David Millar Refreshing...........

solosuperia
solosuperia Posts: 333
edited September 2012 in Pro race
I have been watching the World Champs on and off today.
About 4 laps to go now.
Is it just me but I think David Millar is an ace commentator, his current inside knowledge is making his comments so much more interesting.
BBC sign him up now!

Comments

  • heavymental
    heavymental Posts: 2,091
    Very good. And making Hugh and his mistakes more bearable as he's corrected him and Hugh has looked to him for guidance. Also answered a raft of questions along the way.
  • roypsb
    roypsb Posts: 309
    We know he's an articulate chap but he's also very interesting. Well done BBC.

    Sagan to win.
  • ilm_zero7
    ilm_zero7 Posts: 2,213
    Millar is great with the mic - he has detailed every move in the race so far when others would have been babbling
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  • mfin
    mfin Posts: 6,729
    I agree, I thought as a commentator he made BBCs coverage the best its been.
  • DeadCalm
    DeadCalm Posts: 4,249
    I thought he was absolutely brilliant. His reading of what was going on was excellent and I loved his insight into the characters of the riders. He even managed to make Hugh Porter come across as okay.
  • alan_a
    alan_a Posts: 1,587
    Agreed with the above. The BBC have obviously listened tooth criticism levelled at them of their coverage and it was an inspired move to have him commentate today.

    Well done BBC. Well done Millar.
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  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,548
    He was very good, but he also showed that Hugh Porter is a good commentator as he let Millar speak and facilitated some good comments. A lot of lead commentators like the sound of their own voice too much.
  • Gazzetta67
    Gazzetta67 Posts: 1,890
    andyp wrote:
    He was very good, but he also showed that Hugh Porter is a good commentator as he let Millar speak and facilitated some good comments. A lot of lead commentators like the sound of their own voice too much.


    Harmon & Kirby you mean ??? - Harmon cant stand Vino but he slabbers over certain other "Pill Poppers" as for Kirby the man is just a fool.
  • greasedscotsman
    greasedscotsman Posts: 6,962
    Thought David Millar was great today. As good as Sean Kelly is, a current pro is always going to be able to give more insight than one who retired 20 or so years ago. Hugh Porter is fine, have no problem with him. And I don't mind Carlton Kirby either. Wasn't so keen on Dave Harmon's commentary at the Vuelta, bit too gushing about Contador for me.
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    DM was great, I thought.

    Favourite (sic) HP line: 'Oh look, it's Flecha at the front'
    DM: 'No, that's Luke Rowe'

    Well, they're both pros I spose
  • jawooga
    jawooga Posts: 530
    TBH, I didn't mind Porter's faux pas' - whether mistaking identities or reading the tactics and context of a break incorrectly. It gave Miller opportunities to correct him, and be expansive with his own knowledge. HP did well to encourage it, and DM was very eloquent and interesting. Can't believe i sat on my arse watching it for 6 hours though but brilliant.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    jawooga wrote:
    TBH, I didn't mind Porter's faux pas' - whether mistaking identities or reading the tactics and context of a break incorrectly. It gave Miller opportunities to correct him, and be expansive with his own knowledge. HP did well to encourage it, and DM was very eloquent and interesting. Can't believe i sat on my ars* watching it for 6 hours though but brilliant.

    One day races eh? Not bad.
    _
  • jawooga
    jawooga Posts: 530
    Rick Chasey wrote:

    One day races eh? Not bad.

    I've not seen a lot of one day races (fairly new to cycling, and relying on terrestrial and free to air telly), but that was (to use an Americanism) awesome! On the subject of Miller, based on post-race interviews, I'd always thought he's a bit dry and dull, but he was very good today, totally at ease and his knowledge goes without saying. Fair play if he's lining up a media/commentating career for when he hangs up his cleats.
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    I think when Millar does eventually retire - he's talking about maybe 3 more years - he's going to have more options open to him that most riders - writing and sports governance, as well as the more usual commentating or team management gigs.
  • alan_sherman
    alan_sherman Posts: 1,157
    He was very good. Knowledgeable, a little biased (understandable as his teams were riding!), and has a good voice for commentating too - clear and pleasant to listen to. I hope we hear more of him commentating events when he isn't riding them.
  • gsvbagpuss
    gsvbagpuss Posts: 272
    Sign him to commentate on everything!
  • celestecharlie
    celestecharlie Posts: 51
    I thought they made an excellent pairing. Millar is articulate and he had some interesting stories - I liked the one about Voeckler in the helicopter! And I know it's fashionable to give HP a hard time but I thought he was on pretty decent form today. The pair of them seemed to keep getting fits of the giggles too like when the father son combo on the tandem were all but keeping pace with the peloton! A cracking few hours of telly I thought.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    jawooga wrote:
    Rick Chasey wrote:

