# Versus Sucks !!!!



## Zipp0 (Aug 19, 2008)

*Versus sucks Anus*

2 miles to go and they cut off the race????????? WTF!!!! ????? And the TOC site goes down immediately. PISSED. 1-877-VERSUS-ON Tell them how you feel.


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## AlanE (Jan 22, 2002)

With less than 2 miles to go in today's stage, Versus cuts the broadcast for go to the start of a hockey game. Unbelievable !!! True a-holes


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## nismo73 (Jul 29, 2009)

%&#*@&@!#_&!*#@$*)#&$**%$#%&@*&%@*$#@!(@*#$(#&*#&%@#$#@*!!!!!!!!!!!

And I couldn't get the Tracker to load up!!!


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## JohnHemlock (Jul 15, 2006)

That was terrible. Then they direct you to a website that keeps crashing.

Who cares about hockey besides a handful of toothless retarded pedophiles? And Canadians.


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## InfiniteLoop (Mar 20, 2010)

*I have a sudden distaste for hockey!*

Or Versus or AEG or ?? Versus cut over to at least 10 minutes of talking heads mostly just laughing at each other. Certainly they could have delayed the cutover by 2 minutes.

Was anyone able to watch the finish on ATOC.com? All I could get was Stage 2 replay. 

Did the race start late? Take longer?


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

Breaking News: Water is Wet. Skip Versus. Use the online tracker.


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## Mosovich (Feb 3, 2004)

*Send VERSUS your thoughts..*

I just did and I hope they read it! Oh, and they want you to pay $27 for their tour tracker? FU VERSUS!


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## Gov (May 14, 2010)

Breaking News: the tracker is down.


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

InfiniteLoop said:


> Or Versus or AEG or ?? Versus cut over to at least 10 minutes of talking heads mostly just laughing at each other. Certainly they could have delayed the cutover by 2 minutes.
> 
> Was anyone able to watch the finish on ATOC.com? All I could get was Stage 2 replay.
> 
> Did the race start late? Take longer?


I'm still watching ToC online. Skip Versus. They always pull that BS.

http://tracker.amgentourofcalifornia.com/


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

Gov said:


> Breaking News: the tracker is down.


Is not. I am still watching it.


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## Shaggybx (Feb 2, 2008)

I'll be cancelling Versus right after the Tour
What a disappointment.
I thought yesterday was bad,today took the cake.
What a bunch of amateurs.


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

Shaggybx said:


> I'll be cancelling Versus right after the Tour
> What a disappointment.
> I thought yesterday was bad,today took the cake.
> What a bunch of amateurs.


Yesterday there wasn't much they could do about. Today, not so much.


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

ToC tracker is still ticken. Probably denying new connections though.


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

Mosovich said:


> I just did and I hope they read it! Oh, and they want you to pay $27 for their tour tracker? FU VERSUS!


The Amgen tracker is free.


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## Zipp0 (Aug 19, 2008)

OK...what happened? I called VERSUS and the customer service rep agreed that what they did was flat out stupid.


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## Zipp0 (Aug 19, 2008)

1-877-VERSUS-ON. I called and talked to them. They will answer in about a minute. Call.


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

Zipp0 said:


> OK...what happened? I called VERSUS and the customer service rep agreed that what they did was flat out stupid.


Well, at least there is consensus on that topic. Another reason why I don't pay for cable.


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## carbonLORD (Aug 2, 2004)

Not worth sitting through a half hour of commercials, or am I missing something. So far Ive yet to see any actual video of the race!


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## Zipp0 (Aug 19, 2008)

Dude, the race is long over. Versus cut away with about 3 minutes left.


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## Zipp0 (Aug 19, 2008)

Getting in to the tracker was not possible via the home page. I eventually got there.... after the race was over. Ba$$tards.


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## KenS (Jan 28, 2004)

*Versus - how stupid can you be?*

3 minutes to the end and they cut away to lame Broad Street Bullies fan shots and meaningless color commentary. Versus shot themselves fatally.


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## gh1 (Jun 7, 2008)

now, now, it sucks but dont blame hockey


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## carbonLORD (Aug 2, 2004)

*No video of race, just commercials?*



Marc said:


> I'm still watching ToC online. Skip Versus. They always pull that BS.
> 
> http://tracker.amgentourofcalifornia.com/


What am I missing, it plays commercials for 20 minutes.... I quit out of it, it was cooking my laptop.


