The Best Five Websites for Following the Tour De France

Running from Saturday July 4th to Sunday July 26th 2009, the 96th Tour de France will will cover a total distance of 2 175 miles. Each of its 21 stages promises new challenges for its riders and thrilling action that you won't want to miss. But if you don't have time to watch the coverage on television, where else can you catch all of the highlights?
Here are the top five websites to follow all the action:

5. Steephilltv.com
http://www.steephill.tv/2009/tour-de-france/

Although this is by far the most unsophisticated of all 5 websites, it still has everything you need to follow the Tour. Maps, interviews, TV schedules and most importantly live updates.

4. Eurosport.com
http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/cycling/

Eurosport offers European sport coverage in 9 different language and country settings, allowing you to follow the Tour no matter what country you're roouting for or what language you speak. A live news feed at the top of the page keeps you constantly updated, and the websites interface makes it easy to follow race results. Relevant photos and video clips are also included.

3. Bicycling.com
http://bicycling.com

This website goes beyond typical tour coverage. A cycling fan's dream, it includes pod casts, live blogs and video coverage of the 2009 Tour. In addition it also showcases rider profiles, Expert reports, a history of the Tour and a glossary of terms. Fans can browse forums and read up on great riders, defining moments and even specific bikes used in the Tour.

2. Official Website
http://www.letour.fr/indexus.html

Naturally the Official tour website is one of the best places to catch all the news about the race. Here you can watch video clips about the history of the Tour, catch up on the latest news, study detailed maps of each stage on the route, and read up on all the towns included. You can also stock up on all the Tour de France merchandise you can dream of.

1. Versus
http://www.versus.com/tdf

Since Versus is the only American television channel with broadcast rights to the Tour, it's only fitting that their website is the best place to follow coverage of the tour. The website includes daily video clips, reports, image galleries and detailed coverage of each stage.