Eurosport commentary

[Alberto Fishwick]

Tend to agree with Hatch about the parade of the jerseys but each to their own.

Disappointed, but not surprised, to see that the added-value parts of the Giro coverage have been canned or curtailed now that the French Open tennis has started. I know it's a big deal for Eurosport with their base being in Paris but with coverage on one channel from early morning until late evening surely we could still have a full Giro Extra with interviews after the stage. I could kind of understand it if the Giro ran late but today it was scheduled to be on until 16.45 (in the UK at least) and it was cut off at 16.00.

 

[ciranda]

Re: Re:

Being brought up in an English speaking country where the media showed no effort to correctly pronounce foreign names, hearing Hatch is a breath of fresh air.

but you can pronounce correctly without adopting a stupid accent, it annoys me when he Interupts a normal Yorkshire accent with some stupid Italian accent, Daniel Friebe does it on the cycling podcast as well it's incredibly stupid

Yes! It's like why must these people have these stupid languages with stupid words and stupid names that are hard to say and make you sound like an idiot if you try.

 

[Hakkapelit]

Re: Re:

Watching the highlights from yesterday. Hatch unhappy when the cameras went from the action and cut to the girls parading the jerseys at the finish line, he deemed it unnecessary! Well I like it Rob.

I'm a big fan of Rob Hatch's commentary, I think he's the best on tele in terms of cycling (except that guy on ITV with Phil ligget who's name I can never remember) but I can't stand his constant pronunciation of riders' names in their native accents, why can't he just say Brambilla in an English accent? He does it with all European riders, he'd never say Boswell or Talanksy in an American accent so why does he do it with Eropean riders? Other than that he is a good and Knowledgable commentator with good insight and he's far better than Kirby.

I agree that Hatch is good, and I'm not really bothered by his pronounciation of names. Could be because I grew up with a commentator of cross country skiing on Norwegian TV who would take a deep breath before pronouncing Italian names in all their glory, outdoing Hatch by a mile. He was especially fond of Giorgio Di Centa.

Another good thing about Hatch is that Sean Kelly seem to respect him and like him, so he's quite talkative and funny while co-commentating. When paired with Kirby, he's less enthusiastic.

This reminds me of an swedish XC-commentator who has an habit to now and then turn on his best native takes on russian names. Pjåtåkoff! Moriljov! The co-commentator not wanting to engage was left talking about "the russian"

 

[RedheadDane]

It's not cringeworthy to have the jersey-parade.
It's cringeworthy that they cut to it every day, no matter how much action there is in the race.

 

[Beech Mtn]

Hatch is tremendously better than Kirby. They should keep the pairing of Hatch and Kelly, especially for GTs. Can't take 3 weeks of Kirby.

Giro Extra needs to be re-worked before they use it for the Tour. Eurosport often tends to cut to it way too quickly at the end of a stage. They don't need to do a split screen showing Flecha and Ashley when the top10 stage/GC graphic is onscreen, especially if it's the first time viewers are getting a look at the graphic. Just let Hatch and Kelly breakdown the stage briefly, discuss the graphic, and then go to Flecha and Ashley afterwards for the "extra."

Also, unless it's early during a boring flat stage, we don't need to see a split screen with Laura's interviews with assorted riders and DSes. Ths was really annoying during the MTT, when they were cutting to interviews so often. It was hard for Hatch/Kelly to get a narrative going because of all the interruptions, and the interviews really weren't that insightful. Save the interviews for early on the broadcasts, once the BOTD is established and things are settled down into a holding pattern. ITTs and MTTs should be all about data, data, and more data.

 

[DFA123]

Re:

Hatch is tremendously better than Kirby. They should keep the pairing of Hatch and Kelly, especially for GTs. Can't take 3 weeks of Kirby.

Giro Extra needs to be re-worked before they use it for the Tour. Eurosport often tends to cut to it way too quickly at the end of a stage. They don't need to do a split screen showing Flecha and Ashley when the top10 stage/GC graphic is onscreen, especially if it's the first time viewers are getting a look at the graphic. Just let Hatch and Kelly breakdown the stage briefly, discuss the graphic, and then go to Flecha and Ashley afterwards for the "extra."

Also, unless it's early during a boring flat stage, we don't need to see a split screen with Laura's interviews with assorted riders and DSes. Ths was really annoying during the MTT, when they were cutting to interviews so often. It was hard for Hatch/Kelly to get a narrative going because of all the interruptions, and the interviews really weren't that insightful. Save the interviews for early on the broadcasts, once the BOTD is established and things are settled down into a holding pattern. ITTs and MTTs should be all about data, data, and more data.

Agree that Hatch has been excellent this Giro - has really grown on me. I'm not one of the haters of Kirby, but Hatch is clearly a better commentator now. He's well researched, informative, even-handed and tends to get decent contributions out of Kelly (not such an easy feat).