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

carbonLORD said:


> What am I missing, it plays commercials for 20 minutes.... I quit out of it, it was cooking my laptop.


1/2 an hour ago, they were still streaming...by now they've probably stopped.

I don't know about on-demand coverage. Odds are it'll show up on YouTube sometime soon.


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## JacoStillLives (May 7, 2010)

gh1 said:


> now, now, it sucks but dont blame hockey


+1
hockey rules


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## KenS (Jan 28, 2004)

*Why did VS switch*

Note their home location and send them your thoughts:

VERSUS
Comcast Center
One Comcast Center
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Toll-Free 1-877-VERSUS-ON

Viewer Feedback and all other inquiries
[email protected]

Public Relations
[email protected]


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## JoelS (Aug 25, 2008)

I contacted them and registered my opposition to their cutting away.


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## KenS (Jan 28, 2004)

*Send Versus your thoughts - with links*

VERSUS
Comcast Center
One Comcast Center
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Toll-Free 1-877-VERSUS-ON

Viewer Feedback and all other inquiries
[email protected]

Public Relations
[email protected]


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

Zipp0 said:


> Dude, the race is long over. Versus cut away with about 3 minutes left.


Amgen streaming does not, they hang on till jerseys are awarded.


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## Nimitz (Jul 8, 2004)

JohnHemlock said:


> That was terrible. Then they direct you to a website that keeps crashing.
> 
> Who cares about hockey besides a handful of toothless retarded pedophiles? And Canadians.


and who cares about the tour except a bunch of geeky spandex clad cyclist?

painting with a broad stroke, I agree they could of held off for the 2 minutes but the Stanley cup playoffs is definitely a bigger draw....

Chad


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## Shaggybx (Feb 2, 2008)

Marc said:


> Yesterday there wasn't much they could do about. Today, not so much.


They had no problem at the Giro the other day.The conditions looked worse to me.
Oh well


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## penn_rider (Jul 11, 2009)

It is not VS fault.. They are under contract with NHL for the coverage. Maybe they should have ridden faster :lol:

I wish they would have waited,, but I found out as I watch it taped. I get no chance of extra coverage.


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## rockridge (Nov 17, 2004)

*Universal Sports*

Much better coverage on Universal Sports for the Giro and it is free with the digital converter box. Also they show other bike races in Europe (Adriatico - Tirreno) and mtb races.


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## Spectrum (Nov 15, 2005)

Versus is just a POS. Why even bother to show the ATOC if they will cut it before the finish like they did. Simply unbelievable..


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## Sylint (Jul 27, 2009)

you people don't really understand contracts very well do you....


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## Poppadaddio (Apr 15, 2007)

*Versus = stupid*

They cut away to commentary, not the game!


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## 2ndGen (Oct 10, 2008)

rockridge said:


> Much better coverage on Universal Sports for the Giro and it is free with the digital converter box. Also they show other bike races in Europe (Adriatico - Tirreno) and mtb races.


That's what I was going to say...5 syllables: 

*Universal Sports
*
http://www.universalsports.com/cycling/

:thumbsup:


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## gnr0385 (Jan 20, 2009)

wow. i'm so disappointed with versus. it's a sad commentary with the state of cycling in america when hockey takes precedence. i have lost all respect for this channel. oh, and the fact that they couldn't find a way to show yesterdays race because it was raining. unbelievable.


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## Sylint (Jul 27, 2009)

gnr0385 said:


> wow. i'm so disappointed with versus. it's a sad commentary with the state of cycling in america when hockey takes precedence. i have lost all respect for this channel. oh, and the fact that they couldn't find a way to show yesterdays race because it was raining. unbelievable.


That wasn't Versus fault....seeing as how they just get the feed from ASO.....

And as pissed as I was when it happened, you can't seriously blame them for switching...NHL Playoff games are going to draw a much larger crowd than the ATOC.


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## davidka (Dec 12, 2001)

I'm betting they sell hockey advertising spots for double or more than cycling programming. Guess which one is going to get it's airtime cut. They'll show the highlights tomorrow.


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## Gov (May 14, 2010)

recap show is on at 11pm.


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

Shaggybx said:


> They had no problem at the Giro the other day.The conditions looked worse to me.
> Oh well


I honestly don't know-but I'd wager the air in Italy is far less clogged with signals than California...and I'd also wager that what frequencies are allowed to be used in the EU are very different than in CA too. I don't know, but Id wager the flight rules might be different.

