The organizers of the Tour de France and the broadcasters from France Télévisions, who capture the images of the tour, want to discuss whether camera drones will be used above and in the field of riders on some stages of the Tour de France in the future. The discussion was triggered by the Paris-Nice Tour, in which a drone provided spectacular images at speeds of around 60 km/h for the first time in a World Tour race during the team time trial.
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“Based on the feedback we got, everyone liked it,” Anthony Forestier, broadcast manager at France Télévisions, told RMC Sport. “Some teams have even contacted us to ask us to share the material with them.”
The success of the drone recordings at the Paris-Nice Tour gives impetus to the discussion as to whether drones could be used more extensively at the Tour de France. So far, two helicopters have been used for the annual broadcast of the tour in France and neighboring countries, providing aerial footage above the field of drivers. The reason for using helicopters is that long distances of up to more than 200 km have to be covered every day, which drones cannot yet achieve due to the limited battery life. Modern drones can transmit broadcastable material from the air for around 20 minutes. Obstacles could also affect the broadcast quality. In addition, overflight and recording rights would have to be clarified along the route, sometimes over private land.
Drones are also not used in the driver field itself. Here the organizers rely on around seven motorcycles, each of which transports a cameraman with his equipment on the back seat. The cyclists themselves are not very enthusiastic about it, as the motorcycles emit exhaust fumes and sometimes block the route.
Drones will probably not completely replace helicopters
This year's 2024 Tour de France, which begins in July, could perhaps be a turning point in the broadcasting of the cycling spectacle – although it is unlikely that drones will completely replace helicopters any time soon. Forestier thinks that drone footage will initially supplement the reporting, for example to better put the viewer in the driver's shoes, not to present the pretty landscape.
The idea is to use the drones on suitable, shorter stages, such as the two time trials of the Tour de France and a stage around Troyes with a spectacular gravel route. But it's still far from a done deal. Those responsible at the World Cycling Federation UCI, the organizer Amaury Sport Organization (ASO) and the broadcast management want to first sit down with the participating cycling teams and discuss it.
The use of drones is common in other cycling sports: they are already used in cyclocross and mountain biking and provide a close-up view of the racing action.
(olb)