S4C will show live coverage and evening highlights from each stage of the 2019 Giro d’Italia.
The Welsh language broadcaster will provide extensive free-to-air coverage of opening Grand Tour of the season, with viewers able to follow every stage of this year’s race on S4C.
The Seiclo crew will show the concluding two hours from each stage every afternoon throughout the three-week race, as well as a half-hour highlights programme every evening.
It is the first time that live coverage of the Giro d’Italia has been broadcast free-to-air since 2014, when BBC Northern Ireland covered the opening stages of the race in Belfast and Dublin, while the 2019 race marks the first time that Italy’s Grand Tour has been broadcast live in its entirety on terrestrial television.
The 102nd edition of the Corsa Rosa gets underway on Saturday, 11 May, with an individual time trial in Bologna.
The peloton will then take on seven summit finishes along the 3,518.5km route of this year’s race, before rolling into Verona for a final stage time trial, where the winner of the pink jersey – the Maglia Rosa – will be crowned on Sunday, 2 June.
S4C’s Seiclo will have live coverage from each stage of the race as well as highlights each evening, all of which will be available to watch online via S4C Clic, BBC iPlayer and Facebook Live.
The experienced Seiclo commentary team, which consists of Wyn Gruffudd, Rheinallt and Peredur ap Gwynedd, pro cyclist Gruff Lewis and Dewi Owen, will provide analysis and reaction from all 21 stages of the race.
S4C Sports Commissioner Sue Butler said:
“It’s a pleasure to add another of cycling’s Grand Tours, the Giro d’Italia, to our sports portfolio.
“The Giro is one of the toughest, most spectacular bike races on the calendar, and we look forward to bringing Welsh language coverage of this exciting event to our viewers.”
Seiclo, S4C’s flagship cycling series, has been providing Welsh language free-to-air coverage of the Tour de France and the Spring Classics races since 2014, but this is the first year the channel will be showing the Giro d’Italia.
Despite the absence of last year’s winner Chris Froome, and last year’s Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas, this year’s Giro still boasts a top-class field.
Previous winner Tom Dumoulin is the bookies’ favourite, but Simon Yates, Egan Bernal, Vincenzo Nibali and Primoz Roglic are expected to make the race for the Maglia Rosa very competitive.
In addition to S4C’s coverage, live action of the 2019 Giro d’Italia will also be available to watch on Eurosport, with nightly highlights on free-to-air channel Quest.
