Commentary on TNT and other WB brands

[inthepink]

Vattenfall Cyclassics is Decaln Quickly TG

 

[argyllflyer]

Vattenfall Cyclassics is Decaln Quickly TG

ta, added.

 

[hfer07]

Breaking New:

Kirby has exposed an unseen rivalry between the two Movistar leaders Nairo Quintana & Alejandro Valverde, all caused by the opposition created by the Spaniard against the Giro winner to ride the Tour, and now Quintana has exposed in public his discontent of that decision. Now the two of them will fight among themselves for leadership in the coming days, as the race progresses...........





What a load of bvllsh!t he spat yesterday for Christ sake...... unbelievable!!

 

[msjett]

I woke up at 3am to watch on eurosport(lucky for me I have cable in my bedroom)....I really should turn the volume down, but it doesn't matter who they are all as bad as each other....

 

[Helvellyn]

Breaking New:

Kirby has exposed an unseen rivalry between the two Movistar leaders Nairo Quintana & Alejandro Valverde, all caused by the opposition created by the Spaniard against the Giro winner to ride the Tour, and now Quintana has exposed in public his discontent of that decision. Now the two of them will fight among themselves for leadership in the coming days, as the race progresses...........





What a load of bvllsh!t he spat yesterday for Christ sake...... unbelievable!!

He was at it in the Tour as well....right at the start said something to the effect of "Valverde thinks he's in with a chance of winning, he's probably the only one who thinks that" (can't remember the exact words, but that was the gist). I'm not particularly a Valverde fan, but I don't like to see a commentator being so obviously biased against a rider.

Most of what he spouts is drivel...but I have to admit he does come out with some classics from time to time: "Here we have some brutalist 60s architecture...how can we brighten it up? Pastel colours. Apologies to the architect if he's watching"

 

[inthepink]

Yesterday Kirby said Quintana was bullied at Movistar ???
Not on to say such things as very serious and all he has to go on is Quintana was not at the Tour....Many riders are sent to particular races that they may not want to do and also miss races they want...its part of being an employee and doesn't mean you are being bullied....Kirby would want to temper his language

I bet he mentions this everytime he speaks of Movistar.....not to mention his curent obsession with Polish riders ???

 

[argyllflyer]

I don't think it's that contentious to state that if Valverde is picked as team leader he will call the shots - look at 2013 when Quintana was sacrificed as a decoy in the Pyrenees only for Valverde to lose minutes in the crosswinds. However, there must be a slight changing of the guard at Movistar now with Quintana having banked a GT and Valverde looking likely to go down in history as a classics and 1 week specialist.

Nothing changes the fact though that Kirby will turn every minor incident up to 11, unless it's doping-related, in which case he mutes it. See his bootlicking and tears over Horner yesterday - not one mention of WHY the MPCC insists on riders that have a low cortisol reading are withdrawn from racing.

 

[gunara]

I don't think it's that contentious to state that if Valverde is picked as team leader he will call the shots - look at 2013 when Quintana was sacrificed as a decoy in the Pyrenees only for Valverde to lose minutes in the crosswinds. However, there must be a slight changing of the guard at Movistar now with Quintana having banked a GT and Valverde looking likely to go down in history as a classics and 1 week specialist. .

The thing is Kirby made it as if Quintana had just had his outburst in the interview. My parents (who always look for Samuel Dumoulin and Roberto Ferrari in any sprints, other than thinking "it might be Gossy's day", thanks to him) lamented "the boy shouldn't say things like that on tv.", and I didn't speak enough Spanish to tell them anything else.

 

[argyllflyer]

The thing is Kirby made it as if Quintana had just had his outburst in the interview. My parents (who always look for Samuel Dumoulin and Roberto Ferrari in any sprints, other than thinking "it might be Gossy's day", thanks to him) lamented "the boy shouldn't say things like that on tv.", and I didn't speak enough Spanish to tell them anything else.

Again, that comes back to Kirby's style of making mountains out of molehills!

 

[therealtimshady]

Where is Sean Kelly ??

 

[Luigi_Max_Again]

There are probably dozens of posters on here who would be massively better commentators than Kirby, although I am setting a rather low bar for them to achieve.

 

[therealtimshady]

Rather annoying the lack of graphic eg km to go at the minute although not eurosports fault

 

[cineteq]

Where is Sean Kelly ??

He'll be back tomorrow according to Kirby.

 

[argyllflyer]

Where is Sean Kelly ??

He was certainly pencilled in earlier on in the season to do it but I guess something else has come up.

