Eurosport commentary

[Carrick-On-Seine]

Various commentators during the summer tried to convince me that pronouncing Lidl trek as leedal was the correct way.
Well in the UK anyway it is not or they have given up trying because their Christmas adverts are all pronounced as lid ul.

In Irish tv adverts it's lee-dal.
I'm sure Kelly calls it lid-ul though and probably shops there for their generous bonifications.

 

[awavey]

first road race of the year, I lasted less than 5mins before hitting the mute button talk about cliche flipping overload, just commentate on the pictures!!!

 

[Wyndbrook]

Disco+ has an ambient sound option. You just get the helicopter noise.

 

[awavey]

Disco+ has an ambient sound option. You just get the helicopter noise.

on the app too ? that would almost be my goto default I think thesedays, though the camera bikes had very muffled roadside sound last night, though obv that wouldnt impact every race

 

[Miss Violet Smith]

Good commentators really add a lot to my enjoyment of a cycling race. I'm not very clever or knowledgeable, so I need someone to explain what's about to happen! Ambient sound does not do that.

The British commentators equally intolerable in cycling and winter sports. I try to improve my French and Dutch and yearn for the return of Roberto Vacchi to road cycling.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Blythe ranted on for ages after the first time the caption showed that Williams was to be in the leader's jersey that it ought to be decided on countback, thus demonstrating that he understood absolutely nothing of what the countback rule is. He continued to virtually accuse the race organisers of having done something irrational and unjust in giving Williams the GC lead, when what he should have been doing was to admit and apologise for his unprofessional and culpable ignorance about a rule that has been part of cycling for many years.

Cox was not much better: if he had known his job he should have stepped in and set Blythe straight the first time he demonstrated himself to be an ignorant buffoon, but he said nothing. Several minutes later he read from the rule book sounding as if he thought this was something idiosyncratic to the TDU rather than an intrinsic UCI rule that has been part of every stage race for a long time. Even when it came to the presentations, they were hoping that the guy running the podium ceremonies would do their job for them and explain it.

The crazy thing is, it is only fairly dedicated fans of the sport who will have been watching this: they were both displaying their lack of understanding to an audience of which the vast majority would have known exactly what the principles of countback are, and saw nothing odd about Williams having the lead.

One can only wonder what they think the job of a commentator is.

 

[RedheadDane]

Blythe ranted on for ages after the first time the caption showed that Williams was to be in the leader's jersey that it ought to be decided on countback, thus demonstrating that he understood absolutely nothing of what the countback rule is.

TBF, Danish commentators also initially thought Onley was gonna take it, because he's actually won a stage.
Though, I logged off before they showed the graphics, so I don't know how they reacted to the information that he didn't get it.

 

[tobydawq]

Good commentators really add a lot to my enjoyment of a cycling race. I'm not very clever or knowledgeable, so I need someone to explain what's about to happen! Ambient sound does not do that.

The British commentators equally intolerable in cycling and winter sports. I try to improve my French and Dutch and yearn for the return of Roberto Vacchi to road cycling.

I'm very clever and knowledgeable, yet not having commentators when watching cycling is a hard pass. But I do shuffle with different languages if the Danish option is bad, and Kirby is on the English broadcast.

 

[tobydawq]

TBF, Danish commentators also initially thought Onley was gonna take it, because he's actually won a stage.
Though, I logged off before they showed the graphics, so I don't know how they reacted to the information that he didn't get it.

I think they saw it on PCS, and then when it said differently on the screen, they were confused and said that "in their system" it said Onley. They didn't begin counting placement points themselves - and they didn't say that was the tiebreaker.

 

[Carrick-On-Seine]

Blythe ranted on for ages after the first time the caption showed that Williams was to be in the leader's jersey that it ought to be decided on countback, thus demonstrating that he understood absolutely nothing of what the countback rule is. He continued to virtually accuse the race organisers of having done something irrational and unjust in giving Williams the GC lead, when what he should have been doing was to admit and apologise for his unprofessional and culpable ignorance about a rule that has been part of cycling for many years.

Cox was not much better: if he had known his job he should have stepped in and set Blythe straight the first time he demonstrated himself to be an ignorant buffoon, but he said nothing. Several minutes later he read from the rule book sounding as if he thought this was something idiosyncratic to the TDU rather than an intrinsic UCI rule that has been part of every stage race for a long time. Even when it came to the presentations, they were hoping that the guy running the podium ceremonies would do their job for them and explain it.

