Eurosport commentary

[Eyeballs Out]

Tuned in just in time to hear CK describe Simon Gerrans as an unpredictable bike rider just before I could find the Mute button

 

[argyllflyer]

FAO the Rob Hatch fanclub - he back tomorrow morning with Langkawi.

 

[hayneplane]

Only catching the highlights of Valencia but finding Gerrans the Co-commentator far more likeable than Gerrans the Pro bike rider

 

[argyllflyer]

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?

 

[lemon cheese cake]

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?

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.

 

[Joelsim]

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.

Si Clarke wasn’t there, or Reichenbach for that matter.

Kirby would be fine if he stuck to racing, rather than his own opinions and his attempts at humour. Oh, and his overt British take on everything. If he stopped all the nonsense he’d be quite a talented commentator.

 

[postmanhat]

Tour De Provence is live on the GCN youtube channel.

 

[the delgados]

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.

 

[wansteadimp]

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.

I do hope the bold is a deliberate homage to your man!

 

[argyllflyer]

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.

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

 

[argyllflyer]

Quite a few races added just now thanks to a Rob Hatch tweet.

British Eurosport commentary pairings season 2020:

Vuelta a San Juan (live from Sun 26th Jan): Quigley & Smith
Tour Down Under (highlights): Liggett, McEwan & Vogt (International Comms package) (30 mins highlights from 28/1)
Challenge Mallorca (highlights): tbc (20 min highlights from 31/1)
Cadel Evans Great Ocean Race (90 mins highlights from 3/2): Kirby & Adam Blythe
Saudi Tour (live from 4/2): Kirby & Blythe
Herald Sun Tour: Matt Keenan & David MacKenzie (International Comms package)
Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana (live from 5/2): Kirby & Gerrans
Tour de Langkawi (live from 7/2): Hatch & Backstedt
Tour of Provence: (ES Player only)
Clasica De Almeria: Stephens & Blythe
Volta ao Algarve: Hatch & Blythe
Vuelta Andalusía: Kirby & Stephens
UAE Tour: Hatch & Smith
Het Nieuwsblad: Dan Lloyd & Backstedt
Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne: Lloyd & Backstedt
Tour of Taiwan: Kirby & Stephens (highlights from 2/3)
Le Samyn: Harris-Bass & Backstedt
Paris-Nice: Hatch & Kelly (live from 8/3)

 

[lemon cheese cake]

Tour De Provence is live on the GCN youtube channel.

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.

 

[Joelsim]

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

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.

 

[postmanhat]

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.

Cheers. I don't mind Kirby but I'd like to see McCrossan given a bit more air time. He's doing the two cyclo-cross races this weekend which would explain why that's happening. Will be interesting to see how many races GCN have picked up this season?

 

[argyllflyer]

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.

Le Mans another one for sure.

 

[LiquidCrystalDynamic]

If anyone has not yet watched the GCN Racing broadcast of Tour de la Provence, I'd really recommend giving it a chance. Kirby and Dan Lloyd are a great pair, although I am one of those (few?) who genuinely enjoy Kirby's commentary.

 

[tobydawq]

Yeah, it's great. When Lloyd is speaking.

 

[christopherrowe]

I'm not sure I'd actually ever heard Carlton Kirby commentate before the last two days on GCN. I thought he did a good job.

 

[LesDiablesRouges]

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.

 

[yaco]

Seems like the serial whingers will continue to whinge about Kirby - He is a color commentator who is excellent at calling the end of stages.

 

[Kaptain Kool]

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."

 

[the delgados]

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.

After reading your message three times I can only discern the following: I am out of my mind (no argument there), and you have stories that would blow my mind. Please elaborate!

 

[argyllflyer]

Flecha's 'Juan And Only' speil today was like a Through The Keyhole audition. Who lives in a house like this?

 

[the delgados]

Flecha's 'Juan And Only' speil today was like a Through The Keyhole audition. Who lives in a house like this?

Links please!
I remember watching Juan's thoroughly entertaining post-stage coverage of the Giro, but he seemed to disappear. Where is he? And where is the house? He seems like a genuinely nice person. You know, someone with whom to sit down over a few drinks and just shoot the schit.
His inadvertent reminder that I am embarrassingly unilingual was, to some degree, offset by his endearing use of the english language.
Any thoughts of laughter was quickly replaced with a mental note: I cannot speak another language.
I guess what I'm saying is no matter how gaudy and over the top his place might be, Juan Antonio will always have a place in my heart.

 

[Joelsim]

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."

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.

There are times when he stereotypes other nationalities, generalises and insults.