26th & 27th March - Criterium International

[The Hitch]

He said they were working in the building sector in the morning and in the noon they were riding their bike in the peloton.

Although how he said it in Dutch made it funnier

Actually that is quite funny. I dont see why anyone would complain anyway.

 

[theswordsman]

please elaborate for those (almost) never watching races with english commentary

who is kirby? I hear a complaint about him nearly every race. Sounds as bad as Mart Smeets

Carlton Kirby. For some big races where David Harmon and Sean Kelly do the commentary, he's the guy back in the office chiming in on emails or chat. Sometimes they let him go on and on with stories from his life that have nothing to do with cycling - like spot welding or shrimp fishing or something - I've blocked out the details. I think he did the Planet Lance shows - at least the one or two I heard before or after a telecast. He was working a race with Magnus Backstedt the day after the Landis story hit, and he just trashed Landis for a minute and decided it was over.

Edit: Forgot to mention the race. With 44 guys within ten minutes of Schleck, does anyone have a chance to overcome him in the TT, or is this over?

If Frank beat Andy by 1:10 on a mountain finish, is Andy still "the obvious favorite to win the Tour de France"? I think he had business cards printed in the off-season

 

[El Pistolero]

Actually that is quite funny. I dont see why anyone would complain anyway.

No one did, but after hearing the Kirby story I find it lame they made him apologize for that

Am I really the only one who thinks of that when I hear this commentator?

 

[The Hitch]

No one did, but after hearing the Kirby story I find it lame they made him apologize for that

THey didnt. He was just getting so many emails and tweets about it he had to just say sorry to stop him getting more.

The point is, even something so trivial as a protest used for a digression, he manages to mess up completely. One of those clumsy people.

Thats one of the reasons i dont mind him, and Backsted seems to like him. He just adds so much comedy value with his total ignorance.

 

[Frosty]

So...who will win stage 2 tomorrow? Is there even a single sprinter left in the race? Or will perhaps someone like Samuel Sanchez be able to take it (think the sprint is slightly uphill)

No idea myself but Bet365 have Maurilo Fischer as the favourite for stage 2

http://www.bet365.com/home/

 

[Parrulo]

Hes eurosports backup guy for a variety of sports. Not just cycling. The final backup for many ES sport. When in cycling or moto or skiing or whatever, they need some sort of commentator, guess whose phone rings.

During the Tour he just reads the letters out.

But hes absolutely clueless. Not just about cycling, about life. He reads the Spanish mother names rather than the actual surnames. So for Madrazo he said that "Ruiz" attacked.

Or there was a protest at TA about nuclear energy and unable to read the signs he concluded on air that they just want more money and want it now. He needed to give an on air apology a few minutes later

i am just going to throw this out here: spain is a matriartical( i think this is the right name) country. so the last name is the mothers name.

 

[Mellow Velo]

please elaborate for those (almost) never watching races with english commentary

who is kirby? I hear a complaint about him nearly every race. Sounds as bad as Mart Smeets

If Mart Smeets were "Dumb", Kirby would be "Dumber" and then some.
Saur were doing all that work for...........wait for it.............Ludo Turpin.
Jerome Coppel, who's he?
Neither he or Magnus B could identify the Astana rider (Remy d G) who had attcked, until French tv put up a caption.

A cringingly clueless commentator. Ruins every race they let him loose on and today he's got Gent-Wev.

 

[Christian]

I think I only watched British Eurosport once this season during Tirreno, but I really like the fact that they take live tweets and everyting. More stations should do that

 

[Descender]

i am just going to throw this out here: spain is a matriartical( i think this is the right name) country. so the last name is the mothers name.

Two last names. The first one is the first last name of the father (and is the one that's normally used as The Hitch says) and the second one is the first last name of the mother.

