View from the sunflowers: If NBC gets Tour of Italy rights, hire Greg LeMond

December 15, 8:30 PMCycling ExaminerJames Raia

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All smiles: Greg LeMond, Lance Armstrong

It was a one-line reference at the bottom of a story on a well-known cycling web site. Angelo Zomegnan, director of the Tour of Italy, said he’s discussing broadcast rights for the race’s centennial edition next May with NBC.

For years, U.S.-based cycling fans have largely had to rely on the Outdoor Life Network (OLN) and its revised signature, Versus, for coverage of important cycling events, most notably the Tour de France.

With Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen handling most of the responsibilities, it’s been hard to criticize the broadcasts. I consider Liggett and Sherwen as friends and they know the sport and its athletes intimately. The lead duo has been working together for two decades and they’re still “fresh.” Bob Roll, Frankie Andreu and more recently Robbie Ventura have added keen insights into the mix.

Conversely, OLN/Versus has had less-than-stellar moments: Al Trautwig comes immediately to mind and the network’s repetition of commercials is annoying and counter-effective. Get pitched nearly anything 10 times in an hour and I don't want it.

Anyway, NBC now seems to be in the mix for rights to broadcast Lance Armstrong’s grand tour debut in 2009. And no disrespect to Versus, but competition is a good thing.

And so let’s speculate: If NBC landed the Tour of Italy contract, who would it get as broadcasters and analysts?

If I were in charge, I’d check the broadcast schedule of Bob Costas. If available, I’d hire a consultant to give Costas some quick tutoring on the sport’s nuances. And then I’d offer Greg LeMond a contract.

The best thing about NBC’s golf coverage is the expertise provided by Johnny Miller. There’s no one better. Miller was among the best in the game and he’s never shy with his educated opinions. If Tiger Woods needs to be criticized, Miller’s the guy who’s not afraid to speak the truth.

Seems to me, LeMond would be a perfect fit for a similar role in cycling. He’s among the best in the sport's history and he’s at least as controversial as Miller.

And what could be better than LeMond interviewing Armstrong?

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