What you are talking about is a place in history. And it is at that point, Cav comes out of the shadows to mug him at the line. why must us cyclists have to tolerate a commentator who has no knowledge of professional cycling. 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. The Kirby CODEC will also be called into action as his followers on Twitter will know. I agree listening to the mans over stressed enthusiasm really gets on my nerves. Plus security bikes, plus rolling paramedics. He is now only four short. We have a quiet conversation about who is going to win today. And anybody who has watched one unfold on TV will recognise the frantic speed of the commentary as the race reaches its climax. He said from the rider's perspective, motorbikes get far too close to the race. When Kirby explains the difficult process of commentating on cycling, and the concerns he has, one might want to know how much of that impacts him. Theres no doubt about it, the most difficult thing to do is cover nothing, he says. So, you have to ask yourself: What is different, and why is it worth it to actually go on-site? This latest incident proves exactly that. Kittel was completely shocked, and has been getting more and more upset as this Tour has gone on. 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. The schedule and time duration work differently for every sport. Owned by Warner Bros. As for Kirby - its the arrogance of the bloke - does he think his viewers are 10 year olds who know NOTHING about cycling. ), there is a thread in the Eurosport 'comments and suggestions' forum requesting that he be removed from the roster. I am very sorry but he is just nowhere near the standards of messrs. Liggett, Boulting, Miller and Hatch. Being on the site always gives you extra material which makes the commentating so natural and energetic. He's ruining the sport I love - I avoid many races purely because he's the commentator. Utterly self-absorbed: he had already decided who'd won. 2023 Eurosport, a Warner Bros. Set the scene for us. Some people take offence for the strangest reasons. It is a thrilling climax and its my job to convey that to the public. When Cavendish won again on stage 14, Kittel just fell to pieces emotionally. You have your usual office equipment, coffee machine, and sandwich machine. You cant please everybody and as a commentator thats something you have to get to grips with. We will never sell your data and you'll only get messages from us and our partners whose products and services we think you'll enjoy. 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. We caught up with Kirby to learn what is gained for the telecast. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. While he admits Sagan's explusion for. There is a rumour that the plane ticket has already been bought for Mark to leave the Tour, but I think the temptation is there for him to go to the Champs-lyses because he believes in his mind that he has worked out how to unpick Marcel Kittel, who is his main threat. My primary issue with Carlton Kirby is that he doesn't commentate on what is happening (he rambles whatever is inside his head). "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. But try explaining that to Cycling Weekly and their letters column.. Advertising, commercial: sales [at] road.cc It is really sad when you see the consequences of that. Minutes later, Sean Kelly points out that Padun is 'not getting around the corners well not comfortable whatsoever on the descent'. What is his cycling background ? Kittel did win stage four, but then Cavendish beat him again on stage six. Your Tour de France telecastwill look the same this year, but it may feel somewhat different. 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. Among an awful lot of distractions, as Carlton Kirby explains, commentating on cycling is an arduous process. 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 27/8/22: Stage 7 of the Vuelta, Herrada wins the sprint and has his arm in the air in celebration. I'm constantly berating or pointing out the danger of the motorcycle. 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. My Ultimate Commuter, rebuilding her at the moment, everything external. But, being in the studio means there is a considerable loss of interaction. Join Outside+ to get complete access to exclusive content on VeloNews, training plans for road and gravel, and more. You sit there, its often quite quiet, and you get brought an exotic meal like a guacamole sandwich. Riders having to get close to a motorbike just to take a corner. Carlton Kirby: 'Joo Almeida, who won't worry anyone in the General Classification'. Every time she fought back from a coma we were warned. Kittel is not a broken man, but his supremacy has tumbled because Mark Cavendish has only gone and won four stages here. Where is the central body that has its own rules of discipline and rules of engagement that respect distance protocol and passing protocol under the race director? The Wanty-GroupeGobert rider was air lifted to hospital after the crash yesterday, but thankfully it seems like he's in a stable condition. There is no editing process, except between the brain and the larynx. The very aspect of commentating that requires filling the gaps spanning hours of no action is the reason. When all the commentators from different nationalities are inside the same studio room, it is no longer the same as before, remarks Kirby, in a monotonous tone. Don't miss a moment from Paris-Roubaix and Unbound Gravel, to the Giro dItalia, Tour de France, Vuelta a Espaa, and everything in between when you It's garnering quite a few sarcastic responses on Twitter Yep, I regularly cycle to MacDonalds, get a load of food, then cycle to the off license, get some beer, and then cycle to a lay by or car park and spread it around the place. During a long interview, the legendary veteran commentator of Eurosports shares some of his knowledge about the job. CK: You need the details. OK. And then, we wait. Are you sure? I quite like Kirby. 