The crazy thing is, it is only fairly dedicated fans of the sport who will have been watching this: they were both displaying their lack of understanding to an audience of which the vast majority would have known exactly what the principles of countback are, and saw nothing odd about Williams having the lead.

One can only wonder what they think the job of a commentator is.

They're a terrible pairing those two.
I think Blythe thinks Cox is an idiot and everyone apart from Cox thinks Blythe is an idiot.

 

[argyllflyer]

2023...


Eurosport /GCN commentary pairings season 2023 (men's elite):

(WT=World Tour; PS=Pro Series, ET=Europe Tour, AT=Asia Tour)

WT: Tour Down Under (live from 17/1): Cox & Blythe
PS: Vuelta a San Juan (live from 22/1): Kirby & Smith
ET: Challenge Mallorca: Trofeo Calvia (live on 25/1): Hatch & Blythe
ET: Challenge Mallorca: Trofeo Port D'Alcudia (live on 26/1): Hatch & Blythe
ET: Challenge Mallorca: Trofeo Port D'Andratz (live on 27/1): Hatch & Blythe
ET: Challenge Mallorca: Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana (live on 28/1): Hatch & Smith
WT: Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race (live on 29/1): Keenan, McEwen & Liggett (Host Broadcaster package)
ET: Challenge Mallorca: Trofeo Palma (live on 29/1): Hatch & Smith
ET: Grand Prix Cycliste La Marseillaise (live on 29/1): Been & Stephens
AT: Saudi Tour (live from 30/1): Cox & McEwen
PS: Volta a La Comunitat Valenciana (live from 1/2): Hatch & Smith
ET: Vuelta Ciclista Murcia (live on 11/2): Been & Smith
ET: Figuera Champions Classic (live on 12/2): Cox & Ian Field
PS: Clasica de Almeria (live on 12/2): Been & Smith
ET: Clasica Jaen Paraiso Interior (live on 13/2): Been & Smith
PS: Volta ao Algarve (live from 15/2): Hatch & Stephens (stages 1-3), Blyth (stages 4-5)
PS: Vuelta a Andalucia Ruta Ciclista Del Sol (live from 15/2): Cox & Smith
ET: Tour des Alpes-Maritimes et du Var (live from 17/2): Been & Backstedt
WT: UAE Tour (live from 20/2): Kirby & Smith
ET: Gran Camino (live from 23/2): Cox & Stephens (stages 1-2, 4), Field (stage 3)
ET: Faun-Ardeche Classic (live on 25/2): Been & Walker
WT: Omloop Het Nieuwsblad (live on 25/2): Stephens, Lloyd & Blythe
PS: Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne (live on 26/2): Hatch & Blythe
ET: Faun Drome Classic (live on 26/2): Been & Walker
ET: Le Samyn (live on 28/2): Been & Walker
WT: Strade Bianche (live on 4/3): Hatch, Lloyd & Blythe
ET: Grote Prijs Jean-Pierre Monsere (live on 5/3): Cox & Backstedt
WT: Paris-Nice (live from 5/3): Hatch & Kelly
WT: Tirreno-Adriatico (live from 6/3) : Kirby & McEwen
ET: Albert Achterhes Profronde van Drenthe (live from 12/3): Been (solo)
PS: Danilith Nokere Koerse (live on 15/3): Been & Christmas
PS: Milano-Torino (live on 15/3): Hatch & Smith
PS: Grand Prix de Denain - Porte du Hainaut (live on 16/3): Been & Smith
ET: Bredene Koksidje Classic (live on 18/3): Been & Smith
WT: Milano-Sanremo (live on 18/3): Hatch, Kirby, McEwen, Lloyd & Blythe
ET: Cholet Pays De La Loire (live on 19/3): tbc
WT: Volta Ciclista a Catalunya (live from 20/3): Kirby & Smith
WT: Classic Brugge-De Panne (live on 22/3): Cox & McEwen
WT: E3 Saxo Classic (live on 24/3): Hatch & Blythe
WT: Gent-Wevelgem (live on 26/3): Cox & Blythe
ET: La Roue Tourangelle (live on 26/3): Been & Stephens
WT: Dwars Door Vlaanderen (live on 29/3): Stephens & Lloyd
ET: Volta Limburg Classic (live on 1/4): Been & Stephens
PS: Gran Premio Miguel Indurain (live on 1/4): Walker & Field
WT: Ronde Van Vlaanderen (live on 2/4): Kirby, Lloyd, Kelly & Blythe
WT: Itzulia Basque Country (live from 3/4): Kirby & Smith
PS: Scheldeprijs (live on 5/4): Cox & McEwen
WT: Paris-Roubaix (live on 9/4): Hatch, Lloyd, McEwen & Blyth
ET: Giro di Sicilia (live from 11/4): Been & Smith
PS: De Brabantse Pijl (live on 12/4): Kirby & Lloyd
ET: Classic Grand Besancon Doubs (live on 14/4): Cox & Blythe
ET: Tour du Jura Cycliste (live on 15/4): Cox & Blythe
WT: Amstel Gold Race (live on 16/4): Kirby & Smith
PS: Tour of the Alps (live from 17/4): Hatch & Blythe
