Tuned in just in time to hear CK describe Simon Gerrans as an unpredictable bike rider just before I could find the Mute button
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He's been commentating on some of the pro/am Zwift races recently so may be back after those have finished. He's also been busy filming stuff for Sigma Sports.Really enjoyed the pairing of Kirby & Blythe this week at the Saudi Tour - Blythe far more opinionated than some of the vanilla co-commentators that are used. And jetsetting (!) Carlton in Valencia too had a great line when he described a finish on a hairpin "which upset Valverde" lol. Matt Stephens has usually bobbed up by now - wonder if he's moved on?
Could not believe my ears when Kirby literally suggested that Groenewegen could win the GC in Valencia... I'm sure the 5.1km 12% summit finish on stage 4 will suit him brilliantly.
I do hope the bold is a deliberate homage to your man!Another year and another update from argyllfyer. I look forward to his contributions just as much as the yearly new kit thread. argyllfyer is awesome.
Unfortunately, argyllfyer's yearly updates result in a groundswell of criticism directed toward my man Carlton Kirby.
Before we begin, criticism directed toward my man Carlton Kirby is undeserved. I submit that the following are reasons why.
--It has been suggested that he knows nothing about cycling. To put it politely, the accusation is completely erroneous. Even though cycling commentary is just one of many disciplines he takes part in, my man CK is not an idiot. Calling a bike race is not rocket surgery. He knows of what he speaks. He might not be up- to -the -minute aware of every rider's status in the peloton, but a large part of that has to do with the likelihood he called a bowling game or dart event the day before. Expecting him to be the equivalent of a director sportif is a bit excessive.
--Carlton Kirby knows nothing about the inner workings of cycling. See above. That's not his job!
He knows how a race is unfolding; it's the job of the expert to explain why.
---Carlton Kirby talks gibberish. More than one person on this thread has accused him of doing so. Each one either never went to school in person, or they weren't present in an intellectual sense. My man Carlton Kirby frequently refers to literary references that the braying hounds do not understand.
--Carlton Kirby is drunk. You might be right! But let me ask you this: Do you think you could manage to fill four hours of dead air without resorting to a pick-me-up? There's only so much one could say about a breakaway with 20 minutes in hand with 190 km's to go. Unless you're Dianne Sawyer, I'm pretty sure you can't delve into the life story of every rider in the break. Hence, banality like talking about a hotel in which you stayed is pretty much all you can do.
Ladies and gentlemen: I am not here to tell you who you should like. But I am damn sure here to tell you who not to dislike. Carlton Kirby is a man among mere mortals. He does a thankless job.
He deserves respect.
With that said, enjoy the cycling season, and kudos to argyllflier for keeping the dream alive.
Another year and another update from argyllfyer. I look forward to his contributions just as much as the yearly new kit thread. argyllfyer is awesome.
Unfortunately, argyllfyer's yearly updates result in a groundswell of criticism directed toward my man Carlton Kirby.
Before we begin, criticism directed toward my man Carlton Kirby is undeserved. I submit that the following are reasons why.
--It has been suggested that he knows nothing about cycling. To put it politely, the accusation is completely erroneous. Even though cycling commentary is just one of many disciplines he takes part in, my man CK is not an idiot. Calling a bike race is not rocket surgery. He knows of what he speaks. He might not be up- to -the -minute aware of every rider's status in the peloton, but a large part of that has to do with the likelihood he called a bowling game or dart event the day before. Expecting him to be the equivalent of a director sportif is a bit excessive.
--Carlton Kirby knows nothing about the inner workings of cycling. See above. That's not his job!
He knows how a race is unfolding; it's the job of the expert to explain why.
---Carlton Kirby talks gibberish. More than one person on this thread has accused him of doing so. Each one either never went to school in person, or they weren't present in an intellectual sense. My man Carlton Kirby frequently refers to literary references that the braying hounds do not understand.
--Carlton Kirby is drunk. You might be right! But let me ask you this: Do you think you could manage to fill four hours of dead air without resorting to a pick-me-up? There's only so much one could say about a breakaway with 20 minutes in hand with 190 km's to go. Unless you're Dianne Sawyer, I'm pretty sure you can't delve into the life story of every rider in the break. Hence, banality like talking about a hotel in which you stayed is pretty much all you can do.