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". #cycling @carltonkirby whatsonreading.com Carlton Kirby True Tales of the Tour de France | What's On Reading But it is also true that there isnt a dearth of genuine fans of Kirby who really appreciate his vast knowledge on the field. Its the art of illusion. There's also his lack of knowledge. When we drive to the finish well usually get on the course, because were badged up to do it, and then make notes. They have produced some merchandise like cycling caps and badges, they get together at Carltons events. 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. 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). As a Post Graduate Broadcast Journalist Carltons Television career began with the BBC as a News and Sports Reporter. From wrestling with sound walls, coping with dropped audio, working with Sean Kelly and deciphering the Kirby CODEC, we caught up with Kirby midway through the raceto getan insight into life on Tour as a commentator. While folk littering with gel wrappers is no doubt annoying, is it really up there with fly-tipping? As a small example, he started talking to Magnus Backstedt about tyre widths the other day ("weren't you the 27 mm guy?") COME ON WRITE TO EUROSPORT AND LETS GET HIM OFF ! We met a young boy and young girl who recently lost their mum, and its really sad when you see that side of it. 2008present unless otherwise stated. Joe Robinson. We need to get to tomorrows finish line, and sometimes that is a four-hour drive. Among an awful lot of distractions, as Carlton Kirby explains, commentating on cycling is an arduous process. 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. What a load of rubbish - Team Sky Fan !! And I said: Because I asked him! I asked him at breakfast, because when youre on-site, you can talk to the riders. I tweeted quite a few comments which clearly annoyed him. I comfort myself with the fact that there are people out there who actually hate Terry Wogan. 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. 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. VN:What difference will people notice in this years Tour broadcast from a normal year, when you and your team are on-site? Cycling is a sport where there are no time limits and there are no constant action-packed sequences to speak about. It is not just the motocycles remember. They basically work on the principle that people watching cycling in english are only interested in english speaking riders. More often than not they slip into commentary which is at best nationalistic, and at worst xenophobic. . And within the second group, he sprints hard, coming 13th overall. 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. 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. Eurosport have a lot of these, so theres a lot of conversation going on in your ear [between producers] and its quite a task trying to keep the flow of what you are saying, Kirby says. It is not so bad if they are in front because the rider can tell the motorbike to go away, but if it is trailing the rider and the rider comes off, there is always the possibility of impact. 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). Astonishingly though, a single stage of the Tour de France lasts for about more than six hours. Eurosport's lead cycling commentator Carlton Kirby presents a weekly guide to everything that's NOT happening in the sport . How can someone who watches so much cycling know so little? Mark is already the greatest sprinter there has ever been. I can get caught out, particularly if theres a crash in the last three kilometres, because that can animate the tempo even more and I have to keep something in reserve for the sprint finish. When youre part of the race caravan, all you talk about is the race. The races are only on GCN/Eurosport. Kirbys Knowledge and Enthusiasm on the Mic is Unparalleled, When Kirby explains the difficult process of commentating on cycling, Michael Matthews powers to Bretagne Classic victory, Bora-hansgrohe riders false positive raises new doubts over accuracy of COVID-19 testing, Giro dItalia, Milan-San Remo under threat of cancellation due to coronavirus, Ewan storms to victory on stage 2 of UAE Tour. 4th in last year's Giro d'Italia. 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". 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! I speak no language other than English. They support his knowledge and enthusiasm behind the mic, even after so many years. One of the worlds most iconic cycling brands appears set to launch an e-bike. There are already calls for a convening of UCI protocol committee so they can start to get some proper rules together about it. She talks about the background to the petition, which you can sign here, in this video. Mrs John Murphy May 3, 2010 2,662 0 0 Aug 26, 2011. It is all well having experience, but at some of the smaller races who are the guys riding these bikes? Being a commentator is all about improvisation and Kirby knows this quite well considering his huge range of experience. Page 6 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community. Well over a 1000 signatories on that petition now. He is thinking of five wins, and is finally allowing himself to believe he is going to reach the all-time record of the Belgian all-rounder Eddy Merckx's record for stage wins of 34. If you don't like something, how else can you change it - by saying nothing? Dan's stage guides at the giro a few years ago were great. Please tell your friends: Ive read so many negative comments about Kirby that unlike most online petitions this one could work. For me Kirby has the key ingredient I need from a commentator. From dealing with the never-ending frenzy of action, and incessant radio announcements, to having to tackle the director. Kirby tells us that Batistella is punching his handlebars in celebration. 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. He is thinking Champs Elysees. We caught up with Kirby to learn what is gained for the telecast and what is lost from these two very different broadcasting scenarios. Ive fallen off the Galibier. UPDATE: New online Zoomcast show, July 16, click through for tickets. Wow, all this over a commentator, so Kirby sees a Quickstep rider and mistakes it for Voeckler - that's funny, it's engaging! Im a bit annoyed at myself because I lost my temper at the time. Carlton Kirby Kirby is the most marmite commentator there is. You can get every picture you need from in front of the peloton. I like him. Kirby has however found his own distinctive and unique style which has brilliantly worked for him all these years. I like Kelly just out of respect more than anything. 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. We get to see our own output with our team interviewing the riders. By using this website, you agree to our use of cookies. 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. 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. Get access to more than 30 brands, premium video, exclusive content, events, mapping, and more. Eurosport's Carlton Kirby. We have Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche, Magnus Backstedt, Dean Downing, Rob Hayles and David Harmon (who although is not the best at least it seems he is really doing some research and background checks on the riders and teams - he is clearly learning from Kelly as they sit in the box)but Kirby doesnt even do any background research. Punching the handlebars is the almost universal sign of frustration at losing. Cookies help us deliver our services. I remember being impressed during the Giro at his ability to identify riders. All crescendo sports deserve to be treated as such. I think there seems to be a bad feeling against cyclists and its really strange because theyre only people, he continued. He spoils everyones enjoyment of the race with his silly so called jokes and rubbish talk. Also, Kirby criticises riders in almost every race. We cant do that when hes at his house and Im at mine. Kirby is not uncomfortable with the spurt of social media and the exponential increase of criticism that has gone alongside with it. A new bike is coming very soon! You can also sometimes find your hotel is one or two hours away. Matt Stephens will be Eurosport's dedicated reporter on all Grand Tour coverage, bringing breaking news, updates, and interviews from inside the peloton. You are as ill informed as Kirby. 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.. If youve watched Eurosport cycling, you'll know. He threw the toys out of the pram because his head is scrambled by these defeats. He believes. It is irretrievable. 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. I think you need to be a specialist to be a cycling commentator, yet he covers several sports on Eurosport. Can you imagine Paris-Roubaix with Kirby commentating? or maybe you,re a relative ?? There is absolutely no deficit of distractions for a commentator. Following a two year broadcasting secondment with the United Nations in the South Pacific he joined ITV as TVams overnight Sports Producer and Reporter. 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. Carlton Kirby Kirby is the most marmite commentator there is. Thanks to all who have signed. if many people would do this via twitter it could at least give a sign. VN:Whats it like calling a race from back home at the studio? Shouldnt be that hard to organise with so many people here able to talk eloquently and intelligently for 4 hours. I've decided and bought a '21 Revolt which is nigh on identical in stack and reach to the Defy, only differences being a slacker front end and Well if you ever go to Chesterfield you will be called "youth" however old you are. @DeGendtThomas, guanyador de la primera etapa de la #VoltaCatalunya 2019. This is why he often cracks jokes and laughs heartily. And yet, love him or loathe him, Kirbys voice is as intrinsically linked to the Tour de France, for Eurosport viewers at least, as other famous voices across the sporting spectrum. Kirby is a shockingly bad commentator, but Harmon is not much better. I usually increase the pace especially on a sprint day to match the peloton, Kirby admits. 35m is 100ft. You have entered an incorrect email address! Quite brilliant and gutsy from Tom. His voice tends to wake me up from my nap when something happens. For me, Carlton is the perfect commentator for the 'early shift' on long, flat grand tour stages. Riders have lost their ability to race, says LeMond, Nacer Bouhanni handed penalty, fined for shove. 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. 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. If you're after one, guess that does makethe two grand plus 40 quid a month price tag seem a little fairer A mother from London has launched a petition calling for a second coroner's inquest into the death of her daughter, who passed away at nine years of age in what was originally believed to be an asthma-related case. 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. Partly, of course, that's his job - but if you give it out, you have to take it. Yep I always watch the ITV coverage if possible - even if that means missing the stage live and watching the highlights package (like the vuelta).