11/05/24
February 17, 2007
A new way to watch: How you can follow the Tour of California on Google Earth. (Thanks CSC)
Hmm, it's pretty cool, but I think the organisers should focus more on getting live TV pictures first. It's nice to know where Bobby Julich is on the road, but it's fairly meaningless unless you can see what's happening on TV. Otherwise it's just a dot on a computer screen. But aside from the TV issue, I like how cycling is embracing technology like this. Most big races now have excellent websites, and a lot of them have extras, like live updates, live telemetry - heart rate, speed, power output etc. I noticed in a lot of races last year that some riders also had bike-cams, which was very cool. But they're all added extras. TV is the most important.
posted by afx237vi at 03:06 PM on February 17, 2007
Nice post to be sure.Google Earth is very cool and this coverage of the Tour of California should help the sport in the USA in the post-Lance era.
posted by sickleguy at 03:54 PM on February 17, 2007
Hmm, it's pretty cool, but I think the organisers should focus more on getting live TV pictures first. I dunno - new media, internet-age, all that. This seems like an idea that would attract some new spectators - and it's not like people in Europe (who are way more into this stuff) are likely to get any TV feed, so you're truly playing to a global audience. Plus Google Earth is - as we all know - wicked cool. Nope. This is a better idea than some local coverage.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 10:41 AM on February 18, 2007
I think the system still has a few kinks in it as it had a few riders waaaay off course during yesterday's stage from Sausalito up to Santa Rosa. Nonetheless this is cool stuff and agreed that cycling is embracing technology in a great way. I really enjoy (and am awed) when a rider's live telemetry (of heart rate, watts produced, cadence, etc.) is provided - doped or not, those guys can ride...
posted by JohnSFO at 10:37 AM on February 20, 2007
Nice link, apoch. I wonder if there's any gristling about the CSC folks partnering with Google Earth and the official Tour organizers partnering with Yahoo maps? I'll try to remember to check this out sometime next week. Thanks for the post.