why would I pick it over Orla?
Because she's over-excited, shouty and boring. But then we all have different commentators we do/don't like.
I find Ned a bit grating, he makes a fair few mistakes too and I'm not keen on his over excitement and shouting, thankfully David corrects his errors. I think David Miller's monologues are quite nice, and his racing insight is fantastic. I've always liked Gary Imlach's sombre, sartorial tone.
But, I think Eurosport do it better. Although as mentioned above, they do like to put spoilers in the headlines and thumbnail photos, you can turn off the news function off in the app which helps. I know that Sean Kelly can be a bit love/hate with viewers but I like him in small doses especially his plain talking and occasionally gaffs.
I hope another broadcaster does pick this up as it's always nice to have a choice.
Upset! Very! I watch the GCN coverage because there’re no breaks. But even if I’ve sat through the whole stage live I’ll always watch the highlights show on ITV4, AND listen to the bloody podcast. *sad emoji*
I get free Discovery+ with my Sky subscription so I guess I’ll still keep watching it. Same with DH.
I have to say that I gave up on ITV4 when David Miller came on board. I just found his monotone drawl a bit grating. I always enjoyed the other presenters but Miller to me is part of the doping generation that continue to be part of cycling that I think we would be better without. The same of course could be said of the likes of Sean Kelly and a whole raft of individuals who still are in and around the sport but for some reason that I cannot put my finger on, David Miller just put me off the programme. It is probably unfair and in real life, he might be a really nice guy but I found his commentary irksome.
I enjoy listening to the likes of Carlton Kirby, Jonathan Harris Bass and Rob Hatch. For me, they are engaging, funny and interesting. Orla Chennoaui is an excellent and knowledgable anchor. I usually object to paying to watch stuff but being able to watch all the classics and the grand tours is worth every penny to me. I grew up with the tour on Channel 4 and a bit of me is sad to see it go as it is clearly much loved by many on here.
Cheers
Sanny
Same as Wattey, I often have the whole stage on (working from home) and still enjoy the highlights on ITV4.
It's a sad state of affairs when we have a programme that's almost perfect, with great presenters who know their stuff and give out the correct info, names of riders and insight during the race. I find with Discovery it's ages before a presenter will even mention who's in a break. Carlton seems to just enjoy the whole process for himself and not necessarily for the viewer.
Maybe when we see Ned's TdF 1923 show(next week) he may mention it.
I’m guessing this is partly due to the fact that the UK riders don’t carry the same pull as they used to. Their team briefcases obviously don’t even come close to the Slovenian doctors and Ineos look like a team in demise.
Just for the Eurosport bashers….Orla is not a commentator, she’s a presenter, and a bloody good one. Her line of questioning to the pros shows intelligence and a love for the sport. The live show, Sean aside, is head and shoulders better than itv 4 and benefits from input from huge stars like Jens Voight, Evans, Contador and McEwen and have the ability to get to places Itv just can’t afford to do.
That said, its highlights montage is woeful, just an amalgamation of the best live bits. All they really need is Gary Imlach to edit/present a show for them and it’ll be perfect!
I am in agreement with @Sanny, can’t stand Millar and don’t find him any more insightful than the many other ex-pro commentators and a doper to boot.
Don’t really get the anti Sean Kelly stance but each to their own. I also think Orla is an excellent presenter who gets a lot of stick that a male presenter wouldn’t get.
the coverage that doesn’t include the Breakaway.
Ned did a good piece about how to cover a breakaway with an obsure rider, about whom you only know two facts:
So, its Weigl, the Breton rider from Team Obscura who interestingly is 29 tomorrow. Back to the peleton............
Now back to the breakaway, and its still Weigl, hailing from the north-west of France this 28 year old rider is all on his own......... Back to the peleton............
So its still Weigl in the break, nearing his third decade of life, from the area of France where, in good weather, you can look across the channel to see the UK..... Back to the peleton............
This lone French rider, who 6 years ago would have been competing in the under 23 category is till going well. So, David, what else can you tell us about this rider..............................
