# Who is your favourite GCN presenter and why?



## Anonymous1502 (25 Aug 2020)

Question above^


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## ianrauk (25 Aug 2020)

Who is yours and why?


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (25 Aug 2020)

You first


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## rogerzilla (25 Aug 2020)

What's GCN?


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## LeetleGreyCells (25 Aug 2020)

Which one are you?

Si? Dan? Manon? Conor? Hank? Ollie? John? Lasty?


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## straas (25 Aug 2020)

They're all good - but I think Conor just for his pure enthusiasm. Seems like a genuinely nice guy.

I think the easiest way to describe GCN is as the topgear of cycling, but in youtube format.


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## rogerzilla (25 Aug 2020)

straas said:


> I think the easiest way to describe GCN is as the topgear of cycling, but in youtube format.


I'm imagining the offroaders from The Fast Show now.


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## Adam4868 (25 Aug 2020)

Bradley Walsh ?


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## vickster (25 Aug 2020)

None, don't watch YouTube videos


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## shnjmsn (25 Aug 2020)

Si is good..... I like Dan, good past history in the sport. But I would have to say Manon.........


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## classic33 (25 Aug 2020)

Dogtrousers said:


> What does GCN stand for?
> GCN stands for Great Crested Newt (newt species)
> 
> https://www.acronymfinder.com/Great-Crested-Newt-(newt-species)-(GCN).html


Ground Communications Network
https://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/GCN


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## Twilkes (25 Aug 2020)

There's something for everyone, and while Dan and Si are clearly the best presenters in the traditional sense the others step up to the plate more when they're doing things off-script e.g. the personal ride videos or when they're doing a challenge and being in the moment.

Overall, Emma Pooley made the best value videos for me, she seems fairly unique in the sports world given how she got into it at a later age and can maintain a successful career in something like engineering while still staying on top of her game.


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## BigMeatball (25 Aug 2020)

Favourite: Ollie

Least favourite: James


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## ColinJ (25 Aug 2020)

vickster said:


> None, don't watch YouTube videos


You are not missing out on anything tasteful and meaningful in (say) 99.9% of the content... 

However, you are missing out on the 0.1% of astonishingly good stuff...

The trick is to find people whose opinions you respect to wade through it for you!


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## vickster (25 Aug 2020)

ColinJ said:


> You are not missing out on anything tasteful and meaningful in (say) 99.9% of the content...
> 
> However, you are missing out on the 0.1% of astonishingly good stuff...
> 
> The trick is to find people whose opinions you respect to wade through it for you!


I can’t be arsed... busy enough with work, general surfing, TV etc. I’ve never been one for the radio either (too much wittering and I prefer to choose my music)
Indeed, I only use YT to listen to music while working.
Very occasionally I might watch an instructional video for a new gadget or whatever.
Never been one for newspapers either, can’t be doing with opinion, fact / unbiased info only


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## BigMeatball (25 Aug 2020)

The best bit of youtube (in general, not just related to GCN) are the comment sections with people literally arguing about anything. Almost like this forum.


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## BigMeatball (25 Aug 2020)

vickster said:


> Indeed, I only use YT to listen to music while working.



Have you heard of something called Spotify?


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## vickster (25 Aug 2020)

BigMeatball said:


> Have you heard of something called Spotify?


Why do I need that? YT is free


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## BigMeatball (25 Aug 2020)

vickster said:


> Why do I need that? YT is free



They both have free and premium subscriptions


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## vickster (25 Aug 2020)

BigMeatball said:


> They both have free and premium subscriptions


OK, why do I need something else, YT is fine for music, it makes play lists for me and I can skip over anything I don't like (or just blank it out until the next thing)


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## Smokin Joe (25 Aug 2020)

This is like one of these crap questions you get at trendy job interviews.


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## BigMeatball (25 Aug 2020)

vickster said:


> OK, why do I need something else, YT is fine for music, it makes play lists for me and I can skip over anything I don't like (or just blank it out until the next thing)



if you can't understand why one is better than the other, then no, you don't need it


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## Domus (25 Aug 2020)

Matt was very entertaining, when he teamed up with Emma they worked very well together. I like Ollie's enthusiasm, Hank's sheer joy of bike riding and Manon is improving day by day. Not ashamed to say I enjoy it.


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## vickster (25 Aug 2020)

BigMeatball said:


> if you can't understand why one is better than the other, then no, you don't need it


Quite likely


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## wafter (25 Aug 2020)

Hambini.

AMIDOINGITRITE?


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## Twilkes (25 Aug 2020)

Domus said:


> Matt was very entertaining, when he teamed up with Emma they worked very well together. I like Ollie's enthusiasm, Hank's sheer joy of bike riding and Manon is improving day by day. Not ashamed to say I enjoy it.



It's popular internationally too, which is pretty good going for a 'magazine' type channel, so their view of the presenters is probably going to be different to a native UK perspective.


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## Juliansou (25 Aug 2020)

Dream team - Matt & Si


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## Deleted member 23692 (25 Aug 2020)

They are all good with each having their strengths.

