Eurosport commentary

[BlueRoads]

I didn't watch today and I don't listen to Kirby too often, but I think his problem is simply that he pays a lot more attention to his own voice than to riders and race.

I'm suggesting Johnny Winjerd by the way.

 

[wansteadimp]

I didn't watch today and I don't listen to Kirby too often, but I think his problem is simply that he pays a lot more attention to his own voice than to riders and race.

I'm suggesting Johnny Winjerd by the way.

HIs problem is that he is commentating on the graphics on the screen and the road book not the actual race.

The panic he goes into when the graphics drop off is hilarious.. You could almost say He drives into it as it ebbs into abeyance.

Another favourite of Kirby's is the finale where he spends the whole time trying to match the road book to the current position on the road and actually ignores what the cyclists are doing.

No doubt Delgados will be along shortly to put me right and tell me I'm misunderstanding things.

 

[johnymax]

I was surprised Smith didn't recognise Vingegaard also. He is usually spot on when recognising riders. I certainly didn't expect Kirby to tell apart the two Jumbo Visma riders. But he has an excuse. He hasn't seen that much cycling in the last couple of years. It's not like he's been commenting like 90% of all the races on Eurosport in the past 5 years probably. He doesn't have enough mileage, give him time.

Jokes aside, I'm not even mad when Kirby does mistakes like today, when he didn't recognise Vingegaard. The biggest problem I have with him is when he completely ignores riders when they attack, because he doesn't know who they are. Instead he is talking about riders he knows, who aren't even in the thick of the action. Something like: "What about Luis Leon Sanchez today , Sean? You never know, stranger things have happened." In the meantime a rider attacks from the group but he ignores him and keeps talking about riders he knows: "Oh, things are getting lively. Quintana is there, old man Valverde is there. There's Wout Poels on the right hand side, he is the team's chosen son for today. Formolo is there on behalf of Pogačar. Who is your bet for today, Sean? Who's your cheeky side bet?"
Only when the graphics show who the attacking rider is, only then after a couple of minutes, he mentions him. It happens less lately, because his co-commentator usually intervenes, but is still happening.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

I was surprised Smith didn't recognise Vingegaard also. He is usually spot on when recognising riders. I certainly didn't expect Kirby to tell apart the two Jumbo Visma riders. But he has an excuse. He hasn't seen that much cycling in the last couple of years. It's not like he's been commenting like 90% of all the races on Eurosport in the past 5 years probably. He doesn't have enough mileage, give him time.

Jokes aside, I'm not even mad when Kirby does mistakes like today, when he didn't recognise Vingegaard. The biggest problem I have with him is when he completely ignores riders when they attack, because he doesn't know who they are. Instead he is talking about riders he knows, who aren't even in the thick of the action. Something like: "What about Luis Leon Sanchez today , Sean? You never know, stranger things have happened." In the meantime a rider attacks from the group but he ignores him and keeps talking about riders he knows: "Oh, things are getting lively. Quintana is there, old man Valverde is there. There's Wout Poels on the right hand side, he is the team's chosen son for today. Formolo is there on behalf of Pogačar. Who is your bet for today, Sean? Who's your cheeky side bet?"
Only when the graphics show who the attacking rider is, only then after a couple of minutes, he mentions him. It happens less lately, because his co-commentator usually intervenes, but is still happening.

I only get Kirby when i rewatch races on TIZ. When i watch Eurosport in Dutch, there is a huge range of expertise. From flat out incompetent, to interesting and amusing. The Belgian guy has an annoying voice and matching way of speaking, he is not really experienced but usually well documented and informed. Combined with Karsten Kroon, who is usually less well documented, but was a pro cyclist and has a rather pleasant voice and humorous way about him, they form a good duo. Then there's one Dutch guy who thinks he's really on top of things and knows what he's talking about, and he must have single-handedly pushed stock of television brands up in Belgium and The Netherlands, from thousands of people hurling things at their screen when this guy is commentating. "Oh! Rider X has been dropped! I only count 8 riders in the front group"... HE'S RIDING IN SECOND PLACE YOU DIMWIT!

 

[Armchair cyclist]

I am not given to defending to defending Kirby, as regular readers on this page will know, but how may riders do you think that a commentator ought to be able to recognise immediately on view of a helmet-obscured face? How many could you recognise? Remember, Ganna was not identified recently on the current race's thread on a photo of him without a helmet.

Vingegaard is still a long way down the list of well known riders (sorry, Danish forumites), and while it was a bit odd to discover a couple of hours after watching it that the winner was not who I had believed it was at the time. Strangely, I find that less annoying than commentary that says "The Jumbo Visma man is passing Lutsenko... Jumbo Visma wins."

The solution to mis-identification is partly in the hands of commentators, but the sport could do a lot more to help. Squad numbers on helmets please.

 

[tobydawq]

Remember, Ganna was not identified higher up this thread on a photo of him without a helmet.

I recall something different

No, I think they should be able to identify a LOT of riders. They watch so much cycling, they need to pick up small signs - different glasses, differently coloured shoes, different riding style, sizes and of course facial features and expressions.

