# Tour de France Live on ITV 4 ????



## User269 (22 Jun 2010)

Have I died and gone to Heaven?? 

Can this be true?


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## Skip Madness (22 Jun 2010)

They had it live on the red button last year I seem to recall. This is nice for people who can't get that to work, though.


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## User269 (22 Jun 2010)

Just saw an advert on TV............they are showing each stage live, so they say. OMG! No more dire Eurosport coverage for me.*

*see endless debates and posts about eurosport v. Ligget/Sherwin coverage.


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## rich p (22 Jun 2010)

User269 said:


> Just saw an advert on TV............they are showing each stage live, so they say. OMG! No more dire Eurosport coverage for me.*
> 
> *see endless debates and posts about eurosport v. Ligget/Sherwin coverage.



Who commentates better than David Harmon?


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## User269 (22 Jun 2010)

rich p said:


> Who commentates better than David Harmon?



Phil Ligget and Paul Sherwin?

'ere we go, 'ere we go, 'ere we go.................


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## User269 (22 Jun 2010)

..........INCOMING..................TAKE COVER.....................!!!!

eurosport v. ITV 4 attack imminent!

aaaaaaaaaaarrrrgggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## rich p (22 Jun 2010)

User269 said:


> Phil Ligget and Paul Sherwin?
> 
> 'ere we go, 'ere we go, 'ere we go.................



Ah, Lance's ventriloquists dummies

I can't bear them myself but hey ho!


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## Chuffy (22 Jun 2010)

Oooooh! Must look up the stages and plot a day off. Any recommendations?


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## ianrauk (22 Jun 2010)

It's on Eurosport HD so that will do for me. Unless ITV show it in HD which I doubt.


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## ianrauk (22 Jun 2010)

For sure Morty old boy. But cycling was made for HD. The Giro looked absolutely stunning in HD. And I can imagine the Tour will do too.


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## threebikesmcginty (22 Jun 2010)

I feel quite poorly on July 3rd for 3 weeks, where's me sick note....


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## ianrauk (22 Jun 2010)

Naughty... but nice 



threebikesmcginty said:


> I feel quite poorly on July 3rd for 3 weeks, where's me sick note....


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## Crackle (22 Jun 2010)

Freesat is finally ordered. The man comes tomorrow.


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## iAmiAdam (22 Jun 2010)

If you watched it on ITV HD, you'd miss the sprint finish.

(Football reference)


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## Flying Dodo (22 Jun 2010)

threebikesmcginty said:


> I feel quite poorly on July 3rd for 3 weeks, where's me sick note....



It's all changed now. You've got to get a "not fit for work" comment on a fit for work note.


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## Will1985 (22 Jun 2010)

Will this be in the main schedule or on the red button? Last year I was in Birmingham with Virgin cable and it worked nicely, but does ITV have a red button service on Freeview?


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## marinyork (22 Jun 2010)

Will1985 said:


> Will this be in the main schedule or on the red button? Last year I was in Birmingham with Virgin cable and it worked nicely, but does ITV have a red button service on Freeview?



No red button service on freeview. In any case with virgin in previous years they added the interactive stream specially for a month. On freeview C4 and ITV basically have half a mux each, there just isn't the space. Really there shouldn't even be a red button for the Beeb but they got a better deal when ITV digital failed and was calved up.


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## marinyork (22 Jun 2010)

Uncle Mort said:


> Not on ITV4, it's just SD. But the quality's a lot better than it used to be.



ITV4 is dreadful but then so is eurosport1/2. Eurosport was irritating before 1/2 went widescreen too. I like the ITV commenting team but the picture is so much better on Eurosport HD from very poor SD channels up to one of the better HD channels, the leap is so gigantic.


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## Chuffy (24 Jun 2010)

ITV4 + Freesat = red button service

Rejoice!


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## User269 (24 Jun 2010)

Chuffy said:


> Rejoice!



I will. I mean I did. I mean I am (ing). 

