So many other cycling commentators on Eurosport. How can someone who watches so much cycling know so little? The very aspect of commentating that requires filling the gaps spanning hours of no action is the reason. This is why he often cracks jokes and laughs heartily. Its windowless. We saw that on the Tour of Catalunya - a useless piece of motorcycle protocol. . At other broadcasters you still have cue points, but its usually after youve finished making a point [because youre the only commentary team]. Tech in brief: new gear from Shimano, Park Tool, Wahoo and more Tech in brief: new gear from Shimano, Park Tool, Wahoo, Tortec and more Vitus launch three bikes for cyclo-cross season. "Beware everybody, he is well and truly back!" yelled Carlton Kirby on Eurosport commentary. He also never tells you who the riders on screen are - and if he does, he's usually wrong. Various types of distractions are always ready for a commentator. And then on day one on Utah beach..boom..Cavendish stuns the previously unbeatable German racer. 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. They kept the suspect in view and assisted us in the footchase before he was caught and arrested pic.twitter.com/QcQg7PBcsn, Wednesfield Police (@WednesfieldWMP) March 24, 2019. His knowledge of most non-english speaking riders can be written on the back of a postage stamp, with the exception of 'famous' foreigners like the Schlecks, Dertie Cont, Cancellera and after this spring Gilbert. And suddenly some feel like a part of the race. CK: You need the details. All the news from the site and beyond as we start a new week. Uhhh, Ill say Bettiol. Thus, the commentary that you hear wont come from the finish line, but rather from some television studio thousands of miles away. 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? I speak no language other than English. Being on the site always gives you extra material which makes the commentating so natural and energetic. Get rid. Kirby laughs. And I said: Because I asked him! I asked him at breakfast, because when youre on-site, you can talk to the riders. I think there seems to be a bad feeling against cyclists and its really strange because theyre only people, he continued. Especially on unstable surfaces. 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's probably too much of a joker,not serious enough, but has a 'springy' voice which is good to listen to. It was a dreadfully high price to pay in my opinion to high but the suffering couldnt go on. At least he can string a sentence together and he seems to bring good comments out of Backstedt. 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. Among an awful lot of distractions, as Carlton Kirby explains, commentating on cycling is an arduous process. Carlton Kirby: What inspired Chris Froome's golden era Eurosport's voice of cycling Carlton Kirby analyses Chris Froome's performance in winning a fourth Tour de France. Eurosport's Carlton Kirby. That is common in France and Belgium with a dedicated roving reporter from the race roving all over the peloton and having a chat. I've been told to stop having a go at the motorcycles, but it is purely from a safety aspect and sadly this poor guy, who was very a vibrant talent at the age of only 25, has lost his life. Valverde gets it very, very wrong!" exclaimed . 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. Exactly - and if you had any insight into professional riding and experience actually being a pro like Sean Kelly or Rob Hayles - you wouldnt struggle to find commentary. Dan's stage guides at the giro a few years ago were great. When youre on-site, even though youre there, youre still watching a monitor, Kirby says. Having spent over 25 years in the field, he has seen a lot, as many other countless commentators have seen. So, what is Scottish Cycling / British Cycling doing about this? 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 . Kittel is not a broken man, but his supremacy has tumbled because Mark Cavendish has only gone and won four stages here. CK:As a commentator, you dont have a great deal of contact with the riders. There are some other sports, like cycling, where the commentary has to be complete. Thankfully, no tree roots to overcome. ). The actual bones of the job are quite similar. I think you need to be a specialist to be a cycling commentator, yet he covers several sports on Eurosport. 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 need to get to tomorrows finish line, and sometimes that is a four-hour drive. There are already calls for a convening of UCI protocol committee so they can start to get some proper rules together about it. And somebody asked me, why dont you pronounce his name Foo-gel-sang instead ofFoolsong. Read our full Privacy Policy as well as Terms & Conditions. The Tour de Suisse is traditionally one of the last big races before the Tour de France. Yep, thats my pick. I usually increase the pace especially on a sprint day to match the peloton, Kirby admits. 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. One example of his commentary, from 11/3/21 Tirreno-Adriatico: Carlton Kirby: 'Yates is the heart and mind of this breakaway group'. I like him. Anyone but dreary Declan Quigley please! "In tennis you never talk through a point because the crowd don't. In certain sports, you have to respect the action, and then you comment on it. What you are talking about is a place in history. 