Shouldnt be that hard to organise with so many people here able to talk eloquently and intelligently for 4 hours. In the second episode of Story Time with Carlton Kirby, the Eurosport commentator reads an excerpt from his book (Magic Spanner) about how British cycling caused a seismic change in the. Antoine Demoitie was tragically killed by a motorcyle at the age of 25. Thus concentrating becomes a difficult job for a commentator. 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. They only received compensation a couple of years later. He came off the corner leading, it was a right hand to the finish in Villars-les-Dombes. It doesnt take much accomplishment to understand what Kirby is referring to. Discovery company. This is the video I showed Trinity School in Lewisham this morning. #cycling @carltonkirby whatsonreading.com Carlton Kirby True Tales of the Tour de France | What's On Reading You get the mood of the crowd, and of the press. It is all kinds of stuff. 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. Seriously. 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. Harmon's attitude can best be described as 'wogs begin at Calais'. 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! To my mind, the motorcycles are the most dangerous because they have the least ability to stop. From the Eurosports studios in London, covering the tour is not the same as waiting at the finish line. 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. -"Looks like shit. Like this site? Proper all rounder. 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. You have to say who they are, where they are on the road, what colour theyre in and call the tactics and often all within 30-45 seconds of sheer hell and manic action. What blasphemy is this? and apologises to those who don't. 00:04:00, 29/05/2020 at 08:52 Related During a long interview, the legendary veteran commentator of Eurosports shares some of his knowledge about the job. You must invest in an alarm upgrade to BT Redcare. We need to get to tomorrows finish line, and sometimes that is a four-hour drive. Wow, all this over a commentator, so Kirby sees a Quickstep rider and mistakes it for Voeckler - that's funny, it's engaging! Carlton Kirby Kirby is the most marmite commentator there is. And it is at that point, Cav comes out of the shadows to mug him at the line. You get a sense of the weather a bright morning, going up this morning in a hail storm, and the hailstones are this big. Ill be making notes when Sean Kellys driving, which can be a difficult thing! Essentially, there needs to be some sort of schooling or protocol coming from the International Cycling Union that has a proficiency test for these guys. 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The sights and sounds of the race and the attention of aptitude in an ample pressroom can renounce some valuable chunks for a commentator. That is common in France and Belgium with a dedicated roving reporter from the race roving all over the peloton and having a chat. CK: You need the details. Joe Robinson. And somebody asked me, why dont you pronounce his name Foo-gel-sang instead ofFoolsong. The races are only on GCN/Eurosport. The current situation has made things difficult, where previously they would head over to the channel to cover Tour De France, now they sit in their studios and practice social distancing and looking at monitors. As just one example, the long list of criticisms he has levelled at Thibault Pinot. His Grand National, Murray Walker shouting in the last 2 kilometres really is unbelievable. I don't know the guy but I wish in netherlands we would do it with mart smeets, danny nelissen and herbert dijkstra, who are complete idiots. Its the art of illusion. Coverage includes enhanced production with access to helicopter, on-board and superslomo cameras. Being on the site always gives you extra material which makes the commentating so natural and energetic. It is guys sitting on a motorbike who pull up alongside a cyclist and say 'how are you doing?'. He believes. There's also his lack of knowledge. Next time you watch, ask yourself how many of his critiques are aimed against non-Anglophone riders. 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. Advertising, commercial: sales [at] road.cc I don't have anything against him personally, but he doesn't seem to get the basics of the sport. Kelly will probably kill him by the end. hatcher - are you Harmon's mum? 27/8/22: Stage 7 of the Vuelta, Herrada wins the sprint and has his arm in the air in celebration. If you don't like something, how else can you change it - by saying nothing? The commentators day doesnt juststart when the racing does, with research and planning underwayas soon as breakfast is taken. Thomas De Gendt launched a solo attack from the break with 60 kilometres remaining of todays opening stage of the Volta a Catalunya, covering 163 kilometres and starting and finishing in Calella and the Lotto-Soudal rider now finds himself with a lead of almost three minutes on his rivals. I think this is what is powering Marks mind at the moment. Antoine Demoitie tragically died after being hit by a motorbike. Being a commentator is all about improvisation and Kirby knows this quite well considering his huge range of experience. Eurosport is transmitting the same amount of races as any standard european tv channel - go to Italy where it is their number 2 sport next to football - they dont struggle for professional sports commentators. Please tell your friends: Ive read so many negative comments about Kirby that unlike most online petitions this one could work. Carlton Kirby: 'Joo Almeida, who won't worry anyone in the General Classification'. When youre on-site, even though youre there, youre still watching a monitor, Kirby says. Eurosport's lead cycling commentator Carlton Kirby has called for action to regulate the role of motor vehicles in the sport following the tragic death of Belgium's Antoine Demoitie, who was. 2023 Eurosport, a Warner Bros. Apologies it's in super annoying meme form (we couldn't find the originalsource) but this is too good not too share! It's embarrassing now. View our media pack. James and Joe catch up with the chosen son of cycling commentary, Carlton Kirby. Hence, talking on something is difficult without matter. Minutes later, Sean Kelly points out that Padun is 'not getting around the corners well not comfortable whatsoever on the descent'. There are many great cycling commentators around at the moment, Im afraid Kirby isnt one of them. Mark Cavendish crossed the line first, and said Kittel came up to slap him in the back. Carlton Kirby: What inspired Chris Froome's golden era Eurosport's voice of