Tour de France TV broadcasts urged to give stage winners more airtime over GC battle

During Sunday's stage 15 showdown in the shadow of Mont Blanc, Wout Poels' maiden Tour de France stage win was decided well before the final hundred metres, the veteran climber — part of four Sky/Ineos yellow jersey-winning teams for three different riders — finally getting his day in the sun.

Poels, a victim of his own success in besting his breakaway companions with ease to win by more than two minutes, largely disappeared from our TV screens, returning for the briefest of two or three-second finish line celebrations, before the broadcast sharply cut back to Tadej Pogačar effortlessly leading Jonas Vingegaard up the mountain moments after the Slovenian's teammate Adam Yates had nipped off the front in search of a few easy seconds.

Addressing the situation last night, as the final rest day before Paris drew to a close and the third week's fatigue loomed as large as the epic Alpine peak that the previous day's stage had finished beneath, CPA riders' union president Adam Hansen voiced concern at the lack of airtime afforded to Poels.

> Tour de France week two recap: Pogačar and Vingegaard on deuce as Tour for the ages set for final week tiebreaker

"It's sad for me to see Wout Poels have one of his biggest moments, winning a stage at the Tour, which is an almost impossible task," Hansen reflected, sharing a clip of the footage. "I would really appreciate for him, or any winner, to have more than two seconds of TV time, so he can show his son what he had achieved. The GC guys are shown every day. Please, I ask kindly France TV give these guys and their teams more exposure that they deserve."

Its sad for me to see @WoutPoels have one of his biggest moments, winning a stage @LeTour, which is an almost impossible task. I would really appreciate for him or any winner to have more than 2 seconds of TV time, so he can show his son what he had achieved. The GC guys are… pic.twitter.com/feteB0XHi6

— Adam Hansen (@HansenAdam) July 17, 2023

The response to his tweet was enough proof that Hansen's thoughts were shared by many enjoying a Sunday on the sofa for stage 15, others expressing similar dismay at the lack of airtime, raising questions about why a split screen could not be used, fans going as far as calling the lack of recognition for Poels' performance a "disgrace" and "a great mistake".

Merida too, the bike sponsor of Bahrain Victorious, thanked Hansen for raising the point, prompting the CPA president to add to his thoughts with a second paragraph calling for the need to showcase the brands that pump money into the sport when they enjoy success.

"This was my second main concern," Hansen added. "For the rider himself, it's important. But the sponsors deserve their place too. Your bike won a stage at the Tour! This has to be also shown. We all know it. But, let's give credit, where credit is due. Thanks for sponsoring a team and giving riders their dreams, Merida!"

Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com

Fans replying pointed out Ineos Grenadiers' Carlos Rodríguez suffered similar treatment a day earlier, although in a slightly more complex situation as the Spaniard crossed the line as, metres behind, Pogačar and Vingegaard launched their sprint for bonus seconds.

Likewise, at Grand Colombier on stage 13, Michał Kwiatkowski's extraordinary stage-winning performance ended at the exact moment Pogačar launched a typically explosive attack in the final kilometre, an omission which would have roused fury if the broadcaster had chosen not to cut back to immediately.

Many will have sympathy for the TV director juggling multiple cameras, especially in the mountains where the race stretches out over kilometres at a time, however one of the most popular suggestions in the wake of Hansen's posts would be the implementation of split screens at important moments, allowing viewers to soak up Poels' victory salute without missing any potential GC movements.

Zac Williams/SWpix.com

"Live directorial decisions are always going to be complex, but at minimum a split screen and ideally retain all the camera feeds and be able to replay the entire winning moment," one fan suggested. "They may actually do this already. This is good for moments of history [being] preserved and race jury replays."

"When watching the replay, I felt Wout Poels was virtually ignored in his moment of glory," another told Hansen. "Sure the GC battle is good to see but Poels deserved his moment. Split screens are not new. Thanks for raising this."

Of course it is a balance. Too much of the breakaway and we are complaining that the broadcast missed all the GC action, something some replied to Hansen to say they were displeased by on the Puy de Dôme stage.

Are split screens the way forward? Let us know your thoughts in the comments...