    One day races eh? Not bad.

    I've not seen a lot of one day races (fairly new to cycling, and relying on terrestrial and free to air telly), but that was (to use an Americanism) awesome! On the subject of Miller, based on post-race interviews, I'd always thought he's a bit dry and dull, but he was very good today, totally at ease and his knowledge goes without saying. Fair play if he's lining up a media/commentating career for when he hangs up his cleats.

    One day races often are.

    As ever with sport you get good ones and bad ones, but broadly one day races are a lot more exciting and good to watch (for me) than GT races.

    Though this isn't gospel, and plenty would disagree :P.
    _
  • greasedscotsman
    greasedscotsman Posts: 6,962
    celestecharlie wrote:
    I liked the one about Voeckler in the helicopter!

    Was there something about Cavendish being a World Champ? Only caught part of that one.
  • BelgianBeerGeek
    BelgianBeerGeek Posts: 5,226
    +1 for Millar from me. I really liked the way he read the race as someone who's been there, done that.
    And he was doing that from the race enthusiast's perspective. Liked the "we don't need to see the Bulgarian guy"
    Hugh Porter always excellent. The bit where he was laughing at the tandem was quite funny. Chapeau to the 9 yr old stoker, by the way.
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  • celestecharlie
    celestecharlie Posts: 51
    There was a story about Cav - Porter was telling us what a good honest lad Cav is and said that as a youngster when he won his first track world title, he remembered him having a crew cut and bursting into tears of joy whilst telling everyone he'd been working towards this all his life. This led to another giggling fit from Porter and Millar, which in itself was highly amusing!
  • heavymental
    heavymental Posts: 2,091
    I thought Porter was ok. I think it's purely because he had Millar next to him keeping him in check. Like when he thought Sagan had gone down in crash. Millar put him straight without letting him get carried away with his point. They were good as a duo.
  • Trev The Rev
    Trev The Rev Posts: 1,040
    Millar is a good commentator yes, but should a convicted drug cheat be allowed to commentate any more than run a pro cycling team? Millar only confessed when caught red handed by the French police. There must be a clean rider who can commentate.
  • greasedscotsman
    greasedscotsman Posts: 6,962
    Trev The Rev wrote:
    Millar is a good commentator yes, but should a convicted drug cheat be allowed to commentate any more than run a pro cycling team? Millar only confessed when caught red handed by the French police. There must be a clean rider who can commentate.

    Best get rid of Sean Kelly as well then. :roll:
  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    Trev The Rev wrote:
    Millar is a good commentator yes, but should a convicted drug cheat be allowed to commentate any more than run a pro cycling team? Millar only confessed when caught red handed by the French police. There must be a clean rider who can commentate.

    Presumably i's OK if you haven' been caught?
    "In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"

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  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    Dont know whether Bassons' English is up to the job :roll:
  • Nick Fitt
    Nick Fitt Posts: 381
    Porter is good fun to have along, if you were sat watching a live stage/race & just bombarded with actualities (is that a word?) and fact, it would risk being boring. The two did well together, as said, Millar has a great future in whatever he chooses I imagine (cycling wise anyway). Now cycling is 'OK' as a TV ratings proposition for a TV company, the BBC will put some effort into coverage. Shame because the channels that stuck through the non Team sky years might lose out now the viewing figures are up which doesnt seem fair to me.
  • rdt
    rdt Posts: 869
    As others have said, Millar managed to make HP sound not so bad, which is saying something. In contrast, the recent Rob Hayles / HP combo has been grim.

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