But try explaining that to Cycling Weekly and their letters column.. He said from the rider's perspective, motorbikes get far too close to the race. Riders have lost their ability to race, says LeMond, Nacer Bouhanni handed penalty, fined for shove. Like this site? According to the Telegraph, cyclists and joggers could be targeted as part ofa new Government initiative to work out who is leaving waste behind in countryside. All the news from the site and beyond as we start a new week. hatcher - are you Harmon's mum? To my mind, the motorised vehicles are getting far too close, a point I continue to pick up on commentary. As a small example, he started talking to Magnus Backstedt about tyre widths the other day ("weren't you the 27 mm guy?") Yep, thats my pick. Brian Smith is very good and I feel for him having to listen to Kirby's dumbfounding comments. It just stays online forever. you can't have it on while doing other things and then return to the screen when it gets interesting because by the time Kirby has noticed many minutes will have passed. Or at least diminished. The demands of media and multimedia these days make it more of a serious problem. Yates ended up going out the back of the peloton, losing 1.22. If youve watched Eurosport cycling, you'll know. The rest is very monotonous and quite naturally the onus of filling that gap falls on the commentator. Kittel did win stage four, but then Cavendish beat him again on stage six. 2008present unless otherwise stated. Antoine Demoitie tragically died after being hit by a motorbike. and clearly was totally clueless. What a load of rubbish - Team Sky Fan !! CK:I think not many people will notice. You sit there, its often quite quiet, and you get brought an exotic meal like a guacamole sandwich. . Whenever I watch an anglophone stream online because there is no other way for me to watch a race I have to think of the HIMYM episode where Barney goes to get Robin from Canada and, looking at the "funny" Canadian dollars, says: "It's like you want us to make fun of you". We saw that on the Tour of Catalunya - a useless piece of motorcycle protocol. Mark Cavendish crossed the line first, and said Kittel came up to slap him in the back. A close study of the final 20 kilometres follows, picking out key hazardslike pinch points, street furniture and likely attack points, before the repeating the study in the car alongside King Kelly as the pair make their way to the commentary point at the stage finish. We met a young boy and young girl who recently lost their mum, and its really sad when you see that side of it. The prodigious British riderTao Geoghegan Hart laid into Kirby's"outrageous claims", and Owain Doull also chipped in to describe Kirby as a "proper muppet". From the Eurosports studios in London, covering the tour is not the same as waiting at the finish line. De Gendt, Volta 2019 Stage 1 winner. In the early 1990s he became a freelance commentator. Advertising, commercial: sales [at] road.cc The Tour forces us to have dinner. While cycling commentator Carlton Kirby and his teammates would normally head across the channel for the Tour de France, the recent situation suggests he will be covering the 2020 edition from the Eurosport studios in London. Yates was obviously cooked - why else would anyone work for dozens of kilometres and then give up in the final 2km? When youre on-site, even though youre there, youre still watching a monitor, Kirby says. Info-wise, being on-site is amazing.. There are several fan forums that constantly try to have him removed from Eurosport and even made a Carlton Kirby petition their demands on the grounds of inane chatter, terrible jokes, and unnecessary screaming. In their eyes, he is one of the worst cycling commentators. Helen Blackman (@HelenBlackman) March 24, 2019. A mile from home, looked behind me, moved to the centre of the lane, stuck my arm out to turn right, got Editorial, general: info [at] road.cc Kittel was completely shocked, and has been getting more and more upset as this Tour has gone on. Can you at least extend our premium subscriptions so we can play all races, until you fix the issue? I think this is what is powering Marks mind at the moment. You have engineers popping in and out, you have guests from the different languages, and the only thing separating us from the Germans, on our left, and the French, on our right, are thin sound walls its completely open at the back, he says. Would like to cancel eurosport but it's the only way to watch the classics (legitimately at least). You always get letters or emails from people who really enjoyed your commentary, but youll always get those who hate every fibre of your being.. He further says, "In tennis, you never talk through a point because the