It ain't a simple thing to broadcast a grand tour even in SD live, nevermind HD. Even just shooting a cable signal from one building to another can be a nightmare even using physical cabling. 1,000,000 things can go wrong, and I'm prone to cut Versus some slack on that. Hell, my wireless router doesn't like to work 25% of the time with my netbook in the same room.


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

davidka said:


> I'm betting they sell hockey advertising spots for double or more than cycling programming. Guess which one is going to get it's airtime cut. They'll show the highlights tomorrow.


Hey at least it is hockey, and not like bullriding was with the Tour a few years back...


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## hawker12 (Oct 19, 2003)

Gov said:


> recap show is on at 11pm.



Not according to the listings on Tivo....I show MORE HOCKEY!!!!

This is ridiculous. There have been technical screw-ups in the first two programs, essentially no program for stage 2 when they should have had some sort of contingency plan and technical drop outs now in stage 3....not to mention missing the end. 

I Tivoed the race today so by the time I realized I would have to go to the Amgen site to see the end they were no longer streaming.

Bush league crap all the way. I'll be contacting TOC and Versus to know how I feel.


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## Nimitz (Jul 8, 2004)

Shaggybx said:


> They had no problem at the Giro the other day.The conditions looked worse to me.
> Oh well


it wasn't entirely the weather...the low flying planes near the airport (due to the cloud cover) wouldn't allow them in the air.

I wish everyone would stop *****ing be glad we can at least WATCH...and universal sucks for most part commentators suck and make a great race boring quality is awful too.

Chad


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## nOOky (Mar 20, 2009)

Universal's women of beach volleyball photos more than made up for anything else, glad I clicked that link :thumbsup:
Wait, they had bicycle racing on there also!


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## hawker12 (Oct 19, 2003)

I contacted Versus as well. I understand contracts but I also understand contingency plans.

If you are gong to carry to live broadcasts back-to-back...then be prepared for the unexpected. This was disrespectable to the audience, the sponsors and the sport and bush league at best.

And while I'm at it...there have been technical glitches every day Day one, messed up audio for the first few minutes, day two essentially no program (again, no contingency plan) and in addition to today's fiasco at the end, there were several video and audio drop outs. Versus may be getting their feed from someone else but that doesn't relieve them of accountability. 

So far this is amateur coverage at best and if I were Versus I'd be thoroughly embarrassed..


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## BassNBrew (Aug 4, 2008)

Marc said:


> Amgen streaming does not, they hang on till jerseys are awarded.


Not when you're watching on TIVO!


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## hawker12 (Oct 19, 2003)

Thanks for the links...I used them.


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## BassNBrew (Aug 4, 2008)

Sylint said:


> That wasn't Versus fault....seeing as how they just get the feed from ASO.....
> 
> And as pissed as I was when it happened, you can't seriously blame them for switching...NHL Playoff games are going to draw a much larger crowd than the ATOC.


And NFL reruns would out draw either....don't see them prempting hockey for that.


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## rydog9991 (Jul 15, 2008)

Sent my rant off. Thanks for the links.


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## Mosovich (Feb 3, 2004)

*I wonder what Phil ...*

and Paul think... You know they have to be thinking WTH? I bet this doesn't happen in Europe!


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

Mosovich said:


> and Paul think... You know they have to be thinking WTH? I bet this doesn't happen in Europe!


They may not personally care that much-they get paid the same either way. They might apologize to the viewers on air tomorrow after the firestorm of angry cyclists tonight.


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## Dr_John (Oct 11, 2005)

I thought there was to be coverage at 8 PM PST, but hockey was on, so I figured it was delayed and I'd go to the site to check the time. No need to watch now... thanks Versus. Nice big spoiler on the main page. Brilliant.


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## cheddarlove (Oct 17, 2005)

I sure wish France 3 was covering it! Then it would be almost perfect!


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## JohnHemlock (Jul 15, 2006)

*We Need More Anti-Versus Threads!*

Suck it, Haiti! We have a true crisis on our hands and a cable channel to pester!


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## Jesse D Smith (Jun 11, 2005)

*Nepotism*

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2010/05/lance-armstrong-not-happy-with-versus.html
"Versus is owned by Comcast. Comcast-Spectacor is a part-owner of the Flyers. And it was the Flyers-Montreal game that was on Tuesday's schedule."

