Let's face, TV coverage of road, track and trail running events suck. But, the TdF coverage (and cycling in general) should be a good blueprint. Cycling races are long, often monotonous & similar to a road marathon. The end product is entertaining, engaging, and people tune in.

There are a lot of running fans that watch cycling events, in particular the TdF.
How many cycling fans watch the US Track and Field trials or the Chicago Marathon?
There's always an opportunity to expand the base beyond the die hard fans.
UFC is another good blueprint.

The UFC captured fans outside of their VERY small circle by creating a compelling, entertaining product to watch that the everyman/woman could relate to. Die hard fans and people new to the sport alike could watch the same coverage because it was create in a compelling way.

Then, when the UFC reached ESPN level, they could add back super fan type products like 'Detail' and 'Embedded' to satiate the dedicated fans. The point is, you don't have to play a mass market vs. endemic market game. You can do both. There are good blueprints for this.