Discovery launches new free-to-air pro cycling show, but it’s not live racing or highlights

Warner Bros. Discovery has launched a new pro cycling programme, The Ultimate Cycling Show, which will begin airing next week on free-to-air-television in the UK and Ireland.

The move comes weeks after it was announced that Eurosport would be closing down and live professional cycling would move to TNT Sports as of March. The decision was made by Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), the parent company of the two channels, in a plan to align its sports offerings in a “single destination”.

As a result, cycling will be put behind a larger paywall. The cost of a TNT Sports subscription is £30.99 a month, although this is available cheaper as an add-on to other TV packages.

The Ultimate Cycling Show a free-to-air addendum to this move, and will be shown on Quest, available on Freeview, Sky and Virgin Media, as well as on Discovery+ online.

The programme will be hosted by Orla Chennaoui and Adam Blythe, and will debut next Thursday, 27 February at 10pm. 15 episodes are planned through the key part of the cycling season.

There is no mention of highlights. The first episode will feature Jayco AlUla sports director Steve Cummings as a special guest, as well as an exclusive interview with Tom Pidcock, the pair having both departed from Ineos Grenadiers at the end of last year.

There will also be a feature called 'Team of the Week', which next week will be Visma-Lease a Bike, and the launch of 'Just Ride', TNT Sports' "grassroots cycling initiative". The project will offer kits and cash prizes for "cycling tribes" who demonstrate their passion for the sport by submitting videos through a new nationwide competition.

The first episode will focus on the upcoming Classics, with Omloop Het Nieuwsblad the first WorldTour race to be shown on TNT Sports.

On top of the road cycling content, there is a season preview of the mountain bike World Series, and a format called the 'Zwift Flying K' where studio guests are challenged to set the quickest time over 1km on Zwift.

"Every story will be chased down and showcased for viewers like never before with the show set to cover all aspects of racing," the press release reads. "From the peloton’s painstaking Grand Tour preparations to portraits of the world’s greatest riders, and recons of iconic routes narrated by former world-beaters, from Flanders’ cobbles to alpine peaks, fans will be treated to a feast of features, and weekly formats throughout the season."