A great youtube channel I found

[jordan5000]

The youtube channel is by a user named chickasmith, it sometimes appears as yeshroh or something similar to that. It contains footage from about 1989 and pretty much all the 90s, most vids are 25 minutes long and it has commentary from Phil and Paul so if you're interested in watching some of the classic stages from the 90s you can find good videos there, enjoy

 

[The Hitch]

You had me until this bit.

and it has commentary from Phil and Paul,

 

[jordan5000]

You had me until this bit.

Why do people hate them? I find the eurosport commentary to be annoying, I like both their voices but I realize they dumb things down a bit for American viewers.

 

[jens_attacks]

Why do people hate them? I find the eurosport commentary to be annoying, I like both their voices but I realize they dumb things down a bit for American viewers.

dumb or not,ligget remains the voice of cycling for anglo world.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Why do people hate them? I find the eurosport commentary to be annoying, I like both their voices but I realize they dumb things down a bit for American viewers.

Back in the days of the videos you link, they were pretty good commentators.

Now, they're self-parodies of a version of themselves that was already a self-parody of their previous selves.

 

[The Hitch]

Why do people hate them? I find the eurosport commentary to be annoying, I like both their voices but I realize they dumb things down a bit for American viewers.

Ligget makes Mercx look like a cycling encyclopedia.

I think I am yet to encounter a poster on the forum who couldn't do the mans job a million times better.

The guy actually does not know more than a handful or riders. He for example read that the name Juraj Sagan was in a break and said that it was the younger and better of the Sagan brothers. He said as Samu crossed the top of the Madeline 50 seconds behind Contador that Samu was a bad descender and was going to lose major time on the descent.

Sherwen is much better. He corrects Ligget countless countless times.

On a personal note I hate the guy as he is one of the leaders of this movement to destroy my favourite race (and the Vuelta) to make way for 2 races whose cumulative age is 6 years.

Not to mention the time when Hamilton spoke out and Lance replied " congratulations Ekimov on your 3rd olympic gold".

The ITV studio showed the quote and said that Lance was acting childishly. 2 minutes later they handed it over to Phil and Paul and Ligget said " We bring you some sad news. yesterday Tyler Hamilton confessed to doping. So that means Viatcheslav Ekimov now has 3 olympic gold medals, so congratulations Eki".

 

[Kwibus]

Ligget makes Mercx look like a cycling encyclopedia.

I think I am yet to encounter a poster on the forum who couldn't do the mans job a million times better.

The guy actually does not know more than a handful or riders. He for example read that the name Juraj Sagan was in a break and said that it was the younger and better of the Sagan brothers. He said as Samu crossed the top of the Madeline 50 seconds behind Contador that Samu was a bad descender and was going to lose major time on the descent.

Sherwen is much better. He corrects Ligget countless countless times.

On a personal note I hate the guy as he is one of the leaders of this movement to destroy my favourite race (and the Vuelta) to make way for 2 races whose cumulative age is 6 years.

Not to mention the time when Hamilton spoke out and Lance replied " congratulations Ekimov on your 3rd olympic gold".

The ITV studio showed the quote and said that Lance was acting childishly. 2 minutes later they handed it over to Phil and Paul and Ligget said " We bring you some sad news. yesterday Tyler Hamilton confessed to doping. So that means Viatcheslav Ekimov now has 3 olympic gold medals, so congratulations Eki".

All of this. It's a disgrace they still allow Ligget to commentate.
Get some new blood, a talented person. Ligger should've stopped a long time ago.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

they may be horrible but liggett in 80s and 90s was pretty good

 

[Kwibus]

they may be horrible but liggett in 80s and 90s was pretty good

Yeh you are right and this thread is about those days so I guess we should keep our Ligget whine in another thread

 

[Susan Westemeyer]

Yeh you are right and this thread is about those days so I guess we should keep our Ligget whine in another thread

Good idea.

Susan

 

[catmiles]

Size of a cyclists feet

Why do people hate them? I find the eurosport commentary to be annoying, I like both their voices but I realize they dumb things down a bit for American viewers.

