It's been a black week for British Cycling, and now the Tour de Yorkshire has suffered a TV blackout on the very day both the pro men and women were racing.
The Tour de Yorkshire has suffered a hammer blow with the race’s TV airplane suffering technical problems and being unable to transmit the live pictures gathered by the cameras covering the action.
The women’s race this morning was due to be televised but those plans had to be abandoned.
And while the pictures returned a little over an hour into stage 2 of the men’s race in the afternoon, no sooner had the broadcast begun than it went off air again.
At the time of writing it appeared the only section of the race that could be broadcast were the images recorded by the static camera at the finish for the final sprint.
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The breakdown is a major blow for the race as the men’s event is only three stages long.
And with record prize money – including €50,000 for the winner – offered for the women’s one-day race today, both events were billed as representing the best of British cycling.
The organisers, who are widely credited with putting on a fantastic race, will curse their luck that the aircraft that flies over the race beaming the pictures from the cameras into people’s living rooms experienced its problems on the very day that both the men and women were racing.
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The mishap was especially unfortunate for the women’s race as start to finish coverage of women’s racing is rare.
The women’s field raced the same course as the men’s race stage 2, from Otley to Doncaster.
World champion Lizzie Armistead put in an attacking ride in a bid, as she said herself, to showcase the best in women’s racing and make the race more exciting for the crowd.
But nobody at home or watching on the big screens on the course saw the action.
The women’s race came down to a bunch sprint after the late breakaway Armitstead was part of was brought back.
Dutch rider Kirsten Wild (Hitech Products) took victory from Lucy Garner (Wiggle-High5) and Floortje Mackaij (Liv-Plantur).
Ireland’s Lydia Boylan came home in a group 14:15 down and finished in 56th place, halfway down the field on a day when a large number of riders failed to finish or were outside the time limit.
Tour de Yorkshire Women's Race
1 Kirsten Wild (Ned) Hitech Products
2 Lucy Garner (GBr) Wiggle-High5
3 Floortje Mackaij (Ned) Liv-Plantur
4 Alice Barnes (GBr) Great Britain
5 Marta Bastianelli (Ita) Ale-Cipollini
6 Anna Trevisi (Ita) Ale-Cipollini
7 Jennifer George (GBr) Drops Cycling
8 Nicola Juniper (GBr) Team Ecoboost
9 Nicole Moerig (Aus) Podium Ambition
10 Evie Richards (GBr) Great Britain
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