May 18 - Livermore to San Jose
- Stage 5: Thursday, May 19 - Seaside to Paso Robles
- Stage 6: Friday, May 20 - Solvang Individual Time Trial
- Stage 7: Saturday, May 21 - Claremont to Mt. Baldy
- Stage 8: Sunday, May 22 - Santa Clarita to Thousand Oaks