Interesting how Versus has been labeled the "Lance Channel" yet his Twitter reads-
"Who's the dumbass @versustv that cut off @AmgenTourofCali coverage w/ a mile to go for pregame hockey?? #pathetic"


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## Gnarly 928 (Nov 19, 2005)

Sylint said:


> you people don't really understand contracts very well do you....


 Yeah, I do. Versus implied they would provide some bicycle racing programming. I agreed to pay them some money to watch it. They didn't show me all they implied they were offering...So I will now break my contract and cancel the service ...screw them...

Don Hanson


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## Taskmaxter (Apr 11, 2004)

totally lame that they didn't let it go for another minute to see the end. What a bunch of idiots.


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## moabbiker (Sep 11, 2002)

Who's even bothering watching TOC? Giro is where the action is.


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## tron (Jul 18, 2004)

I came on to complain as well but I guess the arguments have been made already. I started watching the stage and was complaining to my wife that they cut out all the early climbs (which are ones I ride myself) and decided to show the boring flat highway one section. Why didnt they just edit the race properly?


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## WWU (Oct 7, 2008)

@lancearmstrong said:


> Who's the dumbass @versustv that cut off @AmgenTourofCali coverage w/ a mile to go for pregame hockey?? #pathetic


http://twitter.com/lancearmstrong/status/14258968888

My sentiments exactly.


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

*regardless*

thread title of the month

well done!


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## Mapei (Feb 3, 2004)

Did Zabel win? Or was it Zirbal?


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## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

KenS said:


> Note their home location and send them your thoughts:
> 
> VERSUS
> Comcast Center
> ...


email sent. 

Versus sucks dead donkey dong.


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## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

*Versus sucks Anus*

Indeed they do.


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## Rockapple (Nov 28, 2008)

2 Hours and they cut the last 2 miles?? Jerks and for what 2 minutes of Hockey


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## T-Doc (Apr 4, 2002)

so we missed an exciting finish, but hockey fans got to see both national anthems...worst sports programing decision I have ever seen.


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## cendres (Dec 18, 2002)

Rockapple said:


> 2 Hours and they cut the last 2 miles?? Jerks and for what 2 minutes of Hockey


Nope. 12 minutes of pre-game, 5 of which was commercials.


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## dcfan40 (Aug 3, 2008)

I watched the whole thing online and it's better because there are no commercials (except the initial ones). Same announcers as well..

http://www.amgentourofcalifornia.com/

They cover post things as well.


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## CycloneRunner (Apr 22, 2005)

*Note I sent to Versus last night*

*** Note sent to Versus ***

I was totally a Versus fan. I have watched cycling for nearly a decade on OLN and now Versus. I was smitten w/ the coverage you were bringing to the ToC.

So when I was sitting on my couch w/ a few friends after a group ride tonight watching the coverage and you cut away w/ under 2km in the race (3 minutes!) I was disgusted. I have not ever seen a sporting event cutaway during the penultimate, high tension moment of victory or defeat for the first 5 minutes of another sport's coverage. Haven't you ever watched the NCAA tournament? A Sunday football game? A track and field event at the olympics? 

You stick w/ the event that has the most excitement, NOT the most viewers. At best, by cutting off today's cycling finale at the Tour of California for the first minutes of hockey coverage you kept a few hockey fans from heading to the fridge to grab a beer while infurating YOUR ENTIRE cycling fan base. Whoever made this decision should be making an apology on tomorrow's broadcast. If this ever happens again I will find alternate coverage to watch these events (even in other languages), I will send notes to the sponsors citing my disdain, and I will cancel my subscription to Versus on DISH. 

Please do not make this mistake again. Thanks.


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## BassNBrew (Aug 4, 2008)

dcfan40 said:


> I watched the whole thing online and it's better because there are no commercials (except the initial ones). Same announcers as well..
> 
> http://www.amgentourofcalifornia.com/
> 
> They cover post things as well.


You mean things like updating the overall standings?

At least they mange to get up highlites sometime between 6-12 hours after the race.

Their website sucks anus too.


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

I understand Stage 2's problem due to weather, but I'd agree that cutting out early was effin' lame. I've seen PLENTY of other sports run a tad late. Why they didn't give cycling a few more minutes was lame.


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## MaddSkillz (Mar 13, 2007)

Versus sucks Anus!!!


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## MaddSkillz (Mar 13, 2007)

Sent email as well.


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## MikeBiker (Mar 9, 2003)

The Haitians are also complaining about Versus.


