During a long interview, the legendary veteran commentator of Eurosports shares some of his knowledge about the job. Get rid. It is irretrievable. 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. American racers headed to Italy chime in. Wow, all this over a commentator, so Kirby sees a Quickstep rider and mistakes it for Voeckler - that's funny, it's engaging! You must invest in an alarm upgrade to BT Redcare. At least King Kelly is still there despite Harmon's departure. Please tell your friends: Ive read so many negative comments about Kirby that unlike most online petitions this one could work. 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. Eurosport's lead cycling commentator Carlton Kirby presents a weekly guide to everything that's NOT happening in the sport this year, with stories and reflections from his 25 years in the gantry. A mile from home, looked behind me, moved to the centre of the lane, stuck my arm out to turn right, got Editorial, general: info [at] road.cc There must be so many ex-pro riders out there who would give valuable commentary and insight into the races. Baseless. Kirby has however found his own distinctive and unique style which has brilliantly worked for him all these years. 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. To my mind, the motorcycles are the most dangerous because they have the least ability to stop. Im a bit annoyed at myself because I lost my temper at the time. Best known for his work on Eurosport, his voice has also appeared on BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Motors TV, Cycling TV, Speed Channel USA, ABC Australia, SABC South Africa, Canal Plus France, Canal France International and more. Yates was obviously cooked - why else would anyone work for dozens of kilometres and then give up in the final 2km? 2023 Eurosport, a Warner Bros. We cant do that when hes at his house and Im at mine. At Eurosport, because the producer maynot necessarily be listening to the Englishcommentary, theyll be occasions when I goto Sean and say, so what do you think of Sagan? and hell start mulling it over and responding and then all of a sudden well get a producing lining up a cue pointin his ear, and hell have to switch from his usual, slow voice to speaking very quickly and wrapping up his point in five seconds for no apparent reason to the viewer. Info-wise, being on-site is amazing.. Quite often you are talking while being handed a note, being spoken to by the director, and listening to race radio at the same time as well, says Kirby. They will tell you, Yes, so-and-so is looking really mentally fatigued, or, they are saying, Hes getting very aggressive in the peloton and weve had a word with the team, that is all great information. As well as sports commentary his voiceover work includes corporate videos and feature films as well as radio and television advertising. PLEASE CONTACT EUROSPORT/GCN INDIVIDUALLY AS WELL AS SIGNING, BECAUSE THAT WILL PROBABLY HAVE A GREATER EFFECT. carlton kirby leaves eurosport 2021; carlton kirby leaves eurosport 2021. 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. Carlton learnt his trade as a commentator in Motorsport and Speedway while the holy trinity of Phil Ligget (ITV), David 'Duffers' Duffield (Eurosport) and Hugh Porter (BBC) had all the cycling tied up between them. There are no points for each turn. They support his knowledge and enthusiasm behind the mic, even after so many years. Kelly will probably kill him by the end. Advertising, commercial: sales [at] road.cc It is a free-for-all. Riders having to get close to a motorbike just to take a corner. 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. 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. Among an awful lot of distractions, as Carlton Kirby explains, commentating on cycling is an arduous process. At dinner, you gather around the table and argue the hell out of it, and thats a big thing. Thus concentrating becomes a difficult job for a commentator. It is amusing that explaining this is futile, he remarks. After my tweet he at least toned that down. pic.twitter.com/TkvUUUeBXs. The blokes an insult to all cyclists. We caught up with Kirby to learn what is gained for the telecast and what is lost from these two very different broadcasting scenarios. Ill ring someone up on-site to talk to them. It's their commentators or silence. 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. Eurosport's lead cycling commentator's weekly guide to what's not going on in cycling during the lockdown. Harmon's attitude can best be described as 'wogs begin at Calais'. Every stage of the Tour de France LIVE on British Eurosport HD. Get access to more than 30 brands, premium video, exclusive content, events, mapping, and more. why must us cyclists have to tolerate a commentator who has no knowledge of professional cycling. Eurosport's commentator Carlton Kirby has called hundreds of races throughout his career, both on-site and from the studio. He has poor knowledge and really just annoys everyone. Coverage includes enhanced production with access to helicopter, on-board and superslomo cameras. 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? Harmon's attitude can best be described as 'wogs begin at Calais'. Always the hardest and most challenging role in such types of games is of a cycling commentator. But Mark Cavendish says no: what the track does is make you think fast, it makes you think within a very tight set of circumstances. CK: You need the details. All of that is avoidable if you have the right distance and the right protocol in place. As you say, he doesn't shout unnecessarily either. Seriously. Utterly self-absorbed: he had already decided who'd won. This is why he often cracks jokes and laughs heartily. 