Cycling broadcaster and sports journalist Ned Boulting has partnered with independent podcast production company Crowd Network to launch a new daily show, For The Love Of Cycling.
Launching to coincide with the start of the Giro d’Italia, the podcast will provide daily coverage of the full tour, followed by daily analysis of the Tour de France in July. The multimedia platform will also cover the Tour de France Femmes with on-location reporting, alongside social media videos and YouTube content.
As a co-owner of the new venture, Boulting—who has commentated on the Tour de France for 23 years—has transitioned his existing *Never Strays Far* podcast audience to the new platform. Throughout the series, he will be reunited with former ITV commentary colleagues Lizzie Deignan, Pete Kennaugh, and David Millar as guests.
The launch follows the announcement that ITV will not broadcast the Tour de France for the first time since 2001. UK television coverage for the events has instead moved behind a paywall, leaving the events accessible to UK viewers only via TNT Sports and Max.
Ned Boulting, Host, For The Love Of Cycling, said, “This year marks a significant moment for professional cycling, and a turning point in how fans access and engage with the sport. We had promised our loyal ‘Never Strays Far’ fanbase that we would be reacting to the Tour de France coverage sitting behind a paywall. Partnering with Crowd Network who themselves have already built such a successful cycling podcast, gives us every chance of achieving our ambitions and more.”
Mike Carr, CEO, Crowd Network, said, “As the leading voice of road cycling and Grand Tours, it’s a privilege to be partnering with Ned on our new cycling show and providing both new and legacy fans with a place where they can access engaging content. The way people consume sport has changed drastically over recent years, and we’re proud to be leading the way in creating both long and short-form cycling content across different social channels so everyone can be part of the two biggest tours in the cycling calendar this year.”
Sport England has appointed Amy Rice and Nick Percy to its executive leadership team.
Percy will start as Executive Director for Investments, joining the organisation after spending the last 15 years as a senior leader in the commercial and strategy functions at BBC Studios.
Meanwhile, Rice will begin her role as Executive Director for Resources, bringing more than 20 years of leadership experience across the public, private, and third sectors.
The appointments come as the organisation has recently published new research alongside the Good Things Foundation on reducing digital barriers to physical activity. Sport England has also launched the first report in a three-part series examining how demographic shifts and population changes will influence participation in sport across the country.
Additionally, the sports body is preparing to host a Moving Communities webinar focused on active ageing, exploring how to create the right conditions for older people to move more and stay connected.
The organisation also recently represented the sports sector at a summit convened by the Prime Minister to tackle the rising levels of antisemitism in the UK.
Phil Smith, Executive Director for the Sporting System, Sport England, said, “While Sport England stands with the Jewish community against any form of discrimination or abuse, sport can and must do more.”
Sir Gareth Southgate has supported The Multibank’s campaign to improve access to sport for families across the UK, as new research from YouGov highlighted the financial barriers affecting youth participation.
The research found that 15% of UK parents said their children had stopped pursuing sport because of the cost of equipment, while 40% of parents with a household income under £30,000 said football was the main activity their children had to give up.
Supported by Amazon UK, The Multibank distributes surplus goods to families through charities and community organisations across the UK. Since launching, it has distributed more than 16 million items to over two million families, including sports kit, football boots and household essentials.
Amazon UK said it will donate more than 5.5 million items in 2026, including 150,000 sports products. The company has also launched a “You Buy, We Donate” initiative, running until 4 June, where selected sports purchases will generate additional donations to The Multibank.
The campaign comes amid continued focus on unequal access to sport in the UK, with organisations including Sport England previously reporting lower participation levels among children from lower income households.
Riedel Communications has been appointed Official Connectivity Integration Provider for Glasgow 2026 and will deliver the communications infrastructure linking venues across the Commonwealth Games
Riedel Communications will provide the end to end design, installation and integration of the communications and connectivity systems for Glasgow 2026, which takes place from 23rd July to 2nd of August in Scotland.
The company will deliver the Glasgow 2026 Games Integrated Network, known as GIN, using its DIVA+ system to connect Games venues, operational systems and broadcast infrastructure. The network will support live broadcast transmission, venue operations, Wi Fi connectivity and communications across the event.
Riedel’s Wide Area Network will transfer live broadcast feeds from venues to the Broadcast Operations Centre for international distribution, while venue based Local Area Networks will support operational connectivity throughout the Games.
The company previously worked on communications infrastructure for the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022, the Gold Coast in 2018 and Glasgow in 2014.
Glasgow 2026 has stated that the event will focus on sustainability and reduced operational impact, with technology systems designed to support a smaller and more streamlined Games model compared with previous editions.
Riedel Communications will also serve as an official partner to Team Scotland.