crowd doesn't. He's probably too much of a joker,not serious enough, but has a 'springy' voice which is good to listen to. Kirby is a shockingly bad commentator, but Harmon is not much better. Discovery company. By using this website, you agree to our use of cookies. The major problem with this is that you cannot follow a race he is commentating on unless you are watching it - i.e. Eurosport is transmitting the same amount of races as any standard european tv channel - go to Italy where it is their number 2 sport next to football - they dont struggle for professional sports commentators. From dealing with the never-ending frenzy of action, and incessant radio announcements, to having to tackle the director. Discovery through its international sports unit, it operates two main channels Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 2 across most of its territories, and streams on Discovery+, which superseded Eurosport Player. But he's British and that's all that matters to Kirby. (Clarke is a very good rider, but there is nothing to suggest he SHOULD have won the 2016 M-SR. Watch the race.). As is seen in most cases, the primary action of any game takes place during the outset and ending parts. Uhhh, Ill say Bettiol. Carlton Kirby As a Post Graduate Broadcast Journalist Carlton's Television career began with the BBC as a News and Sports Reporter. It is amusing that explaining this is futile, he remarks. Anyone but dreary Declan Quigley please! It is irretrievable. Carlton Kirby: No matter if youre in a mobile unit at the finish, or in a studio with air conditioning and a coffee machine, youre doing the same thing, the view out the window is just different. And then, you hang a look at anyone who is there to find out if theyre going to listen to you. I'm constantly berating or pointing out the danger of the motorcycle. Hosted by Duncan Steer Carlton Kirby's Cycling Lock-In Radio Days Events Sports NOV 24, 2021 London live show preview! He's obsessed with what he thinks is going to happen, preferring baseless speculation to commentating on what is actually happening. Tom Owen vents his fury after cycling blogger highlights verbal abuse on Box Hill, Geraint Thomas returns as domestique in experienced nine-man line-up, Summit finishes dominate opening fortnight with potentially pivotal time trial in final week, The best of the gear that's dropped into RCUK over the last couple of weeks, One carbon bike and two alloy models for 2016 'cross campaign from Chain Reaction Cycles' in-house bike brand. UPDATE: New online Zoomcast show, July 16, click through for tickets. Also, I would say many of his criticisms are unfair and/or cruel. Among an awful lot of distractions, as Carlton Kirby explains, commentating on cycling is an arduous process. You can use your lens. Baseless. She talks about the background to the petition, which you can sign here, in this video. Whether they be dusty in the summer or wet in the winter, motorcycles are far too dangerous and get far too close to the bikes. She got hit by a car and thats someones mum, not just a cyclist. Continuing our discussion of 2020's cancelled/postponed races continues, Eurosport bon viveur Carlton Kirby discusses why riding up Swiss mountains is easier than riding up French mountains; villages accessible only by ladder; the world's highest lighthouse; 70s balladeer Gilbert O'Sullivan; human . Ive done so much and been so many places that I mostly have all of them embedded in my head. The best thing you can do is relax, in my opinion, Kirby explains about going live on air. Were literally opening up Sean Kellys cranium to learn the nuances of the sport, and he comes out and says which guy is going to go on and win the next day. Kirby tells us that Batistella is punching his handlebars in celebration. How do you call one of the biggest sporting events on the planet? It means sometimes were not actually commentating from the finish line because the Tour de France is so huge theres about 8,000 people attached to the Tour. but the bike was nowhere to be found!" Bridport cycles. Theres an awful lot of distractions to keep on top of, so if you happen to be looking at your notes when somebody has a moment and you dont see it, its not your fault., Kirby laughs. I speak no language other than English. And then, of course, there are the flat stages and the sprint finishes. I do love the sport because its a crescendo sport. There are no points for each turn. Doesn't look that pretty, cable tied, very practical. You could hear a pin drop. His cycling life began during his students days, when he cobbled togethera few hundred quidoff the back of a hard winter selling hats (long story) and bought hisfirst road bike - a Trek 1.1 that was quickly relegated to winter