Eurosport commentary

[PunchingRouleur]

Hatch is by far best, but I would take Kirby over Quigley any day. At least Kirby can compensate his lack of knowledge with solid play by play commentary and generally not being boring. Quigley has nothing.

I don't have problem when commentator can't pickup riders instantly, what irritate me when they talking nonsense and both Kirby and Quigley are guilty of it more often than not.

 

[lemon cheese cake]

Re:

Hatch is by far best, but I would take Kirby over Quigley any day. At least Kirby can compensate his lack of knowledge with solid play by play commentary and generally not being boring. Quigley has nothing.

I don't have problem when commentator can't pickup riders instantly, what irritate me when they talking nonsense and both Kirby and Quigley are guilty of it more often than not.

In the grand tours Kirby I find is better than Quigley but if it's just week long or one day races, he is better. It may have been his first (and only (I think)) grand tour commentary but the 2013 Giro with Quigley was not the nicest commentary pairing with him and Kelly. I have nothing against irish accents, it was just his presentation. Rob Hatch and Sean Kelly in the past three Giri were fine. I would much prefer that duo at the Tour and Vuelta (keeping the odd input from Jon Harris Bass at grand tours).

 

[sprints n stones]

I enjoy Kirby's commentary when it's live Tour de France, the breaks away, the pelotons just rolling through charming little villages and there's over 100 Kms to go.Then he can fill in the time with anecdotes about where he used to work and restaurants he's eaten in as the countryside goes by.
He drives me mad when he constantly miscalls riders. There was one race when he must have said 10 different names for the one rider charging up to the finish. I thought I'd remember it forever but now can't recall what race it was, anyone remember it?

 

[carton]

Sure you're not thinking of Matt Stephens calling Paris-Tours for Trent- Saba- -Ettix Ri -Rich- Rich- Gaviria?

That one is a classic. I mean, just for reference: Richeze is 5'9"; Sabatini is 6'2".

 

[RedheadDane]

I quite like the Danish commentators, even if the Bay-Holm pairing sometimes disolves into complete geekdom of discussing what cleats which teams used in the 90es, as well as Bay's (jokingly) insistence that Holm's job as a DS for Quickstep is just a "sidejob".

For me the problem is the "behind the scenes" people. Apparently Eurosport in Denmark, and perhaps the rest of Scandinavia as well, has some weird rule that they must show all of the football they've got the rights for, even if it means cutting off a bike race with two Ks to go, as happened with the queen stage of Andalucia, and it wasn't even the match-start they were cutting out for, it was the "introduction stuff". Which, every time there's a football match right after a race makes it a bit hard - at least for me - to actually trust that they'll show the entire race, or... actually show it in the first place.

 

[bigcog]

Unfortunately Kirby seems to take over at finish of races so the co-commentator can't get a word in, plus he starts squealing/shouting in a high pitched manner. If he didn't do that I could live with it.

 

[LugHugger]

Turbo Durbo? Kirby truly is a massive ****.

 

[Eyeballs Out]

Could we all chip in to send him on a skiing holiday ?

 

[spiritualride]

Rob Hatch (?): "We're going to have to examine those results tonight"... lol why not tell us who is crossing the line right now? What is the point of you showing us the race on TV if we're supposed to wait to see the results later tonight? GC riders crossing the line in gaps and he's ignoring the race. Seriously *** commentary. (PN stage 1)

 

[Pricey_sky]

Re:

Turbo Durbo? Kirby truly is a massive ****.

I'm sure the name 'Turbo Durbo' was said once as a joke on a backstage pass from a couple of years ago, Kirby seems to think that's gospel and always refers to him by that, instead of the joke that it was. Very annoying.

 

[fowlyetti]

Re:

Turbo Durbo? Kirby truly is a massive ****.

??? That is his actual nick name

 

[Poursuivant]

I think the lad they've got doing it now is really good, I think his name is Rob Hatch. Hopefully he gets the Giro.

 

[movingtarget]

Re:

Unfortunately Kirby seems to take over at finish of races so the co-commentator can't get a word in, plus he starts squealing/shouting in a high pitched manner. If he didn't do that I could live with it.

Kirby should switch to horse racing. He loves those finishes.

 

[movingtarget]

Re:

I think the lad they've got doing it now is really good, I think his name is Rob Hatch. Hopefully he gets the Giro.

Yeah I think he and Kelly are quite good as a team.

 

[fowlyetti]

Re:

I think the lad they've got doing it now is really good, I think his name is Rob Hatch. Hopefully he gets the Giro.

He has done the giro the last few years with Kirby doing the Tour/Vuelta

 

[LugHugger]

Re: Re:

Turbo Durbo? Kirby truly is a massive ****.

??? That is his actual nick name

Indeed. My objection is Kirby's insistence of repeated use of the nickname to the exclusion of Durbridge's actual name. It's not the first time; a couple of seasons ago he did the same with Stannard [Yogi]. It made Saturday's commentary sound sycophantic.

 

[argyllflyer]

duplicate

 

[movingtarget]

Re: Re:

Turbo Durbo? Kirby truly is a massive ****.

??? That is his actual nick name

Indeed. My objection is Kirby's insistence of repeated use of the nickname to the exclusion of Durbridge's actual name. It's not the first time; a couple of seasons ago he did the same with Stannard [Yogi]. It made Saturday's commentary sound sycophantic.

But he always called Cadel, Cadel and Bradley was Bradley, sometimes Wiggo.

 

[johnymax]

Kirby:"Italian sheep...they...they just don't look the best. I don't know why." :lol:

 

[movingtarget]

Re:

Kirby:"Italian sheep...they...they just don't look the best. I don't know why." :lol:

Must have been a long flat stage ?

 

[Swiss Tony]

Kirby is just a con artist, anyone who thinks he's a fan or a lovely of cycling are fools. Everyone must realise since he moved from motorsports when given this job due to other circumstances he's talked like he knows what he's talking about when he's no knowledge what so ever.. What a f*c€ing Pr!ck

 

[Squire]

Re: Re:

Kirby:"Italian sheep...they...they just don't look the best. I don't know why." :lol:

Must have been a long flat stage ?

That is absolutely no prerequisite for such a Kirby quote.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re:

Kirby:"Italian sheep...they...they just don't look the best. I don't know why." :lol:

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Re:

Kirby is just a con artist, anyone who thinks he's a fan or a lovely of cycling are fools. Everyone must realise since he moved from motorsports when given this job due to other circumstances he's talked like he knows what he's talking about when he's no knowledge what so ever.. What a f*c€ing Pr!ck

You don't think it's at all possible that an enthusiast for other racing sports, who got involved with cycling as a professional opportunity, might just maybe start to care about a sport he has spent thousands of hours watching? That's pretty uncharitable.

 

[the delgados]

Re:

Kirby is just a con artist, anyone who thinks he's a fan or a lovely of cycling are fools. Everyone must realise since he moved from motorsports when given this job due to other circumstances he's talked like he knows what he's talking about when he's no knowledge what so ever.. What a f*c€ing Pr!ck

Hey, Hey!
I'm afraid I must insist you refrain from dissing Carlton Kirby. The man is a legend among mere mortals.
He calls the back-end of a bike race like no others and fills dead air like a seasoned raconteur.
Take it easy on Kirby and give the man the lurving he deserves.