After Channel 4 dumped Tour De France coverage in favour of cricket things took a grim turn for anyone wanting to see cycling’s greatest soap opera.

You either had to subscribe to Eurosport on cable or digital and endure / enjoy the err, idiosyncratic commentating of David Duffield or wait for the once a week, middle of the night ‘highlights’ slot on ITV. Now Bikebiz.co.uk reports ITV2 will be showing 52 hours worth of daily broadcasts with voiceovers from Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen. OK, you still have to have cable, digital or satellite TV, but if you do then the channel is free and you won’t have to hear minute details of what the commentator had for lunch just as the crucial move of the race is in progress on the screen.

Now all you have to do is convince your boss to let you bring a TV into work for the afternoons, or stock up on video tapes before July 4th.