Commentary on TNT and other WB brands

[Cycle Chic]

Doesn't he have to know who you are to be an arch enemy?

well i,ve tweeted him quite a bit to say how crap he is.

 

[Connor Pass]

Wrong! Harmon is far worse this year. The only team that exists this year according to him is Sky and then its only 'cav' and 'brad'. All other riders get short changed on Eurosport UK. Quite often the TV picture is on a non Britsh rider/non sky rider, and Harmon just ignores the screen and witters on some irrelevant subject. Is Eurosport owned by Mr murdoch and Sky now?

Its a pity the days of unbiased commentators have gone - I prefer to make my own opinions of the riders, with commentators just giving a factual commentary. And nationality is not a criteria i use to judge riders. I wish it was possible to choose which eurosport commentary you watched, - France, Italian, Belgium, Norwegian instead of the one where you currently live.

I think that's a bit harsh. He's generally commentating for "newcomers" to cycling and although English is the default language for European Eurosport he is also commentating on British Eurosport so the bias towards Sky (the main British team) and Anglophone riders is understandable.
I'd be pretty sure if you listened to French Eurosport there would be similar bias towards French teams and riders, similarly with the other languages but it wouldn't be as obvious as there are far more pro-teams and riders in these countries.

 

[asdfgh101]

Why does Eurosport International become sd when they go into TDF extra mode? The picture quality is awful, especially the graphics!

 

[LugHugger]

Kirkby and Harmon were embarrassing in their sensationalising of Froome's interview in Equipe today.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

I like Harmonn, though some on this forum say hes not great in person (wouldnt know) but today there was a funny incident.

A woman, wrote in to ask Harmonn about the Olympics, and also inocently asked why he hadnt mentioned Haimar Zubeldia.

Harmonn switched at the Zubeldia question saying " Because hes done absolutely nothing, like 150 other riders" and then for the next 5 minutes recited from memory presumably, riders at the Tour whom he also hasnt mentioned

" I havent for example mentioned David Moncoutie, Or Jermome Coppell or Dmitri Fofonov. I havent mentioned Amael Moinard or..." going through at least a dozen riders.

poor woman, just wanted to ask a question, but it was still quite funny.

Harmonn lacks knowledge of the sport and I am glad he's not doing the NBC sport coverage anymore. As such, he was pretty useless in the booth.

 

[gustienordic]

Harmonn lacks knowledge of the sport and I am glad he's not doing the NBC sport coverage anymore. As such, he was pretty useless in the booth.

Nah, he is much, much better than Phil and Paul. Yes he make talk about Sky alot, but its better than hearing about how RSNT/Levi are gods, (especially Horner)

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

Nah, he is much, much better than Phil and Paul. Yes he make talk about Sky alot, but its better than hearing about how RSNT/Levi are gods, (especially Horner)

I will qualify by saying I have not watched Harmon this season. I am basing my opinion on last season. So maybe he has changed in a year? But you are right about Phil & Paul.

 

[Dalakhani]

Wrong! Harmon is far worse this year. The only team that exists this year according to him is Sky and then its only 'cav' and 'brad'. All other riders get short changed on Eurosport UK.

I'd agree with that.

Harmon justified this at the beginning of the Tour by saying Wiggins was the favourite for the yellow jersey.

However, he wasn't that far ahead of Evans in the betting, but Evans never got anywhere as much attention.

Perhaps it's a case of giving the public what they want (lots of info about Sky), but surely they can do that without going as far as cheering the Sky riders in the final of stages?

 

[Dalakhani]

BTW, there was an example today where they said "unfortunately" EBH didn't win the stage yesterday after Wiggins work. Not "unfortunately for Sky", just "unfortunately" because the guy from their favourite team didn't win.

 

[djlovesyou]

BTW, there was an example today where they said "unfortunately" EBH didn't win the stage yesterday after Wiggins work. Not "unfortunately for Sky", just "unfortunately" because the guy from their favourite team didn't win.

Did it make you cry?

 

[argyllflyer]

I'd agree with that.

Harmon justified this at the beginning of the Tour by saying Wiggins was the favourite for the yellow jersey.

