While there were tears of joy, disbelief, and an exciting conclusion to the prestigious Tour de France Femmes in France, Polish fans expressed their anger on social media under Eurosport's posts. "It's a shame that instead of showing the live battle of a Polish rider for the overall victory in a major race, Eurosport aired another tour where none of our riders were competing... Once again, women have been deemed less important than men," one user wrote on Facebook.
TV Gets the Heat: "I'm Embarrassed"
There were many similar comments under almost every post by Eurosport's Polish branch, including on the platform X (formerly Twitter).
"I don't know who came up with the idea to barely show the last stage of TdF? The station's ignorance is at the highest level. I'm embarrassed by your approach to this competition," wrote Jacek. "Shame on you, Eurosport. Vuelta is more important to you than the greatest success in Polish cycling," added Grendel. There were also harsher comments.
Why Were Fans Angry?
Viewers and fans were upset by the fact that during the final stage in France, Eurosport 1 aired the second stage of the men's competition in Spain. On Eurosport 2, during the historic moments for Polish cycling, there was a live broadcast of motocross and then a golf tournament. Eurosport had advertised in some versions of its schedule and on social media that around 5:25 PM, it would start broadcasting the last few kilometers of the women's Tour de France. However, in reality, the broadcaster switched to Katarzyna Niewiadoma's race for just the last four kilometers. The live coverage lasted only about a dozen minutes.
The station had previously covered events on the route in France through its social media. Vuelta commentators also referenced the good performance of the Polish rider. However, the entire women's race could only be seen in Poland on the Max platform, which far fewer fans have access to compared to the two television channels available on cable and satellite platforms.
"Central Decisions," Vuelta Was Going Too Slow
Eurosport's Polish branch tried to signal on its social media that it had no control over what Polish viewers saw on television and that it had to show Vuelta until the end.
"The central decisions regarding the full stage broadcast of #LaVuelta24 have been fulfilled. We are switching to France and, together with Katarzyna Niewiadoma, counting the virtual seconds also on Eurosport 1," they wrote on Facebook. Let's remember that Eurosport is a subsidiary of Warner Bros Discovery. The Polish branch is one of several in Europe. The broadcaster's schedule is largely centralized, with event rights purchased for multiple markets, along with localized commentary and sometimes local reporting. Fans across Europe were supposed to see a significant part of the women's race in France, but it turned out differently. The Polish branch of the television provided the following explanation regarding Sunday's events.
"The Sunday, final stage of the Tour de France Femmes was fully shown on the Max platform. On Eurosport 1, we switched to the TdF Femmes immediately after the Vuelta broadcast ended as planned. Unfortunately, the riders rode yesterday's Vuelta stage at a very slow pace, which delayed the Tour de France Femmes broadcast on Eurosport 1," the statement read.
Four Seconds and a Historic Triumph
Let's remember that Katarzyna Niewiadoma took the leader's jersey in the Tour de France after the fifth stage and consistently defended it. Her biggest rival, Demi Vollering, crossed the finish line first, but Niewiadoma did not give up. After an intense battle, she maintained a four-second lead and secured the overall victory. This made the final stage dramatic, with the Polish rider's victory hanging in the balance until the end.
"What a finale! The terrain was suitable for it, with punishing climbs on Col du Glandon and Alpe d'Huez, and Demi Vollering tried everything. The defending champion launched an attack 54 kilometers before the finish, leaving Katarzyna Niewiadoma behind. It was a breathtaking showdown, with the Dutch rider just four seconds short of victory," wrote French Eurosport.
It should be noted that Niewiadoma finished third in the previous two editions of this race. No Polish cyclist had ever won the Tour de France before. That's why congratulations poured in for the Polish rider. Donald Tusk also joined in, saying, "This is one of the greatest achievements in Polish sports."
