EuroSport commentators

Chung Mee
Chung Mee Posts: 48
edited May 2011 in Pro race
I have to watch on the computer at work, so have to go for a EuroSport live streaming channel. (I have an understanding boss who allows me to this for a few hours/day a few weeks of the year. He's a football fanatic.)

Who is that English commentator on EuroSport alongside the Irishman called Sean?

Can some one please tell him that there is only one A in Alberto? He always says "Alaberto"

He also always pronounces Nibali as "Nibbalee" when surely it is "NibALI"?
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Comments

  • Cleat Eastwood
    Cleat Eastwood Posts: 7,508
    he also rolls his R's as in "Krrrrrreuziger"
    The dissenter is every human being at those moments of his life when he resigns
    momentarily from the herd and thinks for himself.
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    Harmon tries to pronounce the riders names the way they do
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • mroli
    mroli Posts: 3,622
    Chung Mee - you can tell him yourself, I think he's @spokesmen on twitter.
    http://www.georgesfoundation.org
    http://100hillsforgeorge.blogspot.com/
    http://www.12on12in12.blogspot.co.uk/
  • luckao
    luckao Posts: 632
    I remember him talking about it during a stage once, that he makes an effort to find out the proper pronunciations. No idea how successful he is with that.
  • Chung Mee
    Chung Mee Posts: 48
    mroli wrote:
    Chung Mee - you can tell him yourself, I think he's @spokesmen on twitter.

    I don't do Twitter nor Facebook, mroli.
  • Chung Mee
    Chung Mee Posts: 48
    Did anyone (else) hear them commentating on the World Championships in 2009, in Switzerland?
  • luckao
    luckao Posts: 632
    Are you referring to the comment about production values? That was classic.
  • Turfle
    Turfle Posts: 3,762
    Nibali himself pronounces it how Harmon does:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6d80ZN0Zc0

    He also gets Sagan closer than the other commentators.
  • mroli
    mroli Posts: 3,622
    Chung Mee wrote:
    I don't do Twitter nor Facebook, mroli.

    Its a slippery slope from bike forums, to dabbling in a bit of facebook, to messaging Harmon on twitter! :P
    http://www.georgesfoundation.org
    http://100hillsforgeorge.blogspot.com/
    http://www.12on12in12.blogspot.co.uk/
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    mroli wrote:
    Chung Mee wrote:
    I don't do Twitter nor Facebook, mroli.

    Its a slippery slope from bike forums, to dabbling in a bit of facebook, to messaging Harmon on twitter! :P

    And eventually you end up arguing with Robbie Hunter
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • afx237vi
    afx237vi Posts: 12,630
    David Harmon is better than most, at least attempting to get pronunciation correct.
  • Chung Mee
    Chung Mee Posts: 48
    He says "Leep hymer" for Levi Leipheimer, when the ei arrangement is the same in both Leip and Heimer.

    It's either ee or y sounds, not either, surely?

    Leepheemer / Lypehymer <===== seems correct to me, reading it in the German it seems to be.
  • B3rnieMac
    B3rnieMac Posts: 384
    i've heard him pronounce it LypeHymer, though? not Leep hymer. i think he's excellent, though if i remember Wiggo's Wench has a problem with him pronouncing Samuel Sanchez with a "th" at the end. If he's pronouncing it how the rider does, then fair play.


    Can't be any worse than Matty Goss or Denny Menchov.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    afx237vi wrote:
    David Harmon is better than most, at least attempting to get pronunciation correct.

    During the ToC, Liggett's mentions of the Rabobank rider 'Jangley' was one for the hall of fame.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • porker33
    porker33 Posts: 636
    I was surprised at their comments today,,,particularly with respect to Contadors performance in the time trial.

    They kept saying he was struggling, his cadence was too high and was in an easy gear,,,not looking his best,,,the tour had taken it's toll on him,,,,etc.....then he won the time trial by something like 38 seconds !!!!!

    You may as well have had commentators who had only ever seen a bike race once before to know that the quickest time wins.... :D
  • secretsqirrel
    secretsqirrel Posts: 2,123
    I think Harmon shows distain with his mis-pronounciations also.

    Leppard Trek :wink:

    Vin-nuker-ov rather than Sean's more correct Veeno-kooorov

    Otherwise he does make the effort.
  • Chung Mee
    Chung Mee Posts: 48
    porker33 wrote:
    I was surprised at their comments today,,,particularly with respect to Contadors performance in the time trial.

    They kept saying he was struggling, his cadence was too high and was in an easy gear,,,not looking his best,,,the tour had taken it's toll on him,,,,etc.....then he won the time trial by something like 38 seconds !!!!!

    You may as well have had commentators who had only ever seen a bike race once before to know that the quickest time wins.... :D

    World Championships, 2009, Geneva, right at the end. I will never forget this bit of commentary.

    "And here comes Cancellara! No One can stop him now! Cancellara is going to WIN in front of the home crowd in Switzerland!"