However, he wasn't that far ahead of Evans in the betting, but Evans never got anywhere as much attention.

Perhaps it's a case of giving the public what they want (lots of info about Sky), but surely they can do that without going as far as cheering the Sky riders in the final of stages?

Apart from the fact that Evans has had a fairly low-key season so far compared to Wiggins who has won 3 stage races, did you see Wiggins almost catch up with Evans at the Dauphine during the TT, despite setting off 2 mins later?

In 2012, Wiggins is a far superior TT rider and that is what gave him the advantage going into the TdF. He has followed up annihilating Evans in the Dauphine ITT by taking 1m53sec out of him in the two TT stages so far in the TdF. With another 50km+ on the flat to come in Stage 19, Evans will be further hammered... IMO.

Evans was a worthy winner last year but he's now 35 and his better days are behind him, at least on this kind of course, up against riders like Wiggins and Froome who are better than him on the terrain available, or have a more effective team to make sure they win enough time to take yellow.

 

[Cycle Chic]

todays twitter question was whether the punctures could be the same as the Etape du Caledonia when tacks were thrown onto the roads....Harmon says unequivocally and very sarcastically 'NO that doesnt happen in the Tour de France'. Like he is the font of cycling knowledge.


What a tool he is !

 

[Dalakhani]

Did it make you cry?

Did what make me cry? That EBH didn't win the stage? Or that Harmon strikes me as a Sky fanboy?

(The answer to both questions is, "Eh?".)

 

[Pricey_sky]

I dont mind Harmon and Kelly on Eurosport. They keep the stage ticking along nicely and they do at least try to involve the viewers at home.

Can you really blame them for being pro Sky when Harmon is a Brit aswel? It's just like when Contador was winning everything the Spanish commentators were up his backside.

 

[Dalakhani]

Can you really blame them for being pro Sky when Harmon is a Brit aswel?

I guess it depends on what you want from a commentator.

Do you flag waving? Some might, personally, I don't.

I been watching cycling since before Sky existed, and before Wiggins was at Garmin. So I already had favourite riders before the "British invasion".

To expect me to drop those riders because some riders born a couple of hundred miles from me (wait, how far are Belgium and Kenya?) are riding in the race is, IMO, a bit presumptuous.

 

[the asian]

I dont mind Harmon and Kelly on Eurosport. They keep the stage ticking along nicely and they do at least try to involve the viewers at home.

Can you really blame them for being pro Sky when Harmon is a Brit aswel? It's just like when Contador was winning everything the Spanish commentators were up his backside.

It's the commentators job to be impartial. If it was a coverage only for GB, it would have been at least acceptable, but this is a world wide coverage.
Kelly is OK. Harmon is tending to be pro-sky this tour, but Kirby is the worst.
However, they are miles better than Phil & Paul.

 

[Avoriaz]

My first year of Harmon, Kirby and Kelly after nearly 30 years of P&P. To begin with I felt bad, as if I was cheating on P&P. To me Phil Liggett was cycling commentary, like John Motson or Brian Moore were to football (not Bill McLaren to rugby as he was simply the best). Thus, I felt I was in some way cheating.

But I have really enjoyed listening to them, and the fun they are having. P&P are very matter of fact, but KKH are enjoying themselves. Picture them on air for seven hours of a boring stage with a hill at the beginning. I like hearing about Kirby's farm....

They carry it off - almost like the old Radio 4 cricket commentators but without the cake

 

[Richeypen]

My first year of Harmon, Kirby and Kelly after nearly 30 years of P&P. To begin with I felt bad, as if I was cheating on P&P. To me Phil Liggett was cycling commentary, like John Motson or Brian Moore were to football (not Bill McLaren to rugby as he was simply the best). Thus, I felt I was in some way cheating.

But I have really enjoyed listening to them, and the fun they are having. P&P are very matter of fact, but KKH are enjoying themselves. Picture them on air for seven hours of a boring stage with a hill at the beginning. I like hearing about Kirby's farm....

They carry it off - almost like the old Radio 4 cricket commentators but without the cake

IMO a perfect analogy.