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. Hence, talking on something is difficult without matter. I could paint the Galibier and Ventoux and even some of the rarer mountains by memory. and clearly was totally clueless. because there wuld be an uprising in the country. I don't think much does get through to him, I really wish it did. VN:What do you talk about differently when youre in the studio? I have - again - sent this to Eurosport (23/2/23, with 1,871 signatures - and 1,400 people taking the time to comment!). But he's British and that's all that matters to Kirby. join Outside+. I think as well that audiences will be sympathetic, so even if they know were not there, we will be upfront and honest about it. For example, I know that Jakob Fuglsangs last name means bird song, which is a nice little thing. You get the mood of the crowd, and of the press. That is common in France and Belgium with a dedicated roving reporter from the race roving all over the peloton and having a chat. I like Kelly just out of respect more than anything. But it was here he developed the ability to call a sprint. Ive now just watched the end of Milan-Sanremo again: Aranburu wasnt in the first group behind Morhoric, so he literally couldnt have come higher than 10th. It's embarrassing now. i like the stuff the two GCN guys do, is it dan Loyd and Matt Stephens? Yes Harmon is okay and like I said - at least he does his homework on the teams and riders and hangs on every word uttered by Sean Kellyas though he is keen to learn the professional circuit. What is his cycling background ? Help us to make it better. Following a two year broadcasting secondment with the United Nations in the South Pacific he joined ITV as TVam's overnight Sports Producer and Reporter. Matt Stephens will be Eurosport's dedicated reporter on all Grand Tour coverage, bringing breaking news, updates, and interviews from inside the peloton. 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. If youve watched Eurosport cycling, you'll know. One thing Ive always been able to do is, I believe, see a very wide picture and a lot of different movement, and call those fast and accurately. We dont want this man commentating. You cant please everybody and as a commentator thats something you have to get to grips with. All of this stuff adds to the vrit of the broadcast, and its stuff you cannot get in a studio in London. As for Kirby - its the arrogance of the bloke - does he think his viewers are 10 year olds who know NOTHING about cycling. 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. And somebody asked me, why dont you pronounce his name Foo-gel-sang instead ofFoolsong. That is the way it appears. Painting a verbal picture of a five-hour race is stream of consciousness, and to be able to do that effectively, you just need to be there. So poor . Pure invention; based on nothing. Of all the criticisms that can be leveled at him (not recognising riders, not admitting he doesn't recognise a rider), being only interested in angolophone riders isn't one of them. Page 6 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community. Bit harsh, Quigley is a lot more knowledgeable. 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. Tech, reviews: tech [at] road.cc That doesnt portend his job has not become a whole lot harder. Get the latest race news, results, commentary, and tech, delivered to your inbox. Thats one of the vagrancies of Eurosport.. Also, I would say many of his criticisms are unfair and/or cruel. Well then I propose a CN forum audio livestream for the tour de france. VN:So, what really is gained by being on-site? Ive fallen off the Galibier. Can you at least extend our premium subscriptions so we can play all races, until you fix the issue? Without wishing to be too disparaging to Mr. Kirby, I dont have Eurosport or the ability to watch cycling live, so I have to make do with highlights. You have your usual office equipment, coffee machine, and sandwich machine. You have entered an incorrect email address! but the bike was nowhere to be found!" Eurosport commentator. I'm not sure if it was security, medical or a photographer who hit him, but essentially there was braking with four riders on the ground and the bike flipped before landing on the riders. Its not something thats learned, or something you can prepare for. Yep, thats my pick. For every Nicolas Roche or Steve Cummings great characters, totally locked down there are some savage bastards out there, and we love them all. He's obsessed with what he thinks is going to happen, preferring baseless speculation to commentating on what is actually happening. The man, the myth, the chosen son. Plus the the week's top tech news, in: Flying Tom Pidcock wins Strade Bianche, in: Cyclists call on council to reconsider unsafe diversion, in: Call for Scottish safety portal that would "deliver justice", in: Campaigners: Remove pedestrian vs cyclist conflict, in: Highway Code changes haven't helped cyclists, Near Miss of the Day 853: Driver of lorry urging cyclists to Please take extra care near this vehicle fined for close pass (includes swearing), Continental unveils the "strongest" and "fastest" ever Grand Prix 5000 tyre models, Brompton boss frustrated to be fighting "war of attrition" against rip-off rivals, Remove conflict between cyclists and pedestrians, urge campaigners in wake of manslaughter case, Have bike tech wars turned cycling into Formula 1? I speak no language other than English. (Clarke is a very good rider, but there is nothing to suggest he SHOULD have won the 2016 M-SR. Watch the race.). And it is at that point, Cav comes out of the shadows to mug him at the line. wow, all the power to you man! Jason Kenny has recounted to the BBC the near miss he and his infant son Albie encountered while out cycling last month. @DeGendtThomas, guanyador de la primera etapa de la #VoltaCatalunya 2019. I quite like Kirby. We have a quiet conversation about who is going to win today. They have produced some merchandise like cycling caps and badges, they get together at Carltons events. Agreed. The very aspect of commentating that requires filling the gaps