http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/8465526.stm

Shame theres no video footage of this anywhere?

He strikes me as a real tool.

Never heard of the fella but lad he's OK

He clearly enjoys the event and everything it's about which makes him like most others there. It just so happens he's on the telly and is getting paid to do it and that puts him on a pedestal that many would like him to fall from. (pardon the pun)
A very good reply from him to pre empt anyone calling for it to be stopped due to H&S or the likes.
It's also good of him to admit he just plain wasn't good enough…unlike my girly wife who cycled past him lying there whilst on her first ever ride in the snow ever. 😀

And are Richie McCoy, Ebry and Kaesae the other 3 members of Deacon Blue.

Oh gawd, I'll be humming woo-oo woo-oo woo-oo all day now 👿

Barney_McGrew – Member

It just so happens he's on the telly and is getting paid to do it and that puts him on a pedestal that many would like him to fall from. (pardon the pun)

My own comment is based on seeing him on telly a couple of times where he seemed to just big himself up all the time.

Contrary to previous reports – I was not the rider that he tangled with. Fair play to the guy for his response.

cynic-al – Member
He strikes me as a real tool.

Why is he a tool for coming of his bike FFS, cynic-al by name, cynical by nature. At least he's bringing some coverage to our sport and not afraid to admit hes not as skill as the other riders.

to all you who slate the man for falling of his bike. at least he took part. and brought the t.v. camaras to the highlands to film the event. he is a nice guy we chatted for a while climbing the fire track. at least he had the balls to come back and finish filming.

Exactly.
He fell off, we've all done it many times. He took a sore one and his employers no doubt wanted him checked out.
I know if I was injured / concussed on duty my employers would make sure I was checked out and then they would send me home with no option to go back. He showed up again, took the banter and enjoyed the event as we all did irrespective of how many laps we did.
Fair play to him.

Dougie Vipond's participation in the Puffer has done nothing but good for it.

He doesn't come across as a BS artist in person, but obviously the Adventure Show needs to big up certain parts of the event to make for a tv show.

Agree with the above, didn't make it this year, but all the adventure show crew were happy and chatty and not full of themselves. My only problem was jealousy about the next assignment and their campervan.

He even managed to laugh off his falling off on ice two years ago doubly funny as he was schmoozing a young filly.

Spoke to him at the finish line , he came across as a nice guy, said that he felt a bit of a fraud being taken to hospital as he felt it was a bit much.
I'm quite sure that as he was "working", his employer would have insisted that he be checked out to cover themselves for insurance reasons.
i know that the bannter on here is mostly lighthearted but as has already been said , at least he out there trying.

epicyclo – Member

Dougie Vipond's participation in the Puffer has done nothing but good for it.

He doesn't come across as a BS artist in person, but obviously the Adventure Show needs to big up certain parts of the event to make for a tv show.

absolutly. I had a few words with him – not as TV presenter to public but as fellow competitors.

Did you read the link Al? it reads well to me.

his campervan!!!!…man was i so envious everytime i rode past it back to our cold, damp, dark tent……

good man for admitting his lack of skill over the 'extreme' conditions that this race is renowned for….

'definatly my last puffer' i said but thinking now…maybe 2011 could be the last??

quite enjoy the adventure show

theyv'e covered great stuff like the isle of mull cx , mountain spirit ski fest , bealach na ba , pentlands 4 hills

it's a programme that adds some flavour to the bbc schedule

i find dougie v quite bearable, yes a media type and they all have an image for the tv and an everyday image, good effort for giving it a go yet again despite some crappy conditions and helping support scottish tourism and sports events in general

the one that pisses me off is cameron mcneish spouting all his environmentalist crap, he's also 100% against any ski development in the uk…what a munter

if you want to dislike anybody …start there

I've bumped into him a couple of times, he seems a nice enough fellow. Loves his bikes… I ran into him when he was arriving in fort william for the nevis red opening and I was heading home. "What's it like?" he says. "Quite hard" I says. "Oh ****", he says, "I've agreed to ride down it in highland dress".

I've never met him but I happen to really like the guy. I enjoy the adventure show and I think it's great that somebody well-known is into bikes.

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

As a wiser man than me once said.

Mind you, I hate him because of his campervan 🙂

envy, envy, envy 😆

Never heard of the fella but lad he's OK

He was the drummer in Deacon Blue and now presents The Adventure Show on BBC2 (in Scotland). A nice bloke. Only big fault is that he supports St Mirren.

I'm quite happy for him to ride is bike, do the puffer, bring coverage to the sport etc, like I said, I think he's a tool cos that's how he's come across on some tv I've seen.

Has anyone got a pic of said campervan?

"He strikes me as a real tool"

Like a large adjustable spanner across the back of the head? ;O)

Ive never thought of him as a tool on tv. not presenting footie or the adventure show.seems fine to me.