 

[JPM London]

It's the commentators job to be impartial. If it was a coverage only for GB, it would have been at least acceptable, but this is a world wide coverage.
Kelly is OK. Harmon is tending to be pro-sky this tour, but Kirby is the worst.
However, they are miles better than Phil & Paul.

Maybe it's because I'm not paying that much attention to it, but I'm not really hearing the bias. If there's a lot of Anglo talk it's probably because that's where they're from and what they know most about. It does seem the main market is the UK - most comments from viewers is from the UK as I'm catching it? I think they're covering it quite well

I think my favourite part of each stage is when Sean in his thick Irish accent talks about what will happen when there's 30-40 K left - or "Fotty-Totty" as he would say himself - absolutely love it!

Also I'm finding it hard to tune into the P&P show - just couldn't bear to hear the "putting the hammer down" line every time a camera happens to zoom in an a rider no matter if he's doing 70 or standing in a ditch waiting for a tyre. And I'm not in the mood of risking an anecdote about or rider comparison with that American rider.

In the end I dunno - there's something strangely comforting about the sounds of both the P&P show and the Kelly/Harmon/Kirby jam session. A bit like one of those relaxation cds...

Ok - one more and I'm out of here - I kinda like it when they're clearly not right about everything. It's always fun to see them squirm when they can't quite figure out which riders are in the break away and get it wrong (how hard is it to have a rider list by your side to glance at when you can see a rider's number but have a hard time recognising his bum from the other 180 ones?). I also like how they most of the time realise someone's being dropped just those 10 seconds later than the rest of the world and only see it just as the camera cuts away from it and you have plenty of time to think "why are they still going on about what someone did in the 80s when the breakaway is falling apart?" before they even realise.

 

[gustienordic]

It's the commentators job to be impartial. If it was a coverage only for GB, it would have been at least acceptable, but this is a world wide coverage.
Kelly is OK. Harmon is tending to be pro-sky this tour, but Kirby is the worst.
However, they are miles better than Phil & Paul.

Well in all fairness, he has been a fan of Wiggins/Sky for a long time. I would be very excited if my favorite rider was destroying people.

My favorite is when Kelly talks about all the strange things he has done in the past

 

[Cycle Chic]

Todays classic was when Harmon asked Carlton Kirby for his explanation of Xipamide.....like he knows anything about cycling.

 

[User Guide]

Well in all fairness, he has been a fan of Wiggins/Sky for a long time. I would be very excited if my favorite rider was destroying people.

My favorite is when Kelly talks about all the strange things he has done in the past

+1, The best was when he answered what his strangest race winnings were...... A cow from a race in the Netherlands those dutchies

 

[ParfaitAmour]

...But I have really enjoyed listening to them, and the fun they are having. P&P are very matter of fact, but KKH are enjoying themselves. Picture them on air for seven hours of a boring stage with a hill at the beginning. I like hearing about Kirby's farm....

They carry it off - almost like the old Radio 4 cricket commentators but without the cake

Oh I agree, when there is so little to talk about in a stage, at least they provide gentle entertainment.

 

[JPM London]

I have to say I have enjoyed listening to Dan Lloyd's analysis in the British Eurosport studio during this Tour. He was also a commentator on the Algarve and Trentino earlier in the season and I find him well worth listening to.

He's very well worth listening to! They've been using Look Mum No Hands on Old Street in London - a proper cycling cafe where they show the races on big screen - as a studio quite a bit. They probably mention it during the program, but I've not been paying that much attention to it - just noticed it a couple of times.

Dan Lloyd to the Tour 2013!

 

[argyllflyer]

I have to say I have enjoyed listening to Dan Lloyd's analysis in the British Eurosport studio during this Tour. He was also a commentator on the Algarve and Trentino earlier in the season and I find him well worth listening to.

He's been in and out the commentary box recently, did a bit of Tour de Pologne last week (they seemed to just use who was available, Magnus Backstedt did some summarising as well). Trying to remember who did the Dauphine and Tour de Suisse, was it just Brian Smith for both?