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## CaliforniaPI (Sep 25, 2005)

Email sent too, couldn't believe it. To cut off cycling at the last explosive finish to go to ice skating warm-ups was rediculous, VERSUS needs to apologize and fire whoever made that decision.


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## ohpossum (Oct 20, 2004)

(Not very much) information about the moment in question..

http://www.versus.com/blogs/2010-cy...log/2010-cycling-events/sort/most-recent/i/2/

op


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## nayr497 (Nov 8, 2008)

Ha ha ha...I didn't know about any of this until I checked the forums today. Kind of torn - I love hockey AND cycling.

Nah, that ain't cool to break away during the last two miles, even though lots of goals are scored in the first few minutes of hockey games.

I don't have a t.v. so had called my father to have him tape it and mail me the CD. Now that I know the end is cut off I guess I'll have him copy over yesterday's stage with todays.

And yeah, don't blame hockey. Saying hockey sucks and no one watches it so therefore it shouldn't be televised...um...we are cycling fans! Our sport is really lame and no one watches it, so don't go bagging hockey. Us little sport lovers have to be strong and bond together, or else the NBA and NFL will just be on 24/7/365 with no other sports. Was out at a bar last night and nearly puked seeing how much hoopla was made over the NBA draft lottery. Dangit, they hype basketball and football so much in the U.S. Anything that happens is "newsworthy." Drives me bonkers. 

"Cycling sucks, everyone is a doper!" Yeah...you think they are clean in the NFL? Funny how they just let Cushing keep his award AFTER he was suspended for 4 games for doping. That makes sense, right?


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## velomoto (Oct 6, 2005)

*My email to vs.*

Nice job…. talk about pulling out at the last second ;] To cut off a race at the explosive finish to go to ice skating warm-ups????

they said:

Thank you for your email and we appreciate you taking the time to voice your concerns. 

VERSUS, now in its fourth year of Amgen Tour of California coverage, always strives to offer the most in-depth and complete coverage for the premier U.S.-based cycling event. With any live sports telecast there is the possibility of an event running over its allotted on-air time, which was the case yesterday during Stage 3 of the race. Due to contractual agreements with the NHL, we were obligated to begin coverage of the Philadelphia Flyers/Montreal Canadiens Eastern Conference Final telecast. 

In case of these circumstances, VERSUS followed the in-place contingency plan to show the conclusion of the stage online. For viewers who were not able to watch online, VERSUS aired a one-hour recap of Stage 3, including the race's finish, following the conclusion of the Chicago Blackhawks/San Jose Sharks Western Conference Final telecast. VERSUS will re-air the one-hour Stage 3 recap show today at 4 p.m. ET. 

We apologize for the inconvenience and look forward to continuing to bring our top notch cycling coverage to the rest of this event and all the other races we telecast.

Again, thank you for your time and hope that you continue to watch VERSUS' coverage of the Amgen Tour of California as Stage 4 gets underway today.


Sincerely,
VERSUS


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## rgojr2001 (Dec 8, 2006)

Versus did what would be expected of any for profit organization. I don't like it but they make a lot more money off hockey than they ever will off of cycling. You can point your finger at Versus all you want, but a majority of the complaints wouldn't be such a big deal if the tour tracker had worked as intended.

Amgen TOC site. I have no word to describe how angry I was when I tried to load the tracker over 20 minutes before the end of Versus coverage only to get nothing. This was an epic FAIL on their part. I simply cannot think of a way that they could top what they did yesterday. To fail to anticipate the surge in traffic is so amateur as to be laughable. Too bad nobody is laughing. A student in computer networking 101 could have seen this problem coming.


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

rgojr2001 said:


> Amgen TOC site. I have no word to describe how angry I was when I tried to load the tracker over 20 minutes before the end of Versus coverage only to get nothing. This was an epic FAIL on their part. I simply cannot think of a way that they could top what they did yesterday. To fail to anticipate the surge in traffic is so amateur as to be laughable. Too bad nobody is laughing. A student in computer networking 101 could have seen this problem coming.


Meh. Bandwidth costs moolah, especially when you are streaming HD live.

Would you WANT them to let everyone and their uncle DDoS their streaming servers, or would you rather they cap the number of simultaneous connections for best viewing experience for those that hopped on when they could?


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## gh1 (Jun 7, 2008)

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/ann_killion/05/19/versus.tour.of.california/


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