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Eurosport commentary

Page 210 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
I agree Magnus Backstedt is great ...so knowledgeable. After all he has won the race and knows what he is talking about
Dan Lloyd is very good too and has a great background in the sport
I like Matt Stephens and Nicolas Roche (who really knows stage racing from inside)
I really like Orla as well and Sean Kelly
and I have a love/hate relationship with Kirby..I would say he has a good delivery and at times he does say funny things but the obsession with some riders and the bias and forgetting about the race when he goes off on a tangent and the race is on...needs someone to pull him back

McEwen is ok but I cant take the slick delivery..makes me feel like I am watching some slick US /Aussie show ..I like my cycling comms to be raw and unpolished plus non repetitive as McEwen is.

I get a headache from the "Noooooooooooooooo" or " Oh dear oh dear oh dear" delivery of Hatch

Dont like Blythe but GCN seem in love with him at the moment ...he is on everything and he says some suspect stuff about riders...Yesterday he called Durbridge dim witted and the other day Remco a spoiled brat .....
 
British Eurosport commentary pairings season 2022 (men's elite):

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

Australian National Championships: host broadcaster package
ET: Challenge Mallorca: Trofeo Calvia (highlights on 26/1): Kirby (solo)
ET: Challenge Mallorca: Trofeo Alcúdia - Port d'Alcúdia (highlights on 27/1): Kirby (solo)
ET: Challenge Mallorca: Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana (highlights on 28/1): Kirby (solo)
ET: Challenge Mallorca: Trofeo Pollença - Port d'Andratx (highlights on 29/1): Kirby (solo)
ET: Challenge Mallorca: Trofeo Playa de Palma - Palma (highlights on 30/1): Kirby (solo)
ET: Grand Prix Cycliste de Marseille La Marseillaise (live on 30/1): Been & Stephens
AT: Saudi Tour (live from 1/2): Cox & Smith
PS: Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana (live from 2/2): Stephens & Backstedt
PS: Tour de Provence (live from 10/2): Stephens & Blythe
ET: Vuelta Ciclista a la Region de Murcia Costa Calida (live 12/2): Been & Smith
PS: Clasica de Almeria (live on 13/2): Been & Smith
ET: Jaén Paraiso Interior (live on 14/2): Been & Smith
PS: Vuelta a Andalusia (live from 16/2): Cox & Smith
PS: Volta ao Algarve (live from 16/2): Lloyd & Blythe
ET: Tour des Alpes Maritimes et du Var (live from 18/2): Been & Stephens
WT: UAE Tour (live from 20/2): Kirby & Blythe (stages 1&2), Backstedt (stage 3-7)
PS: Tour of Oman (review on 21/2): Ant McCrossan (host broadcaster package)
ET: Gran Camiño (live from 24/2): Cox (stages 1, 2 & 4), Kirby (stage 3) & Smith
WT: Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Elite (live on 26/2): Lloyd & Blythe (with Marty MacDonald)
PS: Faun-Ardèche Classic (live on 26/2): Cox & Conor Dunne
PS: Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne (live on 27/2): Hatch & Blythe
PS: Drôme Classic (live on 27/2): Hannah Walker & Dunne
ET: Le Samyn (live on 1/3): Been & Backstedt
WT: Strade Bianche (live on 5/3): Hatch, Blythe & Lloyd
WT: Paris-Nice (live from 6/3): Hatch & Kelly
ET: Grote Prijs Jean-Pierre Monseré (live 6/3): Cox & Backstedt
WT: Tirreno-Adriatico (live from 7/3): Kirby, Lloyd & Robbie McEwen
ET: Albert Achterhes Profronde van Drenthe (live on 15/3): Been & Walker
PS: Milano - Torino (live on 16/3): Hatch & Smith
PS: Danilith Nokere Koerse (live on 16/3): Been & Backstedt
PS: Grand Prix de Denain - Porte du Hainaut (live on 17/3) Been & Backstedt
PS: Bredene Koksijde Classic (live on 18/3): Been & Backstedt
WT: Milano-Sanremo (live on 19/3): Kirby, Hatch, Lloyd, McEwan & Blythe
ET: Classic Loire Atlantique (live on 20/3): Been & Smith
WT: Volta Ciclista a Catalunya (live from 21/3): Kirby & Smith
WT: Minerva Classic Brugge-De Panne (live on 23/3): Cox & Blythe
WT: E3 Saxo Bank Classic (live on 25/3): Lloyd & McEwan
WT: Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders Fields (live on 27/3): Cox & Blythe
ET: La Roue Tourangelle Centre Val de Loire - Trophée Groupama Paris Val de Loire (live on 27/3): Stephens & Dunne
WT: Dwars door Vlaanderen - A travers la Flandre (live on 30/3): Lloyd & Blythe
PS: Gran Premio Miguel Indurain (live on 2/4): Cox & Smith
ET: Volta Limburg Classic (live on 2/4): Been & Backstedt
WT: Ronde van Vlaanderen - Tour des Flandres (live on 3/4): Kirby, Lloyd, McEwan, Blythe
WT: Itzulia Basque Country (live from 4/4): Stephens & N. Roche
PS: Scheldeprijs (live on 6/4): Kirby & Backstedt
WT: Amstel Gold Race (live on 10/4): Kirby & Blythe
PS: Presidential Cycling Tour of Türkiye (live from 10/4): Cox (stage 1, 5, 7&8), Kirby (stage 2-4, 6) & Smith
ET: Giro di Sicilia - Tour of Sicily (live from 11/4): Been & Backstedt
PS: De Brabantse Pijl - La Flèche Brabançonne: (live on 13/4): Cox & Blythe
WT: Paris-Roubaix (live on 17/4): Hatch, Lloyd, Backstedt and Blythe
PS: Tour of the Alps (live from 18/4): Hatch & Blythe
WT: La Flèche Wallonne (live on 20/4): Cox & Stephens
WT: Liège-Bastogne-Liège (live on 24/4): Hatch, Blythe & Lloyd
WT: Tour de Romandie (live from 26/4): Stephens & Roche
ET: International Tour of Hellas (highlights from 27/4): Quigley (solo)
WT: Eschborn-Frankfurt (live on 1/5): Xox & Backstedt
PS: 4 Jours de Dunkerque / Grand Prix des Hauts de France (live from 3/5): tbc
WT: Giro d'Italia (live from 6/5): tbc
 