Also, definitely should be less of those interviews. Eurosport just seems to show them all, even if the riders are saying absolutely nothing. The should cut them all out, unless there is something that adds specific value or interest to the stage.

 

[Beech Mtn]

Re: Re:

Agree that Hatch has been excellent this Giro - has really grown on me. I'm not one of the haters of Kirby, but Hatch is clearly a better commentator now. He's well researched, informative, even-handed and tends to get decent contributions out of Kelly (not such an easy feat).

Also, definitely should be less of those interviews. Eurosport just seems to show them all, even if the riders are saying absolutely nothing. The should cut them all out, unless there is something that adds specific value or interest to the stage.

Yeah, pro athletes are not the best interviewees, in general. At least a DS might give a bit of insight into the stage tactics, but even then, they don't want to give away too much. And everybody wants to please the sponsors and needs to be uncontroversial.

 

[argyllflyer]

duplicate

 

[Toooldtotry]

I don't have the time to watch races in real-time and have to rely on the highlights programmes to keep up to date. Apart from a few glitches, programmes broadcast in the UK by ITV4 are usually very professional with good quality editing and it is usually fairly easily to follow what has happened in a full days racing.

Not so with British Eurosport though, I find. A typical example is the penultimate stage of the Giro where we went into a commercial break with around 178K to go and came out of that break with 2.3K to go! Ludicrous.

Time after time I find that a break I have been following is never mentioned again and this makes it virtually impossible to follow what has happened. Where a break is followed this is usually ruined by lack of good quality editing. It wouldn't be as bad if there was an introduction at the start to sum up those riders who have not started and the reasons why they have not started? On some programmes we don't even get a sketch of what that days racing will entail. Maybe I should presume that the last 60K of a race with no previous comments on what has happened in the previous K's is sufficient?

I do find that Rob Hatch's commentary is usually very good and I for one do not find that his proper pronunciation of European names is tiresome. I get very annoyed sometimes about Mr Kirby's schoolboy humour going on and on and on whilst I am crying out for information to help follow the race.

I know that British Eurosport have to use the host broadcaster's pictures but they too don't always help by broadcasting what is actually happening in the race. I can really do without endless pictures of Mr Nibili having a bad day just because he is Italian and happens to share a flag with the broadcaster. I would like to have the time to listen carefully to Mr Kelly's words and weigh up what he is actually saying but no-one could be that perfect.

 

[argyllflyer]

I don't have the time to watch races in real-time and have to rely on the highlights programmes to keep up to date. Apart from a few glitches, programmes broadcast in the UK by ITV4 are usually very professional with good quality editing and it is usually fairly easily to follow what has happened in a full days racing.

Not so with British Eurosport though, I find. A typical example is the penultimate stage of the Giro where we went into a commercial break with around 178K to go and came out of that break with 2.3K to go! Ludicrous.

Time after time I find that a break I have been following is never mentioned again and this makes it virtually impossible to follow what has happened. Where a break is followed this is usually ruined by lack of good quality editing. It wouldn't be as bad if there was an introduction at the start to sum up those riders who have not started and the reasons why they have not started? On some programmes we don't even get a sketch of what that days racing will entail. Maybe I should presume that the last 60K of a race with no previous comments on what has happened in the previous K's is sufficient?

I do find that Rob Hatch's commentary is usually very good and I for one do not find that his proper pronunciation of European names is tiresome. I get very annoyed sometimes about Mr Kirby's schoolboy humour going on and on and on whilst I am crying out for information to help follow the race.

I know that British Eurosport have to use the host broadcaster's pictures but they too don't always help by broadcasting what is actually happening in the race. I can really do without endless pictures of Mr Nibili having a bad day just because he is Italian and happens to share a flag with the broadcaster. I would like to have the time to listen carefully to Mr Kelly's words and weigh up what he is actually saying but no-one could be that perfect.

Do you have a recordable digibox? I too don't watch races live unless it's the weekend so just record the live boradcast and watch / fast-forward at my leisure. The ES highlights are so erratic it's not really worth bothering with them. The schedule is not set in stone so they get bumped around for starters, then they generally are little more than a cut n paste of the live action - that is as technical as the edit gets.

I find recording the live show and the programme after guarantees not missing what is shown.

 

[Gaul 58]

More Kirby... less Backstedt (he's all huffing and puffing).... Kirby and Gibb doing track is wonderfully funny, especially when they go totally off-piste.

 

[argyllflyer]

More ASO plane trouble at the prologue today.

 

[bikinggirl]

To day was the most pathetic commentary by Kirby & Stephens I had ever heard, they were talking so much rubbish. There is no way that these two guys can ever be objective, it is all about SKY/ British riders..blah blah...so stupid.

