VERSUS seriously sucks!!!

[El Imbatido]

You can't say you didn't see it coming. They did the exact same thing last year as well (atleast i think they cut away for hockey) but fortunately last year i think it was just a stage where it was a sprint.

Anybody who knows anything about cycling besides 3 weeks in july will know Versus are just milking the the return of Lance for every dollar they can. I think they will just fade back into obscurity once he retires again and show their bull riding and chess, darts and whatever other rediculous crap they can find

 

[markrosen]

I am sure Amgen and related sponsors are not too pleased with Versus coverage. After all, TV coverage gives them a broader reach to the folks out there (outside of CA). There is no way the TdF would allow such crappy coverage.

 

[Race Radio]

It would have been nice if they gave us more then 2 minutes notice to change over to the Web coverage.

 

[Marva32]

+1

They really need to reign in Bob Roll. He has gone off the deep end with some of his ridiculous misinterpretations of the facts and especially his over-the-top love affair with Armstrong. It borders on the psychotic.

I thought Roll was always psychotic.

 

[Boeing]

I've been saying it all along. VS blows and Phil and Paul are sellouts

GOGO on Universal is awesome

 

[Boeing]

You think it is bad now, wait till they have Frankie Andreu and his mouth full of marbles interviews and bike tech....at le TOur

 

[hector5950]

Some of you all need to take a step back and grasp a little reality. Versus is paying a small fortune to cover the NHL and games in the playoffs are just a bit higher on the totem pole than a bike race in California that no one but hardcore fans either know or care about. Sad for us but true.

 

[chambers]

The three leaders crossed the line within five minutes of the switch to Hockey. The game did not start until eleven minutes after the switch. We lost the end of the race for the pregame show.

 

[Boeing]

heck5050

vs is my balls

 

[BroDeal]

I honestly cannot stand to watch Versus anymore because of Ligget and Sherwin. They are such homers, and they never say anything useful. Aside from the call of the last kilometer, you could replace the rest of their commentary with a version recorded five years ago and not notice a thing. SSDD. There is no comparison between them and the commentary with Sean Kelly on Eurosport.

 

[Cooper]

I understand contracts are contracts but couldn't someone use some reasonable judgement. I knew the puck wouldn't drop until 10 minutes after the hour at the earliest so no one would miss anything. All we needed was three more minutes! I'm sure not a single hockey fan would have complained.

Also, couldn't they do a split screen at least? CBS does it all the time with the NCAA basketball tournament. It is not that hard. Versus should have anticipated this well in advance and had a viable plan. That's where they failed.

I feel bad for Zabriskie. Wins a stage and everyone missed it.

 

[Anonymous]

so one stage with a long straight road, one stage with no coverage bar the last 100metres, and one stage where they leave with 3k to go..

stage 4 predictions anyone?

 

[TRDean]

I threw up in my mouth when they showed what they thought was going to be a "nature break" by Armstrong...what, were going to watch him take a ****?? Phil "OK everyone don't freak...this looks to be a nature break"...if it wasn't so pathetic I would laugh!

 

[Anonymous]

So yesterday they could not provide live coverage, they just recapped stage 1 (pretty lame in my opinion).

Today during the most exciting part of the race (final kilometers and finish), they switch over to some pre-game hockey, total BS!!!. WTF versus?
Either serve us right or don't serve us at all!

I definitely like the way UNIVERSAL covers Cycling races a lot more. The Giro coverage has been pretty good so far (I try not to let Steve Schlanger's commentary get to me).

Who else agrees?

I agree with you about Versus...totally maddening...not quite as happy with Universal as some are....stage 9 of the giro was cut off with 4 k's to go...both places seem to run by numbskulls.

 

[Ferminal]

so one stage with a long straight road, one stage with no coverage bar the last 100metres, and one stage where they leave with 3k to go..

stage 4 predictions anyone?

They'll show it backwards.

 

[L'arriviste]

Saw/heard Liggett and Sherwen for the first time in 15 years on ToC stage 1 last Sunday night. I was totally shocked - what people have been saying for ages on this forum is right! Listening to those guys was as cringeworthy as a visit to Roger Prentice the apprentice dentist.

It looked like being a two hour stick-up, so I had to turn down the volume.

 

[El Imbatido]

They'll show it backwards.

Or in fast forward

 

[Bala Verde]

I threw up in my mouth when they showed what they thought was going to be a "nature break" by Armstrong...what, were going to watch him take a ****?? Phil "OK everyone don't freak...this looks to be a nature break"...if it wasn't so pathetic I would laugh!