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I only briefly saw some of the race yesterday (big family Easter lunch/dinner), and I'm rewatching the race in whole today. Brian Holm is becoming even worse, he really has no attention, and is quite unable to focus on the race as it happens.

"Åh, Wout Van Aert"
"Så du ikke, han sad langt tilbage? Det er ikke en punktering det her, det ser ud som om han er sprunget i luften her. Jeg lagde mærke til det, da de kører forbi Boulangerie. Jeg tror altså ikke han er punkteret her, det sidder han for godt på cyklen til. Men allerede i positionskampen nede ved Boulangerie, altså bageriet, der sidder han nede som nummer 50. Han har jo også haft corona."

eY76kro.png


Couldn't they have made the pairings so it was Bay with Worre in the second half? Worre is actually quite good. Switching over to English for the remainder of the race.
 
  • Wow
Reactions: Sandisfan
I like his banter, but sometimes it gets a bit too much to the point where hes not paying attention. In races like Roubaix, Flanders etc. I fully expect him to pay attention at all times, whereas in small erraces I dont mind at all, or in situations where not much is happening in some of the bigger ones. Then again, I never watch the biggest races on ES as I prefer TV2, mostly because theres no adds. Well, the commentary is also better if its Ritter and Rolf IMO, but after Chris died, they have a big problem with getting some quality out of the 3rd wheel. Chris was as I have stated before the best commentator on cycling ever IMO.

Also, they need to get rid of Rasmus Staghøj. Hes just horrible.
 
I only briefly saw some of the race yesterday (big family Easter lunch/dinner), and I'm rewatching the race in whole today. Brian Holm is becoming even worse, he really has no attention, and is quite unable to focus on the race as it happens.

"Åh, Wout Van Aert"
"Så du ikke, han sad langt tilbage? Det er ikke en punktering det her, det ser ud som om han er sprunget i luften her. Jeg lagde mærke til det, da de kører forbi Boulangerie. Jeg tror altså ikke han er punkteret her, det sidder han for godt på cyklen til. Men allerede i positionskampen nede ved Boulangerie, altså bageriet, der sidder han nede som nummer 50. Han har jo også haft corona."

eY76kro.png


Couldn't they have made the pairings so it was Bay with Worre in the second half? Worre is actually quite good. Switching over to English for the remainder of the race.

