Do you watch cycling coverage in its entirety?

[argyllflyer]

Re:

Maybe you know of football/soccer talkshows? I see cycling's TV coverage also as a cycling talkshow in the boring parts of a race.

I was actually thinking about that the other day - they could liven it up somewhat by having the coverage be a bit more interactive when nothing is happening. Listening to Magnus Backstedt or Brian Smith and AN Other drone on during Eurosport's coverage is enough to turn you to drink.

 

[Leinster]

Re:

As much as I can. Though more often than not I'll just have it running in the background - watches on my computer - while I do other things.

This.

Also, here in California, most European races end between 8 and 9 am. For weekday stages, I'm generally spending the time of the last 40km getting kids ready for daycare and showing up for work. If I can see some of the race while doing this, so much the better.

If I'm really feeling insomniac and wake up about 5am, I'll put the race on the iPad/phone and plug in an earphone while I try to get back to sleep for a bit. If Kirby's voice gets a bit animated, hopefully that wakes me up and I'll see whatever action is exciting him.

Most races, the action does only come about in the final 20km. But I've seen plenty of races this year where Steephill only has the last 15, 20km, and the break is already set.

 

[Tonton]

Re:

Watch and watch... I like to have it on in the background while I'm reading or listening to something else until the action starts.

The Black Album ?

For me, I watch as much as I can get, being in the US with hardly any coverage (this year, most of everything is on the Olympic Channel for me). I usually browse "watch whateverthenameoftheraceis live streaming" and go from there or use Steephill or links that some post on CN on race day.

Only exception: sprint stages: I don't watch for stage races, last 20km or so for GTs. Or I just catch up on YouTube afterwards.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

All too often.

 

[the delgados]

There are a few exceptions --e.g. Paris-Roubaix, the last 10 km of a sprint stage, and mountain stages of Le Tour when tens of thousands of crazy fans are lining the route) but for the most part, I prefer watching highlights of a race. Pretty much everything else is just filler.
P.S. Race highlights are even better when my man John Tesh provides the soundtrack. Check it out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZMkZN-PGCo

 

[gunara]

Most of the times: too early, and I've never learned. I had no mean to watch cycling live for years, today the sight of pro peloton holding hands is enough to excite me.

 

[franic]

I usually watch the whole race when I manage to watch them live (mainly during weekend) and the last 30mins -1h when I watch them on YouTube. I must admit that since when I moved to the UK I enjoy much less the live coverage than the Italian/French one. Whether it's Eurosport, BBC or ITV it always feel there is very little expertise. Overall it seems that cycling existed until the late 80s and started again in the 2010s

 

[portugal11]

if sky is in, I only watch the last 5 km, if not, we have a race

 

[Nirvana]

Last years i watched all the coverage from Eurosport and Bike Channel, this year i have less time so i skipped some races and i registered most of others and watched skipping ads and boring parts with x30 button.
I watched live Dubai, Strade Bianche, Paris-Nice, Flemish races, Roubaix (bar the first 50 kms), Pais Vasco, Suisse, some GT stages and i tried for WC but i fell asleep after 70 kms and i woke up only for the last lap.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

If time permits I pretty much watch all coverage of the cobble races, same with SB. On the stage races, the potential for echelons will draw me in early but generally its the last kms. A the season comes to a close I tend to look forward to the next season rather than engaging with the actual races showing live.

 

[Robert5091]

You have n't lived until you've spent 5 hours in C Kirby's company ... :lol:

 

[jmdirt]

I agree with others: I only watch the parts that I think will entertain me so it depends on the race/stage. If I do miss some action, I can always find a replay. I can't sit and watch anything for very long though. I really enjoy watching NFL, but I typically watch the first part of the morning game, do some house/yard work, watch the end of the game, watch the beginning of the afternoon game, go for a ride, watch the end of the game (unless I ride for too long), and then watch the night game while cleaning the house.

 

[tristecsinamigos]

I watch an hour, an hour and a half or so of GT stages and most important races. I'm not paying full attention all the time tho', just the last 10-20 kms, especially on flat stages. Before it I just lie in bed, checking the cellphone or the newspaper from time to time. If I'm streaming it on the computer (not common, Colombian TV/ESPN Latin America have open broadcast for many races), I have one tab for the race in the left of the screen and another tab on the right to check other websites in the meantime, and for the last 10-15 kms I go full screen on the race.

multiple mtf stages, WCRR, PR, etc, I watch the last 2-3 hours. but that's because I don't have full time job and have plenty of free time. If I had a busy day, I watch what I can on Youtube (last 20 kms, highlights or whatever).