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. As is seen in most cases, the primary action of any game takes place during the outset and ending parts. From the Eurosports studios in London, covering the tour is not the same as waiting at the finish line. Le point sur la situation de Yoann Offredo. In the mountains, when you have say four significant peaks to climb, the day tells itself and often all you have to do is call it as it happens. He spoils everyones enjoyment of the race with his silly so called jokes and rubbish talk. There are no gaps you might shut up for five seconds or so to listen to the crowd, but thats it.. Nobody but nobody doesnt sprint for 5th at the end of a Monument. Cavendish swept to his second win at the Tour of Turkey with another . Help us to make it better. You might remember an 'interpretive spinning' vid doing the rounds on social media a few weeks ago. And within the second group, he sprints hard, coming 13th overall. Well over a 1000 signatories on that petition now. Ive just turned Catalunya on and hes already come out with I think he fell victim to his agent, so now hes at x team. Yates was obviously cooked - why else would anyone work for dozens of kilometres and then give up in the final 2km? I quite like Kirby. But there are always other lines to cross, and he just loves collecting these plaudits and the deserved success coming his way is just brilliant. After a long journeyback to the hotel, often punctuated by Kelly taking media calls especially on the stages he himself would have thrived on during his career its then a debrief over dinner and back to bed for a seven-hour sleep and restarting the process again the next day. For me Kirby has the key ingredient I need from a commentator. You must invest in an alarm upgrade to BT Redcare. Hes done it four times, and I think he might want to do it again on the Champs-lyses. I can walk or drive the technical approach to the finish, which is gold. 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. 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. It is crazy. Well then I propose a CN forum audio livestream for the tour de france. We cant do that when hes at his house and Im at mine. Quite brilliant and gutsy from Tom. Bridport cycles. You have your usual office equipment, coffee machine, and sandwich machine. 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. Kirby is a shockingly bad commentator, but Harmon is not much better. The moment you have spoken a word, it is out there on tape and on every news website, forum, and who knows what. https://yahoo.uservoice.com/forums/1698 ant-drivel, http://www.ten-tenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=85131. We had a heated debate about the incident and then the person drove away. 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.. He's obsessed with what he thinks is going to happen, preferring baseless speculation to commentating on what is actually happening. Plus security bikes, plus rolling paramedics. Ive been up the Galibier. You cant please everybody and as a commentator thats something you have to get to grips with. Well, Kirby says, when its all out action on the road its very easy the problem comes on longtransition stages. American racers headed to Italy chime in. Its a case of trying to keep everybody amused. One of the worlds most iconic cycling brands appears set to launch an e-bike. I'm constantly berating or pointing out the danger of the motorcycle. Matt Stephens will be Eurosport's dedicated reporter on all Grand Tour coverage, bringing breaking news, updates, and interviews from inside the peloton. See the recording of the last Carlton Kirby Zoomcast hereEnjoy our vintage/summer Parisian Spotify playlist (plus Little Italy by Stephen Bishop, not French, don't write in) hereSee Carlton's Copyright 2015-2022 ProCyclingUK - All rights Reserved, 2024 Womens WorldTour Promotion/Relegation Standings, Commentating on cycling is not like snooker or tennis, says Carlton Kirby, Demi Vollering wins Strade Bianche from teammate Kopecky. It is not just the press core looking for pictures for the following day. https://t.co/rFjZ7dTFUE. 4th in last year's Giro d'Italia. Owned by Warner Bros. All of that is avoidable if you have the right distance and the right protocol in place. Shouldnt be that hard to organise with so many people here able to talk eloquently and intelligently for 4 hours. It is really sad when you see the consequences of that. Ill ring someone up on-site to talk to them. I talk about the same stuff, except Im making it up. Absolutely mad. pic.twitter.com/MaRgbFKTet, The Ella Roberta Family Foundation (@rosamund_ElsFdn) March 25, 2019, @emmachamberlain at her soul cycling class. Teams have been announced for May's Tour de Yorkshire and the Asda Tour de Yorkshire Women's Race. There are no points for each turn. I agree listening to the mans over stressed enthusiasm really gets on my nerves. Colnago is using social media to tease the arrival of its new E64 Performance, which well go out on a limb and guess is the companys attempt to tap