I can identify a great lot of riders and I spend a lot of my "watching time" with my eyes on a pc, a phone, a book or something else. The commentators watch the screen all the time, so they should be better than me. If not, they have to study pictures as part of their preparation. If they are face-blind, they have nothing to do commentating cycling.

The Danish commentators are generally very good at recognising riders (of course they had an advantage yesterday) so it isn't an impossible task.

 

[BlueRoads]

I am not given to defending to defending Kirby, as regular readers on this page will know, but how may riders do you think that a commentator ought to be able to recognise immediately on view of a helmet-obscured face? How many could you recognise? Remember, Ganna was not identified higher up this thread on a photo of him without a helmet.

Vingegaard is still a long way down the list of well known riders (sorry, Danish forumites), and while it was a bit odd to discover a couple of hours after watching it that the winner was not who I had believed it was at the time. Strangely, I find that less annoying than commentary that says "The Jumbo Visma man is passing Lutsenko... Jumbo Visma wins."

The solution to mis-identification is partly in the hands of commentators, but the sport could do a lot more to help. Squad numbers on helmets please.

Hm, I had just never seen Ganna with (non-sun-)glasses. I guess I would have recognized him on a bike with an Ineos kit, with or without glasses...
I think it's totally okay to not get a rider right, especially when the graphics tell you a wrong name. It happens to everyone, sometimes. But there are definitely differences in that ability, and Kirby is the worst one in that regard that I know. (Paul Voß is the best )That's actually weird, when one of the most-known and employed commentators in a sport where this ability carries some importance is so bad at it. And if one's not at all sure, I prefer the "jumbo-visma-rider" to a wrong name.

Anyway, I really like the names on the helmet, that's also more personal.

 

[tobydawq]

Hm, I had just never seen Ganna with (non-sun-)glasses. I guess I would have recognized him on a bike with an Ineos kit, with or without glasses...
I think it's totally okay to not get a rider right, especially when the graphics tell you a wrong name. It happens to everyone, sometimes. But there are definitely differences in that ability, and Kirby is the worst one in that regard that I know. (Paul Voß is the best )That's actually weird, when one of the most-known and employed commentators in a sport where this ability carries some importance is so bad at it. And if one's not at all sure, I prefer the "jumbo-visma-rider" to a wrong name.

Anyway, I really like the names on the helmet, that's also more personal.

Agreed with the helmet thing, I for some reason especially like that it's the first names they use.

 

[BlueRoads]

Agreed with the helmet thing, I for some reason especially like that it's the first names they use.

Yeah, exactly my feeling.

I just watched the last minutes of yesterday, German ES: main commentator thought it was Harper, too. Eisel realized it wasn't Harper, soon, but suspected it was Bouwman.

 

[Ranagazoo]

Vingegaard has quite a distinctive look so I'm surprised so many got it wrong.

By the way one of the recent French races I rewatched on Tiz had GCN commentators - I think Matt Stephens and Dan Lloyd - and I couldn't believe how much better they were than Kirby and co. Wish we could hear them more often

 

[lemon cheese cake]

Vingegaard has quite a distinctive look so I'm surprised so many got it wrong.

By the way one of the recent French races I rewatched on Tiz had GCN commentators - I think Matt Stephens and Dan Lloyd - and I couldn't believe how much better they were than Kirby and co. Wish we could hear them more often

Those two have a chemistry that has obviously developed throught their time in gcn but not diminished after Matt left to focus on other aspects of presenting and commentating. They definitely work well together and sometimes get drawn off onto tangent, but find their way back quite easily, without having to describe the race in a metaphor linked to whatever Kirby was waffling about.
That is something I've noticed a lot more over the past couple of years. At first it seemed to be Lloyd and Stephens that would get dragged along with Kirby's off topic conversations, but now Smith and Kelly seem to be drawn off topic as well.

 

[yaco]

Those two have a chemistry that has obviously developed throught their time in gcn but not diminished after Matt left to focus on other aspects of presenting and commentating. They definitely work well together and sometimes get drawn off onto tangent, but find their way back quite easily, without having to describe the race in a metaphor linked to whatever Kirby was waffling about.
That is something I've noticed a lot more over the past couple of years. At first it seemed to be Lloyd and Stephens that would get dragged along with Kirby's off topic conversations, but now Smith and Kelly seem to be drawn off topic as well.

You never put Kirby and Stephens together - They go off on tangents and then struggle to get back on topic.

 

[the delgados]

HIs problem is that he is commentating on the graphics on the screen and the road book not the actual race.

The panic he goes into when the graphics drop off is hilarious.. You could almost say He drives into it as it ebbs into abeyance.

Another favourite of Kirby's is the finale where he spends the whole time trying to match the road book to the current position on the road and actually ignores what the cyclists are doing.

No doubt Delgados will be along shortly to put me right and tell me I'm misunderstanding things.

I haven't heard a single word said by my man Carlton Kirby during this race.
I've been busy watching the host nation broadcast and imagining what they're saying.
I've gotta say that in terms of decibel levels, the commentator rivals Kirby when calling the end of a race. He lights it up like a Christmas tree and it is glorious.