steed, before it was sadlypinched a few years later. Its not something thats learned, or something you can prepare for. Twaddle. Without wishing to be too disparaging to Mr. Kirby, I dont have Eurosport or the ability to watch cycling live, so I have to make do with highlights. I had almost no idea what was going on or who was where. What you are talking about is a place in history. Even once the race itself is over, and the post-analysis is done, theres a second race to get away from the finish line. There is no discussion or debate, just chatter, articles, and just that. It was almost featureless and the riders would not engage in it at all. Arriving at road.cc in 2017 via 220 Triathlon Magazine, Jack dipped his toe in most jobs on the site and over ateBikeTips before being namedthe new editor of road.cc in 2020, much to his surprise. Log in or register to join the conversation. (@StasaZlatanovic) March 24, 2019. Theres no doubt about it, the most difficult thing to do is cover nothing, he says. What blasphemy is this? There has to be some kind of distance applied and minimal standards of what is needed. They basically work on the principle that people watching cycling in english are only interested in english speaking riders. He was hinting today that he would be commentating on Paris-Roubaix (just after he said that Froome was 'over-raced' this year), so I'd be grateful if as many people as possible could comment/vote before it is too late: Mmmmm, unfortunately, the suggested replacement is just as clueless, just quieter. Yes Harmon is okay and like I said - at least he does his homework on the teams and riders and hangs on every word uttered by Sean Kellyas though he is keen to learn the professional circuit. He has been commentating on the Tour de France since 2009, and his deep knowledge of the race and the riders makes him one of the most respected commentators in the sport. You get the atmosphere and emotion of a place. And within the second group, he sprints hard, coming 13th overall. Help us to make it better. And its only the past year that we even get to see more than the Tour de France. We've asked Colnago for more details but they just shrugged their shoulders in reply. Such things impact ones reputation a lot, and there is no way around it. For me Kirby has the key ingredient I need from a commentator. You also get a guy filming on the one side of a cyclist, who is then blocking the rider from turning at the right angle into a corner because a motorbike is blocking him. I tweeted quite a few comments which clearly annoyed him. Ive gotten drunk on the Galibier and been evacuated off the Galibier. ), peppered with the repeated clichs (just see how many times he says 'puppy paws', joining the party or a dozen or so others). Simon Clarke, who should have won the 2016 Milan-San Remo is just one in a long, long line of things he invents from nowhere and then portrays as facts, banging on about them throughout a season. And he wasn't wrong. Harmon's attitude can best be described as 'wogs begin at Calais'. Fully agree Kirby is the most irritable commentator ever. And anybody who has watched one unfold on TV will recognise the frantic speed of the commentary as the race reaches its climax. I think there seems to be a bad feeling against cyclists and its really strange because theyre only people, he continued. It is all kinds of stuff. The commentary line-up will include regular voices Rob Hatch and Carlton Kirby, who will also joined by cycling legend Sean Kelly at all three major races. This person has obviously just seen red, Ive got right of way, Im going to go, and you might have right of way technically whether you do or dont is often debatable but it doesnt give you the right to smash someone and potentially kill someone, which is what is going to happen if you run someone off their bike. That is in fact my main Friday occupation. carlton kirby leaves eurosport 2021; carlton kirby leaves eurosport 2021. It's their commentators or silence. But he's British and that's all that matters to Kirby. Went for a bike ride earlier today. It easy to forget that before this tour Mark Cavendish, the greatest of all great sprinters, had never beaten Marcel Kittel in a head-to-head. Create a personalized feed and bookmark your favorites. There must be so many ex-pro riders out there who would give valuable commentary and insight into the races. More often than not they slip into commentary which is at best nationalistic, and at worst xenophobic. But not today in the Vuelta or yesterday, and this is the first time I have heard Kirby commentating. You have your usual office equipment, coffee machine, and sandwich machine. But, being in the studio means there is a considerable loss of interaction. During