Could give rise to a new game of 'breakaway bingo' 🙂
As I'm not a fan of subscription TV, it would appear my "3 weeks in summer" may consist of more evening rides.
Hopefully, summer 2026 will be better than 2024 , but not sure how many aerial shots of castles or fields of sunflowers will be involved.
I am more likely to see Didi at the side of the road, though (and welcome his presence, too)
Eurosport for live and ITV for the hilights was my viewing. Will be sad to lose the ITV. I’ve followed it since the beginning on C4. I prefer the pro’s coverage on Eurosport for live ans also use the jump to function. But the ITV hilights were excellent for the non cyclist. If Eurosport had any sense, they’d retain it for a broader audience.
Orla is great, as are Adam And Danni
Carlton Kirby can f right off though. He's a terrible commentator. He seems caught out by anything that happens on the race as if he's never seen a bike race before
"Omg <insert mispronounced riders name here> has just attacked out of nowhere"
despite said rider sitting on the back of the breakaway and was conspicuously shedding bottles and weight from their pockets for a couple of minutes before
Nobody has criticised Orla in this thread, she’s great.
Have you read this thread?
…but Orla has become quite grating…
…Orla Chennaoui just annoys me for some reason
Because she’s over-excited, shouty and boring.
So there might be a free to air highlights show https://www.cyclingweekly.com/racing/british-free-to-air-tour-de-france-highlights-being-explored-for-2026-after-itv-loses-rights?utm_term=BF704E42-1C0A-4C2E-961F-1000285C0756&lrh=ccfda2f819ca2a1a1a2e6f36cd4ca6d08f0e62b9616c73c378d3388ae9c24dab&utm_campaign=A8C132A5-BD9C-4737-AC90-016639AFEA3E&utm_medium=email&utm_content=DACFF1AB-DD87-4C6A-93C7-26838869AFC2&utm_source=SmartBrief
FYI the tour de it’s the biggest annual sporting event in the world by live spectators and tv viewers.
that (the tv-viewership figure) is bollocks based on extrapolating a very small sample size & includes people who’ve (accidentally) tuned in for as little as 1 minute over the 3 weeks. If you believe the TDF people then almost half the worlds population watches it. Yeah, right 🙂 I have a feeling that figure might decrease just slightly when it’s behind a paywall.
that (the tv-viewership figure) is bollocks
"...live spectators and tv viewers..."
The number of live spectators must be stupendous.
You think that would be the case if they started charging people to stand by the side of the road?!
the TdF is such a massive/iconic event because of the fans, not because of the riders or the course. I wonder if the owners really appreciate this? There are a lot of casual fans (including me) who’d sooner find something else to do than pay to watch it. And without the fans, it’s just another bicycle race.
Most of those folks at the side of the road are fans - and the "ooh,the TDF is coming through our town" contingent will probably contribute to the next generation of fans.
Either way the number of folks watching the spectacle is incredible - let's hope the numbers of TV viewers isn't adversely affected
I’ve watched Gary Imlach get old, coped with the replacement of Liggett and Sherwen by Ned and David, still remember the original Channel 4 theme tune (and its replacement). After more than 30 years it will be a different July.
I have Eurosport but it their coverage seems quite functional and staid to me and you can tell they just lob it together with less thought than ITV. I will definitely miss Ned Boulting and David Miller (plus also Daniel Friebe tbf).
the C4/ITV programme had a warmth and charm that Eurosport cannot replicate
+ 1 to all of these. Probably like many on here I got into the Tour and following racing with Liggett and Sherwen when I was a teenager, part of the summer!
Makes the loss of GCN+ even more annoying - their highlights package was better than the current one on Discover/Eurosport IMO.
Nobody has criticised Orla in this thread, she’s great.
