From: Gregor Brown Country: Italy (Freelance Journalist)
Information on website: Maps and timetables were available along with other stage information. Generally, it’s a well-working race website.
Accreditation: RCS Sport’s accreditation remains difficult to use, but works.
Indication to start: GPS coordinates are now given in the race book to indicate the PPO, or meeting point. That was very helpful sometimes
Working conditions at start: Generally relaxed. Sometimes it was too overcrowded with fans, making work and parking difficult for teams and press.
Working conditions at finish: Very good and flexible, for instance, when we had the Ischia stage. Press officers with BMC Racing, Garmin and Sky sometimes did not make their stars available to the press.
Pressroom: Press room sometimes in tent and not heated well. Other times, we were in very beautiful locations.
Distance Pressroom – finish and relationship to busses: Transfers this year were very long, both between the stage starts and finishes, and between the stages.
Bardonecchia and other stage finishes showed a need for better organisation with a press shuttle bus to the stage finish, posted times and later departures. Or simply always having the press room near the bus parking if the finish is far away, like when it is on a mountaintop.
Internet: Wifi once again was inconsistent and expensive. Wifi didn’t always work, and sometimes was very slow, creating a major backlog in workflow. Prices remain too high, especially for media with more than one correspondent. Discounts should be available for multiple clients. Also, inability to connect more than on device was a concern, such as a smart phone. It was inconvenient to disconnect laptop to connect iPhone, etc.
Information about race in Pressroom: TV coverage was good, but RCS Sport needs a better live ticker.
Results: Results and important communiqués now arrive on one place at the front or back of the pressroom, instead of cluttering your work area. A great improvement.
Food or drinks at or near Pressroom: Buffet began too early at 12:00-13:00 sometimes before press has arrived from stage start. Or lack of warning for when there is no buffet. If journalists know, they can stop at a bar or on the autostrada. The Tour de France puts out a list of when there will be buffets at the start of the race. It should be noted that the locals often brought out great food and they were very friendly.
Press conference: Journalists were informed of the arrival of the stage winner and GC leader. Questions are left to journalists, and Matt Rendell gave quality translations.
Amount of professional and non-professional journalist: There were non-pro journalists, an issue RCS Sport needs to sort out.