WT: La Fleche Wallone (live on 19/4): Cox & Stephens
WT: Liege-Bastogne-Liege (live on 23/4): Hatch & Blythe
WT: Tour de Romandie (live from 25/4): Stephens & Roche
WT: Echborn-Frankfurt (live on 1/5): Cox & Smith
WT: Giro d'Italia (live from 6/5): Hatch, Lloyd, Kelly, Blythe & McEwen
PS: GP du Morbihan (live on 6/5): Cox & Field
PS: Tro Bro Leon (live on 7/5): Cox & Field
PS: Tour de Hongrie (live from 10/5): Kirby & Smith
PS: 4 Jours de Dunkerque: Cox & Smith
Veenendaal Classic (live on 20/5): Been & Field
Antwerp Port Epic (live on 21/5): Been & Field
Tour de Norway (live from 26/5): Been & York
Boucle de la Mayenne (live from 26/5): Cox & Field
Van Merksteijn Fences Classic (live on 27/5): Kirby & Jens Dekker
Ronde van Limburg (live on 29/5): Marty MacDonald & Dekker
Mercan Tour Classic Alpes-Maritimes (live on 30/5): Been & Smith
Brussels Cycling Classic (live on 4/6): Cox & McEwen
Criterium du Dauphine (live from 4/6) Kirby & Smith
ZLM Tour (live from 7/6): Cox & McEwen
Dwars Door Het Hageland (live on 10/6): Walker & Field
Tour de Suisse (live from 11/6): Hatch & Jip van den Bos
Elfstedenronde Brugge (live on 11/6): Walker & Field
Tour of Slovenia (live from 14/6): Walker & York
La Route de Occitanie (live from 15/6): Kirby & Smith
Baloise Belgium Tour (live from 15/6 stage 2-5): Been & McEwen
French ITT Championships (live on 22/6): Kirby & Hutchinson
Italian Road Championships (live on 24/6): no English commentary
Spanish Road Championships (live on 25/6): Been & Yorke
French Road Championships (live on 25/6): Kirby & Smith
British Road Championships (live on 25/6): Stephens & Walker
Tour de France (live from 1/7): Kirby, Hatch, Lloyd, Kelly, Blythe & McEwen with Harris-Bass
Tour de Wallonie (live from 22/7): Been & Yorke (stages 1&2), Smith (stage 3-)
Clasica San Sebastian (live on 29/7): Cox & Smith
Circuito De Getxo (live on 30/7): Cox & Smith
Tour de L'ain (live from 31/7): Walker & Field
World Road Race Championship (live on 5/8): Hatch, Lloyd, Smith & Blythe.
World TT Championship (live on 11/8): Hatch & Smith
Tour of Leuven (live on 15/8): Ian Findlay & Field
Tour du Lumousin (live from 15/8): Walker & Yorke
Vuelta a Burgos (live from 15/8): Hatch & Stephens
Tour of Denmark (live from 16/8): Been & Smith
Arctic Race of Norway (live from 17/8): Cox & Field
Bemer Cyclassics (live on 20/8): Hatch & Blythe
Renewi Tour (live on 23/8): Hatch & Smith
Deutchland Tour (live from 23/8): Cox (solo and on site)
Vuelta a Espana (live from 26/8): Kirby, Lloyd, Kelly, McEwen & Blythe
Tour of Britain (live from 3/9): Stephens & Smith
Bretagne Classic (live on 3/9): Cox & York
Maryland Cycling Classic (live on 3/9): Been & van den Bos
GP Quebec (live on 8/9): Hatch, Smith & York
Grand Prix de Fourmies (live on 10/9): Cox & Field
GP Montreal (live on 10/9): Hatch, Smith & York
Giro della Toscana (live on 13/9): Findlay & Smith
GP de Wallonie (live on 13/9): Been & Stephens
Coppa Sabatini (live on 14/9): Findlay & Field
Kampioenchap van Vlaanderen (live on 15/9): Been & Smith
Super 8 Classic (live on 16/9): Been & Smith
European TT Championships (live on 20/9): Kirby & Hutchinson
Tour of Luxembourg (live from 20/9): Hatch & Smith
Tour de Langkawi (live from 23/9): Been & Smith
European Road Championships (live on 24/9): Kirby & York
CRO Race (live from 26/9): Kirby & York
Circuit Franco-Belge (live 28/9): Been & Smith
Coppa Agostini (live 28/9): Hatch & Stephens
Giro Dell'Emilia (live 30/9): Hatch & Stephens
Tour de Vendee (live 1/10): Been & Smith
Coppa Bernocchi (live 2/10): Hatch & Smith
Sparkassen Munsterland Giro (live 3/10): Cox & Smith
Tre Valli Varesine (live 3/10): Hatch & Stephens
Binche-Chimay-Binche (live 3/10): Been & Walker
Elfsteden Race (live 4/10): Been & Smith
Gran Piemonte (live 5/10): Hatch & Smith
Il Lombardia (live 7/10): Hatch, Lloyd & Smith
Tour of Turkey (live from 8/10): Kirby & Smith
Paris-Tours (live 8/10): Cox & Blythe
Giro del Veneto (live 11/10): Hatch & Field
Tour of Guangxi (live from 12/10): Hatch & Stephens
Veneto Classic (live 15/10): Hatch & Stephens

