Carlton Kirby

dinyull · July 2017

He really didn't want to promote any tyre manufacturer yesterday....but apparently the Continental's did very well, very well indeed. Said twice in the space of 5 minutes.

Thought I'd tap out and switch to ITV, only for David Millar to make me immediately switch back.

graeme_s-2 · July 2017

"Sean's shaking his head" - not for the first time, nor the last time this Tour I'll bet.

m.r.m. · July 2017

Can Millar be bad enough for you to switch back to Kirby? At least he knows what he is talking about. CK is a complete buffoon.

dinyull · July 2017

M.R.M. wrote:

Can Millar be bad enough for you to switch back to Kirby? At least he knows what he is talking about. CK is a complete buffoon.

Yes, I'd rather listen to Kirby over Millar as I cannot for the life of me stand the man. I'll be the first to admit that I'm probably bordering on irrational with Millar, but he just boils my pi$$.

blazing_saddles · July 2017

Dinyull wrote:

M.R.M. wrote:

Can Millar be bad enough for you to switch back to Kirby? At least he knows what he is talking about. CK is a complete buffoon.

Yes, I'd rather listen to Kirby over Millar as I cannot for the life of me stand the man. I'll be the first to admit that I'm probably bordering on irrational with Millar, but he just boils my pi$$.

Kirby boils most people's pi$$.
At least Millar talks about you know, racing and stuff.
Subtle tacics beats unsubtle boll0cks every time.

(although even Kirby is better than substitute Smith on ITV)

kingstongraham · July 2017

Less talking would be better from all of them. Today is best on the Eurosport player without commentary, at least until anything happens.

dinyull · July 2017

Isn't that what Kelly or Smith or Stevens or Lloyd are for?

Kirby's equivalent is Boulting, who I quite like, but my disdain for Millar wins out.

blazing_saddles · July 2017

Dinyull wrote:

Isn't that what Kelly or Smith or Stevens or Lloyd are for?

Kirby's equivalent is Boulting, who I quite like, but my disdain for Millar wins out.

Kirby is currently refusing to mention that the breakaway has splintered.

Hang on, he's just done so. Only 10 minutes after it happened.

Seems he's more interested in talking about ticks. FFS.

kingstongraham · July 2017

Wrong thread

sherer · July 2017

He also managed to get in his first slightly racist comment of the tour talking about German pronunciation

Lanterne_Rogue · July 2017

Dinyull wrote:

Isn't that what Kelly or Smith or Stevens or Lloyd are for?

Kirby's equivalent is Boulting, who I quite like, but my disdain for Millar wins out.

Might be heretical, but I don't really see what Kelly adds these days. Just starts saying "Yes..." and then follows it with something either blindingly obvious or wrong.

squired · July 2017

For me ITV have thought far more about how to fill out full stages of coverage, whereas Eurosport have just done the split commentary team and very little different other than that. On Saturday ITV did a great job of getting numerous riders in after they finished the TT during the race coverage.

I've never been a huge fan of Kelly (the insight he gives compared to DM...well it doesn't compare), but I think being stuck with CK has led to a decrease in the standard of the insights he provides.

dolan_driver · July 2017

A phrase that Sean Kelly seems to be using regularly this Tour is:

"He is very performant".

Presumably a mish-mash of French and English that means "the rider is putting in a good performance".

Kelly caught between two languages, not caring, just getting on with it and re-writing the language of the Tour.

DD.

P.S. The full-stage, multiple-commentator format on Eurosport is working well, I reckon. I still have difficulty following Juan-Antonio though. Lemond might make a few cringe but he presents some very interesting little items, like today's piece on a former teammate who became a war zone cameraman.

bobmcstuff · July 2017

ITV has been very good, from what I've seen.

Richmond Racer 2 · July 2017

Dolan Driver wrote:

A phrase that Sean Kelly seems to be using regularly this Tour is:

"He is very performant".

Presumably a mish-mash of French and English that means "the rider is putting in a good performance".

Kelly caught between two languages, not caring, just getting on with it and re-writing the language of the Tour.

DD.

P.S. The full-stage, multiple-commentator format on Eurosport is working well, I reckon. I still have difficulty following Juan-Antonio though. Lemond might make a few cringe but he presents some very interesting little items, like today's piece on a former teammate who became a war zone cameraman.

