I mean, we could have had Rob Warner commentating!!!
Rob Warner on the BBC...I doubt it somehow
Or Helen Skelton........
Oli Beckinsale isn't racing is he... I wonder if he has any personality though....
It's rubbish not having any household-known riders...
Yes, Warner would be better "Kileen wants this gold more than an unemployed rapist" etc
"He's gone out the front door, that was messier than a lion raping a goat!"
yeah, missing Rob right now...
Did I just hear right - someone has had their nasal passages drilled out to give him better breathing capability? Really?
Feel the need to reach into tv and slap them both
Warner would have been so funny
Warner would have been amazing on this!
The world XC guys would have been better, they're not liveliest of commentators but they know they're stuff and wouldn't just be incredulous at everything.
how many times have they mentioned wheel sizes and 1x10 gearing over the 2 races?
as i type the main commentator just said "when we say 26" wheels we're reffering to the diameter"
After hearing Trevor Nelson on the opening ceremony I think he would be the ideal canditate
Imagine you're a normal person,with a life who knows very little about mountain biking (O.k 1 out of 3 is'nt bad).
Makes a bit more sense.
Steve Parrish and Charlie Cox from MotoGP. They would be awesome.
"NIGHTMARE IN A BUBBLE CAR"
"OHH HE'S OVER CLUBBED IT"
😆
more discussion of wheel size than a bike forum...
have these guys ever riden a mtb? or are thay pure bread rodies? thay dont seem to know what thay are talking about just reading from a list of facts
and the course is lame!!!
Boardman you blaggin idiot... "650b is for the indecisive... go small or go large... make your mind up!!" in one foul swoop, shows his ignorance!!! FFS 😆
The snow border commentator is no better.... thank god for Google and Wikipedia!!! Rory Hitchins would have been better... or Rob!! ..I'm sure he would have behaved!!
I like the course, don't think they could have done more.
Commentary isn't great, esp when Boardman declared Liams Olympic career over.
Boardman you blaggin idiot... "650b is for the indecisive... go small or go large... make your mind up!!" in one foul swoop, shows his ignorance!!! FFS
I bet he won't say that when Boardmans come out in 650b
Missed it til now whats happened to Liam Killen ?
That was Chris being ironic, not daft.
Liam Killen crashed with a suspected broken ankle 🙁
Didn't Boardman lead the R&D team which helped our track team become the greatest Olympic team around?
Liam Killen crashed with a suspected broken ankle
Thats a real shame poor bloke
I thought it was a course your granny could ride according to this forum ?
That was Chris being ironic, not daft.
Yeah, sounded like a joke to me.
Possibly from frustation at having to sell MTBs in another wheel size though?
Nice one Ed...How to kill the mood "And his 6 brothers were killed in the genocide.......over to you Chris"
Nice one 😐
The ignorance in stw knows no bounds I see.
Considering that CB is a roadie at heart and Ed Leigh is a snowboarder, the commentary isn't bad. Besides, it's not aimed at the all-knowing experts on here, the ones who could ride the course blindfold, the ones who think it's lame or dull. Like all commentary throughout the Games, it's aimed at The General Public.
I like his commentary, think he does a good job. A good source of info. and facts aimed at a level for most people who aren't as into bikes as people on here.
Rorschach - MemberNice one Ed...How to kill the mood "And his 6 brothers were killed in the genocide.......over to you Chris"
Nice one
Hope he doesn't come 4th as Helen Skelton will probably say something like "You just missed out on a medal,I bet you've never felt this bad before"
That was Chris being ironic, not daft.
Nope! sounded daft to me... Unless it was a snippet of intelligent comment for the initiated??... 🙄 like he's qualified at all for that ? if he's ( he has to) to sell him self as a bike expert he shouldn't be floatin out brain farts like that!... maybe he can't help it!... yeah!that would be about right!! he's afflicted with bullshititus!
Well that last bit was daft, derbyshire grit doesn't get slippy in the wet, its gritstone, not granite... #grumble grumble grumble#
I wondered who it was waffling absolutely rubbish. He seems to be saying that everyone who gets a puncture is finishing their career.
Its like hes skim reading a guide to beginners mtbing while jabbering. Apparently you dont soften your tyres if you are racing a full sus
Liam Killen crashed with a suspected broken ankle
What section did he crash on, doesn't look that gnarly on TV, must be harder than it looks, surprised to see a few riders off the bike and running some steeper rocky sections.
650b is for the indecisive... go small or go large... make your mind up!
So he does know something about mountain bikes then.
doesn't look that gnarly on TV, must be harder than it looks
🙄
Timax: it's just his dry sense of humour. If you've ever listened to his Tour de France or track commentary, you'd be able to tell.