into the rapidly growing e-bike market. They will tell you, Yes, so-and-so is looking really mentally fatigued, or, they are saying, Hes getting very aggressive in the peloton and weve had a word with the team, that is all great information. He came off the corner leading, it was a right hand to the finish in Villars-les-Dombes. Carlton Kirby brings his True Tales of the Tour de France to Reading on Weds June 21, a little over a week before #TDF2023 , as he launches his new @BloomsburySport book, Sticky Bottle . Painting a verbal picture of a five-hour race is stream of consciousness, and to be able to do that effectively, you just need to be there. Ive fallen off the Galibier. He has to engage with the directors in the ear, guarantee that innumerable hours of gaps are filled in suitably, deal with incoming radio announcements, all the while tackling an uproar of a different kind with the action around him. As for the Sky Team Fans member - you wouldnt actually be Mr Kirby would you ???? I remember being impressed during the Giro at his ability to identify riders. That doesnt portend his job has not become a whole lot harder. Fantasy Cycling: game [at] road.cc I have - again - sent this to Eurosport (23/2/23, with 1,871 signatures - and 1,400 people taking the time to comment!). theres nowhere like ENOUGH cycling on tv. Set the scene for us. Please tell your friends: Ive read so many negative comments about Kirby that unlike most online petitions this one could work. But it is also true that there isnt a dearth of genuine fans of Kirby who really appreciate his vast knowledge on the field. And anybody who has watched one unfold on TV will recognise the frantic speed of the commentary as the race reaches its climax. You are calling the race as you see it on the screen. For me, Carlton is the perfect commentator for the 'early shift' on long, flat grand tour stages. One thing Ive always been able to do is, I believe, see a very wide picture and a lot of different movement, and call those fast and accurately. While he admits Sagan's explusion for. 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". With very little data being sent to them, and some pretty bad camerawork they have made a good fist of the event in Spain. Some of which have been admitted, some of which weren't. There used to be a 35 metre rule which seems to be flouted these days. i like the stuff the two GCN guys do, is it dan Loyd and Matt Stephens? But Kirby is only interested in his own narrative: McEwen told him twice that Herrada had won, but Kirby kept eulogising about Batistella's 'win', even as Herrada celebrated further coming past the camera. CK:I think not many people will notice. Mrs John Murphy May 3, 2010 2,662 0 0 Aug 26, 2011. Carlton Kirby: 'Joo Almeida, who won't worry anyone in the General Classification'. Let us know what you think in the comments. It just stays online forever. Cue points, Kirby adds, are a bigger problem at Eurosport than with other networks, with producers calling for radio silence across the Eurosports various nationalbroadcasts to assist with the editing process. Even once the race itself is over, and the post-analysis is done, theres a second race to get away from the finish line. Well, Ill tell you: It makes your view of the race verifiable when youre there. We have a quiet conversation about who is going to win today. Kirby remarks, Its not like a written press where you can write something out and finesse it and shave it. And, one can understand the enthusiasm that has kept him going despite the setbacks and even criticism from people. Pure invention; based on nothing. Carlton Kirby Kirby is the most marmite commentator there is. Thats one of the vagrancies of Eurosport.. We get to see our own output with our team interviewing the riders. It is not general knowledge, and it should be. And then, of course, there are the flat stages and the sprint finishes. If she wins so does everyone else. She talks about the background to the petition, which you can sign here, in this video. 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. Eurosport cant get away with this !! Kirby is not uncomfortable with the spurt of social media and the exponential increase of criticism that has gone alongside with it. For over 20 years, be it the Tour de France, Olympic Games, Monte Carlo Rally or Le Mans 24 Hours, his easy-going manner coupled with incisive commentary and a dramatic edge has made him an audience favourite. 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. @DeGendtThomas, guanyador de la primera etapa de la #VoltaCatalunya 2019. 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. There are many great cycling commentators around at the moment, Im afraid Kirby isnt one of them. Mark Cavendish crossed the line first, and said Kittel came up to slap him in the back. 14 Aug 2020. On rest days we circulate to meet with everybody. People were saying track preparation knocks you back for the sprint because it is a different form of physicality that is needed. 