I am. I find her very annoying. Her target market appears to be 'divorced dads' imo. I just think she comes over very 'rent a gob' - and by that I mean a bag full of over exuberance for hire. She might well be an ardent life long road cycling fan, I don't know. But to me she just comes across too obviously as a 'professional presenter' hired to add some colour and noise that attracts a particular demographic. Other presenters are clearly doing it for the coin too, but to me do a better job of faking it that they're just fans who can't quite believe they are able to enjoy the ride and spout bollox about it for a living.
Ah FFS. First WBD nick downhill, now the Tour.
It’s July, it’s 7pm, it’s ITV4, everyone shut up I’m watching my programme, like I have for every year since Channel4. Not anymore I’m not. I don’t pay for any subscription TV so that’s me done.
****in greedy bstard paywall bolox. No more casual viewers to get hooked.
@convert I understand the cynicism but having listened to Orla on the Cycling Podcast over all of these years I don’t agree with your take. Orla clearly knows and cares about cycling.
And while I’ll miss the itv coverage I’m not sure you can simply dismiss Eurosport’s coverage. I’ve enjoyed both over the years. It’s apples and pears. And while I might not be Carlton Kirby’s biggest fan the commentary and coverage is anything but second rate.
Latest episode of Never Strays Far podcast discusses news... apparently, Ned learnt from a Eurosport colleague.
Nobody has criticised Orla in this thread, she’s great.
This is irony, right?
Another one here for the fudge Eurosport. Really enjoyed the itv4 highlights shows. Good balance and well delivered. Have not enjoyed any previous Eurosport highlight shows.
I understand the cynicism
Thats not cynicism it is straight sexism - a woman can only be in that to role to titillate men, they have no knowledge or interest in the sport.
Thats not cynicism it is straight sexism – a woman can only be in that to role to titillate men, they have no knowledge or interest in the sport.
Not at all. I think Gabby Logan is a superb presenter (regardless of what you think of the sports she presents on). I also think Dani Rowe is pretty good on Eurosport as an analyst (though I admit some bias here as I was in the same club/team as her when she was a teen and had a couple of winters with her on my rear wheel on club runs). I just don't rate Ms Chennaoui. If anything I think the sexism is the other way around - I think there are some men who don't see her failings in the role for sexist reasons.
I like Orla. I think she’s a huge cycling fan and advocate for the women’s side of the sport in particular. I just don’t like the content-light forced bonhomie format of The Breakaway. I’ll usually put on the multi-audio stream instead, even though the pre-race interviews get replayed later during the race.
I thought the writing was probably on the wall for cycling on ITV when they dropped the Vuelta coverage a couple of years ago. Sad times for road cycling’s profile in the UK. I’m no fan of sports-washing teams and otherwise wouldn’t be upset to see Ineos go, but with Sky/Ineos’s worst ever year and continuing decline is this ITV move a bad sign of things to come?
OK, hands up, I missed the negative Orla comments before my last post.
Honestly she's one of the best things about the ES coverage IMO though, and not just because I'm a divorced dad.
Maybe it helps if you know her from her days on the Cycling Podcast? Yes she has a very modern, mainstream presenting style - but she often makes some of the most perceptive comments in their analysis chats.
I thought the writing was probably on the wall for cycling on ITV when they dropped the Vuelta coverage a couple of years ago. Sad times for road cycling’s profile in the UK.
I thought this at first, but it looks like the rug got pulled from under ITV by ASO and WBD going exclusive for the UK. I bet ITV would have continued if they could have.
If only ASO had been following WBD's coverage of the DH, they might have had second thoughts eh.
I think it would be in the best long term interests of WB-Discovery to sell a slightly more polished version of their highlights package to a free-to-air UK channel. Renewing their customer base in the long-term seems likely to depend on some sort of way into the sport for new viewers. I imagine a huge chunk of UK cycling fans got into it from watching the tour on free to air TV, certainly my own route into the sport was watching Armstrong vs Pantani years with my dad as a teenager.
