Operation Gadget

Category: 2005 Tour de France

  • Liggett on the Saint-Etienne Time Trial Course

    Reading Time: 2 minutesBefore the last rest day, I spent a long time researching potential questions for Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen. I was offered the opportunity to participate in a OLN-sponsored rest day conference call that day. It wasn’t clear back then if Lance Armstrong was going to be able to maintain the time…

  • Discovery Channel Sponsorship Strategy Hinges on Growing International Interest in Cycling

    Reading Time: 2 minutesThe Science of Lance Armstrong DVD is available from the Discovery Channel On-line Store. [ Photo: Discovery Channel ] Martin O’Donnell watches TV Cinq from France Television on Comcast in order to practice his French and keep up with what’s going on there. The other day he asked: Discovery Channel is getting massive publicity…

  • Leblanc Made the Tour de France a Top International Television Event

    Reading Time: 2 minutesIn the article called Liggett and Sherwen Think that Lance Will Not Have a Second Act as a Triathlete, I mentioned that I had passed on a number of follow up questions for Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen to my contacts at OLN and hoped to get at least a few of…

  • Comparing Tour de France Coverage on OLN to European Television

    Reading Time: 2 minutesJohn Robson published a good article comparing OLN’s coverage of the Tour de France to that of the major European television networks. I thought about writing an article like this myself but I haven’t done it because I would want to compare apples-to-apples: OLN’s coverage in 2005 to France 2 and 3…

  • Salvodelli Wins Another Stage for Discovery

    Reading Time: < 1 minuteI was pleased to see Paolo Salvodelli won Stage 17 for Discovery earlier today in Revel. I had been concerned that Salvodelli wasn’t doing well in the Tour since many riders who push themselves to the limit in the Giro d’Italia really suffer if they also do the Tour. I had…

  • Behind the Scenes at the Tour de France Podium

    Reading Time: < 1 minuteAlex Trautwig continues to find and photograph things that Operation Gadget readers want to see at the Tour de France. This time he’s documented the Tour de France Podium and the media area that is immediately behind it. This article is worth reading if you want to see where Craig Hummer…

  • Kashechkin Struck by Fan Waving Promotional Items from Publicity Caravan

    Reading Time: 1 minuteA video clip showing a spectator striking rider Andrey Kashechkin on the nose was shown on OLN about 22 minutes into the live broadcast of Stage 16. I watched this video clip about 15 times, taking full advantage of my TiVo. The group of spectators who were involved in the incident were…

  • Armstrong Making Major Effort to Win Over French Fans

    Reading Time: < 1 minuteJerome Pugmire of The Associated Press reports that Lance Armstrong is going out of his way to connect with French fans during his last Tour de France. This effort has included: giving his cap to a couple with whom he spoke at a recent stage start, chatting with motorcycle camera men…

  • Liggett and Sherwen Think that Lance Will Not Have a Second Act as a Triathlete

    Reading Time: 3 minutesIt was apparent to me as Lance Armstrong fended off attack after attack in the Alps that he was the prohibitive favorite to wear the Yellow Jersey of the Tour de France all the way through to Paris. I began to think about the next move in Armstrong’s athletic career, specifically about…