Commentary and coverage on HBO MAX (formerly TNT, Discovery, EuroSport etc)

[Armchair Cyclist]

Why does Carlton Kirby consider himself in any way professional when he hasn't even taken the time to look at the UCI rules and discover that the penalty given to Martinez yesterday was, short of disqualification, the maximum available.

Instead, he rails about how he cannot understand the decision they made. Yes Carlton, there is a reason you can't understand it: you don't know what you are on about, and hope that the indignation of the ignorant is entertaining.

 

[Izzyeviel]

A rather tearful goodbye from the ITV team.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Accurate but unfortunate commentators' quotes #427:
"Lars Craps on the floor" (Belgian Lotto rider in a fall in the Tour of Wallonie)

 

[Netserk]

Rob Hatch is just so super annoying with his prententious over-pronunciation and overhyping of everything that goes on in a bike race.

Also, I really do miss Rolf Sørensen. Second year in a row he misses out and Im fearing he's not coming back in TdF at least. Super sharp race analysis most of the time. And if he doesn't, I hope they pick up Michael Rasmussen who's the best analyst in Denmark by a mile and most importantly, calls it as he sees it with no regards of nationalities. But that ship has probably sailed a while ago

Eurosport was much better than TV2, at least in the stages without Brian Holm.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

The German commentator at the TdFF just said that the last two days weren‘t really flat. I‘m sorry, yesterday had 700 vertical meters, the day before probably less than 1000. I don‘t know why the commentators keep being ridiculous in women‘s races and pretending every speedbump is the Mont Ventoux.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Ben Swift: is in the breakaway
Brandon Smith Rivera: crashes in the Peloton
Jez Cox: Did Ben Swift finish? Because that looks like it might have been him there.

Is he colorblind, generally unable to see the size of riders and has short-term memory loss about what the race situation at 200 meters to go was?

 

[Valv.Piti]

Eurosport was much better than TV2, at least in the stages without Brian Holm.

Agree, Im definitely leaning Eurosport these days without Holm, although I don't think TV2 is bad either. Holm is just bad - has he always been THIS bad? I think as a DS, he's really good at a lot of other stuff, but really bad at analyzing a bike race.

 

[Hugh Januss]

Ben Swift: is in the breakaway
Brandon Smith Rivera: crashes in the Peloton
Jez Cox: Did Ben Swift finish? Because that looks like it might have been him there.

Is he colorblind, generally unable to see the size of riders and has short-term memory loss about what the race situation at 200 meters to go was?

TBF all you could really see was an Ineos kit flying sideways through the group at the front of the field just as the break was being absorbed on the finish line. That said Cox generally annoys me. It's as if he's watching on his phone, particularly at cross races where he routinely misses things happening. Case in point we clearly see one of 3 leaders fall just as they cut away and Cox goes on with whatever little travelogue he was recounting. Two minutes later when the now 2 leaders come into view old Jez wonders if maybe the third couldn't hack the pace anymore.

 

[yaco]

TBF all you could really see was an Ineos kit flying sideways through the group at the front of the field just as the break was being absorbed on the finish line. That said Cox generally annoys me. It's as if he's watching on his phone, particularly at cross races where he routinely misses things happening. Case in point we clearly see one of 3 leaders fall just as they cut away and Cox goes on with whatever little travelogue he was recounting. Two minutes later when the now 2 leaders come into view old Jez wonders if maybe the third couldn't hack the pace anymore.

It's because when Cox is telling a story during the coverage he takes his eye off the screen which i do not understand.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

"After this break, we'll be looking at superstitions and do they really work?"

That should be a one word debate.

 

[argyllflyer]

Well, after 12 seasons of contributing to this thread, I have decided to bring my involvement to an end. I am not prepared to pay £31 a month anymore to TNT to access UK coverage. I will follow the sport on YouTube etc.

Adieu and enjoy!

