Favourite Cycling Commentators

[El Imbatido]

Thought i'd start this thread. We've had similar ones previously, more bagging out commentators than favourites, but this might provide a bit of a distraction from our usual conversations.

So as the thread title asks who are your favourite commentators. Phil, Paul, Harmon, Kelly, Duffers, Carlton Kirby, Brian Smith, Guys from sporza, France 2 guys, Bobke, universal guys, etc, etc , etc.

Personally i love Harmon and Kelly but as i live in Australia it has always been Phil "And so, the first pedal has been turned in ANGER!" Liggett and Paul "Big George Hincapie" Sherwen. I have nothing against them but think they are starting to get a bit long in the tooth (for lack of a better word).

So whenevr im watching online it is eurosport audio with a live feed muted.
Ok then, Discuss!

 

[Ibanez]

Brian Smith is very good. I remember back in 06 when cyclingtv was just getting started and the commentary was awful, they have really improved over time.

Cant stand Liggett and Sherwen, the amount of times they misname riders is appalling. Sherwen is slightly better, but Liggett makes so many mistakes it makes you wonder how much he really follows the sport. Once whilst commentating on rasmussen descending in the 05 tour, he said quite seriously that he must be going all of 30 miles an hour. 30? He was screaming down a mountainside!

I wish I knew Flemish or Italian. When I watch sporza or rai they sound SO into it. Sometimes I prefer it to listening to awful versus commentary.

 

[ingsve]

I only have a limited range to compare but from my experience swedish commentators Roberto Vacchi and Anders Adamsson are easily better than any other cycling commentators I've heard. That mostly includes Ligget/Sherwen and David Duffield but also other swedish and norwegian commentators. Vacchi is especially good at spotting who a rider is just by their style on the bike while alot of other commentators are clueless until they get the name of a rider in the TV graphics and are often wrong if they attempt a guess.

I'm sure there are other great commentators out there but I just haven't had a chance to experience them.

 

[Anonymous]

I like Kelly. Sherwin and Ligget are almost impossible to listen to anymore.

 

[titan_90]

My favs are Kelly and Harmon as well. Brian Smith is also very good and he now works for Eurosport as well as Cycling.tv. Sherwin and Ligget are absolutely horrible to listen to as is Duffield they make way too many mistakes.

 

[Bala Verde]

Wuyts

 

[anubisza]

Sherwin and Ligget, can't stand Kelly.

 

[pmcg76]

Origianlly, all I had to listen to were Liggett and Sherwan but cannot stand them now, I like Harmon & Kelly, kelly is nearly always spot on with his observations. I also once enjoyed Duffers but he rambles so much and makes so many mistakes, he makes me want to watch something else.

I also enjoyed watching the Flemish & French commentators in Belgium even if I didnt understand a word. French TV also.

 

[grimpeur]

I like Kelly. Sherwin and Ligget are almost impossible to listen to anymore.

I am so glad to hear others say this. Phil must be getting senile.... constantly making mistakes and they never shut up! But Versus itself is its own nightmare with 35 minutes of ads for 25 minutes of racing. I enjoyed Kelly on Eurosport during the Giro. He's got so much inside tactical knowledge. In terms of finish line commentators, no one is up to the level of Daniel Mangeas. When you're at a Tour de France start line or finish line and hear his voice, you know you've made it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwK9YUyW3co Also, if you understand French, the coverage on France 2 is awesome with Jalabert et al.

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

Cycling commentators, hell, all sports commentary for that matter is really, really boring to listen to. If I'm at the controls, I usually turn down the tv and turn up the tunes. Honestly, the only commentators I really listen to are the ones (don't know names) from FIM Superbike and Moto GP. Those guys really know how to fire up the tv viewer.

 

[mr. tibbs]

I actually really enjoy Liggett.

Can't stand Bob Roll.