Didn't watch the ITV highlights a great deal as they have clashed with kids bedtime for ages and the ITV app doesn't have it on demand soon enough after broadcast - was a better package than eurosport for sure, although they were equally prone to just showing the final climb when I did watch ITV. Absolutely loved the rest day magazine shows though. If you're already a cycling fan and watch the stages live then I'd think £7 is a bargain to not have to watch the ITV adverts for 3 weeks straight.
Agree with chakaping on Channoui - she's been in cycling for a long time and when you hear her on a podcast she knows plenty - she also knows the difference between being an analyist and a presenter. She is quite extroverted though, especially if you compare her presentation style to Imlach's dryness*. Sometimes the bantz on the Breakaway can be a bit grating, but its something for them to talk about on boring sprint days.
*Disclaimer - I may fancy the pants off one of these presenters.
I watched one stage on itv 4 last tour. I think i was at my dads. I was surprised how little cycling the hour contained. I think we spent a lot of time looking at a macaron shop.
Not just me then! I preferably watch the live Eurosport coverage as it happens and then catch up on any developments on the ITV4 show later on - riders who have dropped out, and late breaking news, etc. In the last few years the ITV show has become useless for that, the cycling highlights are extremely short and I increasingly see pieces on history, the area, the food or something which would be fine if they were showing more of the actual cycling. If Daniel Friebe is on my screen then it's probably time to fast forward for me.
Also, there's a lot of people on this thread saying that they'll have more time to ride in July if the ITV coverage goes - I'm not sure how devoted you are to riding your bike if 45 minutes of TV can hijack your whole evening.
An interesting interview with Ned
Looks the ad’ revenue has fallen to the point that itv couldn’t put in a competitive bid for the rights
An interesting interview with Ned
not an interview, just taken from his podcast. I listened yesterday and Ned speaks, then there are fairly lengthy pre records from the others. All quite emotional - worth hearing. It’s the latter part of the latest episode
They’d all clearly become great friends and loved doing it. https://open.spotify.com/episode/2B1d4F8C0yha0TdTiRTMo8?si=sXpuaRLXTIKKh2lyPRjsNA
I was surprised how little cycling the hour contained. I think we spent a lot of time looking at a macaron shop.
But on purpose. The whole ethos of the ITV coverage was that it was for the casual viewer who may have stumbled across the program, or watch the tour each year simply for the scenery or the regional history, or the macron shop.
Also, there’s a lot of people on this thread saying that they’ll have more time to ride in July if the ITV coverage goes – I’m not sure how devoted you are to riding your bike if 45 minutes of TV can hijack your whole evening.
Definitely not trying to present myself as a saint/martyr to the cause or anything, as I made my choices and am happy with them, but with work/young kids bedtimes/dinner/going to bed at a reasonable hour myself to deal with the inevitable early rise of the aforementioned young kids, it really is a straight up choice between an hour of tv or an hour or so riding the bike.
the tail end of the podcast as he talks about his years presenting the show was very affecting
Just caught up with it; they're all (understandably) emotional about it. The points David & Pete make completely echo what's been said in this thread, mainly that C4/ITV coverage was fundamental to a generation growing up into cycling enthusiasts. The lack of free-to-air TdF will be a huge, detrimental loss to so many people, and like Pete Kennaugh says, it might not be felt straight away, but in many years to come. Sad times.
Phil Liggett at the start was funny af, though!
I get free Discovery+ with my Sky subscription so I guess I’ll still keep watching it. Same with DH.
It's not free.
ITV chose not to renew, which tells you all you need to know. Advertising revenue is affected by the low viewing figures, and look at some of the adverts.......Give me strength.
They'd dropped the Vuelta highlights for the same reason. Pro cycling is a niche sport after a decade when it went through a boom......
I’m not sure how devoted you are to riding your bike if 45 minutes of TV can hijack your whole evening.
Rather than getting home for 7, a ride straight from work, getting home sometimes after 9 is possible.
Yes, I know that the cycling can be recorded, but that invariably leads to not getting time to watch it or hearing the results from somewhere
Maybe Channel 4 will pick it up again at some point? They used to do some great coverage back in the late 90's with Phil Liggett at the helm.