 

[maltiv]

1 Simon Geschke (Skil-Shimano) 1.43,10
2 Murilo Fischer (Garmin-Cervèlo) s.t.
3 Laurent Mangel (Saur-Sojasun) s.t.
4 Florian Vachon (Bretagne-Schuller) s.t.
5 Arnaud Molmy (Big Mat-Auber 93) s.t.
6 Jonathan Hivert (Saur-Sojasun) s.t.
7 Julien El Fares (Cofidis) s.t.
8 Tony Gallopin (Cofidis) s.t.
9 Fabian Wegmann (Leopard-Trek) s.t.
10 Jerome Cousin (Team Europcar) s.t.

 

[Kazistuta]

Wow..two almost sprinterless stage races in the same week, what have the World become??

 

[craig1985]

please elaborate for those (almost) never watching races with english commentary

who is kirby? I hear a complaint about him nearly every race. Sounds as bad as Mart Smeets

Hes eurosports backup guy for a variety of sports. Not just cycling. The final backup for many ES sport. When in cycling or moto or skiing or whatever, they need some sort of commentator, guess whose phone rings.

During the Tour he just reads the letters out.

But hes absolutely clueless. Not just about cycling, about life. He reads the Spanish mother names rather than the actual surnames. So for Madrazo he said that "Ruiz" attacked.

Or there was a protest at TA about nuclear energy and unable to read the signs he concluded on air that they just want more money and want it now. He needed to give an on air apology a few minutes later

DT, basically what Hitch and Mellow said. If you wanted all time cringeworthy, for those who watched British Eurosport at last year's ATOC, the first stage after Floyd's confession, will remember how bad Kirby's commentating was. Magnus Backstedt more or less played it with a straight bat (a cricket reference, google it ).

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Wow..two almost sprinterless stage races in the same week, what have the World become??

a better place...

 

[Anonymous]

Wow..two almost sprinterless stage races in the same week, what have the World become??

well doesnt help that sky's two sprinters got eliminated yesterday for finishing outside the cutoff time.

 

[Kazistuta]

well doesnt help that sky's two sprinters got eliminated yesterday for finishing outside the cutoff time.

Did Sky bring sprinters to France??? I know Swift can be categorised as one, but not seriously counting Downing as a sprinter, are you?

 

[ingsve]

Did Sky bring sprinters to France??? I know Swift can be categorised as one, but not seriously counting Downing as a sprinter, are you?

How is he not a sprinter? Most of his wins have come through bunch sprints including the sprint stage of last years Criterium International. He's certainly not as fast as the top sprinters and he can survive a few climbs but he's still mostly a sprinter.

 

[roundabout]

That's an uh interesting way to cover a TT. No room in the budget for more than 1 camera?

Good ride by Wiggins though, 10 seconds faster than Zabriskie.

 

[cineteq]

That's an uh interesting way to cover a TT. No room in the budget for more than 1 camera?

Good ride by Wiggins though, 10 seconds faster than Zabriskie.

Link please

 

[maltiv]

When does the top 10 start?

 

[roundabout]

Link please

I'm watching it on TV but it should be

http://sports-livez.com/channel/ch-16.php

or

http://www.fromsportcom.com/v-2/2/42/v-224343.html

 

[Kazistuta]

How is he not a sprinter? Most of his wins have come through bunch sprints including the sprint stage of last years Criterium International. He's certainly not as fast as the top sprinters and he can survive a few climbs but he's still mostly a sprinter.

OK, I'll admit he's almost as much a sprinter as Alexander Kristoff....

 

[roundabout]

When does the top 10 start?

in 30 minutes or so i would guess

 

[cineteq]

I'm watching it on TV but it should be

http://sports-livez.com/channel/ch-16.php

or

http://www.fromsportcom.com/v-2/2/42/v-224343.html

Thanks a lot!!!

 

[shadowblue]

That's an uh interesting way to cover a TT. No room in the budget for more than 1 camera?

Good ride by Wiggins though, 10 seconds faster than Zabriskie.

there's moto coverage

 

[Christian]

killer time by wiggins