I don't hate them but... i will never forget their small talk conversations.

My favourite has to be the hour long discussion on whether the size of a cyclists feet makes them faster during the Tour de France.

 

[Zam_Olyas]

I have subscription to chickasmith channel.

 

[Arnout]

I like the voice and intonation of Ligget, very good voice for live commentary. I don't like what's coming out of it lately.

 

[Havetts]

Another very good channel is Worldcyclingarchives and Worldcyclingchannel, they usually have Sporza commentators ( dutch though ) or if its an Italian race the RAI commentators. Very nice channel .

 

[Zam_Olyas]

Another very good channel is Worldcyclingarchives and Worldcyclingchannel, they usually have Sporza commentators ( dutch though ) or if its an Italian race the RAI commentators. Very nice channel .

I subscribe them too..and dim's channel on youtube and dailymotion are also good

 

[jordan5000]

I wish worldcycling archives were in English.

 

[dcpdpayne]

As this posting has made the full thread drift from a great youtube channel to cycling commentary, I think that I'll jump in and play too. For me, and many English speaking cycling fans Paul and Phill are the voice of cycling, for good or bad. The reason that I think they, or really Phill, takes such a beating is his transparent lack of neutrality (or down right fanboy status) towards some riders, while at the same time seeming to almost relish in the crucifixion of other riders.

I've been following cycling since I watched Greg LeMond crush the final TT into Paris to pip the saddle sore "Professor." Somewhere I still have a VHS tape with Eros Poli surviving in a solo break to win over the Mt. Ventoux, which by the way is well worth a watch if you can find it. In both of those experiences it was the voices of Paul and Phill that educated me about the pro peloton and brought the excitement of the sport into my midwestern home. If you didn't mnid staying up till 3 in the morning to watch an hour recap of the days stage, it was Paul and Phill that greeted you, and they were the only game in town.

The late 1990's and 2000's brought the marketing force that is/was Lance Armstrong to the sport. Love him or hate him (I fall squarely in the latter camp), Armstrong brought bicycle racing (or at least Le Tour) into the American household. With OLN and later VS. picking up cycling and hiring the only voices that Americans had ever known in the sport, Paul and Phill had a vested interest in licking the boot of their new master and spewing the narrative that was putting the butts of the reality tv generation in seats at home to watch races that only a few years ago were unknown on this side of the pond. That message was "Lance is an American as Red-White-Blue, Apple Pie, and "Mom," and you should cheer for him as he smashes the snooty Euro Trash who would have left him for dead after his cancer. What were they to do? Bite the hand that feed them? I think not.

Where my gripe comes in is how they commentate today. Mr. Armstrong has left the Peloton for what appears to be the last time, and racing (in my opinion) hasn't been been better than what we saw in 2011 in a long long time. Despite the fact that Lance didn't toe the line for the Tour this year I don't think that I can remember a stage in which Phill didn't bring up Super Tex. Come on! Get over him! To maintain and continue to build a fan base in North America, and the USA in particular, it's time to change the narrative and focus on the future rather than rest heavy on the laurels of the past.

Sorry to ramble.

 

[The Hitch]

USA USA USA!!!.

Wow, what an amerocentric post. I dont dislike Phil and Paul because of any of the stuff you said.

Its because he doesn't know anything about cycling. Not anymore anyway.

Also notice how all your examples are from one race.

How can he be the voice of cycling, if he doesn't give a **** about 90% of the cycling season?

 

[Nielsa]

Londoner with your Greenwich Meridian talking about amerocentrics.
Anyway, the reasons dcdpayne list are the same reasons why PaulPhil are now pushing USPCC>Vuelta and ToCali>Giro. "Paul and Phill had a vested interest in licking the boot of their new master and spewing the narrative that was putting the butts of the reality tv generation in seats at home..."

 

[theyoungest]

Wow, what an amerocentric post. I dont dislike Phil and Paul because of any of the stuff you said.

Its because he doesn't know anything about cycling. Not anymore anyway.

Also notice how all your examples are from one race.

How can he be the voice of cycling, if he doesn't give a **** about 90% of the cycling season?