 

[Akuryo]

Kirby seems to be betting on Reichenbach all season, he keeps mentioning his name every 5 minutes. Also Alaphilippe ...

 

[DFA123]

Re:

Kirby seems to be betting on Reichenbach all season, he keeps mentioning his name every 5 minutes. Also Alaphilippe ...

It's become ridiculous. Alaphilippe perhaps fair enough today, I think he was the bookies favourite pre-stage. But Reichenbach is bizarre. He's just a talented 27 year old domestique with exactly no wins at WT level.

 

[the delgados]

Re:

More Kirby... less Backstedt (he's all huffing and puffing).... Kirby and Gibb doing track is wonderfully funny, especially when they go totally off-piste.

Thank you! Finally someone acknowledges the humour that Kirby adds to broadcasts.
For the love of god and allah and every holy figure combined, ease up on the Kirbster..
He's awesome.

 

[bikinggirl]

Re: Re:

More Kirby... less Backstedt (he's all huffing and puffing).... Kirby and Gibb doing track is wonderfully funny, especially when they go totally off-piste.

Thank you! Finally someone acknowledges the humour that Kirby adds to broadcasts.
For the love of god and allah and every holy figure combined, ease up on the Kirbster..
He's awesome.

This is not humor Mr. "shall we" Kirby... it is plain stupidity!!

 

[the delgados]

Re: Re:

More Kirby... less Backstedt (he's all huffing and puffing).... Kirby and Gibb doing track is wonderfully funny, especially when they go totally off-piste.

Thank you! Finally someone acknowledges the humour that Kirby adds to broadcasts.
For the love of god and allah and every holy figure combined, ease up on the Kirbster..
He's awesome.

This is not humor Mr. "shall we" Kirby... it is plain stupidity!!

Hey, hey! Look to the left hand side of your screen.

Respect.

 

[johnymax]

Re: Re:

Kirby seems to be betting on Reichenbach all season, he keeps mentioning his name every 5 minutes. Also Alaphilippe ...

It's become ridiculous. Alaphilippe perhaps fair enough today, I think he was the bookies favourite pre-stage. But Reichenbach is bizarre. He's just a talented 27 year old domestique with exactly no wins at WT level.

I see mentioning Reichenbach's name is still actuality with Kirby. I don't watch the Dauphine on Eurosport but I watched some random youtube cycling videos yesterday and came across last year's Tour of Poland. It's unbelievable how much time Kirby spent talking about Reichenbach. Maybe he is some family friend and he wants to introduce him to the larger public, but it's getting out of hand.

 

[Beech Mtn]

Carlton Kirby : Reichenbach = La Florecita : Contador

I hope Reichenbach doesn't actually know how much Kirby talks about him during broadcasts. He'd have to be embarrassed.

 

[HelloDolly]

Re:

Carlton Kirby : Reichenbach = La Florecita : Contador

I hope Reichenbach doesn't actually know how much Kirby talks about him during broadcasts. He'd have to be embarrassed.

He has his favourites and some last a long long time...it can be for as little as they spoke to Kirby once at a race or he won money on them once or he gets some strange idea in his head about them and can;t let it go.

Currently his list is
Reichenbach
Simon Clarke ( who shouda/woulda/couda won MSR)
Allaphilipe ( who will win the Tour this year )
Bardet
Attapuma ...who was massively in favour, was out again and now could eb back
Froome
G
Cadel Evans(even though he doesn't race anymore but Kirby mentions him in every race/stage when he mentions BMC)
Stain Dissolver
Tommy Vockleur ( he is such a character )

Also he has riders on his disdain list and they never seem to get of it
Cofidis
Nacer Bouhanni

People he gives no love to at all
Valverde
Contador
Richie Porte
Any no British SKY rider
Anyone over 34

 

[lemon cheese cake]

Re: Re:

Stain Dissolver
Tommy Vockleur ( he is such a character )

Stain Dissolver (Ctarlton had a lump in his throat with his gutsy performance at the Tour of Flanders a couple of years ago after he kept getting caught in crashes)
Tommy Vockleur (other riders now copying his character with the tongue chaseing the imaginary ice cream)

 

[Beech Mtn]

Re: Re:

Stain Dissolver

This was a beautiful piece of work. Chapeau!


--

Add Greipel to his favorites list. He told some story earlier this year about how Greipel spoke to him once about his screaming when calling sprints. It sounded to me like AG must've been gently teasing Kirby, but from the way he proudly and excitedly told it, CK seemed to think it was highly complimentary.

 

[argyllflyer]

Can't believe Kudus hasn't been mentioned for a bit of Kirbylove.

 

[wansteadimp]

Geoffrey Soupe and his beard
Daniel Taklehaminot

Matt Goss and Tyler Farrar used to be favorites that got picked for every sprint stage.