How The Tour De France Is Filmed (It's A Technical Masterpiece!)

Ever wondered how the Tour de France is filmed?

Alex goes into all the complexities that happen on the ground, in the air, and even to who pays and has the rights to broadcast the big bicycle race!

00:00 The Tour de France is one of the toughest sporting events to film
00:28 Filming the Tour de France on the ground
01:15 Filming the Tour de France from the sky
03:37 Who pays and has got the broadcasting rights to the Tour de France?
04:42 Who does the commentary for the Tour de France?
05:08 Who chooses the footage shown on TV?
05:27 How much does it all cost?

Useful Links:

Which part did you find most interesting? Let us know 👇

Watch more on GCN Tech...

🎵 Music - licensed by Epidemic Sound 🎵

#gcntech #gcn #cycling #roadcycling #roadbike #bike #bikes #bikelife #biketech #tourdefrance2024 #tourdefrance #tdf2024 #film #filmmaking #filming #filmingsetup

📸 Photos - © Velo Collection (TDW) / Getty Images & © Sprint Cycling Agency

Brought to you by the world’s biggest cycling channel, the Global Cycling Network (GCN), GCN Tech is the only channel you need for all things bike tech – past, present and future.

Simply put, we’re obsessed with tech: we seek out and showcase the best in bikes, components, tech, accessories, upgrades and more from races and events, tech shows and product launches across the globe to bring you the best in road bike technology.

We’ve got great maintenance videos to help you get the most from your bike; pro-bike tours from all the biggest races; special features and the weekly GCN Tech Show!

Thanks to our sponsors:

Watch our sister channels:

[gcntech]

Which part did you find most interesting? Let us know 👇

[jedisdad]

One of the BEST GCN videos ever! Even better than when part of a media conglomerate! Should have been posted at the start of the race.

[cog]

It's fascinating. I've been in the broadcasting business my entire career, and while I enjoy the race, I'm also enthralled by the production itself. Also, the two shots of the stadiums mentioned at the beginning are the football and baseball stadiums in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where I live. So, I was surprised to see them used as examples in this video. I would love to hear more about the camera operators on the motorcycles. I ride motorcycles and am always blown away by the shots they deliver from the back of an accelerating, braking, bobbing, and weaving motorcycle. Those folks are very talented!!

[iansingleton]

Absolutely mind boggling! The TdF footage has got to be the best live event footage ever! Year on year fantastic almost cinematic. I've watched the TdF for years and years, right back to the early 90s, well before I actually got into road riding! One of the main draws was the fantastic footage of the beautiful scenery, something that still amazes me! In contrast the Tour of Britain is being broadcast over mobile 4g networks! Flat spot dropouts and all! 😂 They'll be using iPhones to film it too! 😂😂😂😂

[staggabob]

As a mediocre motorcyclist those camera bike pilots impress the hell out of me- particularly on those rapid mountain descents with the tight switchbacks. It's tricky enough riding roads like that but they've got to keep control of the bike with the camera operator on the back, always be aware of where cyclists, team cars, other motorbikes are around them and do all that while keeping the right target in view for the production team. Amazing!

[noeldelgadillo]

filming the TDF is incredible. I love to see the how they also show us the beautiful scenery where they race. Amazing!

[Seppster]

Having been in the broadcast industry in the past, I found this hugely entertaining and informative. Thanks Alex for sparing this side of the TDF.

[brunoramey]

There are 7 helicopters involved : 2 filmings + 1 relay as you said, 1 'spare filming' and 3 more for VIP transport. 'Helicoptères de France' provides also the helicopters for the filming of the 'Dakar' Race in a similar way

[coleorum]

Amazing!....So many of us take it all for granted these days without questioning how it is done.

[Grizzrock]

There were also some drone shots e.g. on the final stage TT - give a great sense of the real speed of the descents. Hopefully there are more of these next year & in other grand tours. Would be good if they could also filter out the drone noise but I guess this is technically demanding

[gavinsullivan]

I’d like to know more about the size of the camera operators cohones. 100km/hr down a mountain while stood up with a camera 😳

[manwithnoname]

As a keen motorcyclist, I’d be very interested in any info on the motorcycle camera crews, ie rules they have to follow regarding not impeding the cyclists, team cars etc, any special training the motorcyclist has to go through, how the filming is relayed, how the motorcycle is adapted to carry a pillion cameraman standing up for hours on end plus the extra equipment fitted to the bikes etc.

[bombora]

Think of the heli pilot who has to fly the chopper, constantly look around and check for obstacles and at the same time make sure that the chopper is positioned correctly for the cameras to capture the action below. Spectacular and fascinating. As someone who was riding a motorcycle and flying fixed wing plane, I find their work even more impressive. Production value of all Grand Tours is off the charts. Thanks for giving the production crew some "air time" GCN.

[jimbolen]

I used to be a moto marshal for US Cycling (not anymore- thanks to Covid), and I can attest- it is a wildly organized chaotic endeavor. It's an absolute blast to be involved in the races!

[neilcam]

Great little summary. And as someone who's watched the TdF since the days of Indurian, it's amazing how the coverage has improved over time.

[josecarlosli-ho]

Great great content GCN!!! Congratulations and thank you!!

[tvsmed]

Everything at the tour is top class. The Marketing form strategy to the tiniest details is peerless. Best racing by far. Most excited fans. Etc etc

[tonywatson]

Alex = legend = best GCN video ever. I learned STUFF !!!

[kristofbe]

You forgot to mention motorbikes for live reporters. Several broadcasting channels have reporters on motorbikes that are literally reporting from within the race.

[ridegarden]

Great look behind the scenes! You answered questions I’ve always had! That dish relay is mind boggling. And then you have to get that flight path approved.

Can you do another video showing how they choose which camera feed to use? Is there a massive control center? How much of a delay is there? Who makes the graphics? How many of the graphics are premade vs put together on the fly? Are stat sheets put together for every cyclist in the race? How much are commentators relying on their professional knowledge and pre-race research?