Why not drop by for a celebratory drink?


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## navrat_biker (24 Jun 2010)

yeeeeha thank-you ITV4


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## beastie (24 Jun 2010)

I would rather listen to DH and SK all day than PhilPhil. Don't think either is bad.


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## Rob3rt (25 Jun 2010)

Its on 2:30-4:30pm every day of the tour, bar the opening prologue on saturday 3rd ~6pm I think. Luckily my work is flexible so I can just go home to watch it for 2 hours while I eat lunch and do some typing and then come back


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## User269 (25 Jun 2010)

No mention of Paul Sherwin. An omission, or has he retired to his Gold Mine?


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## Willo (28 Jun 2010)

rich p said:


> Who commentates better than David Harmon?



As above and Beastie, I like David Harmon's commentary with SK, and the Eurosport highlights show suits me for when I get home from work. Will check out ITV4 though if they do a similar evening highlights show and will compare notes. My wife's heart sank when I informed her that to compensate for the reducing number of games in the World Cup, the Tour De France was starting


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## claver58 (28 Jun 2010)

Anyone know when the tdF preview is on the box giving us details of the teams?
Greipel's out so that makes it England 1 Germany 0
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Actually Isle of Man 1 but who cares!


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## naffets (28 Jun 2010)

eurosport hd no competition!
david harmon spotting of riders is usually spot on and also
love him or hate him kellys reading of a race!


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## threebikesmcginty (1 Jul 2010)

The TdeF on ITV4 was being promoted on ITV1 at prime time last night, so they're making a bit of an effort. Hope it works out.


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## badkitty (1 Jul 2010)

Fantastic! 

Thank you ITV4! Being laid up in plaster never looked better! Lucky lucky me!
At this rate, I may blag an extra week.


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## User269 (1 Jul 2010)

badkitty said:


> Fantastic!
> 
> Thank you ITV4! Being laid up in plaster never looked better! Lucky lucky me!
> At this rate, I may blag an extra week.



Lets hope your injury needs resetting and plastering!

Don't forget, Friday night preview of Le Tour on ITV4 at 19.00hrs.


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## fossyant (2 Jul 2010)

The Preview is also on Saturday 4.00pm before the live coverage.

That's made my Friday night that !!!! as I checked a few days ago and the schedules weren't showing it. Cool !!!!!


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## fossyant (2 Jul 2010)

Oh, and my wife is at the Gym until about 7.30 so I'll have the telly controls hidden !!!


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## Will1985 (2 Jul 2010)

Local transmitter is playing up - the preview programme keeps cutting out for 5 minute spells. I've seen more black screen and adverts than talking about cycling!


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## marinyork (2 Jul 2010)

Saw a TDF trailer for ITV4 , really going to town this year .


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## Rob3rt (2 Jul 2010)

It was only marginally interesting, enjoyed the bit with Cav. 

Looking forward to the prologue tomorrow!


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## fossyant (2 Jul 2010)

Rob3rt said:


> It was only marginally interesting, enjoyed the bit with Cav.
> 
> Looking forward to the prologue tomorrow!




You ain't with it mate...the intro was excellent......


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## Rob3rt (2 Jul 2010)

The 1st 20 mins were pretty painful, Hah. It's not the same presenters throughout is it? They seemed clueless. Like even more clueless than me and I'm not a big follower of pro racing, bar the track world championship this is probly the 1st cycling event ill have followed.


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## davidg (2 Jul 2010)

i do like eurosport, but I find the sky plus box often doesnt get the end on this channel, esp on HD...really annoying


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## Sambu (2 Jul 2010)

is it available online?


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## Sambu (3 Jul 2010)

it is http://www.itv.com/ITVPlayer/?intcmp=NAV_ITVPLAYE2


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## fossyant (3 Jul 2010)

At last it's 5pm....- no flippin feeds via the web !!


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## Genman (3 Jul 2010)

I really can't envisage my TV surviving three weeks of Paul Sherwen.