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>


And we go again...

Eurosport /Discovery+ commentary pairings season 2024 (men's elite):

(WT=World Tour; PS=Pro Series, ET=Europe Tour, AT=Asia Tour)

WT: Tour Down Under (live from 16/1): Cox & Blythe
ET: Challenge Mallorca: Trofeo Calvia (live on 24/1): Hatch & Smith
ET: Challenge Mallorca: Trofeo Ses Salines (live on 25/1): Hatch & Smith
ET: Challenge Mallorca: Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana (live on 26/1): Hatch & Smith
ET: Challenge Mallorca: Trofeo Polenca (live on 27/1): Hatch & Smith
WT: Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race (live on 28/1): (host broadcaster package feat. Phil Liggett)
ET: Challenge Mallorca: Trofeo Palma (live on 28/1): Hatch & Smith
ET: Grand Prix Cycliste La Marseillaise (live on 28/1): Been & Walker
AT: AlUla Tour (live from 30/1): Cox & McEwen
PS: Volta a La Comunitat Valenciana (live from 31/1): Hatch & Stephens
ET: Tour de la Provence (live from 8/2): Been & Smith
ET: Vuelta Ciclista de Murcia (live on 10/2): Walker & York
ET: Figuera Champions Classic (live on 10/2): Cox & McEwen
PS: Clasica de Almeria (live on 11/2): Hatch & Walker
PS: Tour of Oman (highlights from 11/2): Kirby (solo)
ET: Clasica Jaen Paraiso Interior (live on 12/2): Hatch & Blythe
PS: Vuelta a Andalucia Ruta Ciclista Del Sol (live from 16/2): Kirby & Smith (stages 1, 2, 4 and 5 cancelled)
PS: Volta ao Algarve (live from 14/2): Hatch & McEwen (stages 1-4), Smith (stage 5)
ET: Classic VAR (live on 16/2): Been & Stephens
ET: Tour des Alpes-Maritimes et du Var (live from 17/2): Been & Stephens
WT: UAE Tour (live from 19/2): Kirby & Smith
ET: O Gran Camino (live from 22/2): Cox & Field
PS: Faun-Ardeche Classic (live on 24/2): Been & York
WT: Omloop Het Nieuwsblad (live on 24/2): Stephens & Smith
PS: Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne (live on 25/2): Stephens & McEwen
ET: Faun Drome Classic (live on 25/2): Been & York
ET: Le Samyn (live on 27/2): Been & Stephens
PS: Trofeo Laigueglia (live on 28/2): Kirby & Smith
WT: Strade Bianche (live on 2/3): Hatch, Lloyd, Blythe & Nathan Van Hooydonck
ET: Grote Prijs Jean-Pierre Monsere (live on 3/3): Cox & McEwen
WT: Paris-Nice (live from 3/3): Hatch & Kelly
WT: Tirreno-Adriatico (live from 4/3): Kirby & McEwen
PS: Milan-Torino (live on 13/3): tbc
PS: Danilith Nokere Koerse (live on 13/3): tbc
PS: Grand Prix de Denain - Porte du Hainaut (live on 14/3): tbc
ET: Bredene Koksidje Classic (live on 15/3): tbc