spanning hours of no action is the reason. Win! There have always been deaths since the early 1900s from vehicle-related incidents. The breaks going to go up the road, theyre going to be allowed anything up to 15 minutes of an advantage and everyone else is just having a chat including us., All the other commentators from all the other nations and all their information are in the same room, so you often get people saying: Have you heard this?, with loads of things to share. Like this site? Riders have lost their ability to race, says LeMond, Nacer Bouhanni handed penalty, fined for shove. Its a massive operation. Carlton Kirby brings his True Tales of the Tour de France to Reading on Weds June 21, a little over a week before #TDF2023 , as he launches his new @BloomsburySport book, Sticky Bottle . Eurosport's voice of cycling Carlton Kirby analyses the collision between Peter Sagan and Mark Cavendish that ended the Tour de France for both men. ), there is a thread in the. De Gendt, ganador de la primera etapa de la Volta 2019. By using this website, you agree to our use of cookies. Carlton Kirby: 'Joo Almeida, who won't worry anyone in the General Classification'. Maybe it's because he doesn't ride a bike himself? Conversely, a Carlton Kirby Fan Club exists for those who love the cycling commentator. But, being in the studio means there is a considerable loss of interaction. In my ear I have a producer telling me when we have interviews, drop-in features, ad breaks and cue points.. 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. I can't understand why Eurosport need to use him when they gave at least four other knowledgeable commentators, even without Harmon. A new bike is coming very soon! On the last Vuelta a Espaa, Tinkhoff threatened to pull his team out because two of his riders - one of whom is Peter Sagan - were hit by vehicles. Thankfully, no tree roots to overcome. He is thinking Champs Elysees. Hosted by Duncan Steer Carlton Kirby's Cycling Lock-In Radio Days Events Sports NOV 24, 2021 London live show preview! The word count for me at the end is almost blurred.. You can also sometimes find your hotel is one or two hours away. Most races have one unit but the Tour de France has four double-decker units. What blasphemy is this? Joe Robinson. Those are definitely the days when you earn your corn. The schedule and time duration work differently for every sport. e-bikes are very much the SUVs of the car world with every manufacturer seemingly keen to add at least one to their range to not miss out. 4th in last year's Giro d'Italia. 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. As a Post Graduate Broadcast Journalist Carltons Television career began with the BBC as a News and Sports Reporter. 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! And within the second group, he sprints hard, coming 13th overall. They seem to think that it is enough to just talk about english speaking riders, or to 'emote' any time there is a crash, or a difficult corner. Whether they be dusty in the summer or wet in the winter, motorcycles are far too dangerous and get far too close to the bikes. He came off the corner leading, it was a right hand to the finish in Villars-les-Dombes. 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. CK:Ive been doing bike races live and on-site since 1996. They only received compensation a couple of years later. He has to engage with the directors in the ear, guarantee that innumerable hours of gaps are filled in suitably, deal with incoming radio announcements, all the while tackling an uproar of a different kind with the action around him. 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 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. We have to get him off eurosport. Being a commentator is all about improvisation and Kirby knows this quite well considering his huge range of experience. 2008present unless otherwise stated. Cavendish swept to his second win at the Tour of Turkey with another . We've asked Colnago for more details but they just shrugged their shoulders in reply. Star names like Sagan getting knocked off and knocked out of races. UPDATE: New online Zoomcast show, July 16, click through for tickets. 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. Can you imagine Paris-Roubaix with Kirby commentating? ). Uhhh, Ill say Bettiol. Minutes later, Sean Kelly points out that Padun is 'not getting around the corners well not comfortable whatsoever on the descent'. 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. Twaddle. Thus, the commentary that you hear wont come from the finish line, but rather from some television studio thousands of miles away. Kittel was completely shocked, and has been getting more and more upset as this Tour has gone on. While folk littering with gel wrappers is no doubt annoying, is it really up there with fly-tipping? And he wasn't wrong. And he has outthought Marcel Kittel here. A lot of these guys seems to have free rein on what they are doing. Here they are listed below, but we already know there will be one change - Team Sky will be racing as Team Ineos, with the Tour de Yorkshire being its first race following the management company's sale to the petrochemical business. Please enter your email so we can keep you updated with news, features and the latest offers. 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.. Tom Owen vents his fury after cycling blogger highlights verbal abuse on Box Hill, Geraint Thomas returns as domestique in experienced nine-man line-up, Summit finishes dominate opening fortnight with potentially pivotal time trial in final week, The best of the gear that's dropped into RCUK over the last couple of weeks, One carbon bike and two alloy models for 2016 'cross campaign from Chain Reaction Cycles' in-house bike brand. He is now only four short. . hatcher - are you Harmon's mum? James and Joe catch up with the chosen son of cycling commentary, Carlton Kirby.