Question 1

How does a cycling calendar subscription work?

Accepted Answer

Whichever button you use, you subscribe once and your calendar app checks the race for you from then on, usually every few hours. New stages, corrected times and newly announced coverage appear on their own.

Question 2

Can I subscribe to more than one channel?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and you still get one subscription. Where two of your channels both carry a stage you will see two entries, because they are different broadcasts that often start minutes apart.

Question 3

Why are some stages missing from the calendar?

Accepted Answer

Because your channel has not published a time for that stage yet. Broadcasters often confirm only a few days ahead, so the calendar fills in as they do, and you never need to check back.

Question 4

Which calendar apps can subscribe to an .ics feed?

Accepted Answer

Apple Calendar, Google Calendar, Outlook, Thunderbird, Fantastical and most others. Apple and Outlook take the webcal link directly; the Google button opens Google's own add-by-URL screen. The Google button needs a desktop browser: on a phone it opens Google Calendar's desktop screen and stalls there. From a phone, copy the link and add it from a computer, or subscribe through iCloud.

Question 5

Which app should I subscribe with?

Accepted Answer

All of them work, so choose on how fast you need updates. Apple or iCloud suits this feed best: you set the refresh interval yourself, hourly keeps up with a late broadcast change, and one iCloud subscription reaches every Apple device, including apps like Fantastical that read the system calendar. Google refreshes calendars added by URL on its own schedule, usually every 12 to 24 hours, with no way to force it, and Outlook behaves much the same. The feed itself updates within the hour whichever you pick.

Question 6

I added it to Google Calendar and nothing appeared.

Accepted Answer

Google fetches a new calendar in the background and that can take a few hours. Until it does, it lists the feed link where the calendar name should be and shows no events. Nothing is broken and there is nothing to add again. If you would rather see it straight away, use the Apple button instead, which fetches the feed immediately.

Question 7

What is the feed link for?

Accepted Answer

Any app the two buttons do not cover. Copy it and paste it into your app's Subscribe or Add by URL option. The channels you ticked are part of the link, so copy a fresh one if you change your mind.

Question 8

What happens when a broadcast time changes?

Accepted Answer

The event moves. Each event keeps a stable identifier, so a corrected time updates the entry already in your calendar instead of adding a second one. How soon you see that change depends on how often your app refreshes. See the question above on which app to subscribe with.

Question 9

Do I need an account?

Accepted Answer

No, and it is free. The feed is a public .ics URL, so there is nothing to sign up for and nothing tracked back to you. Remove the calendar from your app whenever you like.

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