 

[RedheadDane]

I think they saw it on PCS, and then when it said differently on the screen, they were confused and said that "in their system" it said Onley.

I thought they'd simply assumed "Win = better".

 

[Alberto Fishwick]

I suspect we will be hearing a lot of Jez Cox again this year. I have tried to give him the benefit of the doubt but I'm afraid he just gets on my nerves.

 

[awavey]

I think with the Olympics, which is a big thing for Discovery+ thesedays, plus the world feed broadcast gig too, they'll be spread so thinly across everything, it'll be easy to miss most of the regular irregulars and i suspect there'll be a whole batch of new voices to drive us to distraction

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

I know he's not employed by EuroSport, and that it was the host broadcaster commentary, but I'll include it here anyway


How long has Phil Liggett been commentating on cycling? "For there to be no time gap, there must be no space between the back wheel of one rider and the front wheel of the next, and that's exactly what happened here."

 

[stefank]

I know he's not employed by EuroSport, and that it was the host broadcaster commentary, but I'll include it here anyway


How long has Phil Liggett been commentating on cycling? "For there to be no time gap, there must be no space between the back wheel of one rider and the front wheel of the next, and that's exactly what happened here."

As long as I can remember!

 

[tobydawq]

I know he's not employed by EuroSport, and that it was the host broadcaster commentary, but I'll include it here anyway


How long has Phil Liggett been commentating on cycling? "For there to be no time gap, there must be no space between the back wheel of one rider and the front wheel of the next, and that's exactly what happened here."

He has always been entirely clueless, his voice is the absolutely only thing he has going for him. And isn't he getting close to 90 or something?

 

[scribers]

Even @Hugh Januss was a wee lad on his mum’s teet, listening to Phil ligget announce races

 

[Hugh Januss]

Even @Hugh Januss was a wee lad on his mum’s teet, listening to Phil ligget announce races

At that time in my life I don't think a lot of people had tv's

 

[lemon cheese cake]

So judging by Jose Been's tweets, Carlton Kirby is starting his commentary season at Etoile de Besseges. In knowing that it's going to be covered by Eurosport/Discovery I went to look at the list o future races and once again it also appears Besseges is geoblocked in various places in Europe, like the Netherlands. A shame, as Tour de la Provence is being shown in the Netherlands but generally i've found the racing in Besseges to be more interesting

 

[argyllflyer]

I don't recall (could be wrong) British Eurosport or even GCN having EdB in the past. Could it be he is doing something for race organisers? There's such blanket coverage of races these days on GCN at least in UK.

 

[zlev11]

GCN had Besseges the last two seasons

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Do/did Discovery+/EuroSport/GCN + (when it existed) ever have different availability within the same region? I thought that if the organisation bought rights to a race, they put it on all platforms where they have those rights. (obviously, not everything on the linear programming of ES1 and 2).

 

[argyllflyer]

GCN had Besseges the last two seasons

What region i wonder? Not UK which is weird as it is not like its on anything else here. I cant see it on the schedule or upcoming events for Discovery + cycling here for 2024 either.

 

[awavey]

well theyve cancelled stage 1, due to the Farmers protests in France I think, so not sure if we'll see much of it anyway