Ladies and gentlemen: I am not here to tell you who you should like. But I am damn sure here to tell you who not to dislike. Carlton Kirby is a man among mere mortals. He does a thankless job.
He deserves respect.
With that said, enjoy the cycling season, and kudos to argyllflier for keeping the dream alive.
Think I heard Marty Macrossan mention that Carlton Kirby would be doing the commentary at the weekend. Something that has probably been coming for a long time as there is the link of GCN, Eurosport and Discovery, plus he's done the commentary for those GCN challenge races in the past.Tour De Provence is live on the GCN youtube channel.
haha thanks very much! I will say though that CK is pretty much a full-time cycling commentator in this day and age - being booked up by ES well over 100+ days a year across the year (road and then the 6 day events) doesn't leave room for much else bar the Dakar he does annually. I enjoy him more than I don't. To be honest, half of his trouble stems from the dreadful coverage of races - poor camera angles, poor data that provides positioning information, they're rarely on site so lack 'insider' information about form and who's doing what on a stage - a lot is guess work because of that. Throw in the odd brain fart and you get CK! His book is well worth a read if you haven't got around to it yet
Think I heard Marty Macrossan mention that Carlton Kirby would be doing the commentary at the weekend. Something that has probably been coming for a long time as there is the link of GCN, Eurosport and Discovery, plus he's done the commentary for those GCN challenge races in the past.
He does more than than just Dakar, probably why he sounds giddy at times.
To his credit, he does always have a good handle on the last few kms, the corners, the roundabouts etc.
Another year and another update from argyllfyer. I look forward to his contributions just as much as the yearly new kit thread. argyllfyer is awesome.
Unfortunately, argyllfyer's yearly updates result in a groundswell of criticism directed toward my man Carlton Kirby.
Before we begin, criticism directed toward my man Carlton Kirby is undeserved. I submit that the following are reasons why.
--It has been suggested that he knows nothing about cycling. To put it politely, the accusation is completely erroneous. Even though cycling commentary is just one of many disciplines he takes part in, my man CK is not an idiot. Calling a bike race is not rocket surgery. He knows of what he speaks. He might not be up- to -the -minute aware of every rider's status in the peloton, but a large part of that has to do with the likelihood he called a bowling game or dart event the day before. Expecting him to be the equivalent of a director sportif is a bit excessive.
--Carlton Kirby knows nothing about the inner workings of cycling. See above. That's not his job!
He knows how a race is unfolding; it's the job of the expert to explain why.
---Carlton Kirby talks gibberish. More than one person on this thread has accused him of doing so. Each one either never went to school in person, or they weren't present in an intellectual sense. My man Carlton Kirby frequently refers to literary references that the braying hounds do not understand.
--Carlton Kirby is drunk. You might be right! But let me ask you this: Do you think you could manage to fill four hours of dead air without resorting to a pick-me-up? There's only so much one could say about a breakaway with 20 minutes in hand with 190 km's to go. Unless you're Dianne Sawyer, I'm pretty sure you can't delve into the life story of every rider in the break. Hence, banality like talking about a hotel in which you stayed is pretty much all you can do.
Ladies and gentlemen: I am not here to tell you who you should like. But I am damn sure here to tell you who not to dislike. Carlton Kirby is a man among mere mortals. He does a thankless job.
He deserves respect.
With that said, enjoy the cycling season, and kudos to argyllflier for keeping the dream alive.
On the contrary it is more than deserved. Classic case of the Peter principle. If you think he’s good you are out of your damn mind. I have a few stories that would blow your mind if the amount b.s. and politics that goes on .... let’s just he knows he’s replaceable.
The guy is abysmal and a clown.
Flecha's 'Juan And Only' speil today was like a Through The Keyhole audition. Who lives in a house like this?
I agree with this, although he doesn’t do himself any favours with his opinions and biases at times. If he kept those under control then he has talent as you’ve said.I like Kirby. His job is to keep the conversation flowing. He's particularly good on long stages when nothing is happening. Too many other commentators try to force conversation about uninteresting cycling-related "talking points."