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

Awww, Tibbs, I'm sooo disappointed! LIGGET?!?!? Every other call he makes is dead wrong, whether it be miss I.D.ing riders, or the part of the course. Ever since the mid to late nineties he's been on a downward spiral into dementia. And Sherwin, gawd! Boring defined.

 

[39*23t]

enjoy Brian Smith and Sean Kelly. Ive also seen Chris Boardman commentating on a few local races here in the uk and he was not bad either. Enjoyed Phil and Paul up until Armstrong started winning tours, they sound more like a propaganda machine now.

 

[kloftus1044]

Gotta go with the legends Liggett and Sherwin.

I tried watching the Giro this year online at Universal Sports. I don't know the name of the announcer who was covering the early morning, live broadcast but he sucked. Lots of dead air and some of the least insightful commentary I've ever heard.

So I'm sticking with Phil and Paul.

 

[kellygirl]

My favs are Kelly and Harmon as well. Brian Smith is also very good and he now works for Eurosport as well as Cycling.tv. Sherwin and Ligget are absolutely horrible to listen to as is Duffield they make way too many mistakes.

I have been enjoying Martin McCrossan and Magnus Backstedt on Cycling.tv. They were excellent during the Dauphine and the TdS. I think they would do a great job with the Tour as well. Maggie has excellent knowledge and firsthand experience, and his stories are always interesting and usually quite funny.

 

[lechia]

Kelly is very good and insightful, but I really don't like his voice and as shallow as that may sound, a commentator should have a good voice. Similarly Martin McCrossan is generally good, but I can't stand his voice. Especially when he's commentating with Magnus, his pitch is so high I have to turn down the volume each time he says something, but then have to turn it up to listen to Magnus. I much prefer his brother Anthony. Magnus is very good though I don't always agree with his criticisms of riders' tactics, for example criticising Evans each time he attacked at the Dauphine. Liggett and Sherwan are pretty good and I like them, except for their LOVE of Armstrong, which is just ridiculous. They never challenge him about doping, or anything for that matter. Bobke is great for the fun factor. Oh yeah, and Smith has gotten a world better than when he started at cycling.tv. He mispronounced all names, couldn't identify riders and made ridiculous statements. However, over the last couple of years he's really gotten much better.

So, in the end I didn't really answer the question, because there are things I like and dislike about every commentator doing cycling commentary.

 

[shawnrohrbach]

I like Bob Roll. Funny gu and you ought to read his books. Admittedly I did not bu them, I sat at Borders and read both Bobke and BobkeII.

 

[Christian]

German Eurosport commentators Karsten and Ulli "Janchi" Jansch are hilarious. Luxembourg's cycling institution Marcel Gilles is great too.

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

Shawn, does your "y" key not work properlyyyy?

 

[Anonymous]

I love Bob Roll.

He should replace Liggett full time.

I think it would make Sherwen better too.

 

[titan_90]

I love Bob Roll.

He should replace Liggett full time.

I think it would make Sherwen better too.

I could do without hearing any of their voices ever again

 

[Anonymous]

I could do without ever hearing any of their voices ever again

Yea, gotta say that they are awful individually as well as combined. Roll can be funny on occasion, but ultimately pretty terrible. Phil and Paul.....I love it when they differ about something and they are both wrong.

 

[Velodrama]

Harmon & Kelly - the best around at the moment
Duffers - interesting/idiosyncratic/amusing for 5 minutes then steadily irritating to the point of despair
Carlton Kirby - the worst commentator on Eurosport

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

Most of sporza commentary is superb. Glad i live in Belgium.

 

[davidw]

Davide Cassani. He is very insightful in terms of tactics and calling races - they nearly drafted him to run the national team several years ago. And he knows the sport and people in it backwards and forwards. Also, he strikes me as a fairly down to earth guy; indeed, the main commentator is Auro Bulbarelli - Cassani is there as the 'color commentator', as he is the ex pro. Bulbarelli is the guy who has to do the hand waving about whether some guy can come back from 20 minutes down on GC to win the Tour or other such wild fantastication.