That was hilarious. Almost as funny as not showing the final 2ks....

Did you also hear them talk about Liquigas being imprisoned (?) by the mighty Radioshack boys? Only to back paddle on that statement when the chase came within 20s of the lead-trio...

Today's stage will end with a giant truck blocking the view of the finish line camera. We'll just have Paul and Phil to eloquently explain us what happened and who crossed the line first.

 

[cawright1375]

Thanks for the head's up on Stage 3, the wife & I dvr'd it and only watched a portion last night. I did find the coverage of Lance's bike change a bit much although it did seem like it took longer than usual.

Here is a thought, rather than complain to one another why not try and do something about Versus and their cycling coverage. The earlier post relating the story of the guy who talked with the Vs/ Comcast folks at the hockey game says a lot. Yes the NHL ranks higher than cycling in the US, we just have to accept that and move on. But there isn't any reason we can't voice our disgust. Hell even Lance did and it wasn't even his team on the podium.

We should start a Facebook page. I know at first mention it sounds a bit crazy, but if a "Betty White should host SNL" page can get her on that show then why not a page to let Versus know our disgust and show ASO, AEG and the other organizers that fans in the US want better coverage ala Universal Sports.

I ponied up the dough for the Giro and so far it has been the best $15 I spent in a long time. I'm a bit behind in my viewing but at least I know I can go back and watch it whenever I want to catch up.

I'd even start the page today if Facebook wasn't blocked by the IT Dept where I work. Someone should start it and then post the link here or in another forum so our voices can be heard.

 

[Wolves-Lower]

Well it could have been worse. They could have cut to "Live Championship Bull Riding". Thats where Paul Sherman gets on the back of Phil Ligget and Bob Roll dresses up as a rodeo clown and screams "Ride That Bull like Lance does!"

Versus seriously does suck, and the sad thing is you don't even need to be versed on cycling to see it. My wife who knows nothing about it commented on the coverage of last years tour. She said "WTF is up with the camera always following Lance?...god they just slobber over this guy don't they?"

 

[scribe]

To be fair, versus (OLN) owe everything they are to lance. They were nothing more than a hunting channel before they took a chance on covering the tour exploits.

 

[Frazzled]

Here is a thought, rather than complain to one another why not try and do something about Versus and their cycling coverage.

For the past several years, I have been able to watch, barring some technical difficulties, each Stage of AToC from start to finish on their Tour Tracker. In 2010, NO LIVE coverage on web until Versus coverage starts. I was already aggravated that LIVE coverage was minimal...and then yesterday. So with more than 15 hours of AToC cycling, we have barely seen 4 hours of LIVE coverage and missed the Stage 3 finish completely.

We have to complain. Email AToC and Versus. I emailed every address I could find on their websites-it may not help, but I don't know how else we can be heard. If we do nothing, we are assured nothing with this pitiful coverage will change.

 

[Cal_Joe]

Based on the Stage Log for Stage 4 today, the finish is predicted to be between 3:26 and 4:10 PM PDT.

The Versus schedule has "Whacked Out Sports" scheduled at 4 PM.

If the stage is not over and they cut away to that show, then it will be time for the pitchforks.

 

[hector5950]

Here is another thing to keep in consideration, I am pretty sure the ToC is a time buy. They pay for a two hour window, when that window is up, it's all over. If there had been another time buy up next, Vs. may have let it run, but the NHL is their #1 franchise so there is no way in hell they were going to cut in. **** and moan all you want, but that's the way it is. Come July for the Tour, they'll let the live broadcast run as long as they need to because they are paying for the rights to show that.

 

[benpounder]

Today during the most exciting part of the race (final kilometers and finish), they switch over to some pre-game hockey, total BS!!!. WTF versus?

Who else agrees?

Actually, I fault the ToC orginizers more. They were the ones to sign on with Verses (and it has been known for quite a while that Verses was broadcasting the NHL). Further, in years past, the Amgen sponsored website has had really good coverage of the full stages . This year all we get is comercial free Verses . I'd much rather have low paid talent making stupid comments and admitting to them than Paul and Phil making stupid comments as if they really knew what they were talking about. All I suspect a result of the contract Amgen signed with Verses...

Paul, Mavericks is a quarter mile off of Pillar point in Half Moon Bay.
Phil, Stage 2 started in Davis, it did not finish there.