It Finally Happened. Le Tour is on Le TikTok
This year’s Tour de France will be meme’d like it's never been meme’d before. TikTok and the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes announced an official partnership that promises “refreshing and sometimes off-the-wall formats, stories and perspectives.” As if the Netflix special wasn’t enough...
But seriously, it’s pretty great news to hear that Le Tour is looking for ways to reach a wider, likely younger fan base, and through a platform that’s free to fans. While full stages will still be behind paywalls on NBC and Peacock, fans can now catch highlight moments and behind the scenes footage on the popular video app.
In a press release, TikTok noted that content would start coming out on July 1, so make sure you’re checking the app this weekend to see what they’re coming up with. According to the press release, TikTok creators will bring a new point of view and perspective to the Tour, showcasing their love for the sport and their creativity through their own video creations.
As they noted, using TikTok for Tour content is an “opportunity for everyone to experience the passion and dedication of extraordinary male and female riders, to inspire the next generation of cyclists and to share our collective love and passion for the sport.” (It’s worth applauding the platform for normalizing the inclusion of the Tour de France Femmes in all of the coverage—they don’t seem to think that it’s surprising or ground-breaking that women’s coverage would also happen.)
“The uniqueness of the content offered by TikTok is a perfect match for the Tour de France’s ambition: to make the event known everywhere, to everyone and with the spontaneous and creative eye of fans,” said Julien Goupil, Media and partnerships director at the Tour’s parent organization A.S.O. “The content created at the roadside will enhance existing coverage and bring the public together around the event even more widely.”
There will also be a tourism component as well: According to A.S.O, each stage of the Tour will be a “golden opportunity to put the spotlight on local TikTok creators and the rich tapestry of landscapes that set the backdrop for these two events.” (Hopefully including some wine, baguette and cheese recommendations in addition to notes on the cycling terrain.)
Much of the content can be found on the Tour’s TikTok page (@LeTourDeFrance) or by checking the dedicated #tourdefrance search page.
Now, there’s only one problem for all of us longtime cycling journalists... figuring out how the heck to get onto TikTok to start watching the Tour action there. Or maybe we’ll just wait for the good stuff to get reposted to Instagram.
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