GMBN on the other hand is putting out some real crap these days and I've unsubscribed and stopped watching


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## PeteXXX (25 Aug 2020)

I don't have a television license, but I do have a television.


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## rivers (25 Aug 2020)

I'm a fan of Ollie. Quite liked Emma too.


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## Drago (25 Aug 2020)

None of them - I think they're all prats. And if any of them say "it isn't a very scientific test, but..." then I shall explode in a fit of apoplexy - no buts you tools, it ain't very scientific, full stop.


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## Anonymous1502 (25 Aug 2020)

ianrauk said:


> Who is yours and why?


Definitely Simon and then Matt, they work really well together and they made lots of funny videos in the past and they seem very genuine.


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## RoubaixCube (25 Aug 2020)

Id say Hannah Grant who used to do some of their food/Nutrition videos.... But only because ive actually met her in person


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## Anonymous1502 (25 Aug 2020)

rivers said:


> I'm a fan of Ollie. Quite liked Emma too.


I haven't seen many videos with Emma I only seen some cooking ones with her and one on clothing.


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## Cycleops (25 Aug 2020)

I think most have something to offer but their plonking style of delivery gets on yer nerves after a bit.


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## rogerzilla (25 Aug 2020)

Smokin Joe said:


> This is like one of these crap questions you get at trendy job interviews.


If you were a biscuit, what kind of biscuit would you be, and why?


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## dodgy (25 Aug 2020)

Considering the cost, GCN is pretty good, no complaints here. I do miss Matt, though.


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## winjim (25 Aug 2020)

My YouTube viewing habits are pretty weird and dull but I've never felt the need to watch this.


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## HLaB (25 Aug 2020)

I don't know any of them by name I just listen to what they have to say :-/


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## Twilkes (25 Aug 2020)

rogerzilla said:


> If you were a biscuit, what kind of biscuit would you be, and why?



A female friend prepared some emergency questions for speed dating in case the conversation dried up - that was one of them.

She asked it during a particularly stilted conversation with a particularly stilted guy, who ummed and ahhed for a while. Running out of patience, she said 'Do you want to know what kind of a biscuit I would be? I'd be a garibaldi.'

To which the guy pulled a face and said 'Ugh, I don't like garibaldis'.


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## HLaB (25 Aug 2020)

dodgy said:


> Considering the cost, GCN is pretty good, no complaints here. I do miss Matt, though.


Now they have a web player for me its a bargain


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## dodgy (25 Aug 2020)

HLaB said:


> Now they have a web player for me its a bargain


I was referring to the youtube channel, but yes, I also subscribe to GCN Race TV, great value.


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## CanucksTraveller (25 Aug 2020)

I liked the wrinkly faced one who couldn't clip in and fell off a lot. Matt was it? He was funny. And he was a pro so that helped.


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## Twilkes (25 Aug 2020)

CanucksTraveller said:


> I liked the wrinkly faced one who couldn't clip in and fell off a lot. Matt was it? He was funny. And he was a pro so that helped.



They've all been pros apart from Ollie.


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## winjim (25 Aug 2020)

ColinJ said:


> You are not missing out on anything tasteful and meaningful in (say) 99.9% of the content...
> 
> However, you are missing out on the 0.1% of astonishingly good stuff...
> 
> The trick is to find people whose opinions you respect to wade through it for you!


Ha. The YT algorithm and comments have sent me down a really weird rabbit hole recently which I'm quite enjoying...


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## RoubaixCube (25 Aug 2020)

Twilkes said:


> To which the guy pulled a face and said 'Ugh, I don't like garibaldis'.



he sounded like a bit of a Jammy Dodger


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## CanucksTraveller (25 Aug 2020)

Twilkes said:


> They've all been pros apart from Ollie.



Really? I had no idea, except for Dan but he's quite obvious with all the ribbing he gets for mentioning Cervelo Test Team a little too often. 

I don't really watch them much mind you, I had a little phase of maybe two months a few years back, and I watch their tech / how to clips now and then.


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## Cycleops (25 Aug 2020)

Got to be Jon as he’s a retro enthusiast. Here he is describing the build on his amazing Eddy Merckx 1990. WARNING: This is pure vintage bike porn so have a hanky ready:


View: https://youtu.be/9APfJWiVZfE


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## DiddlyDodds (25 Aug 2020)

Used to watch them , but the shows are just one huge blatant advert nowerdays, Matt , Si and Dan were the best of the bunch.


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## Milkfloat (25 Aug 2020)

DiddlyDodds said:


> Used to watch them , but the shows are just one huge blatant advert nowerdays, Matt , Si and Dan were the best of the bunch.


This, I liked it more when it was low budget guys having a bit of fun. I think it has lost it’s way quite a bit, although I have not watched anything this year.


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## Ridgeway (25 Aug 2020)

Froomey and G are my favourites.

Maybe i'm getting mixed up with the 2021 content that is yet to be released


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## rogerzilla (25 Aug 2020)

Cycleops said:


> Got to be Jon as he’s a retro enthusiast. Here he is describing the build on his amazing Eddy Merckx 1990. WARNING: This is pure vintage bike porn so have a hanky ready:
> 
> 
> View: https://youtu.be/9APfJWiVZfE



I sort of like it but it's a weird restomod with modern grey drivetrain and those brakes from a much earlier era. It's a bit of a mess, and less than the sum of its parts.

