Tour of California organizers, AEG, have announced that they have expanded their partnership with the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), the organizers of the world's biggest bike race, the Tour de France. The two companies are working together to provide unprecedented coverage of what they say, after just four years, has become the most popular bike race outside of Europe.
For 2010 the Tour of California has moved to a May time slot for the first time, meaning America's biggest stage race will now take place in the heart of the cycling season. ASO will now be assuming the responsibility for all aspects of the race's television production. This means that the Tour of California will now take advantage of the Tour de France production team. This year's edition of the race will be shot and distributed in high definition, showcasing the picturesque landscape of California to a global audience.
“We are pleased to be entering the third year of this partnership with AEG and the Amgen Tour of California and are looking forward to expanding the services that we will be providing to this year’s race,” said Yann Le Moenner, deputy managing director, ASO. “We are proud to be producing and distributing the broadcast images of the 2010 Amgen Tour of California on an international platform, demonstrating that our expertise is recognized not only in Europe, but worldwide. We are looking forward to providing services to other international sporting events based on the experience we have built over many years in the business.”
In addition to production of the broadcast, ASO will continue to assist AEG with the international distribution of the Amgen Tour of California television and digital media rights. In 2009, the race was distributed to more than 200 countries and territories and was seen live in more than 90 countries on some of the main cycling channels worldwide.
“AEG is delighted to grow our partnership with the Amaury Sport Organization, which is the world’s best organizer of bicycle races,” said Andrew Messick, president, AEG Sports. “We expect that ASO will provide viewers around the world with both an extraordinary documentation of the race and a showcase of the incredible beauty and diversity of the state of California.”