cycling Carlton Kirby analyses Chris Froome's performance in winning a fourth Tour de France. Among the big names the Belgian put time into today were Alejandro Valverde, fourth overall and 2 minutes 56 second down in fourth place overall, and Team Skys Egan Bernal, a further 1 second back. For me, Carlton is the perfect commentator for the 'early shift' on long, flat grand tour stages. Tony Martin scared everybody with his breakaway, says Etixx chief. A lot of these guys seems to have free rein on what they are doing. Kirby continues to put his notes togetheronce hearrives at the commentary booth, reading the local press andKellys grasp of colloquial French coming into its own. There are no gaps you might shut up for five seconds or so to listen to the crowd, but thats it.. Among an awful lot of distractions, as Carlton Kirby explains, commentating on cycling is an arduous process. I heard him doing weightlifting once. He suddenly realises how to beat Kittel, working out the formula to finish first. Ive fallen off the Galibier. Conversely, a Carlton Kirby Fan Club exists for those who love the cycling commentator. CK:Ive been doing bike races live and on-site since 1996. Not that itsa straightforward drive to the finish at the Tour, as Kirby explains. You get the atmosphere and emotion of a place. 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. Also, I would say many of his criticisms are unfair and/or cruel. By using this website, you agree to our use of cookies. Uhhh, Ill say Bettiol. It is not so bad if they are in front because the rider can tell the motorbike to go away, but if it is trailing the rider and the rider comes off, there is always the possibility of impact. American racers headed to Italy chime in. If you are not interested you can unsubscribe at any time. 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. But he's British and that's all that matters to Kirby. As is seen in most cases, the primary action of any game takes place during the outset and ending parts. 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. Well, Kirby says, when its all out action on the road its very easy the problem comes on longtransition stages. The unrelenting, inane chatter (did any of us want to know that his wife had their third child by caesarean section? There are some other sports, like cycling, where the commentary has to be complete. At least King Kelly is still there despite Harmon's departure. Partly, of course, that's his job - but if you give it out, you have to take it. he's saving his energy. A piece of the petition has gained over 542 signatures demanding the removal of Carlton Kirby from Eurosports, citing Unnecessary Screaming, Terrible Jokes as one of the biggest downsides. As a small example, he started talking to Magnus Backstedt about tyre widths the other day ("weren't you the 27 mm guy?") His knowledge of most non-english speaking riders can be written on the back of a postage stamp, with the exception of 'famous' foreigners like the Schlecks, Dertie Cont, Cancellera and after this spring Gilbert. Cue points, Kirby adds, are a bigger problem at Eurosport than with other networks, with producers calling for radio silence across the Eurosports various nationalbroadcasts to assist with the editing process. We have Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche, Magnus Backstedt, Dean Downing, Rob Hayles and David Harmon (who although is not the best at least it seems he is really doing some research and background checks on the riders and teams - he is clearly learning from Kelly as they sit in the box)but Kirby doesnt even do any background research. Read our full Privacy Policy as well as Terms & Conditions. Mark thought it was congratulations, but it was Kittel hitting him on the back in frustration. Most races have one unit but the Tour de France has four double-decker units. He said from the rider's perspective, motorbikes get far too close to the race. It is crazy. https://t.co/rFjZ7dTFUE. 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. Especially on the downhill runs which is a crazy situation. 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!. https://yahoo.uservoice.com/forums/1698 ant-drivel, http://www.ten-tenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=85131. UPDATE: New online Zoomcast show, July 16, click through for tickets. "Beware everybody, he is well and truly back!" yelled Carlton Kirby on Eurosport commentary. Carlton Kirby: 'Joo Almeida, who won't worry anyone in the General Classification'. A close study of the final 20 kilometres follows, picking out key hazardslike pinch points, street furniture and likely attack points, before the repeating the study in the car alongside King Kelly as the pair make their way to the commentary point at the stage finish. Kirby has more than two decades as a commentatorbehind him and, alongside Irish legend Sean Kelly, has been back at the Tour de France this year calling the action from Utrecht through to Paris. As for the Sky Team Fans member - you wouldnt actually be Mr Kirby would you ???? Riders have lost their ability to race, says LeMond, Nacer Bouhanni handed penalty, fined for shove. OK. And then, we wait. You can use your lens. pic.twitter.com/MaRgbFKTet, The Ella Roberta Family Foundation (@rosamund_ElsFdn) March 25, 2019, @emmachamberlain at her soul cycling class. And then, you hang a look at anyone who is there to find out if theyre going to listen to you. It is really sad when you see the consequences of that. Carlton Kirby is one of the successful names in the industry, recently had been a topic of gossip for good and bad reasons. Thanks to all who have signed. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Maybe it's because he doesn't ride a bike himself? VN:Whats it like calling a race from back home at the studio? It is a free-for-all. He also never tells you who the riders on screen are - and if he does, he's usually wrong. Bridport cycles. I just wish we had Liggett and Kelly doing the Grand Tours. At the moment I turn up to a large building that has been stripped of staff, and there are just 16 people in the building. pic.twitter.com/TkvUUUeBXs. He is thinking Champs Elysees. The word count for me at the end is almost blurred.. You can also sometimes find your hotel is one or two hours away. Utterly self-absorbed: he had already decided who'd won. Ill ring someone up on-site to talk to them. As well as sports commentary his voiceover work includes corporate videos and feature films as well as radio and television advertising. 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. All rights reserved. You take yourself to the studio, call up your procyclingstats.com, do your research online.