The US cable channel which broadcasts the Tour de France in the US - and which populates the Tour's English-language website - is to provide live coverage of Paris-Nice in March as well as continue its coverage of Le Tour, Vuelta a España and the Giro d’Italia. Phil Liggett remains on the payroll. For non-US residents, the OLN website will be studded with sound-bites and video-grabs of key moments of cycle sport in 2004.

OLN announces cycle race coverage for 2004

“OLN’s live broadcast of the Paris-Nice will provide in-depth coverage showing the dedication and spirit of world-class athletes performing at their highest level – ideals which our network strives to capture in all of our programming,” said Peter Englehart, Outdoor Life Network senior vice president, programming & production.

The cable coverage schedule is:

March 7th : 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM ET (Tape delay)

March 8th – March 12th: 9:30 AM ET – 11:00 AM (LIVE)

March 13th – March 14th: 4:00 PM ET – 5:30 PM (Tape delay)

The Tour de France will continue to be the cornerstone of OLN’s cycling schedule, with daily, live coverage throughout the race.

With Lance Armstrong going for a historic sixth Maillot Jeune, OLN is ratcheting up the excitement with two lead-up programmes, starting April, Road to the Tour and The Lance Chronicles: The Real Life Saga of Armstrong’s Quest for Six.

Road to the Tour will feature six embedded correspondents filing weekly stories on each of Armstrong’s primary rivals in The Tour de France, while The Lance Chronicles goes behind-the-scenes with the five-time Tour de France Champion and the United States Postal Service Pro Cycling Team as they prepare for The Tour de France.

Additional cycling coverage planned includes the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España. OLN plans to broadcast the Giro d’Italia live on weekdays from 9:30 – 11:00 AM ET with a tape delay on Saturday and Sunday from 3-4:30 PM ET followed by a one-hour highlight show on June 3rd at 9:30 PM ET.

OLN will also provide coverage of the following events:

Tour of Flanders Thursday, April 8 at 9:30 PM ET

Paris-Roubaix Thursday, April 15 at 9:30 PM ET

Amstel Gold Cup Thursday, April 22 at 9:30 PM ET

Tour of Georgia* Thursday, May 6 at 9:30 PM ET

US Pro Championships – Philadelphia Thursday, June 10 at 9:30 PM ET

http://www.OLNTV.com

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