After a steady and fruitful career in advertising and media, Julien Goupil joined the ranks of A.S.O. in 2004. The Amaury Sport Organisation (A.S.O.) organises renowned professional road races including the Tour de France, Vuelta a España, Paris–Nice and many more, so to say Julien has quite the responsibility would be an understatement. His mission today includes the management of the TV production and distribution, digital and communication of all A.S.O. events on multiple analogue and digital channels. So, if there’s anyone is in charge of illuminating the new digital realities of the pro road cycling world, it’s Julien Goupil.
Over three weekends, from 4th July to 19th July, a virtual Tour de France will unfold over six digital stages on the virtual training and racing platform Zwift. It will have all the essential thrills we love about the La Grande Boucle: world-famous pro teams with reputed names, beautiful sceneries, the peloton and, last but not least, all four classification jerseys to fight for + combatif. It’s truly a historic moment as an event of this scale, prestige and coverage has never been quite attempted via virtual reality. Accompanying the virtual Tour de France will be also a beloved amateur’s version of the race – the l’Étape. Anyone can participate in the digital version using Zwift and ride three of the routes on the same weekends as the pros! So, if you’re an active cycling fan open to novelties, you can sign up for the virtual l’Étape and even take part in a special We Love Cycling contest for three Tour de France Hospitality Programme packages!
Anyhow, our livestream host, Laura Meseguer, will look under the lid if this unique event with Julien Goupil who’ll explain in depth what difficulties do you face when you switch Le Tour from reality to virtual and how did the cycling world react to this change, whether this race format might become a standard in the future, who can participate in the virtual Tour, if there’s still space for classic road cycling tactics and spectacles and much more.
If you have any questions, don’t be shy to ask them in chat on Instagram when we go live! Tune in on our Instagram on Wednesday 8th July at 4 PM CET.
