Tour of Southland on Duke

Cycling fans around the country will have an unprecedented opportunity to watch free-to-air television coverage of New Zealand’s leading stage cycle race.

Coverage of the 2016 SBS Bank Tour of Southland will be broadcast on TVNZ’s Duke channel (available on Freeview 13 or Sky 23) and also streamed On-Demand through the channel’s website.

This means cycling fans will be able to watch the half-hour highlights show on the day the stage was held or stream it on their computer or tablet at a time that suited them.

SBS Bank Tour of Southland race director Bruce Ross was delighted that the show was returning to a free-to-air broadcast because it made the popular race more accessible to a wider audience.

Last year the highlights programme had been restricted to those who had subscribed to Sky Sports.

“This deal with Duke now means no matter where they are in the country, cycling fans will be able to watch the Tour and that’s just fantastic,” Ross said.

“When we moved to Sky Sports, I had a guy ring me from Tauranga saying how disappointed he was because he didn’t have Sky and wouldn’t be able to watch. I haven’t forgotten that so it’s great to know that he’ll now be able to enjoy all the action from the racing – plus see Southland’s spectacular scenery.

“I’m excited that Duke and TVNZ have seen the opportunities that broadcasting the Tour will bring for them.

“We’re always looking at ways to spread the word about the tour and having it available OnDemand makes it so much more accessible – cycling fans can get up in the morning and watch all the action, and then follow our live text coverage.

“It’s a great move for the event as we celebrate its 60th anniversary and just another way to ensure the race continues for another 60 years.”

The day’s racing highlights will screen about 11pm each night (starting on Monday, October 31 with coverage of Stage One Invercargill to Lumsden) and then be rebroadcast twice the following day, as well as be available for TVNZ OnDemand viewing at (www.tvnz.co.nz/ondemand/channels/duke).

The live text race coverage will be hosted on www.tourofsouthland.co.nz throughout the tour.

The SBS Bank Tour of Southland is the premiere cycle stage race in New Zealand and attracts riders from around the world. This year marks the 60th anniversary of New Zealand's most prestigious road cycling stage race, with a number of great names from the present and past set to be part of the celebrations.

The Tour - Oct 30 to Nov 5 - will traverse more than 900km of Southland and Central Otago's most stunning scenery, with only the hardiest of riders completing the distance, and only the strongest getting to add their name to the list of former champions, which is a veritable who's who of New Zealand cycling.

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