Yet Another Cycling Forum
General Category => Freewheeling => Racing => Topic started by: Thor on 30 June, 2012, 07:35:24 pm
-
His prologue is over!
Said about Tony Martin, re-mounting his bike after puncturing ... to resume his prologue.
-
His prologue is over!
Said about Tony Martin, re-mounting his bike after puncturing ... to resume his prologue.
Quickly followed by 'Oh no it's happened to him again', when it was replayed.
-
I rather hoped Liggett (or is it Sherwen) would have learned to pronounce Boassen and Voeckler (i.e. not including a y in either name) over the last 12 months but sadly not!
-
I rather hoped Liggett (or is it Sherwen) would have learned to pronounce Boassen and Voeckler (i.e. not including a y in either name) over the last 12 months but sadly not!
Ha! It's Liggett.
Last year ITV4 managed 3 different pronunciations of Voeckler.
-
I rather hoped Liggett (or is it Sherwen) would have learned to pronounce Boassen and Voeckler (i.e. not including a y in either name) over the last 12 months but sadly not!
In 40 years of commentating on the Tour, Liggett has not learned how to pronounce maillot jaune, so Voeckler is well beyond him.
-
I didn't watch all of the coverage of the prologue today, in part because I was finding that their style of commentary is beginning to grate - trouble is, I'm damned if I'm going to sign up to Sky...
I think it's time for a canonical TdF drinking game, if only to make the weekend live coverage bearable! :demon:
Take one gulp if the coverage shows:
Fans in ridiculous costumes
CDCs or a syringe painted on the road
An artistic arrangement of hay bales
Take one gulp if Phil or Paul say any of the following (select seven at random for each day):
Suitcase of courage
Thank you very much
Some comment about scenery
Mano a mano
Dancing on the pedals
Serious blow to the morale
Rest Day Bonus Round
They’ve stretched the elastic
Put the hammer down
Turned a pedal in anger
Like a trojan
Some random fact about the city/town village that Le Tour is passing through
He’s popped
Done his job
Suffering like an animal
Cat’s amongst the pigeons
Have to dig deep
Boom-Boom and out go the lights
Ticket collector
Once you pull on that golden fleece, you become two men
Resplendent
Gods of cycling
My goodness me
Desperately Close
Cross Swords
Going Over the Top
Some comment about the Arc de Triumph
Take a double gulp if the coverage shows:
Didi Senft aka "The Devil"
The peloton passing a field of sunflowers
Take a double gulp if Phil or Paul says:
The elastic has snapped**
Some comment about animal on side of road**
Traffic furniture**
Heads of State**
Argy Bargy**
Mask of pain**
Massive crowd**
Mountain stage special rule - take a double gulp if a rider chins a spectator who gets too much in his face
Should either Phil or Paul mention Lance Armstrong in the context of the USADA charges actually having some weight, drain your glass.
(Inspired by http://neilbrowne.com/2010/07/tour-de-france-drinking-game/)
-
His prologue is over!
Said about Tony Martin, re-mounting his bike after puncturing ... to resume his prologue.
Quickly followed by 'Oh no it's happened to him again', when it was replayed.
Yep. Hilarious! Whoever said it must have been channelling Duffers at that point.
Talking of whom, apart from the infamous 'suitcase of courage' line, that list above reads more like a list of Duffieldisms. Like you, spesh, I'm finding Phil and Paul do grate a bit these days. Might try the cheapskate solution of an audio feed from Eurosport from now on while watching on ITV4 - if I can put up with the delay 'twixt vision and sound. It is on Eurosport, right? Or am I being a bit thick not realising that Sky are showing it instead now?
-
"... boom, out go the lights", "mano a Mano" and "... popped" are definitely Phil'n'Paulisms (sic), along with random trufax about chateaux, villages and departments - though I suspect that the travelogue-related triva bites are a generic Grand Tour commentary trope.
Eurosport is normally available as a part of a Sky package. I'm not sure what Virgin offer these days, because I recall that Sky were trying to stop Virgn from showing some of the channels that were hitherto jointly broadcast...
EDIT
Take one sip when Phil pissmronounces a rider's name. ;)
-
There's a book of the found poetry of Phil Liggett. Here's a review.
This book, a tribute to the dean of Tour de France broadcasters, Phil Liggett, is a genuine find. Donaldson has taken 30 years' worth of Liggett's Tour de France calls and recast them into more than 200 poems of varying lengths. Of course, it doesn't hurt that Liggett himself has a natural gift for rhythm and metaphor, as well as a wide-angle style of commentary that has always made TDF seem so much larger than a mere athletic event. In Liggett's world, and thus Donaldson's poems, cyclists become kings and jokers, conquerors and the conquered, and/or any number of other stages in between. The book's title, by the way, comes from a classic Liggett moment: Watching a cyclist climb a peak during the 1989 event, the broadcaster observed, "He's dancing on the pedals in a most immodest way."
Some of the poems pack a surprising punch in a very few lines, all the more so for anyone who has ever climbed on a bicycle seat for any event requiring endurance. In this category is one titled "Contender": "He is settling in./He is recovering./And he will kick in." Or there's this one, "Inferno," which reminded me of the John Berryman poetry I read in college: "There's our friend/the devil/who's joined us/the past few days." Among the longer poems, I particularly liked "World of Hurt," one of a number of tributes to Greg LeMond. Donaldson also uses typography and phrasing to amplify the meaning and impact of the individual poems. (Check out "Come to Paris." It'll make you smile.) Finally, embedded between the lines of the poems is a succinct history of TDF, sure to evoke nostalgic feelings in any true fan.
Overall, for anyone who's into cycling, sportscasting genius, or poetry itself, Dancing is a very nice read.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1891369555
This is Phil's 40th year of covering the Tour. I've only been with him since 1986 when Channel Four began covering it.
-
Like you, spesh, I'm finding Phil and Paul do grate a bit these days. Might try the cheapskate solution of an audio feed from Eurosport from now on while watching on ITV4 - if I can put up with the delay 'twixt vision and sound. It is on Eurosport, right? Or am I being a bit thick not realising that Sky are showing it instead now?
It is indeed still on Eurosport, where you can get commentary from David Harmon and Sean Kelly. I find this significantly more bearable than Ligget 'n' Sherwin. However the Eurosport logo is causing increasing image retention on my plasma screen >:( so a means of having ITV4 pictures and Eurosport audio would be useful. I'm obviously watching too much pro cycling.
-
Eurosport is normally available as a part of a Sky package. I'm not sure what Virgin offer these days, because I recall that Sky were trying to stop Virgn from showing some of the channels that were hitherto jointly broadcast...
We have a basic Virgin package that includes Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 2. Pay extra and you can also get Eurosport HD.
The commentary of Kelly, Harmon, & Kirkby is infinitely better than the tired old ramblings of Phil & Paul. In fact it's reminiscent of the test match commentary of Johnston & Benaud et al from the 80's.
-
Phiggett: (re Dave Zabriskie) - "He's a vegan. He doesn't eat meat. Or anything else for that matter."
-
The commentary of Kelly, Harmon, & Kirkby is infinitely better than the tired old ramblings of Phil & Paul. In fact it's reminiscent of the test match commentary of Johnston & Benaud et al from the 80's.
Some of us like ramblings. Bring back Duffers! I liked the sometimes hilariously erroneous details of local food, drink and terroir he used to give us as he ignored the action on the road.
I have Eurosport and ITV4 going at the same time and switch between them to dodge the adverts. Kelly is very, very good, but Phil and, to a lesser extent, Paul, have their charms.
-
Sherwen just claimed that Wellington fought Napoleon at the Battle of Trafalgar :thumbsup:
-
;D ??? :facepalm:
-
(Regarding a crash)
Fortunately it was reasonably slow-motion, even though we are showing it in slow-motion as well
???
-
I didn't watch all of the coverage of the prologue today, in part because I was finding that their style of commentary is beginning to grate - trouble is, I'm damned if I'm going to sign up to Sky...
I think it's time for a canonical TdF drinking game, if only to make the weekend live coverage bearable! :demon:
Take one gulp if the coverage shows:
Fans in ridiculous costumes
CDCs or a syringe painted on the road
An artistic arrangement of hay bales
Take one gulp if Phil or Paul say any of the following (select seven at random for each day):
Suitcase of courage
Thank you very much
Some comment about scenery
Mano a mano
Dancing on the pedals
Serious blow to the morale
Rest Day Bonus Round
They’ve stretched the elastic
Put the hammer down
Turned a pedal in anger
Like a trojan
Some random fact about the city/town village that Le Tour is passing through
He’s popped
Done his job
Suffering like an animal
Cat’s amongst the pigeons
Have to dig deep
Boom-Boom and out go the lights
Ticket collector
Once you pull on that golden fleece, you become two men
Resplendent
Gods of cycling
My goodness me
Desperately Close
Cross Swords
Going Over the Top
Some comment about the Arc de Triumph
Take a double gulp if the coverage shows:
Didi Senft aka "The Devil"
The peloton passing a field of sunflowers
Take a double gulp if Phil or Paul says:
The elastic has snapped**
Some comment about animal on side of road**
Traffic furniture**
Heads of State**
Argy Bargy**
Mask of pain**
Massive crowd**
Mountain stage special rule - take a double gulp if a rider chins a spectator who gets too much in his face
Should either Phil or Paul mention Lance Armstrong in the context of the USADA charges actually having some weight, drain your glass.
(Inspired by http://neilbrowne.com/2010/07/tour-de-france-drinking-game/)
A man by the name of...
If you touch your brakes at this moment you'll go back [insert number] places
-
At this rate, it might be better for our livers if we switch to Phil'n'Paul Bingo. ;D
-
We still haven't had a suitcase of courage!
We did have "...and of course he's a vegan, which means he doesn't eat meat. Or anything else!"
It's like high-adrenaline cricket. So many hours to cover.
-
Phil was having terrible trouble predicting the position of the prologue finishers yesterday, as they were crossing the line with the position printed up on the screen. But you need the live coverage for the best Liggett and Sherwinisms, as they seem to edit out the best ones for the highlights. But having grown up with Liggett on the tele since the 1980s I feel a great affection for him, so his commentary would have to get considerably poorer for me to feel the need to move elsewhere.
On the other hand, after only about 3 advert breaks, "Tour de Francis" and his "Nobbing it up and down by that river" is driving me nuts.
-
PL
"....how international the Tour has come over the years.."
-
"He's riding a recumbent bicycle" [a spectator on the other carriage-way, not a competitor!]
It was a trike.
-
"He's riding a recumbent bicycle" [a spectator on the other carriage-way, not a competitor!]
It was a trike.
But better than the original guess of "A high speed wheelchair"
-
Insisting Marcel Kittel was not sick grimacing off the back of the peleton but just 'overwhelmed by the whole tour experience' ???
-
But better than the original guess of "A high speed wheelchair"
LOL! Too funny :D
"And Phil, I reckon he's cruising along there at about sixty kilometers an hour"
What???
Edit: To Mr Phil Sherwin [who I actually really quite like] - I apologise.
I have just been informed by an esteemed member of BHPC, whose eye for detail is much more finely tuned than myself, that the chap on the Trike was riding with assistance - an electric motor in the rear wheel. Commentators didn't spot it though. :)
-
Since when has riding a recumbent bike been difficult? And why on earth would you ride round in circles? ???
-
I thought the riding in circles comment was about an attempt he made at riding a trike.
We watch the ITV as Mrs Dan finds the "authentic irishman" grates.
Can I add "tapping out the rhythm" to the drinking game? I'm thirsty.
-
I for one am looking forward to the first mention of someones "job of work" being over (which I vaguely recall is Mr Boardmans speciality) ...
-
I thought the riding in circles comment was about an attempt he made at riding a trike.
They both rode in circles :)
Phil trying out a recumbent while on holiday in Cornwall with friends.
This then reminded Paul of his experience of trying to ride a Trike. Again in circles though. So he gave up after that!
These two experiences then led to Phil's concluding comment - "It looks easy, but it's very, very difficult".
-
But don't be too keen to dismiss them, http://www.itv.com/tourdefrance/team-predictions/
...not yet at least!
-
I flicked onto ITV 4 just as Mr Boardman and ? were showing how a lead out for a sprint worked. I switched channels quickly.
But I must say Cav's ride was a masterclass in sprinting, although he admitted he should have jumped earlier!
-
I flicked onto ITV 4 just as Mr Boardman and Ned Boulting were showing how a lead out for a sprint worked. I switched channels quickly.
But I must say Cav's ride was a masterclass in sprinting, although he admitted he should have jumped earlier!
FTFY
-
"He's riding a recumbent bicycle" [a spectator on the other carriage-way, not a competitor!]
It was a trike.
But better than the original guess of "A high speed wheelchair"
Well that's what I'll be calling them from this day forth.
-
Like you, spesh, I'm finding Phil and Paul do grate a bit these days. Might try the cheapskate solution of an audio feed from Eurosport from now on while watching on ITV4 - if I can put up with the delay 'twixt vision and sound. It is on Eurosport, right? Or am I being a bit thick not realising that Sky are showing it instead now?
It is indeed still on Eurosport, where you can get commentary from David Harmon and Sean Kelly. I find this significantly more bearable than Ligget 'n' Sherwin. However the Eurosport logo is causing increasing image retention on my plasma screen >:( so a means of having ITV4 pictures and Eurosport audio would be useful. I'm obviously watching too much pro cycling.
The problem I find with Eurosport coverage is that, needing to watch the highlights show which I record, I have lost cout of the number of times the programme has started late and the recording finished before the end of the stage >:( Too bloody lax on their scheduling.
-
I'm just pathetically grateful that we get any cycling coverage at all on free "mainstream" telly and will put up with the inanities without so much as a wince.
-
I'm just pathetically grateful that we get any cycling coverage at all on free "mainstream" telly and will put up with the inanities without so much as a wince.
Good point. If I couldn't watch the Tour on "free" telly I would consider getting Sky. Since this would be my only reason for getting Sky such a move would be incredibly expensive. It would probably be cheaper to cross The Channel and follow the Tour round in person ... now, there's a thought :demon:
-
Last year ITV4 managed 3 different pronunciations of Voeckler.
A couple of years ago Phil managed three different pronunciations of Andreas Kloeden's surname in the same sentence :facepalm:
-
Last year ITV4 managed 3 different pronunciations of Voeckler.
A couple of years ago Phil managed three different pronunciations of Andreas Kloeden's surname in the same sentence :facepalm:
Hence my prescription of just a sip for every pismronounciation. ;)
-
I'm just pathetically grateful that we get any cycling coverage at all on free "mainstream" telly and will put up with the inanities without so much as a wince.
Precisely this.
I'd go further and say I actually like the Liggett and Sherwin commentary and I like the Boardman info about each stage as he rides/walks the finish.
I don't like any adverts, that's why I start watching 20 minutes after the start and use my PVR to jump through them.
Hats off to ITV4 for covering it live and for the extended highlights show.
I'm waiting for the complaining to start on YACF when ITV decides to drop coverage of the Tour.
-
"Chaos" was clearly today's buzzword but, amid it all, Evans and a team-mate were riding "calmly and collectively." Maybe they were? :-\
-
Last year ITV4 managed 3 different pronunciations of Voeckler.
A couple of years ago Phil managed three different pronunciations of Andreas Kloeden's surname in the same sentence :facepalm:
Hence my prescription of just a sip for every pismronounciation. ;)
That's what we need. Sod Duffers, Bring on Ronnie Barker. "And while Wadley Briggins burks in the lunch the minters are splashing at the font awaiting the Lionel Funge"
-
when they saw this mountain rear up in front of them, they must have thought it was like a hammer in the face
-
I think my favourite this week was on Wednesday when Phil said 'there's moisture on the camera lens, must be riders sweat' ???
5 seconds later ... 'oh it's actually raining' :facepalm:
-
And continuing in their efforts to educate us "Kenya - it's a nation in Africa"
-
"This climb is 14% increasing to 11% at some points..."
-
They just accused Cuddles of being Canadian...
-
I caught my first hearing of Phil and "Mano a mano" on Friday ...
This year Phil seems a bit better than he had been - much less of the re-saying what Paul has just said ... but Paul seems even worse with his "Yes Phil .... <repeat of Phil's last statement> - .... and ... " at every commentary change-over.
And WHY do they (especially Paul) have to rabbit all the time? ... it's television, we can see what's happening!
Not seen any "Ask Phil & Paul" questions from viewers yet this year - but we seem to get more of Boardman and Boulting.
BTW I stopped for a phone call on the club run on Weds ... nobody to "pace me back to the main field of the bike race this afternoon" as Paul would have said ;D
Rob
-
They're a pair of daft tw@ts who I avoid at all costs. I'd rather listen to Robert Peston.
-
I think it was yesterday that one of them refereed to a rider having a "rival team-mate" in the group with him.
-
There is no such mountain as Mt Kilimanjaro!
-
I'm just pathetically grateful that we get any cycling coverage at all on free "mainstream" telly and will put up with the inanities without so much as a wince.
Precisely this.
I'd go further and say I actually like the Liggett and Sherwin commentary and I like the Boardman info about each stage as he rides/walks the finish.
I don't like any adverts, that's why I start watching 20 minutes after the start and use my PVR to jump through them.
Hats off to ITV4 for covering it live and for the extended highlights show.
Same here. It's a big highlight of my day watching the tour on i-player.
I think that what they do is a very hard thing to do and I'm not surprised they get tongue twisted and mess things up now and then. I know I couldn't do it.
I like to hear what Boardman and Sherwin have to say too. They've both been there and got the shirt and I know that they talk the truth and not just say what they think how it is.
-
I don't think you need to translate that, Phil, tu va gagner, you are going to win! ;D
-
"Don't forget Phil, Evans comes from a track background". That'll be the track bikes with fat knobbly tyres then Paul ::-)
-
How many times did they tell us that Kesiakoff (sp) was from a mountain-biking background???
-
On a further East African theme, "Chris Frome was born in Nairobi, Kenya, in Africa." Yes I know that Kenya's in Africa, for crying out loud! Do they think that cycling fans are terminally stupid?
(No, please don't anyone answer that question.)
-
How many times did they tell us that Kesiakoff (sp) was from a mountain-biking background???
Once a minute, and again whenever something happens (like the back end sliding out on that downhill corner in he last 20K or so).
-
They're a pair of daft tw@ts who I avoid at all costs. I'd rather listen to Robert Peston.
Robert Peston and Eddy Mair. That's a commentary team I'd like to hear ;D
-
Posted by: Mr Bunbury: Yesterday at 09:28:25 PM
Do they think that cycling fans are terminally stupid
I think that is the trouble with the ITV4 coverage, the coverage is "dumbed down"for their opinion of the general public.
-
I think that what they do is a very hard thing to do and I'm not surprised they get tongue twisted and mess things up now and then. I know I couldn't do it.
I agree....however British sporting commentary has a long and proud history of commentators making ridiculous and ill-thought out comments in the heat of the moment, and spotting them and having a chuckle about them is all part of the rich experience. But they are not quite up t the level of Duffers yet, Liggers and Shers just make mistakes whereas Duffers used to generate his own personal alternative reality with his comments ;D whatever, in both cases these 'mistakes' add another level of engagement to the race and make it better for their being there.
-
I think that is the trouble with the ITV4 coverage, the coverage is "dumbed down"for their opinion of the general public.
I had the misfortune to catch some live Tour coverage in the USA a couple of years ago, and it was Phil & Paul doing that. That's why it's dumbed down, and it also explains the constant reference to distances and speeds in the antiquated "miles" system.
-
It was pointed out onthe Eurosport coverage that more than 50% of their audience are non cyclists and the only event they watch is the TdF. That is why they have so much 'dumbing down' - it is not that it is dumbed down, it is that it doesn't exclude all but the elite.
-
So turn the volume down!
I think we have to remember they are commentating for a wider audience than just ourselves, who of course are all subject matter experts with an encyclopaedic knowledge of everything cycling related, or anything for that matter, and we could all do the job far better.
I'm just grateful I can watch it live without the pain of having to subscribe to Sky/Eurosport etc, especially as all the coverage is the same picture feed. As for the Phil/Paul show, yes they do commentate for the USA as well and that may have an effect on the approach they take.
If not them, then who would we prefer? I recall listening to Duffers and Kelly one year and the bits I could understand/translate were very tedious at times.
-
It was pointed out onthe Eurosport coverage that more than 50% of their audience are non cyclists and the only event they watch is the TdF. That is why they have so much 'dumbing down' - it is not that it is dumbed down, it is that it doesn't exclude all but the elite.
You don't have to be a 'non-cyclist' to appreciate this, just someone who doesn't follow racing. I'm sure the same happens with World Cup football, Wimbledon and Olympic athletics coverage, compared to an average league game and any other tournament.
-
So turn the volume down!
I think we have to remember they are commentating for a wider audience than just ourselves, who of course are all subject matter experts with an encyclopaedic knowledge of everything cycling related, or anything for that matter, and we could all do the job far better.
Yes, quite. (and they deliver far more intelligent comment than UK football pundits, so I'm pretty grateful.)
It's live - people make mistakes. Especially when they have to rattle on for 4 hours non-stop.
On a personal note, I was rather pleased yesterday with a comment about a rider recovering from the small-but-nasty crash.
"He's got a very big retard there!"
(Hope you're reading this, Ross!)
-
It didn't take them long to revert to their original pronunciation of Morkov ;D
-
So turn the volume down!
I think we have to remember they are commentating for a wider audience than just ourselves, who of course are all subject matter experts with an encyclopaedic knowledge of everything cycling related, or anything for that matter, and we could all do the job far better.
I'm just grateful I can watch it live without the pain of having to subscribe to Sky/Eurosport etc, especially as all the coverage is the same picture feed. As for the Phil/Paul show, yes they do commentate for the USA as well and that may have an effect on the approach they take.
If not them, then who would we prefer? I recall listening to Duffers and Kelly one year and the bits I could understand/translate were very tedious at times.
Exactly my point(s).
We should remember that the YACF default position on such matters is a sort of moaning pedantry ("ha! Sherwin said that was a 105 front mech but it's clearly Dura Ace")
Ideally there wouldn't be any cycling on terrestrial TV at all, this would give the prefect opportunity for some weapons-grade moaning. However, ITV4 came along and ruined that opportunity so it only leaves room for complaining about the adverts (which pay for the coverage to take place at all, and are an opportunity for a cuppa) and the pronunciation of some foreign names/places (which, if you asked 100 YACFers to pronounce, you'd get at least 50 different pronunciations).
Half of me wishes the coverage would be cancelled and replaced with more Big Brother live coverage, just so I could see proper moaning about the good old days of Liggett and Sherwin.
My TV remote control has 2 optional (I assume they must be optional) features of "Mute" and "Off" buttons. I use them instead of moaning about TV programs.
Look, they get a feed from French TV, without any cues and are asked to talk about it for 5 hours on live TV. They see 100 riders from a helicopter shot one moment and then a random group of riders from a motorcycle the next. It strikes me as a tough job.
Like I said before, I like the coverage and it could be worse (although I wouldn't mind listening to Chris Kamara have a go at the TdF...just for the giggles)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGaR6hqRbWY (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGaR6hqRbWY)
-
^^Wot 'e says. And just because "one" knows Kenya is in Africa, doesn't mean the totality of the audience will.
-
It seems like an extension of Bill Bryson's "London, England (http://jimcofer.com/personal/?p=7125)" phenomenon. If their commentary also goes to America, that could explain it.
-
"51 minutes 59.59, that's under 52 minutes." That made me laugh.
In contrast, I find Phil's (or is it Paul's?) constant pronunciation of Denis Menchov's first name as if he were French not Russian niggling, but it's understandable - unless we expect sports commentators to be polylingual.*
As for the way one will mention "NEE-bali" only to be followed by the other's "Ni-BALi" or even "NEE-bu-li", well I'd prefer them to pick one and stay with it but I don't know which (if any) of those is correct, and even if I did it's hardly a big deal. Variety is the spice of life and all that.
*As opposed to merely multilingual - I understand one or other of the pair does speak excellent French.
-
David Harmon read out one of my tweets on Sunday. I was most amused at his exotic pronunciation of my twitter handle.
d.
-
"He's punctured. Mick Rogers, it's a front wheel or a back wheel, that's why he couldn't get round the corner."
Quite sure it's not the middle wheel?
-
"Looking into the eyes of..."
Or when the rider's got shades on
"Looking into the sunglasses of..."
Aaaargh!
-
In contrast, I find Phil's (or is it Paul's?) constant pronunciation of Denis Menchov's first name as if he were French not Russian niggling, but it's understandable
I think his nickname is 'Denny' - perhaps that's what they're saying rather than giving it a French slant.
-
Anyone else hear Chris Boardman say 'dick head' and then quickly correct it to 'dig in' during the piece to camera at the end of the highlights programme?
-
Anyone else hear Chris Boardman say 'dick head' and then quickly correct it to 'dig in' during the piece to camera at the end of the highlights programme?
Hope so.
-
Anyone else hear Chris Boardman say 'dick head' and then quickly correct it to 'dig in' during the piece to camera at the end of the highlights programme?
Oh noes! Not Lord Chris of Boardman afflicted with a mild case of Wiggoitis :o
-
With riders going off the front and out the back, "the peloton has imploded".
-
According to Paul, it's the "poolotong".
-
According to Paul, it's the "poolotong".
Thats for his Swahili-speaking fans from Uganda which is in the continent of Africa ;)
-
Talking about a mountain shot from the HC
And that's 10,000 feet in err feet.
-
The gap is gaining riders all the time!
-
Chris Froome is slowly screwing up the... er... screw there.
-
[Tejay] leads the best white jersey competition.
-
Phil Liggett: "Chris Froome is getting a message now from team management. Either speed up or slow down!"
-
Will someone please tell Paul Sherwen the meaning and correct usage of the word "precarious".
-
(of Jens Voigt) "His mouth is open as wide as the Mersey Tunnel" :thumbsup:
-
(PL)
It takes an awful lot of silkworms to make a silk duvet ???
-
"They get a piece of silk that is only the size of a penny and they stretch that out to be feet square."
"Very similar to gold. A very malleable ... er ... metal"
-
Making a sow's ear out of a silk purse?
-
Making a sow's ear out of a silk purse?
I don't know the context of that particular 'ism but, I could do it.
Name me as the GC contender in the TdF supported by the silk purse that is Team Sky. World, meet my new sows ear.
-
Apparently, David Millar "just stepped on the gasworks".
-
For crying out loud I know he's a mountain biker, okay?!
-
Paul's word of the day?
"Daypartiemong" :facepalm:
-
For crying out loud I know he's a mountain biker, okay?!
I assumed there was some kind of spread bet on how many times he could mention it. ;D
d.
-
"Sky aren't concerned about first or third, they just want to win."
(paraphrased, but you get the gist)
-
If you're a domestique, you're either at the front, in the middle or off the back.
-
Having fixed the pronunciation of Liquigas this year, it now seems Astana is team to suffer from continental drift.
See also Bouygues from a couple of years ago.
-
Matt Rendall tweeted about all the different pronunciations and said he would stick to the how the relevant person or team pronounced their name.
Hence the Ass-tan-r etc...
-
Liggett: "This climb [the Mont Saint-Clair] is going to hit them in the face like a newspaper...[pause]...a rolled-up one."
-
Euskatel Euskadi the team from the mountains , attack with their orange jerseys
-
Yawn
-
I usually watch on Eurosport, but am forced to ITV4 by Virgin F.....g Media's failure to deliver more than the basic BBC and ITV channels to west London for the past three days.
Must say I much prefer the less formal banter of the Eurosport commentator team.
-
Posted by: orienteer: Today at 02:45:31 PM
I usually watch on Eurosport, but am forced to ITV4 by Virgin F.....g Media's failure to deliver more than the basic BBC and ITV channels to west London for the past three days.
I am in the process of moving, currently I have Sky but am seriously considering Virgin 'cos the new house has cable. Do I take it that you're not entirely happy with Virgin?
-
As LLS made the crucial break Sherwin commented, "he's shown them a clean pair of wheels", which was a good one.
-
Must say I much prefer the less formal banter of the Eurosport commentator team.
Harmon and Kelly are cycling's answer to Johnners and Aggers.
Which probably makes Duffield its Henry Blofeld.
d.
-
I thought Gary Imlach was trying to get in on the act with his comments about "atTACKing" and something being "inTACT" after today's debacle ... ... good job "PetTACKi" wasn't involved ;D ;D
I'm surprised nobody mentioned the tack incident in the Etape Caledonia a couple of years ago.
Rob
-
As LLS made the crucial break Sherwin commented, "he's shown them a clean pair of wheels", which was a good one.
That was good but was it deliberate ?
I'd like to think it was.
-
Posted by: orienteer: Today at 02:45:31 PM
I usually watch on Eurosport, but am forced to ITV4 by Virgin F.....g Media's failure to deliver more than the basic BBC and ITV channels to west London for the past three days.
I am in the process of moving, currently I have Sky but am seriously considering Virgin 'cos the new house has cable. Do I take it that you're not entirely happy with Virgin?
Actually they are pretty good compared to BT, the broadband particularly. But access to Eurosport is the main reason I took the TV package specifically to watch cycling, so to fail during the TdF is disastrous! Got the channels back this evening.
-
I'm surprised nobody mentioned the tack incident in the Etape Caledonia a couple of years ago.
Rob
It was refered to
-
I thought Gary Imlach was trying to get in on the act with his comments about "atTACKing" and something being "inTACT" after today's debacle ... ... good job "PetTACKi" wasn't involved ;D ;D
I'm surprised nobody mentioned the tack incident in the Etape Caledonia a couple of years ago.
Rob
Groan.... TACKS-i for Imlach!
(I'll get my coat...)
-
Even Wiggins is joining in the Liggett & Sherwinisms:
"...on the other hand, when the shoe's on the other foot..."
-
"There's an amazing amount of history in France, going right back to the Roman times."
I don't now which of the commentators said that, but it was just after giving us the potted history of the small town the riders were charging through at that moment.
-
They do have a problem with the concept of history. Liggett, at the end of Friday's stage:
"Millar wins his fourth historical stage of the Tour de France."
That's funny, I could have sworn it was in this year's Tour.
d.
-
As LLS made the crucial break Sherwin commented, "he's shown them a clean pair of wheels", which was a good one.
That was good but was it deliberate ?
I'd like to think it was.
I remember trying to impress somebody with that witticism myself, so I'm guessing it's in the popular unconscious, i.e., not original.
-
With it being somewhat of boring stage today, Phil 'n' Paul had a tough time of it. Perhaps that would explain why Paul was having trouble with his metaphors (it's "gloves off", not "gloves on"). But today's favourite from him was not so much a mixed metaphor, but a misunderstood one:
"Two riders in the group have never won a stage. They'll be dreaming of looking a gift horse in the mouth today"
Oh, and happy 40th TdF commentating anniversary this year Phil. That's an impressive track road record. Keep up the good work.
-
There was a nice moment when Phil revealed how - back in the early days - he and the associated press corps would establish themselves up the road on a stage. Getting out their checked tablecloths, paté and wine they'd make an afternoon of it, watching the Peloton whoosh by on full gas. Paul then reminded him how the peloton at that time would have included himself, totally knackered, on the rivet, and chewing the handlebars.
-
There was a nice moment when Phil revealed how - back in the early days - he and the associated press corps would establish themselves up the road on a stage. Getting out their checked tablecloths, paté and wine they'd make an afternoon of it, watching the Peloton whoosh by on full gas. Paul then reminded him that the peloton at that time would have included himself, totally knackered, on the rivet, and chewing the handlebars.
... would he be "in the main field in the bike race here this afternoon, in the month of July" - Phil I can tolerate, Paul just needs to shut up for some of the time!
Rob
-
Tbh Robgul, these aren't the terms he actually used; I just chucked them in for added cliché effect. (Now where did I put that TdF commentator's application form?)
-
Despite the mickey taking I have to say I quite like the Phil and Paul show.
-
They do have a problem with the concept of history. Liggett, at the end of Friday's stage:
"Millar wins his fourth historical stage of the Tour de France."
That's funny, I could have sworn it was in this year's Tour.
d.
That's a reference to the stage he won when he doped.
Millar's victory on Stage 19 of the 2003 Tour de France was removed from his record at his own request due to doping
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Millar
So that's not 'historical', in that it doesn't feature in the records.
There's no reason the average fan should know that, but I expect commentators to. I only saw that on the rest day roundup tonight, as I was away last week.
-
Tubs are now 'solid tyres', according to Sherwen. Oh, really?
-
Tubs are now 'solid tyres', according to Sherwen. Oh, really?
He sounded like he wanted to correct himself, but he just couldn't be arsed :P
-
MrsH constantly points out that the two of them don't actually listen to each other - one will ask a question that the other ignores, or they will both come up with the same bit of information within a few seconds of each other.
I don't mind them though, the occasional gaff is amusing and they do a pretty tough job.
-
Interesting variations on the pronounciation of "Amiël Moinard" today.
-
Tubs are now 'solid tyres', according to Sherwen. Oh, really?
Giving him the benefit of the doubt - I THINK that a couple of teams do have "tubeless" tyres for some stages ... it's probably like the sort "honeycomb" structure* that you used to see for bike tyres ... doubtless modern technology has improved on the old ones.
Rob
* bought a Moulton about 5 years ago and it had "solid" inserts in normal tyres ... they were very hard and had low rolling resistance ... but as the covers were shot I had to replace them ... the only way to get them off was to cut the tyre bead with bolt croppers and cut across the tyre with a Stanley knife
-
Tubeless means just that - like a car tyre, so a clincher that seals against the rim.
-
"[Thomas Voeckler] will be knocking off 1km every 60 seconds, and in old money that's approximately 45mph."
No it's not, it's just over 37mph! 45mph = 72.5kph! (and no, that exclamation mark wasn't a factorial symbol)
[EDIT: They've revised it down to 43-44mph. NO IT'S STILL NOT THAT FAST!]
-
'The top three in the Tour de France are holding the top three positions'...
-
Tubs are now 'solid tyres', according to Sherwen. Oh, really?
He sounded like he wanted to correct himself, but he just couldn't be arsed :P
Whereas the pedantry and nit-picking of YACF is practically limitless. Hoorah for us!
-
[as Wiggins overtakes Froome to chase down Nabali just before the summit of the final climb]
Sherwin: "And Wiggins has got the acceleration.....he's trying to get the big old V8 Diesel Turbo whistling"
:D
-
Phil said something today about the "Col D'Aspin not being as hard as the Aspin". He then muttered a bit as if he couldn't be bothered to correct himself. And the Americans can't understand a word he says :)
-
The adrenalin is coursing through his bones.
-
Phil said something today about the "Col D'Aspin not being as hard as the Aspin". He then muttered a bit as if he couldn't be bothered to correct himself. And the Americans can't understand a word he says :)
Obviously he meant the Aspin not being as hard as the Aubisque. And he's right - the Aspin being a minor inconvenience compared to the three other monsters from yesterdays stage.
-
Giving him the benefit of the doubt - I THINK that a couple of teams do have "tubeless" tyres for some stages ... it's probably like the sort "honeycomb" structure* that you used to see for bike tyres ... doubtless modern technology has improved on the old ones.
"Tubeless" usually just means using a sealant instead of an inner tube that's squirted in as a liquid. I'll stick my neck out and say that no team would ever use non-pneumatic tyres. The rolling resistance is too high.
Anyway, poor old Paul was just trying to describe a bog-standard tubular. He was thinking about the lack of interruption in the casing and called that "solid". He and Lig talk so much that they don't give themselves time to think properly. They'd say less rubbish if they spoke less, but then it wouldn't be so exciting. I've enjoyed this couple since the Channel 4 days.
-
Me, too. There was one lovely episode when I think Phil got through four pronunciations of Chiappucci!
-
Anyway, poor old Paul was just trying to describe a bog-standard tubular. He was thinking about the lack of interruption in the casing and called that "solid". He and Lig talk so much that they don't give themselves time to think properly. They'd say less rubbish if they spoke less, but then it wouldn't be so exciting. I've enjoyed this couple since the Channel 4 days.
ACTUALLY he was describing how tubs can come unglued when overheated under braking etc etc ...
The actual solid/pneumatic distinction is thus irrelevant, and he didn't waste time correcting a minor error.
-
Phil said something today about the "Col D'Aspin not being as hard as the Aspin". He then muttered a bit as if he couldn't be bothered to correct himself. And the Americans can't understand a word he says :)
Obviously he meant the Aspin not being as hard as the Aubisque. And he's right - the Aspin being a minor inconvenience compared to the three other monsters from yesterdays stage.
Obviously, of course. And he's right. I've climbed them all several times. It's still funny to hear him get them mixed up. :)
-
"This man is trying to plough a lone summit."
-
"Valverde is going to win this by the skin of his racing shorts"
-
"This beautiful pyrenean scenery" as the helicopter cut to a shot of a large quarry.
-
"These are all Spanish supporters."
Camera shows them waving Basque flags and silhouettes of Basque country with definitely non-Spanish words, not to mention that most of them were wearing the orange shirts that "Euskatel-Euskadi, the team from the mountains" famously attack with!
"Valverde is going to win this by the skin of his racing shorts"
That one really made me ;D
-
Did you notice that they took the mick out of themselves for "suitcase of courage" yesterday. Made me smile
Yes. :thumbsup:
And today, Brad being interviewed by French TV: J'ai pense que c'etait qqn do Love Story ou je ne sais quoi.
Subtitles: I thought he was someone from Big Brother.
:thumbsup: Localised translation! And :thumbsup: for Ouiggeau's localised idiom. (He was talking about Francois Hollande btw).
-
"He could have been looking down the barrel of a third place victory."
-
How many times 'the sacred cobblestones' today?
-
Paul, yesterday as Wiggins powered home... "He's not going to stop until he gets to the line" .... seems like a good plan to me!
Rob
-
Interesting pronunciation of "circuitous" there.
-
After my confident prediction above I didn't hear 'sacred cobblestones' mentioned once. Bad show, Phiggett is losing it.
-
Apparently Cav 'held up four hands' as he crossed the line today :o
-
Well, I thoroughly enjoyed the coverage from ITV4 and credit to Phil and Paul for the job they did. Yes they have their moments, but overall their knowledge of the sport is good and IMO do a good job considering the conditions they operate under.
Of course, many will pick on the mistakes they make and presumably post them to show how smart they are in noticing it. Perhaps they have not discovered the volume control on the TV or perhaps they have nothing better in life to do than criticise others.
Let us hope ITV4 continue to follow cycling and I for one will be quite happy to hear Phil and Paul commentate on events.
-
Let us hope ITV4 continue to follow cycling'
+1
Let us hope $ky don't get it :demon:
-
Well, I thoroughly enjoyed the coverage from ITV4 and credit to Phil and Paul for the job they did. Yes they have their moments, but overall their knowledge of the sport is good and IMO do a good job considering the conditions they operate under.
Of course, many will pick on the mistakes they make and presumably post them to show how smart they are in noticing it. Perhaps they have not discovered the volume control on the TV or perhaps they have nothing better in life to do than criticise others.
Let us hope ITV4 continue to follow cycling and I for one will be quite happy to hear Phil and Paul commentate on events.
Agreed that they do a great job ... the comments here are all, I'm sure, meant to amuse the parishioners rather than ridicule and be critical of Phil & Paul.
One thing that I wonder - they are seeing everything on-screen from the same cameras ... BUT are they seeing it slightly ahead of the broadcast feed to the viewers? - a few times they seem to mention things that we viewers have yet to see, it's only momentary - but there does seem to be a delay. That would obviously make it, slightly, easier to be up to speed with facts etc.
[I know that years ago Ross McWhirter was commentating on the Olympics (must have been 1968 ... was that Mexico?) in front of a big screen in London and the broadcast was about 45 seconds behind his view.]
Rob
-
Phil and Paul's gaffs, goofs, insights, off-sights and witticisms add to the experience. I enjoy them.
-
Yeah, I really enjoy their commentary (much better than Eurosport even when that's an option). Gaffes and all. They're the Aggers and Blowers of cycling.
On a related note, I'm sure I heard Cameron describe Wiggins as "the first person" to win the Tour. Possibly a tribute to Liggett and Sherwin? ;D
-
One thing that I wonder - they are seeing everything on-screen from the same cameras ... BUT are they seeing it slightly ahead of the broadcast feed to the viewers? - a few times they seem to mention things that we viewers have yet to see, it's only momentary - but there does seem to be a delay. That would obviously make it, slightly, easier to be up to speed with facts etc.
It's entirely possible for video to lag audio by a second or two if nobody's considered the synchronisation to be critical enough to add appropriate audio delays. Digital video processing takes time, and I wouldn't be surprised if the signal paths were different (satellite vs ISDN or some such) for sports commentary.
-
Cav did hold up "four hands" as he crossed the line though. :)
-
Well, I thoroughly enjoyed the coverage from ITV4 and credit to Phil and Paul for the job they did. Yes they have their moments, but overall their knowledge of the sport is good and IMO do a good job considering the conditions they operate under.
Of course, many will pick on the mistakes they make and presumably post them to show how smart they are in noticing it. Perhaps they have not discovered the volume control on the TV or perhaps they have nothing better in life to do than criticise others.
For the most part, the ribbing is meant affectionately. I don't think anyone really questions the expert knowledge of the sport of Phil Liggett but they do come out with some hilarious lines.
For what it's worth, I found myself irresistibly drawn to the ITV coverage of the final stage rather than Eurosport. One thing in particular struck me - the breakaway on the Champs-Élysées never succeeds. Never. And yet year after year, Phil Liggett plays along with it and gets all excited as if maybe this year, just maybe... to the point where with 3km to go and a lead of 15 seconds and tumbling, I was beginning to wonder if perhaps Jensie might just do it.
I strongly recommend listening to Ned Boulting's take on Phil'n'Paul (as well as lots of other matters relating to the Tour) from the 30th June edition of the Bike Show:
http://thebikeshow.net/how-ned-boulting-stopped-worrying-and-learned-to-love-the-tour-de-france/
d.
-
Phil and Paul create excitement even when nothing's happening at all, which is nice. :) The bunch left it rather late to catch the breakaway, though. I was getting worried!
I've run out of coal so didn't fire up my analogue satellite receiver this year. Probably Eurosport International is still broadcasting free-to-air on analogue. I wish I British Eurosport would get a non-pay channel on terrestrial Freeview.
-
Phil used to be responsible for designing the Milk Race course, so he's well placed to comment on the precise nature of the TdF course. An interesting aspect of Phil and Paul is the African connection. Paul was brought up in Kenya, and lives in Uganda, where he has interests in a Gold mine. Phil lives in South Africa, it would have been nice to have had more about that, possibly involving Chris Froome.
-
Paul has an African connection? Well I never, sounds interesting - he should talk about it more.
-
They did actually tighten their commentary up towards the end of the Tour. They are broadcast in a lot of English-speaking markets, and their commentary was at risk of being a bit jingoistic, but they pulled it back and were noticeably more balanced over the weekend.
-
Phil used to be responsible for designing the Milk Race course, so he's well placed to comment on the precise nature of the TdF course. An interesting aspect of Phil and Paul is the African connection. Paul was brought up in Kenya, and lives in Uganda, where he has interests in a Gold mine. Phil lives in South Africa, it would have been nice to have had more about that, possibly involving Chris Froome.
... I think you'll find that Phil lives only part of the time in South Africa ... I've met him several times at the coffee stops on Pickwick Bicycle Club rides in Hertfordshire ... he's just been there at the garden centre cafe with his wife - out for a spin on the bikes.
Rob
-
I think you mean "In the continent of Africa" :P
I like Phil and Paul. They never run out of anything to say even when there's fuck all happening.
Paul's translation of French interviews is pretty good too...
-
Paul's translation of French interviews is pretty good too...
Yes, that is impressive. He also listens to the French and Italian of the race radio and translates it before Phil has had a chance to comment on the English version.
And Thing 1 does a good impression of them both. ;)
-
Let us hope ITV4 continue to follow cycling'
+1
Let us hope $ky don't get it :demon:
ITV has it until 2015, then it's up for grabs. It's good advertising for Murdoch when you think about (at a cost of £10 million), but it's more than possible they'll make an offer when ITV's contract expires. It's also possible that the numbers (i.e. viewing figures) don't quite stack up for Sky at the moment.