Well, you know that Holm always exaggerates numbers. 50 instead of 5 seems a bit much, though.

I can't stand him either, it's quite touching how much we agree on this point ;)
 
I suspect that one issue is that because a lot of GCN non-racing content is so casual - stuff like light-hearted challenges and banter between hosts which exudes a vibe of trying to be like Top Gear for cyclists, sometimes that bleeds into the race content for those commentators who have joined the team relatively recently, whereas people like Backstedt and Lloyd, who have been doing commentary for a number of years, are a bit better at dialling down the in-jokes and banter in favour of more serious and less partisan coverage when required.

This for sure, way too much work bants at times
 
I don't really see a benefit to Brad on a bike. There were some useful bits of information at the weekend, but I think the novelty of this to an English speaking audience has worn off. It was alright back when it started in 2019(?) but doesn't give much extra insight. I remember clips from Flanders a few years ago were sporza had someone (Renaat Schotte perhaps?) on a bike and they went around the convoy at times speaking to DSs in cars, but I think I remember Wiggins getting told off for that by the commisaires.
 
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I don't really see a benefit to Brad on a bike. There were some useful bits of information at the weekend, but I think the novelty of this to an English speaking audience has worn off. It was alright back when it started in 2019(?) but doesn't give much extra insight. I remember clips from Flanders a few years ago were sporza had someone (Renaat Schotte perhaps?) on a bike and they went around the convoy at times speaking to DSs in cars, but I think I remember Wiggins getting told off for that by the commisaires.
I agree. Every time it is the host says "the group is going full gas and you can see the strain on their faces. Let's go to Brad on the bike and see what insight he has." Brad: "the group is going full gas and you can see the strain on their faces."

I think it could work if the person on the bike talked about insights they gain that you can't get anywhere else, "you can see Pogacar fiddling with his shoe over and over--clearly it is uncomfortable" or something that the folks looking at a monitor can't see.
 
Whyyyyyyyyy??????? Is it the flashy clothes?

I actually liked his chatty, sometimes self-deprecating persona at the start but it gradually started to wear off and this season he's just become an Ineos stan. Bias is bad enough in itself but he either seems to not want to or be able to recognise other riders eg "Here comes, Sivakov, Eddie Dunbar, Amador, Richie Porte to the front and err a guy from Bahrain".
I think some of this has to be down to the producer as well in that since the partnership with GCN, the commentary has got a lot more matey and cheerleadery, thus encouraging such blythering behaviour.
 
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To me, Blythe has seemed alot calmer in the past week than the previous races he's covered. I quite liked the trio of him Hatch and Lloyd today. He does seem to have an ability of mostly recognising riders correctly from quite a distance or with no number viewable but often getting it wrong when the number is visable!
 
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Reactions: Sandisfan
To me, Blythe has seemed alot calmer in the past week than the previous races he's covered. I quite liked the trio of him Hatch and Lloyd today. He does seem to have an ability of mostly recognising riders correctly from quite a distance or with no number viewable but often getting it wrong when the number is visable!

I thought he was terrible in the Tour of the Alps. Hatch kept trying to talk about Pinot making it to the finish and Blythe seemed more interested in Sivakov and Eddie Dunbar for some reason.
He was okay today though, maybe because none of his mates had any impact on the race.
 
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Bobke and Chris Horner were on Peacock. I think Horner is lobbying more for a commentary position then just a studio assignment during the TDF. He's not a drag to listen to perhaps GCN can scoop him up? His You tube channel is not that bad either.
 
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It was either McCrossen or King that said 'This is why it's called Hell of the North' when Balsamo went over a huge hole and did very well to stay up right. I mean, come on, at least research the history.

Dan Lloyd I really enjoy listening to. He knows his history and he doesn't take himself seriously at all. He clearly does his research and he is easy to listen to.

I was thinking last night about Blythe Bingo. I shall start off with a few

Apologies
Sorry
Ben Turner
A story about Paolini
A story about Gilbert
Diamonds in the legs in a poor Sean Connery accent which is meant to be a Dutch / Flemish to English accent
White short story
You missed out “Crikey”
 

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