Tour De France Eurosport Commentary

[Beebo]

Rob Hatch, David Harmon. Eurosport could have employed either of these two. Instead they go for Carlton Kirby who has actually made me nostalgic for the days of David Duffield. All he ever did was fail to commentate on the actual race.

Rob Hatch is doing the BBC 5Live commentary, with Rob Hayles.

 

[robotgreg]

I've been watching tdf since early 80s so do generally enjoy the commentary of Liggett and Sherwin but they do really annoy when they keep on about certain riders. It used to be Lance and then Cadel Evans and now you hear Tejay Van Garderen and to a lesser extent Andrew Talansky more than all other riders put together riders and much more than those who are performing significantly better or more favoured for overall victory. Niabali gets mentioned much less than Van Garderen.

Why do they love the Americans so much? Can understand for English riders as they are transmitting to an English audience but not US. Almost as if they hate any Europeans except Contador. Will never forget the fuss they made over armstrong cutting the corner of the field but that's another whole can of worms already opened thankfully and at last!

Apologies my first post is critical but they do really wind me up with their favouritism and focus in the commentary.

Cheers
Greg

 

[ColinJ]

Why do they love the Americans so much? Can understand for English riders as they are transmitting to an English audience but not US. Almost as if they hate any Europeans except Contador. Will never forget the fuss they made over armstrong cutting the corner of the field but that's another whole can of worms already opened thankfully and at last!

Apologies my first post is critical but they do really wind me up with their favouritism and focus in the commentary.

Cheers
Greg

Because the programmes do go out to the US so American fans get their commentary!

 

[mustang1]

I heard Millar commentating for a race last year and he did an excellent job with lots of insider info.

Millar got a few minutes in for the first couple.of stages of this years tour too. He done a pretty decent job. Maybe he can do that more often. We need some fresh commentators.

 

[robotgreg]

Because the programmes do go out to the US so American fans get their commentary!

Ahh, OK thanks Colin. That makes some sort of sense athough I'd be surprised if it was the other way round, the Americans being so sycophantic towards the Brits. So can see some reasoning but still don't think they should big them up so much.

 

[Buddfox]

I've been watching tdf since early 80s so do generally enjoy the commentary of Liggett and Sherwin but they do really annoy when they keep on about certain riders. It used to be Lance and then Cadel Evans and now you hear Tejay Van Garderen and to a lesser extent Andrew Talansky more than all other riders put together riders and much more than those who are performing significantly better or more favoured for overall victory. Niabali gets mentioned much less than Van Garderen.

Why do they love the Americans so much? Can understand for English riders as they are transmitting to an English audience but not US. Almost as if they hate any Europeans except Contador. Will never forget the fuss they made over armstrong cutting the corner of the field but that's another whole can of worms already opened thankfully and at last!

Apologies my first post is critical but they do really wind me up with their favouritism and focus in the commentary.

Cheers
Greg

More specifically they are generally contracted by NBC to do all cycling commentary in the US. So they also do the Tour of California, I think the Giro, but their commentary is only used in the UK by ITV for the Tour. So they are actually commentating for a US audience, with the UK being the exception to this for the TdF.

 

[HF2300]

Sherwen: "There's a Roman castle here, dating back to Roman times when the Romans invaded..."

 

[laurence]

Millar got a few minutes in for the first couple.of stages of this years tour too. He done a pretty decent job. Maybe he can do that more often. We need some fresh commentators.

he is also a very good writer, his story in the first Cycling Anthology book was beautiful - i suspect (hope) he will be in much demand when he hangs up his wheels at the end of the year.

 

[eck]

What does the little pic of an old-fashioned mike, that occasionally appears of the top left of the screen signify?

 

[HF2300]

Isn't it a talkback from one of the France TV press motorcycles (that we don't get here) or something like that?

 

[eck]

Isn't it a talkback from one of the France TV press motorcycles (that we don't get here) or something like that?

Aha, good thinking, I'd thought it maybe indicated race radio was braodcasting,,, thanks!

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

More specifically they are generally contracted by NBC to do all cycling commentary in the US. So they also do the Tour of California, I think the Giro, but their commentary is only used in the UK by ITV for the Tour. So they are actually commentating for a US audience, with the UK being the exception to this for the TdF.

Indeed, their jabbering shíte commentary is also taken by other countries, you can sometimes work out which ones due to the riders mentioned - you'll also hear them repeat themselves sometimes, saying the same things in succession, and this is due to them using different feeds and forgetting which feed they are on or what they have already said.

Why ITV still use them I have no idea, as ITV have some of the best commentators on their books. It's a mythtery as Toyah once sand.

 

[laurence]

i try to watch eurosport for the race commentary and ITV for the apres race - Boulting and Boardman do a great double act and the analysis is very good.

as @Marmion said, no idea why they stick with Statler and Waldorf for the race.

 

[HF2300]

Liggett on Porte today: " and just look at Porte, and that's not a good face to be in..."

He may have cracked but that's no reason to call the guy ugly.

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

Liggett managed to mis-identify Teejay today, having already called him over the line he then claimed he was leading the next group. What a nobber.

But they edit most of the gaffs from the highlights, and also re-do some of their commentary to make them seem less clueless in the highlights.