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## dragon72 (3 Jul 2010)

They keep banging on about how brilliant a company Rabobank is.


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## Chuffy (3 Jul 2010)

Genman said:


> I really can't envisage my TV surviving three weeks of Paul Sherwen.


He and Liggett are the vuvuzela chorus of the Tour de France. 

We need a drinking game. Drink on any of the following:-

Reference to this sport of "professional bike racing"
Reads extract from the Tour guide (ref to chataux, rivers or local history)
Grovelling reference to Big Tex
Use of the words "great champion"
Starts a sentence by repeating the last words of companion's previous sentence

I'm sure there are many, many more. Any ideas?


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## fossyant (3 Jul 2010)

That battery was in use again.............


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## postman (3 Jul 2010)

It was soooooo good i did a load of ironing for the wife .

It only came alive about twenty past six .Then i turned it orf before the finish .


It will get better . Won't it ?


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## Genman (4 Jul 2010)

Chuffy said:


> He and Liggett are the vuvuzela chorus of the Tour de France.
> 
> 
> We need a drinking game. Drink on any of the following:-
> ...



"And let's not forget" as he refers to some obscure fact about an even more obscure rider that everyone _has_ forgot.


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## Hont (5 Jul 2010)

Chuffy said:


> I'm sure there are many, many more. Any ideas?



- "That looks like Big Jens Voigt up there" (incorrectly pronounced voyt and often when it is almost any other Saxo Bank rider).
- "Churning a huge gear" (less heard since the departure of Jan Ulrich, to be fair)
- "Spinning a tiny gear" (whenever Armstrong or Contador are on a climb)

We should, of course, be glad that we now have the choice of two stations utilising not terrible commentators. I recall the days when it was just David Duffield. 

*Shudders*.

What's up with Chris Boardman this year though? He used to be the expert in amongst the smarmy twattery of Imlach and Boulting. Yesterday, not content with describing Eddy Merckx as the "Lance Armstrong of his day" (Eddy should be spitting frites with that one), he expected the commissars to penalise Cav for falling off and "causing" the first crash.


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## Chuffy (5 Jul 2010)

Hont said:


> What's up with Chris Boardman this year though? He used to be the expert in amongst the smarmy twattery of Imlach and Boulting. Yesterday, not content with describing Eddy Merckx as the "Lance Armstrong of his day" (Eddy should be spitting frites with that one), he expected the commissars to penalise Cav for falling off and "causing" the first crash.


I must have missed that. A penalty seems harsh but you can't argue that Cav didn't cause the crash. He came in too fast, went straight instead of turning and took out the riders on his left.I fully expect his fans to argue the toss. He is, after all, One Of Ours.

I like Garry Imlach. With a dry sense of humour and hair like John Noakes how could you not?


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## Hont (5 Jul 2010)

No question that Cav caused the crash, but he got his handlebars caught up apparently. At any rate you get penalised for irregular sprinting or moving off line not screwing up a corner. Chris should know this really, he crashed enough times himself.


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## Hont (5 Jul 2010)

And in further praise of the knowledge of the Eurosport/ITV4 commentators I've just read this on the BBC website, by way of contrast...

"Merckx, nicknamed "the Cannibal", won *just* five Tours"

Yeah, _just_. Pathetic.


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## ramses (5 Jul 2010)

Hont said:


> And in further praise of the knowledge of the Eurosport/ITV4 commentators I've just read this on the BBC website, by way of contrast...
> 
> "Merckx, nicknamed "the Cannibal", won *just* five Tours"
> 
> Yeah, _just_. Pathetic.



Yes I saw that, just terrible, imagine only winning "Just" 5 Tours. I mean, he really should have put more effort in!

Wish I could win just one stage!


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## philipbh (5 Jul 2010)

Chuffy said:


> I'm sure there are many, many more. Any ideas?



Mr Sherwen: "Job of work"


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