The Tour de France starts on July 2, 2011, and race fans around the world will be on the edge of their seats as the riders battle it out from Rotterdam to the Champs-Élysées in Paris. If you can't watch the Tour de France live on television, these iPhone apps can keep you in the loop throughout the race with live video coverage or exclusive videos from Lance Armstrong.
1. Tour de France All Access
image copyright NBCUniversal
This free app from NBC Sports offers daily stage results, overall standings, video highlights, rider profiles, and other news. A US$14.99 in-app purchase unlocks live video streaming with no commercials and real-time map tracking. One additional neat feature for cyclists is the Aquaphor Le Topur Challenge which allows riders to bike the same distance as that day's Tour stage to see how they stack up.
2. Cycling Grub App
Grub, LLC
If you get your cycling news from numerous different publications, the Cycling Grub app (Free) compiles many of them into one place. This simple app compiles cycling news from BBC Sport, Bicycling magazine, Bike Radar, Cycling Plus, Cycling Weekly, VeloNews, RoadCycling.com, and more. The app isn’t the prettiest, but it will definitely save you time if you’re looking for Tour de France news and analysis on the go. News releases from major cycling brands and posts from popular blogs are also included.
3. Tour 2011
image copyright Echoman PTY Ltd.
The US$0.99 Tour 2011 includes interactive stage maps, high-resolution image galleries, Twitter integration, leaderboards, live race information, and rider profiles.
4. Tour 2011 Guide of the Stages
image copyright Mathieu Ginod
Speak French and want in-depth information each stage of the Tour? This US$0.99 app is for you. It provides detailed information about each stage, the best times at that stage, and both topographic and satellite views. If you're really, really into the Tour, I can imagine this being fascinating.
5. Team RadioShack App
Demand Media, Inc.
American fans of the Tour de France will appreciate the exclusive video diaries from Lance Armstrong on the official Team RadioShack iPhone app (Free). The photo galleries are another high point, and you can share any of the pictures via email, Facebook, or Twitter. The RadioShack app also includes access to team press releases, headlines, and articles. The app includes tons of annoying ads, but -- if you will be rooting for Team RadioShack in the Tour de France -- this is one way to show your support for the team.
6. Team Sky Cycling
image copyright BSkyB Ltd.
Is Team Sky your favorite cycling team? Then you'll need the team's free official app. Get profiles of the team's riders, photo galleries, videos from the riders, rider blogs, and more. An in-app purchase unlocks a training feature that lets you track your own performance.
7. Pro Cycling Team AG2R La Mondiale
image copyright NetcoSports
Get in-depth information on the success of Team AG2R La Mondiale. THis free app provides a schedule of the Tour, stage information, a Tour map, exclusive video, and more.
8. Sportal le Tour 2011
image copyright Sportal Australia
A free app from Australia's Sportal.com. Use this app to get up-to-date news, reports, stage-by-stage results, standings, and route maps. Includes detailed profiles on the top 20 contenders and for all the riders from Australia and New Zealand.
9. Tour de World 2011
image copyright stepmule media
Want to stay up to date on the Tour over Twitter? This US$0.99 app will help you do it, even if you don't have a Twitter account. Tour de World has over 200 cycling Twitter feeds built into it, including those from top cyclists and teams. While it's not specifically a Tour de France app, it'll certainly help you keep up with tweets during the race and throughout the offseason.