The Tour de France wouldn’t quite be the Tour de France unless legendary commentator Phil Liggett was behind the microphone. And the 2025 Tour de France marks his 53rd consecutive time commentating on this institutional sporting event. Phil is presenting NBC Sports’ live coverage of the Tour de France which continues exclusively on Peacock.
I caught up with Phil on the Tour’s first rest day to ask him about the first week of the Tour and enquired what he was doing on his rest day.
How has the Tour compared to the other 52 that you have commentated on?
I’ll always say to people, no matter how many times you come on the Tour de France, you’ve never seen the Tour de France or the same tour twice. It is such a varied race and this year has been no exception.
It’s been an absolutely superb race and very different to the ones we’ve seen in the past. So, I think this is going to go down as one of the best tours in my twilight years, to be honest. I feel as though I’m commentating pretty well.
It’s been an absolutely superb tour, weather-wise, and long may it continue, because the sun never went in on my first tour of 1973, and this so far has been pretty much the same.
Which rider has surprised you the most?
I think it’s the American, Quinn Simmons. He’s attacked every day.
And he had a second place on the stage in Normandy. And I feel that he deserves a stage when he’s worked so hard and he’s becoming a very good bike rider.
What can we expect from the upcoming stages?
A head-to-head battle between Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard
And maybe for a while, Matteo Jorgenson, the American. But I think at the end of the day, it’ll become a two-man race again.
Who is your pick for winning the race?
And my pick for GC [General Classification], I’m staying with Pogačar.
It’s going to be a great race.
What have you done on the rest day?
There’s no rest day really. I just get up a little bit slower. You can’t stay in bed; it’s just the way it is. And then make sure I’ve not missed something happening overnight amongst the news.
And then I did the Paul Shearing Project, which was a 90-minute chat with the people who had donated at least $300 to enjoy a chat with me and Christian Vande Velde. And it was a great one this time. We had a lot of our huge donors joining as well, who look after the Paul Sherwen Project and the Ugandan school we’ve built.
And also, it looks like a similar plan for the second rest day, which is on Monday.
Paul Sherwen Project
It’s no surprise that Phil talks about his friend and commentating partner, Paul Sherwen, on the rest day. They spent 33 years together and formed what many believe, myself included, the greatest commentating double act.
Paul unexpectedly passed away in 2018 and Phil is the Phil is the Chair of the six-person board, which continues the work that Paul was undertaking in his adopted homeland of Uganda and across East Africa, before his untimely passing. The work that is done in Paul’s name is called the Paul Sherwen Project.
The Paul Sherwen Project supports Matany Vocational School for Girls in the northeast region of Uganda. There are two key buildings. One is called the “Paul Sherwen Block,” which recognizes Paul, and situated next to the Paul Sherwen Block is “Liggett Hall,” which recognises Phil’s contribution.
An evening with Phil at the Tour de France
To support the Paul Sherwen Project, Phil is hosting a live Zoom event from the Tour de France on the next rest day, Monday 21st July 2025, 8am PT / 11am ET / 4pm BST (UK) / 5pm CEST (Europe). It is a ticketed event, where all proceeds will go to the Paul Sherwen Project. If you are interested in speaking with Phil and listening to his stories, purchase a ticket and join the Zoom event by clicking here.
Summing up
Phil’s enduring presence at the Tour de France highlights not only his passion for the sport but also the unique experiences each race brings, making the 2025 edition particularly memorable. As he continues to honour his late friend and commentating partner Paul through meaningful initiatives like the Paul Sherwen Project, Phil’s commitment to both cycling and philanthropy remains as strong as ever and previous rumours about retirement should be easily dismissed.