 

[postmanhat]

Kelly's ok, but Dan Lloyd and Kirby work well together. Don't take themselves too seriously

 

[wannabecyclist]

I can't bear Carlton now....Didn't mind him too much when he first started as he had some semblance of modesty & restraint

But now...the endless speaking as if he knows (for certain) what the riders are thinking/saying in the peloton, the inept and ridiculous speculation of motives...the over the top flowery language most of it incorrectly applied....the lack of understanding of race tactics, the endless overused phrases like 'the line beckons, in his pomp, relay back on, having his fun, business end of the day , against the horning, 'so there you have it', etc'

the fixation on one rider on any day or race to the point of obsession and where all others and the progress of the race as it unveils are ignored especially if contrary to his latest theory or prediction

The constant need to create drama especially around all the dangerous thing the he predicts with relish that will happen....How difficult and dangerous every piece of road, whether flat, mountain, uphill, down hill, dry , raining or snowing and how some terrible disaster is just around the corner ...how its all going to be terrible !!!

But most of all the lack of ability to follow the race , name the riders correctly and have any understanding of what is happening before his eyes because he is off on one

Amen. I'm very happy I don't have to listen to Kirby this Vuelta. I am still thinking of the Giro when he would not shut up about Kittel's teeth and how he should use some tooth whitener. I don't care about gossipy, malicious comments like this. Stick to the topic of racing.

 

[mariposa]

Amen. I'm very happy I don't have to listen to Kirby this Vuelta. I am still thinking of the Giro when he would not shut up about Kittel's teeth and how he should use some tooth whitener. I don't care about gossipy, malicious comments like this. Stick to the topic of racing.

+ another one to Inthepink's excellent comment. 'Malicious gossipy comments' exactly. It is like being forced to listen to a seedy tabloid journalist. The only reason one of the riders he has made comments about haven't punched him one is because they probably have no idea this idiot exists.

Where are you listening to avoid him?

 

[argyllflyer]

+ another one to Inthepink's excellent comment. 'Malicious gossipy comments' exactly. It is like being forced to listen to a seedy tabloid journalist. The only reason one of the riders he has made comments about haven't punched him one is because they probably have no idea this idiot exists.

Where are you listening to avoid him?

His comments are tongue in cheek 99.9% of the time. He actually can't bring himself to visit any kind of controversy in the way a true tabloid journalist would.

A British viewer can avoid him as Ant McCrossan and Graham Jones are doing commentary for ITV4's highlights every night.

 

[mariposa]

His comments are tongue in cheek 99.9% of the time. He actually can't bring himself to visit any kind of controversy in the way a true tabloid journalist would.

He is often pretty insulting for someone who is trying to be 'tongue in cheek'.

A British viewer can avoid him as Ant McCrossan and Graham Jones are doing commentary for ITV4's highlights every night.

Yes ITV4 coverage is good but not the same as watching live. I think CK calmed himself down a bit yesterday when Sean Kelly arrived.

 

[No_Balls]

Kelly's ok, but Dan Lloyd and Kirbywork well together. Don't take themselves too seriously

Thats why he (like his predecessor Duffield) constantly are in aware of riders emotions and thoughts on the spot. In a true oracle of Orphi fashion he pinpointed Valverdes negative opinion about the route in Jerez right then and there.

 

[argyllflyer]

Yes ITV4 coverage is good but not the same as watching live. I think CK calmed himself down a bit yesterday when Sean Kelly arrived.

Yeah my preference is to record and watch Eurosport 'as live', fast-forwarding where appropriate i.e. ads.

 

[wannabecyclist]

+ another one to Inthepink's excellent comment. 'Malicious gossipy comments' exactly. It is like being forced to listen to a seedy tabloid journalist. The only reason one of the riders he has made comments about haven't punched him one is because they probably have no idea this idiot exists.

Where are you listening to avoid him?

I'm in Canada watching Sports Net and this year they are broadcasting the Vuelta with NBC Universal Sports and Todd Gogulski doing commentary. Steve Schlanger, his partner, can be a bit over the top but I'll take him over Kirby.

 

[LittleJo]

Is there a reason Carlton Kirby has started calling it the "Vuelta Tour of Spain"? He did it about 3 times today.

 

[Cycle Chic]

Kirby on Froome

Kirby was classic today.

At 9kms to go he described Froome...'with elbows out as if he is delivering a tray of soft drinks in a high class bar...its his style..so is looking at the stem..'

He then says Froome crashed earlier whhich may have been a 'vision issue'.

So funny !!

 

[argyllflyer]

Is there a reason Carlton Kirby has started calling it the "Vuelta Tour of Spain"? He did it about 3 times today.

I made up a Carlton Kirby drinking game sort of thing a few months back: