I comfort myself with the fact that there are people out there who actually hate Terry Wogan. During a long interview, the legendary veteran commentator of Eurosports shares some of his knowledge about the job. It is crazy. It is all well having experience, but at some of the smaller races who are the guys riding these bikes? Thats one of the vagrancies of Eurosport.. A lot of these guys seems to have free rein on what they are doing. It is exciting being in a vast peloton, and the less experienced ones almost engage with it. Can you at least extend our premium subscriptions so we can play all races, until you fix the issue? Even my partner, who doesn't watch cycling, could tell who had won. The walls do move when they pile in too. He also never tells you who the riders on screen are - and if he does, he's usually wrong. But there are always other lines to cross, and he just loves collecting these plaudits and the deserved success coming his way is just brilliant. if many people would do this via twitter it could at least give a sign. For god's sake grow up the man's just doing his job some of it good, some of it bad Is it my imagination or has there been more talk about commentators than cycling on here recently? You get a sense of the weather a bright morning, going up this morning in a hail storm, and the hailstones are this big. It is really sad when you see the consequences of that. You have your usual office equipment, coffee machine, and sandwich machine. I've just discovered, after following a tweet that Orla Chennaoui had re-tweeted, that the esteemed Mr Kirby has blocked me on Twitter. Also add in several alert mobile keyholders. All of this stuff adds to the vrit of the broadcast, and its stuff you cannot get in a studio in London. Theres an awful lot of distractions to keep on top of, so if you happen to be looking at your notes when somebody has a moment and you dont see it, its not your fault., Kirby laughs. 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. Controversial! The blokes an insult to all cyclists. What is his cycling background ? Among an awful lot of distractions, as Carlton Kirby explains, commentating on cycling is an arduous process. It is just crazy the amount of automotive stuff on the go, whether that is cars or motorcycles, that are getting too close to the riders, too often. 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. carlton kirby leaves eurosport 2021; carlton kirby leaves eurosport 2021. This latest incident proves exactly that. You sit there, its often quite quiet, and you get brought an exotic meal like a guacamole sandwich. You could hear a pin drop. There's also his lack of knowledge. Now it is live pictures going onto blogs, stream TV pictures. It is guys sitting on a motorbike who pull up alongside a cyclist and say 'how are you doing?'. There are several fan forums that constantly try to have him removed from Eurosport and even made a Carlton Kirby petition their demands on the grounds of inane chatter, terrible jokes, and unnecessary screaming. In their eyes, he is one of the worst cycling commentators. Ill ring someone up on-site to talk to them. Carlton Kirby As a Post Graduate Broadcast Journalist Carlton's Television career began with the BBC as a News and Sports Reporter. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. It is a free-for-all. He inspires such devotion that he has his own fan club, yet also is on the receiving end of a petition to get him sacked. CK:Ive been doing bike races live and on-site since 1996. March 2, 2022 . He's fine when it's all action but flounders when it's a longer stage. To my mind, the motorcycles are the most dangerous because they have the least ability to stop. Me too. Hes done it four times, and I think he might want to do it again on the Champs-lyses. On the descent, motorbikes often get too close to the cyclist in front of them. The Vuelta a Espana used to be the worst of the Grand Tours because theyd have transitions day of 250km across a desert. The sights and sounds of the race and the attention of aptitude in an ample pressroom can renounce some valuable chunks for a commentator. James and Joe catch up with the chosen son of cycling commentary, Carlton Kirby. I could get 20 minutes of commentary out of dinner last night. Twaddle. Even once the race itself is over, and the post-analysis is done, theres a second race to get away from the finish line. Carlton's voice is familiar to fans of Motorsports and Cycling both on British Television and throughout the world. It is irretrievable. Eurosportreports that Kenny expanded on the incident on BBC One today, saying: Someone felt they had right of way and decided that gave them the right to kind of jump on the throttle and drive at us, which was a scary experience. Eurosport will never get rid of Carlton Kirby, he receives so much fan-mail that it will far out way any negative feedback they get from him. So, what is Scottish Cycling / British Cycling doing about this? https://t.co/rFjZ7dTFUE. Thus, the commentary that you hear wont come from the finish line, but rather from some television studio thousands of miles away. I remember being impressed during the Giro at his ability to identify riders. What a load of rubbish - Team Sky Fan !! 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 I like Kelly just out of respect more than anything. When youre part of the race caravan, all you talk about is the race. Baseless. I am very sorry but he is just nowhere near the standards of messrs. Liggett, Boulting, Miller and Hatch. Being a commentator is all about improvisation and Kirby knows this quite well considering his huge range of experience. Join Outside+ to get complete access to exclusive content on VeloNews, training plans for road and gravel, and more. You also have picture breakdowns, sometimes audio breakdowns so weve got all that going on and we havent even got on to the racing yet!. hatcher - are you Harmon's mum? (@StasaZlatanovic) March 24, 2019. Such things impact ones reputation a lot, and there is no way around it. If it goes on for two or three years, then people will notice because the freshness of what is in our heads will ebb. It doesnt take much accomplishment to understand what Kirby is referring to. There is absolutely no deficit of distractions for a commentator. Theyre the best stages, and the most exciting ones, but often as a commentator the days you take the most pride in are actually the ones where absolutely sod all has happened! If you are not interested you can unsubscribe at any time. Riders who perhaps finished tenth on a day will be livid that we didnt eulogise about them, but Im sorry, I was talking about the person who finished first. Yeah he does. 27/8/22: Stage 7 of the Vuelta, Herrada wins the sprint and has his arm in the air in celebration. . There used to be a 35 metre rule which seems to be flouted these days. I just wish we had Liggett and Kelly doing the Grand Tours. Discovery through its international sports unit, it operates two main channels Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 2 across most of its territories, and streams on Discovery+, which superseded Eurosport Player. Ive just turned Catalunya on and hes already come out with I think he fell victim to his agent, so now hes at x team. That should have been alarm bells for everyone. 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. To cycling fans, Carlton Kirbys voice has become synonymous with the sport, having become an integral part of British Eurosports racecoverage. Not much love for Eurosport commentator Carlton Kirby amongst the Team Sky ranks it seems Air pollution: London mother launches petition for second inquest into daughter''s death, Jason Kenny recounts last months near miss on BBC TV, Yoann Offredo's condition described as not life-threatening after GP de Denain crash, Telegraph article suggests "Littering cyclists and joggers could be to blame for countryside rubbish problem", Jeremy Vine's latest unpleasant encounter, 'Youths on pedal cycles' help Wednesfield Police catch thief, Best Cycling Website, BikeBiz Awards 2018, Tao Geoghehan Hart (picture copyright Simon Wilkinson, SWPix.com via Britishcycling.org_.uk), "Looks like shit. "Beware everybody, he is well and truly back!" yelled Carlton Kirby on Eurosport commentary. Kirby laughs. If its one of those days where its going to end in a sprint and you need to cover 240km, then its gonna be a bit of a drag. We caught up with Kirby to learn what is gained for the telecast. His voice tends to wake me up from my nap when something happens. Your Tour de France telecastwill look the same this year, but it may feel somewhat different. If youve watched Eurosport cycling, you'll know. Apologies it's in super annoying meme form (we couldn't find the originalsource) but this is too good not too share! Every stage of the Tour de France LIVE on British Eurosport HD. I have been speaking to (former cyclist and Eurosport expert) Sean Kelly about it at various races, and we have both had hold your breath moments. I often moan about Kirby myself, but I don't. you can't have it on while doing other things and then return to the screen when it gets interesting because by the time Kirby has noticed many minutes will have passed. As you say, he doesn't shout unnecessarily either. After moving to 30 Tour de France stage wins with four rousing victories that has shattered Marcel Kittel on this year's Tour, Eurosport's voice of cycling Carlton Kirby tells Desmond Kane why he . pic.twitter.com/bcRWeK1p3o, just merder. 2023 Eurosport, a Warner Bros. I'm constantly berating or pointing out the danger of the motorcycle. 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). A football match lasts for hardly ninety minutes, a rugby match is over in eighty minutes, whilst a basketball game takes only thirty-eight minutes to finish. On rest days we circulate to meet with everybody. He said from the rider's perspective, motorbikes get far too close to the race. At other broadcasters you still have cue points, but its usually after youve finished making a point [because youre the only commentary team]. 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. AndKirby wouldnt have it any other way, even if there are those who dont always appreciate what goes into calling a Tour de France stage. More often than not they slip into commentary which is at best nationalistic, and at worst xenophobic. When we drive to the finish well usually get on the course, because were badged up to do it, and then make notes. You are calling the race as you see it on the screen. And this sort of meaningless, demented jabber is not at all unusual I could have chosen many examples just from today. The races are only on GCN/Eurosport. ADDITIONAL: 13/4/21 - Some have said that this petition is 'cruel', but if you're in the public eye then you are open to criticism of your professional abilities - or are we now not allowed to criticise the abilities of authors, actors, sports people, musicians, etc.? Let us know what you think in the comments. 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. For mine, Carlton is the perfect commentator for the 'early shift' on long, flat grand tour stages. He came off the corner leading, it was a right hand to the finish in Villars-les-Dombes. 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. We get to see our own output with our team interviewing the riders. For no reason. In the mountains, when you have say four significant peaks to climb, the day tells itself and often all you have to do is call it as it happens. VN:What do you talk about differently when youre in the studio? I would rather have the sound off than listen to his pathetic attempts to link words and phrases together rather than comment on the racing (as opposed to being able to identify riders) about which he knows precious little. Its the art of illusion. Create a personalized feed and bookmark your favorites. Well then I propose a CN forum audio livestream for the tour de france. Info-wise, being on-site is amazing.. Matt Stephens will be Eurosport's dedicated reporter on all Grand Tour coverage, bringing breaking news, updates, and interviews from inside the peloton. You cant please everybody and as a commentator thats something you have to get to grips with. Fully agree Kirby is the most irritable commentator ever. Driver escapes punishment for alleged hit-and-run on cyclist, as victim blasts police inaction and barriers to justice. You can get every picture you need from in front of the peloton. 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. You take yourself to the studio, call up your procyclingstats.com, do your research online. Eurosport cant get away with this !! Exactly - and if you had any insight into professional riding and experience actually being a pro like Sean Kelly or Rob Hayles - you wouldnt struggle to find commentary. I think this is what is powering Marks mind at the moment. I speak no language other than English. Its Kirbys cheat sheetfor every stage in the race, with details of the top finishers, jersey wearers, men in the breakaway and so on. 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. I can walk or drive the technical approach to the finish, which is gold. Carlton Kirby is one of the successful names in the industry, recently had been a topic of gossip for good and bad reasons. For example, I know that Jakob Fuglsangs last name means bird song, which is a nice little thing. Mark is already the greatest sprinter there has ever been. Kittel was completely shocked, and has been getting more and more upset as this Tour has gone on. You can't work commentating on it for as long as he has next to informative ex-pros without some of it getting in through osmosis at the least. Uhhh, Ill say Bettiol. CK: You need the details. I've also been known to drag washing machines behind the bike and throw them down embankments, along with piles of grass clippings, black bags of household rubbish and several hubcaps. I heard him doing weightlifting once. Being on the site always gives you extra material which makes the commentating so natural and energetic. You have a sound wall battle, where theyre shoving one way and were shoving the other while trying to sound calm and interesting on the commentary when actually what you want to do is knock someone out! 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. And it is at that point, Cav comes out of the shadows to mug him at the line. Carlton Kirby pete54 Posts: 488 March 2014 edited October 2019 in Pro race For all those who can't stand Kirby's 'commentary' (must be everyone on Bikeradar? Kirby says he opens the Tours road book (the bible for riders and media alike) first and foremost, having to change all of the notes to match his commentary notes and the on-screen graphics counting down the kilometres, rather than up as the book does. Yates was obviously cooked - why else would anyone work for dozens of kilometres and then give up in the final 2km? So poor . Kittel is not a broken man, but his supremacy has tumbled because Mark Cavendish has only gone and won four stages here. Eurosport is a group of pay television networks in Europe and parts of Asia. You are as ill informed as Kirby. (Clarke is a very good rider, but there is nothing to suggest he SHOULD have won the 2016 M-SR. Watch the race.). One of the worlds most iconic cycling brands appears set to launch an e-bike. 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. We usually have to drive to the finish line, which is where the commentary positions normally are theyre like double-decker coaches all lined up there, Kirby sayd. Ive fallen off the Galibier. At dinner, you gather around the table and argue the hell out of it, and thats a big thing. And to be honest, most of us are scared of losing Carlton Kirkby in case Ant McCrossan takes his place. The commentators day doesnt juststart when the racing does, with research and planning underwayas soon as breakfast is taken. London live show preview! 2008present unless otherwise stated. Continuing our discussion of 2020's cancelled/postponed races continues, Eurosport bon viveur Carlton Kirby discusses why riding up Swiss mountains is easier than riding up French mountains; villages accessible only by ladder; the world's highest lighthouse; 70s balladeer Gilbert O'Sullivan; human . Minutes later, Sean Kelly points out that Padun is 'not getting around the corners well not comfortable whatsoever on the descent'. pic.twitter.com/TkvUUUeBXs. Its that melting pot of information that you get on-site. I think people will appreciate what were trying to deal with. Are you sure? Kirby remarks, Its not like a written press where you can write something out and finesse it and shave it. And then on day one on Utah beach..boom..Cavendish stuns the previously unbeatable German racer. wow, all the power to you man! but the bike was nowhere to be found!" Im a bit annoyed at myself because I lost my temper at the time. And then, of course, there are the flat stages and the sprint finishes. Seriously. You can do that by clicking one of these links - TAKES 30 SECONDS: https://help.eurosport.com/hc/en-gb/requests/new, https://help.globalcyclingnetwork.com/hc/en-gb/requests. He believes. You don't need to be that close to the riders to get snaps. Youre at the finish line, essentially watching the TV albeit with extra screens.. His Grand National, Murray Walker shouting in the last 2 kilometres really is unbelievable. Harmon's attitude can best be described as 'wogs begin at Calais'. OK. And then, we wait. The problem is that social media has allowed anyone and everyone to voice their opinion, regardless of their credibility. While he admits Sagan's explusion for. It is all kinds of stuff. https://yahoo.uservoice.com/forums/1698 ant-drivel, http://www.ten-tenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=85131. With very little data being sent to them, and some pretty bad camerawork they have made a good fist of the event in Spain. 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. pic.twitter.com/RRu5rosVP4, Jeremy Vine (@theJeremyVine) March 24, 2019, This time it's a driver who doesn't get the concept of taking the lane (and is caught soon after he risks an overtake on the clogged up London street anyway), Yesterday officers were helped by youths on pedal cycles & many other members of public in catching a thief (300 theft) from Bentley Bridge who security were chasing for a while. This is the video I showed Trinity School in Lewisham this morning. It is not general knowledge, and it should be. What is the point? Thats when it down to you and not the riders.. It is all clearly not set in stone at the moment, and I hope that I'm not going to have some sharp intake of breath moments on commentary just because bikes are needlessly endangering the lives of cyclists. Its not something thats learned, or something you can prepare for. You have got to be kidding! And thats where comes the utterly significant role of the commentator who not only has to fill the huge time span but needs to stay alert at all times. But he's British and that's all that matters to Kirby. Live blog: "outrageous claims" - Tao Geoghegan Hart lays into Eurosport commentator Carlton Kirby, cyclists blamed for countryside litter - Twitter responds, Colnago e-bike, Jason Kenny, Jeremy Vine on close-passes, TdY teams, Peloton baby + more. There are many great cycling commentators around at the moment, Im afraid Kirby isnt one of them. They basically work on the principle that people watching cycling in english are only interested in english speaking riders. Mark thought it was congratulations, but it was Kittel hitting him on the back in frustration. And he wasn't wrong. At least King Kelly is still there despite Harmon's departure. Riders having to get close to a motorbike just to take a corner. He threw the toys out of the pram because his head is scrambled by these defeats. Eurosport's Carlton Kirby. The most interesting people are the race commissars, and talking with them you get a lot of insight into who they are keeping an eye on. 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. Copyright 2015-2022 ProCyclingUK - All rights Reserved, 2024 Womens WorldTour Promotion/Relegation Standings, Commentating on cycling is not like snooker or tennis, says Carlton Kirby, Demi Vollering wins Strade Bianche from teammate Kopecky. Some of which have been admitted, some of which weren't. By using this website, you agree to our use of cookies. The Wanty-GroupeGobert rider was air lifted to hospital after the crash yesterday, but thankfully it seems like he's in a stable condition. Quite brilliant and gutsy from Tom. When Cavendish won again on stage 14, Kittel just fell to pieces emotionally. 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. Hosted by Duncan Steer. Carlton's voice is familiar to fans of Motorsports and Cycling both on British Television and throughout the world. 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. Proper all rounder. He's probably too much of a joker,not serious enough, but has a 'springy' voice which is good to listen to. Joe Robinson. But not today in the Vuelta or yesterday, and this is the first time I have heard Kirby commentating. They support his knowledge and enthusiasm behind the mic, even after so many years.