    Then, Cadel Evans popped up from ~5th place, overtook Cancellara and won.

    No one said anything. I think they were too embarrassed.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    Chung Mee wrote:
    World Championships, 2009, Geneva, right at the end. I will never forget this bit of commentary.

    "And here comes Cancellara! No One can stop him now! Cancellara is going to WIN in front of the home crowd in Switzerland!"

    Then, Cadel Evans popped up from ~5th place, overtook Cancellara and won.

    No one said anything. I think they were too embarrassed.

    Are you sure you weren't watching the Time Trial?
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • Gazzetta67
    Gazzetta67 Posts: 1,890
    Chung Mee wrote:
    I have to watch on the computer at work, so have to go for a EuroSport live streaming channel. (I have an understanding boss who allows me to this for a few hours/day a few weeks of the year. He's a football fanatic.)

    Who is that English commentator on EuroSport alongside the Irishman called Sean?
    Can some one please tell him that there is only one A in Alberto? He always says "Alaberto"

    He also always pronounces Nibali as "Nibbalee" when surely it is "NibALI"?


    Hmmmm "The Irishman called Sean" - Obviously you dont know much about cycling if you have never heard of King Kelly. Look him up on google,you might be there for a while he ONLY won 2or 3 races :roll:
  • federalski
    federalski Posts: 93
    I think David Harmon does a bloody good job, always enjoy listening to him, nobody is going to be perfect when commentating for 2 , 3 or 4 hours at time and if he mispronounces a few riders wrong so what.
    He's more enjoyable than Duffield was, though I did like him as well, he could talk for hours about what he had for his tea the night before...
  • Tusher
    Tusher Posts: 2,762
    I grew to like Seam Kelly and David Harmon- Kelly seemed initially dull despite his immense knowledge. I just can't see them going for a pint afterwards, and I don't know why that bothers me because I loathe commentators sounding 'matey'.

    But following Stage 3 and 4 of this Giro, I have placed them both on pedestals.
  • Crankbrother
    Crankbrother Posts: 1,695
    Harmon is a bit too soap-boxey for my taste ... He thinks because he's got an audience he's entitled to spout off ... And if anyone dares to question his ideas he refuses to discuss it ... Vino is the perfect example ... He hates him but loves David Millar and when someone questioned him via twitter he said on air that he refused to discuss it and that was just how it was ... After saying on air that he got the tweet though ... Basically just on a power trip ...

    I think he's a silent 'r' away from a bumpkin ...
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    Tusher wrote:
    I grew to like Seam Kelly and David Harmon- Kelly seemed initially dull despite his immense knowledge. I just can't see them going for a pint afterwards, and I don't know why that bothers me because I loathe commentators sounding 'matey'.

    I believe they are genuinely good friends with each other. (They go riding together, and Kelly is godfather to Harmon's son)
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • Tusher
    Tusher Posts: 2,762
    Thanks Richard- that's lovely to know.
  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    I like Harmon and Kelly - and Harmon does try to pronounce the rider names in their language. Far better than Statler and Waldorf over on ITV4!
    The best Harmon-ism was when Xavier Tondo (RIP) had broken-away during the Basque-Tour last year, with Harmon proclaiming his near-certain victory, he promptly fell-off in front of our very eyes.
    Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..
  • gary.hounsome
    gary.hounsome Posts: 296
    I've started watching cycling this year, and Kelly at first bore me to death but i dont mind him now. I do like Harmon though. Who is the guy who commentated on the ToC? He gets really excited towards the end of races especially sprints which is good but tends to over use the word 'here'.
  • afx237vi
    afx237vi Posts: 12,630
    gary.hounsome wrote:
    I've started watching cycling this year, and Kelly at first bore me to death but i dont mind him now. I do like Harmon though. Who is the guy who commentated on the ToC? He gets really excited towards the end of races especially sprints which is good but tends to over use the word 'here'.

    Carlton Kirby. Please don't encourage him.
  • grantus
    grantus Posts: 690
    I've started to quite like Carlton Kirby's commentary although I do find it disconcerting how alike both he and Harmon sound
    www.westlothianclarion.co.uk
  • rebs
    rebs Posts: 891
    grantus wrote:
    I've started to quite like Carlton Kirby's commentary although I do find it disconcerting how alike both he and Harmon sound

    that is so weird for me also. Its amazing how alike they are. Don't mind Kirby. But I do find Harmon so much easier to listen too. Especialyl when live when he is doing it for many hours. I can see how it can be tricky to follow the commentry in the highlight shows in the evening as alot of what he talks about can be confusing. But it's hard to fault harmon for this as its hard to realyl expect when certain significant events crop up while you are filling time about a certain windmill the breakaway just passed etc.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    It's not a personal attack on Kirby, and I understand it's just a job and someone has to do it, but he's one of the, if not the, worst cycling commentator I've ever come across.

    I don't doubt he knows his stuff on motorbikes and he has an interest in both, but, seriously, it's awful.
    _

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