As for him being qualified...I think I'd take Chris's expert opinion every time. He's forgotten more about bike racing and bike tech than most people will ever know!
Well you dont need soft tyres on a hardpack course 😀
Whats with the 🙄 ???
Some nice "tabletops" from the riders...
Apparently...
Anyway, I'm enjoying this immensely. Between some of the idiot comments on here, the commentary on TV and the actual racing, it's a most entertaining afternoon! 🙂
Ah, another thread about Olympic Mountain biking, with only crazy-legs and possibly a.n.other person actually talking any sense in it! What are the chances eh...? 😕
Chris Boardman is exceptionally dry/drole, his sense of humour and his mannerisms aren't easy to pick up on if you're not used to his commentary, but the guy has forgotten more about cycling than many of us have ever known! He may come across as a Northerner with a chip on his shoulder quite a bit, but it's just his way.
As for the course... Go and ride it on a lightweight carbon XC bike with the seat up your ass and semi slick tyres, whilst also giving 100% effort and I can assure you it's not easy. Mountain Biking has never been a sport than translates to TV all that well, but that course is both very challenging in places and also open to allow overtaking (required) in others.
People that diss the Olympic course as not being "proper mountain biking" are usually easy to spot, by their lack of knowledge on anything on the subject prior to two years ago (as they've only recently taken it up), long travel full sus bikes with big tyres for local XC rides, and a complete disinterest towards anything that is slightly different to how they participate in the sport.
After the evolution of the first clunkers into proper mountain bikes, that could be ridden uphill efficiently as well as down, Short course XC racing could be considered Mountain Biking in its purest form. That is not to say it should define the sport, but Freeride, All Mountain, Enduro and all the other kinds of sub category have all come into the sport much more recently.
Boardman seems to be doing a fine job to me.
His target audience is the general public rather than the internet elite who for reasons unknown were overlooked by the Team GB selection process.
Well that last bit was daft, derbyshire grit doesn't get slippy in the wet, its gritstone, not granite... #grumble grumble grumble#
It just keeps getting better, so you recon that wet rock gives you more traction do you!
🙄 I mean FFS!
Well I wasn't having a go at the course if any of the above comments are aimed at me, simply pointing out why World Class riders are not riding the whole course, like tv and pictures you cannot get a true idea off how technical some sections are. Was hoping for some nice comments about the course instead of big headed know it alls having a go.
bloke in 3rd bust seatpin ?
yep - Boardman is blind!!! you could see the moment it broke at the bottom of the rock garden.....
yup it fell out about half a lap ago!
I think board does a fine job vs Ed Leigh who really doesn't know anything.
As for Boardman not knowing anything - really? I'd not fancy anyone on here's chances in a mtb trivia quiz.
good race, good course, and great to see thousands of fans on the course cheering them round.
Gutted for killeen - I hope his injury isn't too bad.
As some have said, I thought the commentary is fine, after all, it's aimed at the non stw experts. As has been said, Chris B does know just a bit about bikes.
I thought gritstone was almost as grippy wet as dry?
Oh dear the BBC not pandering to the STW premier division snobs exclusively.
do your TV's not have a mute button.
Fantastic race with amazing coverage and perfectly adequate commentary.
Not once did anyone say "he's got the race face on".
Paleozoic gritstone or Carboniferous?
He's not done a bad job, tbh. As previously suggested, the BBC has a duty to get a pretty diverse range of sports across to a population that doesn't, as a rule, have the encyclopaedic knowledge that is ever present on here (which you'd kind of expect).
When I've watched diving, handball, horsey stuff or whatever, I've not known the first thing about them, so commentary that your average amateur divist, handballist or horsist finds a pain, has been a certain amount of use to the layperson.
Compared to some of the behaviour (Bond, Douglas et al) of the Beeb's team, Boardman's been a paragon of virtue in my humble opinion...
erm, again if that was aimed at me, i genuinly thought that some of the comments the commentators were saying were pretty ignorant, like 'i dont well see Liam Killeen at Rio', and everyone will be running their forks hard in a race like this. I am just being picky to be honest, the commentary was pretty engaging and on topic.
Again, being fair to CB and EL. They're ins commentary box, probably shared with 40 other media types from all over the world all gabbling away. They've got 4 monitors showing TV and also timing info, radio earpieces, a producer talking in one ear while they're trying to give out accurate info. It wasn't easy, from the TV angles to see that Fontana was missing his seatpost and their attention would have been mostly on the lead pair. So maybe just give them a tiny bit of slack?
Or offer your expert services to the BBC next time there's a big race on, I'd love to hear the pearls of wisdom from the STW armchair elite riders...
Edit: +1 to what gonetothehills said above.
