You’re watching the Tour de France on NBC, the sun is beating down on a winding road in the Pyrenees, and suddenly the camera cuts to a guy with a wind-whipped face, tucked behind a motorcycle driver. He’s yelling over the roar of the engine and the whistling wind, giving you the exact gap between the breakaway and the peloton. That’s Steve Porino.
Honestly, it’s one of the most intense jobs in sports media.
Most people know Steve Porino as the voice of alpine skiing, the guy who can break down a downhill racer’s line at 80 mph like he’s standing still. But every July, he swaps the snow for the tarmac. He has spent the better part of a decade as the "Inside-the-Race" correspondent for NBC Sports, a role that puts him literally inches away from the world’s best cyclists.
Why Steve Porino Tour de France Coverage Hits Different
It isn’t just about reading a GPS tracker.
Steve is a former U.S. Ski Team downhiller. He knows what it feels like to live on the edge of physics. When he’s on the back of that motorbike, he isn't just a reporter; he's a tactical analyst with a front-row seat to the suffering.
He notices the stuff the helicopters miss. He sees the "thousand-yard stare" in a rider’s eyes before they crack. He hears the clicking of gears and the heavy breathing that signals an attack is coming.
From the Ski Slopes to the Peloton
You might wonder how a guy who spent his life on skis ended up in the middle of a bike race. It wasn’t exactly a straight line. After retiring from the national team in 1992, Porino didn't jump straight into a booth. He actually got his start in journalism by accident, writing for Ski Racing Magazine while coaching in Utah.
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He has a way of simplifying the complex.
In a 2022 interview, he mentioned how "burger school" (his nickname for early broadcasting training) helped him realize that viewers don't need a lecture—they need to feel the moment. That philosophy defines his Steve Porino Tour de France reporting. He treats the race like a living, breathing thing.
The Chaos of the Moto Reporter Role
Riding a motorcycle during the Tour is basically a high-speed ballet with a chance of a crash.
Steve has to coordinate with the pilot, the camera operators, and the producers in Connecticut or Paris, all while staying out of the way of the riders. Imagine trying to deliver a coherent sentence while your driver is weaving through 150 cyclists at 40 mph on a descent. It’s wild.
He’s been doing this since 2012.
Over the years, he has become a staple alongside guys like Phil Liggett, Bob Roll, and Christian Vande Velde. While the "main" commentators are in the air-conditioned booth, Porino is the one dealing with the rain, the heat, and the occasional fan running too close to the bike.
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- The Gear: He’s usually outfitted with a specialized headset that cancels out the engine noise but lets him hear the race.
- The Strategy: He’s constantly monitoring the team cars, watching for which directors are talking to their riders.
- The Perspective: He often highlights the "melting pot of culture" in the small towns the race passes through—something you lose when you're just looking at a TV monitor.
What Most Fans Get Wrong About the Job
A lot of people think the moto reporter just follows the yellow jersey.
Actually, Steve’s job is often to find the "race within the race." He might be miles behind the leaders, checking on a crashed rider or seeing if a sprinter is going to make the time cut on a mountain stage.
His background in downhill skiing gives him a unique perspective on the descents. He’s one of the few broadcasters who can explain the weight transfer and line choice of a cyclist flying down a mountain pass, because he’s done it himself on ice.
The Modern Shift: Broadcasters in the Garage?
Interestingly, the world of sports broadcasting has changed.
During the pandemic, Steve started doing a lot of his ski commentary from a custom-built booth in his garage in Ketchum, Idaho. He even joked about doing a broadcast from Bali where a shark bit through an underwater fiber optic cable.
But for the Steve Porino Tour de France experience, you can't do that from a garage.
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You have to be there. You have to smell the burning rubber and the sweat. That’s why fans still see him on the ground (or on the bike) every summer. He brings a visceral energy that a remote broadcast just can't replicate.
Why It Matters for 2026 and Beyond
As we head toward the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, Steve is busier than ever, mentoring new talent like Picabo Street and maintaining his role as the premier voice for American alpine fans.
But come July, the motorcycle will be waiting.
If you want to understand the race on a deeper level, pay attention when the camera switches to the guy on the bike. He’s seeing things the rest of us aren't.
Actionable Insights for Fans
- Listen for the "Moto Segment": These usually happen when a break is forming or a climb is starting. That's when Porino’s tactical knowledge shines.
- Follow the "Inside-the-Race" Feed: If you have a multi-camera subscription (like Peacock’s premium feeds), look for the motorcycle-specific cameras.
- Watch the Body Language: Take a cue from Steve—look at the riders' shoulders and eyes, not just their legs. As he says, the body tells the story before the results do.
Watch the next stage closely. You'll see him tucked in, microphone ready, right in the heart of the action.