a sprint stage, every turn is important, and sometimes Ill walk the final approach with [commentator] Sean Kelly, and there will be no need to even take notes, because hell just say, Oh, this will be shit. You can read an off-camber turn when youre standing on it, and see the attack points when youre going up and down a mountain. For me, Carlton is the perfect commentator for the 'early shift' on long, flat grand tour stages. Rob Hatch is apparently also good but he doesnt do very much that I've seen. Yeah he does. My primary issue with Carlton Kirby is that he doesn't commentate on what is happening (he rambles whatever is inside his head). Every stage of the Tour de France LIVE on British Eurosport HD. We caught up with Kirby to learn what is gained for the telecast and what is lost from these two very different broadcasting scenarios. Baseless. Every time she fought back from a coma we were warned. Of all the criticisms that can be leveled at him (not recognising riders, not admitting he doesn't recognise a rider), being only interested in angolophone riders isn't one of them. At other broadcasters you still have cue points, but its usually after youve finished making a point [because youre the only commentary team]. The sights and sounds of the race and the attention of aptitude in an ample pressroom can renounce some valuable chunks for a commentator. Kirby laughs. Jason Kenny has recounted to the BBC the near miss he and his infant son Albie encountered while out cycling last month. Carlton Kirby and His Approach On Commenting for GCN and Eurosport This Year: While cycling commentator Carlton Kirby and his teammates would normally head across the channel for the Tour de France, the recent situation suggests he will be covering the 2020 edition from the Eurosport studios in London. wow, all the power to you man! Kittel threw his arms up in the air, and lost not only first place, but second, third and fourth..winding up in fifth because of his complaints. There is absolutely no deficit of distractions for a commentator. He also never tells you who the riders on screen are - and if he does, he's usually wrong. 35m is 100ft. Proper all rounder. Theyd often stop too Euskaltel-Euskadi were one of the most common for that, theyd roll to the front, let everyone know it wasnt an attack and then ride up the road to briefly chat to family! Nonetheless, one other thing that Kirby believes, sets the very best apart is commitment. Creativelyreplacing it witha Trek 1.2, Jack mostly rides this bikearound local cycle paths nowadays, but when he wants to get the racer out and be competitive hispreferred events are time trials, sportives, triathlons and pogo sticking - the latter being another long story. But, Kirby has to do that, without fail. Thankfully, no tree roots to overcome. It is amusing that explaining this is futile, he remarks. Over 3,200 worth of amazing prizes from Pacenti Cycle Design and Saint Piran, including some stunning carbon wheels! Whilst im not Carltons biggest fan (prefer Backstead w Harmon) I very much doubt I could talk for between 1 and 5 hours without descending into complete nonsense from time to time. There are some other sports, like cycling, where the commentary has to be complete. I remember being impressed during the Giro at his ability to identify riders. Controversial! Youre at the finish line, essentially watching the TV albeit with extra screens.. He has poor knowledge and really just annoys everyone. Carlton Kirby is a sports commentator who is most known for his work commentating on the Tour de France. You have got to be kidding! Kirby has the benefit of what he calls the ultimate pass the presence of his legendary co-commentator when it comes to cutting through the crowds and police lines. Having spent over 25 years in the field, he has seen a lot, as many other countless commentators have seen. Its a case of trying to keep everybody amused. While folk littering with gel wrappers is no doubt annoying, is it really up there with fly-tipping? Well, Ill tell you: It makes your view of the race verifiable when youre there. Among the big names the Belgian put time into today were Alejandro Valverde, fourth overall and 2 minutes 56 second down in fourth place overall, and Team Skys Egan Bernal, a further 1 second back. He suddenly realises how to beat Kittel, working out the formula to finish first. My Ultimate Commuter, rebuilding her at the moment, everything external. You don't need to be that close to the riders to get snaps. I make notes of the corners, pinch points, danger points, acceleration points, attack points all of those things.. The most interesting people are the race commissars, and talking with them you get a lot of insight into who they are keeping an eye on. ). Please enter your email so we can keep you updated with news, features and the latest offers. Im a bit annoyed at myself because I lost my temper at the time. Thomas De Gendt launched a solo attack from the break with 60 kilometres remaining of todays opening stage of the Volta a Catalunya, covering 163 kilometres and starting and finishing in Calella and the Lotto-Soudal rider now finds himself with a lead of almost three minutes on his rivals. For god's sake grow up the man's just doing his job some of it good, some of it bad Is it my imagination or has there been more talk about commentators than cycling on here recently? Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Ive been up the Galibier. I could paint the Galibier and Ventoux and even some of the rarer mountains by memory. You can get every picture you need from in front of the peloton. Juan Antonio Flecha and Johnny Hoogerland were sent into barbed wire on the Tour de France because the France TV van was about to hit a tree having a run out of road, but took the softer option of the riders. "Commentating on cycling is not like snooker or tennis," says Carlton Kirby, principal commentator for Eurosport's cycling coverage, who has worked in the sport since 1996. Always the hardest and most challenging role in such types of games is of a cycling commentator. . pic.twitter.com/fFcEf0AgHK, Volta a Catalunya (@VoltaCatalunya) March 25, 2019. They seem to think that it is enough to just talk about english speaking riders, or to 'emote' any time there is a crash, or a difficult corner. Eurosport is a group of pay television networks in Europe and parts of Asia. I think it is just individual race directors who decide who gets to ride these bikes. The commentators day doesnt juststart when the racing does, with research and planning underwayas soon as breakfast is taken. Minutes later, Sean Kelly points out that Padun is 'not getting around the corners well not comfortable whatsoever on the descent'. Especially on unstable surfaces. https://t.co/rFjZ7dTFUE. Ineos Grenadiers has to try and win the Tour de France, says Steve Cummings, Tour de France: Yates, Groenewegen, Matthews a possible three-pronged approach for BikeExchange, Jumbo-Visma keeps everyone guessing with Tour de France and Giro dItalia leadership question, Former Zwift academy winner Tanja Erath calls time on road career with mental struggles, Garmin Gravel Worlds introduces pro categories and a donation-based prize pool, UCI gravel worlds, a threat or an opportunity? (PS If there's anything here about donating, that's the website host - nothing to do with this petition - there is nothing to donate to. For every Nicolas Roche or Steve Cummings great characters, totally locked down there are some savage bastards out there, and we love them all. I am very sorry but he is just nowhere near the standards of messrs. Liggett, Boulting, Miller and Hatch. One of the most adaptable voices on British Television, as can be seen from hisworking synopsis, Carltons range is wide. Owned by Warner Bros. He is thinking Champs Elysees. Kirby has more than two decades as a. The headline does anyway, while the sources in the article cover a few different potential causes. It is a free-for-all. When youre part of the race caravan, all you talk about is the race. Strade Bianche 2023, March 4, one-day classic (men's & women's), 78th Omloop Het Nieuwsblad: February 25, 2023, UAE Tour 2023, February 20-26 (women's race February 9-12), O Gran Camio 2023, Spain, February 23-26, 49th Volta ao Algarve em Bicicleta (2.Pro) // February 15th - 19th 2023, Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne 2023 February 26, 196 km (1.Pro). Join Outside+ to get complete access to exclusive content on VeloNews, training plans for road and gravel, and more. AndKirby wouldnt have it any other way, even if there are those who dont always appreciate what goes into calling a Tour de France stage. Kirby continues to put his notes togetheronce hearrives at the commentary booth, reading the local press andKellys grasp of colloquial French coming into its own. I don't have anything against him personally, but he doesn't seem to get the basics of the sport. And I said: Because I asked him! I asked him at breakfast, because when youre on-site, you can talk to the riders. Tel 01225 588855. Commentating during the 2022 Ronde with 222km to go, Kirby says: Aranburu could have finished as high as 5th in Milan-Sanremo, but didnt think it was worth his while so he eased off at the end and came in 13th. View our media pack. Following a two year broadcasting secondment with the United Nations in the South Pacific he joined ITV as TVams overnight Sports Producer and Reporter. The unrelenting, inane chatter (did any of us