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. pic.twitter.com/bcRWeK1p3o, just merder. carlton kirby leaves eurosport 2021; carlton kirby leaves eurosport 2021. The man, the myth, the chosen son. He suddenly realises how to beat Kittel, working out the formula to finish first. Your Tour de France telecastwill look the same this year, but it may feel somewhat different. What is the point? Plus the the week's top tech news, in: Flying Tom Pidcock wins Strade Bianche, in: Cyclists call on council to reconsider unsafe diversion, in: Call for Scottish safety portal that would "deliver justice", in: Campaigners: Remove pedestrian vs cyclist conflict, in: Highway Code changes haven't helped cyclists, Near Miss of the Day 853: Driver of lorry urging cyclists to Please take extra care near this vehicle fined for close pass (includes swearing), Continental unveils the "strongest" and "fastest" ever Grand Prix 5000 tyre models, Brompton boss frustrated to be fighting "war of attrition" against rip-off rivals, Remove conflict between cyclists and pedestrians, urge campaigners in wake of manslaughter case, Have bike tech wars turned cycling into Formula 1? 2023 Eurosport, a Warner Bros. The Wanty-GroupeGobert rider was air lifted to hospital after the crash yesterday, but thankfully it seems like he's in a stable condition. As for Kirby - its the arrogance of the bloke - does he think his viewers are 10 year olds who know NOTHING about cycling. During a long interview, the legendary veteran commentator of Eurosports shares some of his knowledge about the job. You can't work commentating on it for as long as he has next to informative ex-pros without some of it getting in through osmosis at the least. But, being in the studio means there is a considerable loss of interaction. Its a whole other much more positive view of commentators as a whole. The Tour forces us to have dinner. Ive done so much and been so many places that I mostly have all of them embedded in my head. I realise that commentating on a race involving nearly 200 riders is challenging, but since 1986 I have always been able to follow what is going on thanks to the commentary. VN:When youre at the race, who are you talking to regularly to get your intel for the broadcast? Get access to more than 30 brands, premium video, exclusive content, events, mapping, and more. Theres so much stuff going on because in front of us for starters, we have live timing, results sheets, stage profiles, live pictures, alternative live pictures and a sub-monitor with the schedule. But he's British and that's all that matters to Kirby. And its only the past year that we even get to see more than the Tour de France. Would like to cancel eurosport but it's the only way to watch the classics (legitimately at least). 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. You can use your lens. Marcel Kittel gesticulates as Mark Cavendish wins stage 14 of the Tour de France ahead of Peter Sagan, Stage six finish: Cavendish edges Kittel again in thrilling finale, WATCH: Moment Cavendish finds out he has won. Jason Kenny has recounted to the BBC the near miss he and his infant son Albie encountered while out cycling last month. I have been speaking to (former cyclist and Eurosport expert) Sean Kelly about it at various races, and we have both had hold your breath moments. 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. Also, I would say many of his criticisms are unfair and/or cruel. You have a sound wall battle, where theyre shoving one way and were shoving the other while trying to sound calm and interesting on the commentary when actually what you want to do is knock someone out! #cycling @carltonkirby whatsonreading.com Carlton Kirby True Tales of the Tour de France | What's On Reading Its a massive operation. I make notes of the corners, pinch points, danger points, acceleration points, attack points all of those things.. It is amusing that explaining this is futile, he remarks. Eurosport will never get rid of Carlton Kirby, he receives so much fan-mail that it will far out way any negative feedback they get from him. ), there is a thread in the Eurosport 'comments and suggestions' forum requesting that he be removed from the roster. Can you at least extend our premium subscriptions so we can play all races, until you fix the issue? I'm not sure if it was security, medical or a photographer who hit him, but essentially there was braking with four riders on the ground and the bike flipped before landing on the riders. The blokes an insult to all cyclists. Live blog: "outrageous claims" - Tao Geoghegan Hart lays into Eurosport commentator Carlton Kirby, cyclists blamed for countryside litter - Twitter responds, Colnago e-bike, Jason Kenny, Jeremy Vine on close-passes, TdY teams, Peloton baby + more. Twaddle. London live show preview! This is why he often cracks jokes and laughs heartily. if many people would do this via twitter it could at least give a sign. Create a personalized feed and bookmark your favorites. 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. For every Nicolas Roche or Steve Cummings great characters, totally locked down there are some savage bastards out there, and we love them all. You get a sense of the weather a bright morning, going up this morning in a hail storm, and the hailstones are this big. Kirby has however found his own distinctive and unique style which has brilliantly worked for him all these years. 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.