I kept my Strada OS as a 7-speed (and yes, you can get STI levers) with shiny alloy bits throughout. Mine seems to have an internal guide for the rear brake cable (and all the chrome). Same size and weight though.


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## Ming the Merciless (25 Aug 2020)

Michael Caine is a good one


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## DRM (25 Aug 2020)

Brother in law Nigel for the win


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## Ming the Merciless (25 Aug 2020)

Cycleops said:


> Got to be Jon as he’s a retro enthusiast. Here he is describing the build on his amazing Eddy Merckx 1990. WARNING: This is pure vintage bike porn so have a hanky ready:
> 
> 
> View: https://youtu.be/9APfJWiVZfE




Misusing the word retro though, never mind.


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## Domus (25 Aug 2020)

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQKIbywRic8


Matt and Emma, both ex pros, both British Road Champions, Very watchable.


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## jay clock (25 Aug 2020)

easy question. Manon....


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## united4ever (25 Aug 2020)

Si all the way.... Manon is lovely but she 0would never get a job as a presenter outside of this niche. She has a good comedy on screen rapport with Hank (I think).


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## Mike_P (25 Aug 2020)

Manon is getting better, was too careful of her speech initially and now more fluent. Tend to watch the weekly news show to pass around half a hour of pedalling nowhere on the indoor trainer. Currently seems to be a near constant change of presenter pairings on it each week
GCN is owned by Play Sports Network of which Discovery Communications (who own Eurosport) now have a controlling interest and which presumably explains Dan Lloyds appearances on Eurosport and Eurosport presenters appearing on GCN racing coverage.


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## bladesman73 (25 Aug 2020)

Used to watch gcn religiously, but it has become a bit stale. Recently found francis cade's channel and am too busy going through his vids to deal with gcn atm. My fave gcn presenter was Matt, he is on sigma sport's channel now.


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## Gazjacko (26 Aug 2020)

Ollie’s techs geek enthusiasm gets infectious


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## Pale Rider (28 Aug 2020)

vickster said:


> None, don't watch YouTube videos



I used to say that a few years ago, but now a tiny proportion of what you and I would call 'just YouTube videos' are proper programmes.

For example, the GCN Epic Ride in Andalucia linked in this thread is a nicely produced cycling travelogue.

As @ColinJ alludes to, the trick is sorting the small amount of wheat from the much larger amount of chaff.

I like most things made by Matt Stephens, who now works for Sigma Sports.

He does sometimes try too hard to be funny.

Some of his stuff is no more than a puff for the brand, but his series of rides with cycling personalities are worth a watch.

He also did some good videos on the routes used for the cycling championships in Yorkshire.

Those videos appealed to me partly because I've ridden a lot of the roads.

Put 'Matt Stephens' or 'Sigma Sports' into the YouTube search box and you may be pleasantly surprised.


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## overmind (28 Aug 2020)

dodgy said:


> Considering the cost, GCN is pretty good, no complaints here. I do miss Matt, though.


I remember watching the video where they announced Matt was leaving. I got the impression that GCN had made an executive decision that they wanted the presenters to be all young and hip.

This pissed me off and I have not watched GCN anything like as much since.

I also think this was a mistake. Remember the success of Grumpy Old Men. There much be huge numbers of older cyclists who like to see their point of view expressed.

On this forum there are lots of older posters with various war stories and timeless cycling anecdotes. If these posters left cyclechat it would be a similar tragedy.


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## HMS_Dave (28 Aug 2020)

I tend to find the bigger networks on FaceTube a bit cliche and geared towards impressing sponsors too much and/or try to emulate Jeremy Clarkson sometimes by trying to be ironic and funny which ends up being neither. This is a general observation and not ALL are like this but i don't often give people a second chance to impress me so i move on. Not enough time to fart about...


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## Mike_P (28 Aug 2020)

overmind said:


> I remember watching the video where they announced Matt was leaving. I got the impression that GCN had made an executive decision that they wanted the presenters to be all young and hip.


Matt said he was going to do more work for Eurosport, given they are under common control possibly a sideways or promoting move but with the consequence of having insufficient time to meet GCN demands.


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## Lauris (28 Aug 2020)

Anonymous1502 said:


> Question above^


 Was Matt Stephens. After he left I stopped watching. Si is also good.


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## Booyaa (28 Aug 2020)

Conor. Great guy and always enjoy his enthusiasm and insight.


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## steve292 (28 Aug 2020)

DRM said:


> Brother in law Nigel for the win


You know why you can't mow the lawn...


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (28 Aug 2020)

Mike_P said:


> Matt said he was going to do more work for Eurosport, given they are under common control possibly a sideways or promoting move but with the consequence of having insufficient time to meet GCN demands.


Then promptly appeared as a presenter on Sigma Sports channel - a cafe ride with current and ex pros that's fantastic


View: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMWi0rb1SwQHnDbv25G0vxLp0EXkr9pGo


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