 

[Izzyeviel]

I've got to cancel mine, my experience watching on my laptop was akin me trying to read small text on a faraway sign.

 

[Netserk]

Well, after 12 seasons of contributing to this thread, I have decided to bring my involvement to an end. I am not prepared to pay £31 a month anymore to TNT to access UK coverage. I will follow the sport on YouTube etc.

Adieu and enjoy!

If the yookay dwellers are going to subscribe the VPNs anyway, I guess many can use that to watch free-to-air races.

 

[HashRouge]

I'm cancelling mine at the end of the month as well. I got offered a 1/2 price deal for seven months when I initially cancelled after the price hike, but that is sadly coming to an end. I'm going to have a shot at watching with a VPN next year.

 

[hayneplane]

I'm reminded of last year's Vuelta, when for the first 10 days we had Laura Winter, Matt Stephens & Nathan Van Hooydonck on The Breakaway.....and it was far better.
Then Blythe came back and said he hasn't really watch any of it, and had done no prep........it was a definite downgrade - and he drags the others down to his level, including Orla.

Matt Stephens manages to combine being zany and irreverent with actual proper insight unlike Blythe who is just a clown who tries too hard to be funny and isn’t.

The team misses the bike nerdiness of Dan Lloyd who, whilst a mediocre rider in his day, comes across as a real cycling superfan who is passionate about the history of the sport as well.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Well, after 12 seasons of contributing to this thread, I have decided to bring my involvement to an end. I am not prepared to pay £31 a month anymore to TNT to access UK coverage. I will follow the sport on YouTube etc.

Adieu and enjoy!

Many thanks for your dedication to keeping us alert to exactly who it was that we were being irritated by at any given time.

 

[Savant12]

Well, after 12 seasons of contributing to this thread, I have decided to bring my involvement to an end. I am not prepared to pay £31 a month anymore to TNT to access UK coverage. I will follow the sport on YouTube etc.

Adieu and enjoy!

My half-price 3 months subscription ends in September and I am going to cancel it. If, after cancellation, they want to send me another special comeback offer far below their usual hefty monthly fee then I may go for it.

 

[Axel Hangleck]

The team misses the bike nerdiness of Dan Lloyd who, whilst a mediocre rider in his day, comes across as a real cycling superfan who is passionate about the history of the sport as well.

That's a bit harsh - he got Top 10 in Strade Bianche, don't you know.......he's never mentioned it.......

 

[Potomac]

My half-price 3 months subscription ends in September and I am going to cancel it. If, after cancellation, they want to send me another special comeback offer far below their usual hefty monthly fee then I may go for it.

That's the way everyone needs to play it.

 

[Potomac]

Who is doing Tour of Poland?

 

[Wyndbrook]

Who is doing Tour of Poland?

UK is Jez Cox and Matt Winston.

 

[search]

The German commentator at the TdFF just said that the last two days weren‘t really flat. I‘m sorry, yesterday had 700 vertical meters, the day before probably less than 1000. I don‘t know why the commentators keep being ridiculous in women‘s races and pretending every speedbump is the Mont Ventoux.

Leinauer isn't really much of a cycling expert, to be fair, more like some Eurosport uses wherever he's needed.

It may sound a bit disrespectful, but I'm happy he is doing women's cycling now, where tactics usually play less of a role - because he doesn't understand those anyway. Him at those little Belgian classics was an absolute nightmare

 

[RedheadDane]

Worre: You can't really call Froome a young talent. Well, you can try to call him that, but he isn't.






(And earlier Mielke tried to claim M. Scotson as "almost Danish" on accord of him being engaged to Uttrup.)

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

No Vuelta Presentation on TNT/Discovery + ? Where am I going to get my fix on Piemontese/Spanish fusion interpretative dance?

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

And looking at the listings, they have dropped the multicam, and the Vuelta stages are only listed as being on numbered (and therefore advert carrying) channels.

Boo Hiss.