If you actually read it, he invites Phil and Paul to broaden their horizon, and include other references in their commentary than That One American Guy We All Love to Hate. Which I agree with.

I agree with you as well, though. They just know f#$k all about modern cycling. I love the report of the TDU last year where they commentate on the now famous break with the two Spaniards Alessandro Valverde and Jose Luis Sanchez. But it's a worldwide phenomenon: people get paid for talking about stuff they don't know anything about.

 

[dcpdpayne]

Wow, what an amerocentric post.

Either my post read poorly or you misunderstood. It's their "Amerocentric" commentary that bothers me, not the other way around. I'm not one to chant USA, USA in any form. I root for the race and would sooner watch LBL, the Rhonde or second rate semi classic to the Tour. I was trying to suggest that Phill and Paul's commentary has suffered because they sunk into the "Amerocentric" narrative that OLN, VS, Trek and Mr. Armstrong have promoted, while all but ignoring the rest of the cycling world.

I did reread my post and you are correct that my references were all from the Tour, my bad. I'll add to my thought that if one listens to Paul and Phill one would think that "Big George" is the only rider at PR every year and that it's amazing that Dave Z hasn't won the World Championships in the TT.

Though stated poorly, with examples from only one race, it was my point that the "Amerocentric" selling of cycling is building a fan base out of playing cards. To further grow knowledge of American's budding fanhood other riders, races and teams need to be featured in their commentary.

For the record. The Giro is the most interesting of the GTs and will never be replaced by the TOC.

 

[Carols]

P&P were Fine until the advent of Lance. Yes dreadfully biased for english speakers as far back as I can remember, put still worth listening to. Now I mostly mute them

Thanks for the channel BTW; I have recordings of all many races back to mid 80s; when the vcr joined my household. I'll check it out though to see if there is something I don't have!

 

[The Hitch]

Either my post read poorly or you misunderstood. It's their "Amerocentric" commentary that bothers me, not the other way around. I'm not one to chant USA, USA in any form. I root for the race and would sooner watch LBL, the Rhonde or second rate semi classic to the Tour. I was trying to suggest that Phill and Paul's commentary has suffered because they sunk into the "Amerocentric" narrative that OLN, VS, Trek and Mr. Armstrong have promoted, while all but ignoring the rest of the cycling world.

I did reread my post and you are correct that my references were all from the Tour, my bad. I'll add to my thought that if one listens to Paul and Phill one would think that "Big George" is the only rider at PR every year and that it's amazing that Dave Z hasn't won the World Championships in the TT.

Though stated poorly, with examples from only one race, it was my point that the "Amerocentric" selling of cycling is building a fan base out of playing cards. To further grow knowledge of American's budding fanhood other riders, races and teams need to be featured in their commentary.

For the record. The Giro is the most interesting of the GTs and will never be replaced by the TOC.

Apologies, the fault was mine.

Its that everywhere I read about how Phil and Paul are bad because they like Lance, and Im a bit tired of all this talk about Lance, he was before my time anyway, and I thought you were barking up the same tree and wanted to make clear that some of us dislike him not for his picking sides in that battle but for his total ignorance of the sport.

As to the bit about all your examples being from the Tour, that was not a shot at you but rather at Phil.

And Pat Mcquaid has said that he wants TOC to replace Giro, so thats why im scared about that.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

I'm wondering if Phil and Paul are being intentionally dense so as to communicate more easily with the American audience.

 

[jens_attacks]

I'm wondering if Phil and Paul are being intentionally dense so as to communicate more easily with the American audience.

i've asked myself that.imagine de andres/delgado or cassani/pancani instead of them,how many people will still watch cycling?

anyway i gotta say,i don't know how you survive with that versus crap,commercials,commercials,studio with bob roll and that guy prounouncin g very weird "c.untador",armstrong dropped,no one can see it because of commercials,frank schleck on the ground broken collarbone commercials.i could not watch for even an hour.
i say it because i downloaded last year the mountain stages from 2010 tour,my god the coverage was pure crap.i deleted immediately eveything.