want to know that his wife had their third child by caesarean section? because there wuld be an uprising in the country. And if you ever thought the job of the commentator was easy, think again, with the ability to multi-task a key skill for anyone working in live television. Best known for his work on Eurosport, his voice has also appeared on BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Motors TV, Cycling TV, Speed Channel USA, ABC Australia, SABC South Africa, Canal Plus France, Canal France International and more. Thus, the commentary that you hear wont come from the finish line, but rather from some television studio thousands of miles away. Here they are listed below, but we already know there will be one change - Team Sky will be racing as Team Ineos, with the Tour de Yorkshire being its first race following the management company's sale to the petrochemical business. Are you sure? Eurosportreports that Kenny expanded on the incident on BBC One today, saying: Someone felt they had right of way and decided that gave them the right to kind of jump on the throttle and drive at us, which was a scary experience. @DeGendtThomas, guanyador de la primera etapa de la #VoltaCatalunya 2019. As we reported at the time, the six-time Olympic champion tweeted that he had been on a Sunday bike ride with his son when they were almost run over by a van driver who drove at us, then proceeded to angrily inform me it was my fault we nearly died.. Get the latest race news, results, commentary, and tech, delivered to your inbox. And his constant er, er, erms.. all the time were extremely irritating. And we have managed to cover his view on it. Valverde gets it very, very wrong!" exclaimed . Hosted by Duncan Steer. Utterly self-absorbed: he had already decided who'd won. London live show preview! He inspires such devotion that he has his own fan club, yet also is on the receiving end of a petition to get him sacked. Carlton Kirby: 'Joo Almeida, who won't worry anyone in the General Classification'. Essentially, there needs to be some sort of schooling or protocol coming from the International Cycling Union that has a proficiency test for these guys. After moving to 30 Tour de France stage wins with four rousing victories that has shattered Marcel Kittel on this year's Tour, Eurosport's voice of cycling Carlton Kirby tells Desmond Kane why he . It is not general knowledge, and it should be. One of the worlds most iconic cycling brands appears set to launch an e-bike. When asked about the criticism, Kirby opined Its not like the written press where you can write something out and finesse it and shave it, I dont have that gift. He kept on saying, Its gone, its irretrievable. It is just crazy the amount of automotive stuff on the go, whether that is cars or motorcycles, that are getting too close to the riders, too often. Kirby is not uncomfortable with the spurt of social media and the exponential increase of criticism that has gone alongside with it. The problem is that social media has allowed anyone and everyone to voice their opinion, regardless of their credibility. Harmon LOVES cycling, cycling history, and even riders who don't speak English. His voice tends to wake me up from my nap when something happens. I think its just taking a breath and think about the consequences, he concluded. This is the video I showed Trinity School in Lewisham this morning. Unlike other sports, the practicalities of cycling dont change, and doing this remotely is not at all a good idea, but the situation makes all helpless. And, one can understand the enthusiasm that has kept him going despite the setbacks and even criticism from people. How can someone who watches so much cycling know so little? Eurosport's Carlton Kirby. So, were close to the press guys who have spoken to the riders, and they wander up during the day, and weve been in place for two hours already, and we meet with you guys. Thats because the Tours largest broadcasters are staying at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, rather than broadcasting the race on-site in France. I think as well that audiences will be sympathetic, so even if they know were not there, we will be upfront and honest about it. VN:Whats it like calling a race from back home at the studio? In my ear I have a producer telling me when we have interviews, drop-in features, ad breaks and cue points.. Brentford today angry guy in grey car can't see why he should wait till it's safe to overtake hoots horn, shouts abuse and 100 yards later I'm in front again anyway. 26/8/22: Stage 6 of the Vuelta, Kirby informs us (clearly based on nothing) that Mark Padun is 'a master' at descending in the wet (at that precise moment, Padun is descending very gingerly, taking pretty poor lines).