I watch the tour... hmmm... it was great TV this year!
maybe I'm a bit long in the tooth... been doing this mtb game for to many years!!... (blatant bluster)... but I have no ego left to start playing who's the "most techy" top trumps ?? ... I know what I know... and I say what I see? I'm just passionate about mountain biking and how it's presented!! ... that's a good thing 😀
🙂
He needs to make his mind up on pressure, yesterday he said 5.0 bar today he said they run their tyres at 28psi 😐
I thought gritstone was almost as grippy wet as dry?
Not the stuff I've been associated with. Once it's proper wet is becomes a slick as limestone but not quite as greasy to the touch.
I thought that the courses looked challenging on carbon hard tails, at race speed and saddles up. As in any video looks easier than it probably is. It's not a DH race or trail riding so idea is to be fast and relatively technical to test riders but make it spectator friendly. Overall good job, commentary acceptable but I can't believe that fontana's broken seat post wasnt spotted :-&
Well I enjoyed it, and don't know why people are moaning so much!
Ok somepeople might think the "course" wasn't hard/hilly etc and the "commentary" was poor.
WHY????
You Should be over the moon that MTB has been soon on main TV channel showing it to the masses, the course did what it was desgined to do, give good coverage of the race and to make it close racing!
That was close racing and was good to watch.
I would love it in 4 or so years time when GB has a new(ish) top XC rider in top 5 in the world in MTB XC and was asked how did you get into MTB and the reply is "I watched London 2012 MTB race on TV, so I sold the road bike and got a MTB and started racing"
Full respect to Fontana. I spotted the seat post was missing before the final pit - when did it actually go??
Speedy recovery to Kileen!
I would love it in 4 or so years time when GB has a new(ish) top XC rider in top 5 in the world in MTB XC and was asked how did you get into MTB and the reply is "I watched London 2012 MTB race on TV, so I sold the road bike and got a MTB and started racing"
Well then you'll pleased to know it's captured the attention of my road club. Currently I'm the only one that races XC.
Excellent coverage from the camera crews, and some fine comentry from my not to far away neighbour Chris Boardman.
Now how many bikes has he sold, how many gold medals has he got, how many races has he won, how many young kids has he inspired,along with starting a bike company from scratch and a bike team.
Well done that man.
It just keeps getting better, so you recon that wet rock gives you more traction do you!
Well all the stuff round me, and the stuff I've ridden in Derbyshire is pretty much as grippy regardless unless covered in moss (or someone's polished it cos the beeb are coming round). I will happily concede that on that course mud would quickly covered the rock and that could have certainly increased slippiness.
But all sports get nonsense from the commentators because they are not allowed to just not say anything because there is nothing to be said, hence the constant fallback to wheel size. But all in, great race, good exhibition track, if it had to be done in a field I don't see how it could have been done better.
I thought the race was magic, although I missed the start, so didn't see any crashes. I thought the commentary was pretty good. They obviously weren't mountain bikers, but I thought the momentary was pretty good.
As for the course, well every time I take a photo of a trail that I think is really difficult, it looks totally tame on camera. So I assume some of that course was pretty damned steep!
shortcut - MemberFull respect to Fontana. I spotted the seat post was missing before the final pit - when did it actually go??
at the bottom of the 'rock garden' about half way through the final lap - the camera just picked up his saddle? snapping off, im guessing he took the post out himself - nicer souvenir than a water bottle for a spectator.
im guessing he took the post out himself
Yes, I'm sure he was carrying a multi-tool with him.
never heard of quick release???
any way - it was the post that snapped....
[img] 
[/img]
you see the saddle upsidedown just above the tire with the post extending from it towards his arse.
never heard of quick release???
On an Olympic rider's xc race bike? Hahahahahahahahaha 🙂
actually several of the womans and mens bikes were running quick release seatposts - it makes adjustment easier if you crash. 😆
minimal weight gain rather than a DNF for a twisted post.
so didn't see any crashes.
So did most of the TV cameras!
actually several of the womans and mens bikes were running quick release seatposts - it makes adjustment easier if you crash.
That's crazy 🙂
this forum just about sums up the british mentality by the so called pro riders who wer,nt picked by team gb,when in doubt slag everything off, the track, the commentators, no doubt the stw elite could do a hell of alot better? if you didnt like watching the race you have buttons on your remote called ,mute and off, always the same these types of forums all experts, if you think you can do better, then we will all be looking forward to seeing you in the next olympics, ive heard it all before in the club i belong too, weekend warriors i can do that, most dont last 3 laps, before giving up due to a mechanical, my arse,
red being heavier - loved it. Boardman did OK IMO, imagine if it had been Hugh Porter.
I thought Boardman was excellent.
Warner has been commentating exclusively for Ceebeebies during the Olympics, don't tell me you missed it?