Sean just adds 'mant' or 'monte' onto words for the sheer hell of it

slim_boy_fat · July 2017

bobmcstuff wrote:

ITV has been very good, from what I've seen.

Very true. Usually watch on Eurosport but on holiday so only have itv. I know many don't like him but think Millar is excellent. Don't miss Kirby at all but am missing Hatch a bit.

bobmcstuff · July 2017

Slim Boy Fat wrote:

bobmcstuff wrote:

ITV has been very good, from what I've seen.

Very true. Usually watch on Eurosport but on holiday so only have itv. I know many don't like him but think Millar is excellent. Don't miss Kirby at all but am missing Hatch a bit.

I think there's enough else to take the edge off Millar, he balances well with the other presenter these days (was it Boulting today?).

He's just much better with the tactical stuff than anyone on Eurosport - there was a bit today where Voeckler did a little test on the other breakaway guy (not de gendt) to see if he was really struggling or just bluffing, before going on to drop him. Millar gave a really good concise explanation, of something which would likely have been missed by a casual observer and added a bit of colour to what it might be like in the breakaway.

Eurosport would have missed it entirely because Kirby would have been blathering incoherently about "little Tommy V" or a time he once ate something nice somewhere remotely nearby, or telling an awful/slightly racist joke.

slim_boy_fat · July 2017

bobmcstuff wrote:

Slim Boy Fat wrote:

bobmcstuff wrote:

ITV has been very good, from what I've seen.

Very true. Usually watch on Eurosport but on holiday so only have itv. I know many don't like him but think Millar is excellent. Don't miss Kirby at all but am missing Hatch a bit.

I think there's enough else to take the edge off Millar.

He's just much better with the tactical stuff than anyone on Eurosport - there was a bit today where Voeckler did a little test on the other breakaway guy (not de gendt) to see if he was really struggling or just bluffing, before going on to drop him.

That's exactly why I think he's so good. He's able to read the race down to the small details and is a good communicator. Boulting is getting better, not as good as Hatch but I think he'll get there.

argyllflyer · July 2017

Hatch completely missed Froome in the 'final' today (no matter how small their screens at the finish, they're sitting 2 ft away from them!), instead ID'd Landa as Froome which made the claiming of yellow by Froome slightly anti-climatic as the gap between Aru and Landa was small. Froome is pretty distincitive and was clearly in shot behind the front 3 (and therefore clearly had got a huge gap over Aru) but I guess that's where Hatch's focus was.

bobmcstuff · July 2017

argyllflyer wrote:

Hatch completely missed Froome in the 'final' today (no matter how small their screens at the finish, they're sitting 2 ft away from them!), instead ID'd Landa as Froome which made the claiming of yellow by Froome slightly anti-climatic as the gap between Aru and Landa was small. Froome is pretty distincitive and was clearly in shot behind the front 3 (and therefore clearly had got a huge gap over Aru) but I guess that's where Hatch's focus was.

Whereas ITV (Millar/Boulting) were all over it, and the stage win.

They were also looking for Aru and commenting on how far back he was from way out.

I really think ITV have got it more or less down for this Tour.

imatfaal · July 2017

The only (tiny) thing that has annoyed me has been the prediction of echelons on about 50% of the stages so far; we all love the mad jockeying and striving for positions that cross wind bring - so stop raising expectations only to have them fall flat.

bobmcstuff · July 2017

KingstonGraham wrote:

pirnie wrote:

KingstonGraham wrote:

Did everyone else just see an enormous Tarte aux Fraises?

Which Kirby called a Paella... FFS

Ha - I was watching on the Eurosport player, so heard the nice Frenchman say what it was. I assume this was one of those bits where they show it so that the locals don't block the road with tractors in protest.

So glad I've not had to put up with Kirbys bollocks this Tour. The man's a fucking trombone.

Pross · July 2017

I'm struggling to work out why anyone in the UK would be watching Eurosport for this Tour and hopefully that would make the powers that be at ES Towers sit up and re-think their commentary options.

Lanterne_Rogue · July 2017

Pross wrote:

I'm struggling to work out why anyone in the UK would be watching Eurosport for this Tour and hopefully that would make the powers that be at ES Towers sit up and re-think their commentary options.