 

[Sestriere]

Commentators tend to get a lot of stick on here, but I have to say that I really enjoyed Adam Blythe's commentary this weekend. As a recently retired pro he knows a lot of the riders personally, so he really has no issues identifying them. Also knows the roads in Belgium super well and actually gives good and accurate evaluation about how the race is affected by what's ahead. Emphasizes a lot of the little tactical things that many viewers are probably not really aware of (I mean beyond the usual: Team A has a rider up the road, that's why they're not chasing in the chasing group). Also has a nice voice to listen to and has a genuine excitement that is not obnoxious or anything. Good job I must say!

 

[pmcg76]

Commentators tend to get a lot of stick on here, but I have to say that I really enjoyed Adam Blythe's commentary this weekend. As a recently retired pro he knows a lot of the riders personally, so he really has no issues identifying them. Also knows the roads in Belgium super well and actually gives good and accurate evaluation about how the race is affected by what's ahead. Emphasizes a lot of the little tactical things that many viewers are probably not really aware of (I mean beyond the usual: Team A has a rider up the road, that's why they're not chasing in the chasing group). Also has a nice voice to listen to and has a genuine excitement that is not obnoxious or anything. Good job I must say!

I liked Blythe and Dan Lloyd together, lots of insight and not too much hyperbole. At one point in the Het Nieuwsblad coverage, Blythe was mentioning Tom Pidcock a bit too much and Lloyd pulled him on it, pointing out there was other riders in the race which I liked. Blythe apologised and dialled back the Pidcock love-in. Imagine if someone would do that with Kirby the odd time. Kinda hoping more GCN coverage will mean less Kirby, though GCN coverage has been ropey at times. Could not get the race today and ended up watching Eurosport on TV. I think the coverage did finally come on, but not good for GCN,

 

[hayneplane]

It would be beneficial all round for the viewing experience if more teams followed what Sky lead with in putting the rider name on the back of the jersey.
Names on Jerseys and helmets would be a good initiative for the UCI to go for.

 

[Armchair cyclist]

I had never heard the "diamonds in the legs" phrase before this weekend. After Blythe's overworking it, I never really want to hear it again.

 

[Parker]

Commentators tend to get a lot of stick on here, but I have to say that I really enjoyed Adam Blythe's commentary this weekend. As a recently retired pro he knows a lot of the riders personally, so he really has no issues identifying them. Also knows the roads in Belgium super well and actually gives good and accurate evaluation about how the race is affected by what's ahead. Emphasizes a lot of the little tactical things that many viewers are probably not really aware of (I mean beyond the usual: Team A has a rider up the road, that's why they're not chasing in the chasing group). Also has a nice voice to listen to and has a genuine excitement that is not obnoxious or anything. Good job I must say!

I agree. I think he's the best co-commentator at the moment (English language onyl)

 

[tobydawq]

I had never heard the "diamonds in the legs" phrase before this weekend. After Blythe's overworking it, I never really want to hear it again.

According to Brian Holm, it's a sensation you have once or twice in your career. Also according to Brian Holm, there are always at least five riders in a race who have it...

 

[RedheadDane]

According to Brian Holm, it's a sensation you have once or twice in your career. Also according to Brian Holm, there are always at least five riders in a race who have it...

Maybe he means thathe had it once or twice in his career. Whereas riders like Pogacar and Evenepoel have legs that are basically made of diamonds.

 

[tobydawq]

Maybe he means thathe had it once or twice in his career. Whereas riders like Pogacar and Evenepoel have legs that are basically made of diamonds.

No, that's not what he means. He is just the most inconsistent person I ever heard speak.

 

[MartinGT]

I must say I missed Big Maggy this weekend. Wasn't the same without him.

Blythe, meh, parts of it he was really insightful and very knowledgeable and a really good listen. The other parts where he must have been sat in his Ineos onsie I could have done without. But still a decent co-commentator. Oh and his Brian Smith impression was appalling lol.

No King Kelly for PN apparently which I will miss too

 

[MartinGT]

Rob Hatch got some serious stick over his over pronunciation . I listened to Jose Been on I think Etoile de basseges and WOW that was something else.

 

[pmcg76]

Rob Hatch got some serious stick over his over pronunciation . I listened to Jose Been on I think Etoile de basseges and WOW that was something else.

Yeah, she did GP Samyn today and I noticed the pronunciations. In fairness she is Dutch so she is going to pronounce the Belgian/Dutch names correctly even if it sounds weird to native English Speakers. Would be like an Irish person pronouncing Irish names correctly whilst everyone else is butchering them and then getting criticised for it. Try Tadgh, Caoimhe, Eoghan, Grainne, Aoife or many more of the Gaelic names.

 

[tobydawq]

Yeah, she did GP Samyn today and I noticed the pronunciations. In fairness she is Dutch so she is going to pronounce the Belgian/Dutch names correctly even if it sounds weird to native English Speakers. Would be like an Irish person pronouncing Irish names correctly whilst everyone else is butchering them and then getting criticised for it. Try Tadgh, Caoimhe, Eoghan, Grainne, Aoife or many more of the Gaelic names.

What about Martin and Bennett?