 

[rghysens]

I watched the coverage of the following races live in its entirety:
Omloop het Nieuwsblad
Strade Bianche
RVV
P-R
The Ortisei stage in the Giro
The Aix-les-Bains stage in the Tour

 

[Cance > TheRest]

Classics: everything there is to watch I will watch
Stages in stage races: depends entirely on the route. Usually I will analyze/read someone else's analysis of the route and decide on a Km point where it could potentially be worth watching from

 

[Electress]

Varies for me. Less and less. No plans to watch any GTs next year and thinking about getting rid of subscriptions. I used to watch most stages of the TDF etc. in the background, but got most of my entertainment from the Oz fans on twitter. Phil and Paul were so cliched it was actually fun - like playing buzzword bingo. Now I find the commentators so universally poor for the GTs that I prefer watching shorter stage races and classics - the 'second tier' commentators are generally far more knowledgeable and less prone to outrageous bias.

 

[phanatic]

I try to watch most of the monuments and "classics," freeing up my time for it, but just watch stage race videos as best I can. I don't really get into the race unless I'm watching at least 30-40 minutes, though. If I can't find those I just read results - sometimes.

It also depends on whether I have a favorite rider racing. I could watch five full flat stages waiting for the day an Andy or Nibali attack the retired super villain, but watching six Sky riders lead a group of ten to fifteen up a mountain dispirits me.

 

[gregrowlerson]

Re: Re:

Watch and watch... I like to have it on in the background while I'm reading or listening to something else until the action starts.

The Black Album ?

For me, I watch as much as I can get, being in the US with hardly any coverage (this year, most of everything is on the Olympic Channel for me). I usually browse "watch whateverthenameoftheraceis live streaming" and go from there or use Steephill or links that some post on CN on race day.

Only exception: sprint stages: I don't watch for stage races, last 20km or so for GTs. Or I just catch up on YouTube afterwards.

Only when the Tour is on. They both have something in common

 

[gregrowlerson]

Re:

Varies for me. Less and less. No plans to watch any GTs next year and thinking about getting rid of subscriptions. I used to watch most stages of the TDF etc. in the background, but got most of my entertainment from the Oz fans on twitter. Phil and Paul were so cliched it was actually fun - like playing buzzword bingo. Now I find the commentators so universally poor for the GTs that I prefer watching shorter stage races and classics - the 'second tier' commentators are generally far more knowledgeable and less prone to outrageous bias.

My main cycling interest has always been (and in fact was once upon a time solely) GT's; I'll probably always get more excited about a high (or sometimes medium) mountain stage then I will about a cobbled classic, for whatever reason.

How much cycling I watch depends a lot on my mood, and on my energy levels. Living in Australia, live coverage is around 11pm to 1am. I might sit up to the end of the stage around 8 times for the Tour, and maybe 6 times for the Vuelta. Although this year I had more interest than average as it was Contador's last stand in both. We didn't have live coverage on free to air television of the Giro this year, so I hardly saw any of it (I don't care much for live streams, they tend to freeze a lot for me anyway; oh yeah, I recall trying to watch stage 20 on one and it was freezing plenty), but I often do a lot of scrolling through the stage thread on the forum. I find that it's almost like watching the race itself, and you usually learn more about everything that is happening, such as whether or not it is morally objectable for a particular rider or team to be doing some work....the best group of commentators really are right here.

I am not exactly big on one day races, though I take an interest in the results the next day. I rarely watch the world championships. I did this year, and I saw the ending of the one when Costa won, but I'm pretty much burned out by that stage of the season (hard work sitting on a sofa). I didn't watch any of Lombardia. Earlier in the year, I've found myself with greater interest in the Tour of Flanders sometimes; loved Gilbert's victory this season. But outside of GT's my favourite race is Paris-Nice. We've had excellent coverage of that for at least the past two seasons, so fortunately I got to see all of Alberto's heroics on those final days.

 

[gregrowlerson]

Re: Re:

[/quote]
I am not exactly big on one day races, though I take an interest in the results the next day. I rarely watch the world championships. I did this year, and I saw the ending of the one when Costa won, but I'm pretty much burned out by that stage of the season (hard work sitting on a sofa). I didn't watch any of Lombardia. Earlier in the year, I've found myself with greater interest in the Ronde van Vlaanderen sometimes; loved Gilbert's victory this season. But outside of GT's my favourite race is Paris-Nice. We've had excellent coverage of that for at least the past two seasons, so fortunately I got to see all of Alberto's heroics on those final days.[/quote]

My increasing interest in this race doesn't extend to learning how to spell it's true name, or to put in some effort to google it and copy it, but I SWEAR that the forum just autocorrected my blasphemy!

Don't shake you head. Ned it. I am serious neighborinos

 

[Carols]

Basically if it is on tv it'll be playing or recording . Often I do other things while it's playing and fast forward through boring parts if it is recorded.