I can think of one good reason, and it should make the powers that be at ITV consider the quality and quantity of their adverts. Other than that, only one choice.

bobmcstuff · July 2017

Eurosport adverts are hardly the superbowl half time show to be fair.

Pross · July 2017

underlayunderlay wrote:

Pross wrote:

I'm struggling to work out why anyone in the UK would be watching Eurosport for this Tour and hopefully that would make the powers that be at ES Towers sit up and re-think their commentary options.

I can think of one good reason, and it should make the powers that be at ITV consider the quality and quantity of their adverts. Other than that, only one choice.

I'm glued to the Tel Aviv / Jerusalem advert, it's a shame the bike race keeps interrupting it.

sherer · July 2017

Pross wrote:

underlayunderlay wrote:

Pross wrote:

I'm struggling to work out why anyone in the UK would be watching Eurosport for this Tour and hopefully that would make the powers that be at ES Towers sit up and re-think their commentary options.

I can think of one good reason, and it should make the powers that be at ITV consider the quality and quantity of their adverts. Other than that, only one choice.

I'm glued to the Tel Aviv / Jerusalem advert, it's a shame the bike race keeps interrupting it.

Get some transition lenses you can watch it in any light then

emadden · July 2017

Pross wrote:

I'm struggling to work out why anyone in the UK would be watching Eurosport for this Tour and hopefully that would make the powers that be at ES Towers sit up and re-think their commentary options.

Kirby completely drives me mad and many times I have lashed out in anger on twitter/here... but for the average fan who isn't steeped in culture or history, many them apparently like him. Anyway, I think Eurosport have done a great job this year and I will continue to support them as they really are the "home of cycling" so to speak. No other channel gives the same year-round coverage.

When I started to get into cycling during the kelly/roche et al years you would wait a week to see a 15 minute summary of Flanders or Roubaix on sports saturday the following weekend.

Eurosport know that Kirby isn't the best which why I believe they have introduced the rotations this year and you can see that Eurosport dont regard Kirby as a key commentator when he doesnt get slots on the pre- and -after shows.

I don't mind Lemond as you can see the complete passion the man has for the sport.

EDIT: There is a nice lady in the Tel Aviv / Jerusalem advert :-)

emadden · July 2017

Dolan Driver wrote:

A phrase that Sean Kelly seems to be using regularly this Tour is:

"He is very performant".

Presumably a mish-mash of French and English that means "the rider is putting in a good performance".

Kelly caught between two languages, not caring, just getting on with it and re-writing the language of the Tour.

DD.

performant is a certaintly a super word that describes the situation perfectly :-)

https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/38945/what-is-wrong-with-the-word-performant

Relax and have a Cidona :-) The man is a legend. I could never do this without getting drink splashed all over the bars https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIBsunmrU5s

You would need to be mighty performant to shave those legs at 1:42/3:10 without cutting yourself and bleeding to death :-) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXStSnomVoY

argyllflyer · July 2017

emadden wrote:

Pross wrote:

I'm struggling to work out why anyone in the UK would be watching Eurosport for this Tour and hopefully that would make the powers that be at ES Towers sit up and re-think their commentary options.

Kirby completely drives me mad and many times I have lashed out in anger on twitter/here... but for the average fan who isn't steeped in culture or history, many them apparently like him. Anyway, I think Eurosport have done a great job this year and I will continue to support them as they really are the "home of cycling" so to speak. No other channel gives the same year-round coverage.

When I started to get into cycling during the kelly/roche et al years you would wait a week to see a 15 minute summary of Flanders or Roubaix on sports saturday the following weekend.

Eurosport know that Kirby isn't the best which why I believe they have introduced the rotations this year and you can see that Eurosport dont regard Kirby as a key commentator when he doesnt get slots on the pre- and -after shows.

I don't mind Lemond as you can see the complete passion the man has for the sport.

EDIT: There is a nice lady in the Tel Aviv / Jerusalem advert :-)

Kirby's absence on the pre and after shows has nothing to do with how he is regarded. He is a commentator, not a former pro in as an expert. Rob Hatch has not appeared either. Eurosport have brought in a rotation of commentators because of how long they're on air for. They did this with Paris-Roubaix this year and last year also. I wager my last shiny penny that Kirby does the key commenatries to come this tour i.e. the big GC stage finales and the Champs sprint.

Carlton Kirby

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