Pair of ****, I grew up watching them from when it used to be on channel 4 every night and I still have no idea which ones which. Next time one of the daft idiots says “he’s free to fly” again I’m going to kill a kitten, its usually accompanied by Contadors brief attack being pulled straight back.

The ITV4 team sound like they would be great on the race commentary – but wasn’t CB part of the outfit who massacred the olympic roadrace last year? Technical difficulties, but as bad as Phil is, he must have to work under similar conditions. It sounds like he is often working off the same pictures that we’re seeing on the TV?

Everyone else on itv4 are great. That pair are past it now.

Hugh porter and millar were great during the worlds last year. Hugh porter injecting the excitement with his tone and millar providing considered insight.

The ITV4 team sound like they would be great on the race commentary – but wasn’t CB part of the outfit who massacred the olympic roadrace last year? Technical difficulties, but as bad as Phil is, he must have to work under similar conditions. It sounds like he is often working off the same pictures that we’re seeing on the TV?

Chris Boardman did the commentary for the Olympic Road Race and the MTBing. The road race had horrendous problems with race radio, I’ll cut him some slack for that.
Personally I thought he was good in the MTB but a few people complained about his dry delivery. I like him, he’s very deadpan but he’s better as a post-race analyst than a commentator.

I agree Boardman’s style probably doesn’t suit live commentary; if Imlach is dry then Boardman is dessicated. And yes the Olympics was a shambles for technical reasons not down to individuals. At the risk of mitigating my hatred of Waldorf and Statler I expect that you tire of anyone you hear commentating regularly, as their mannerisms and regular phrases begin to irk. I can’t stand the idiots that cover MotoGP on BBC Steve “I was Barry Sheene’s team mate” Parrish and Charlie “I drove cars in Australia” Cox, they only have to talk for 45 minutes a week but are still a collection of cliches and stock phrases- “back across the stripe” “get them all in the back of a van”, “a puffteenth between them” “XXX horse power through a contact patch the size of your palm” etc ad nauseum.

I’m rather disappointed that I’ve not heard Paul Sherwen use the phrase ‘job of work’ this Tour.

Liggets been commentating badly for 30 years plus now and I feel like i’ve sat through every bloody minute of it. At least Sherwin had a fairly desent profesional career which gives him some credibility.
But Sean Kelly was a brilliant rider. There’s not much he doesn’t know about bike racing. I’ve got my Skil jersey from the early 80’s that I bought because of him.

Doesn’t fit anymore though. 🙁

I think my favourite Liggett quote so far this tour is, “the Manx missile has launched and when that happens, there’s no catching him…. and Kittel wins….”

I’m surprised they weren’t on an ad break.

BBC Steve “I was Barry Sheene’s team mate” Parrish and Charlie “I drove cars in Australia” Cox

Parish isn’t too bad but Cox is awful. Despite it not being live I watch it on Eurosport. Ryder, Moody and Spalding are in a completely different league.

This thread was running through my mind on my evening road ride, I ended up mentally commentating my ride through the eys of Phil & Paul.

Several times, Phil, he’s had to dig deep into his suitcase of courage in this, the sport of professional Strava bike racing.
That’s right, Paul, he’s asking the engine room for more power and slowly but surely he’s getting that big diesel engine ticking and slowly clawing back the gap.

Well Phil, he’s taking all kinds of risks on the treacherous Col de Whaley Bridge descent but as a former mountain biker he’s got superb descending skills and he knows he can do it.

Well OK, I found it mildly amusing, it passed the time. 😉

Ligett and Sherwen are just embarrassing tbh-they miss so much that they just cone across as unable to cope with the demands of modern commentary. Kirby is a **** too. Best commentator by far for me is David Harmon-unfortunately he is suffering from depression so is on leave indefinitely.

he only talks when Carlton prompts him

Just watching a replay of the coverage and this is so true! Still better than Ligget.

Ligett …and the road is straight into the wind all the way to finish
Sherwin …as they take the right turn out of the headwind

I almost cried

Boardman’s an undiscovered comedy genius, I’m convinced of this. He did this little short skit on ITV4 a while back about cycling clothing and it was soooo subtly wryly funny, in a closely-knowing-North-West-of-England funny kind of way.

We need more Boardman. The guy is ace.

Hugh porter and millar were great during the worlds last year. Hugh porter injecting the excitement with his tone and millar providing considered insight.

God knows why Robert isn’t commentating. He’s head and shoulders above everyone IMO. Zero BS and so much insight.

It was David and not Robert at the worlds, iirc. Sure Robert would be good though.

You have to laugh when Phil describes Cannondale as Cannonball and Quick Step as Quick Stop 😀

Maybe he is UK Cycling Expert on twitter!

Phil liggett isn’t bad. He still has the enthusiasm, although he does seem to be missing a lot of things these day. Paul Sherwen is getting a bit annoying though. The least he could do would be to come up with some new phrases each year but he just regurgitates the ones again and again.

My favourite : His legs are writing cheques his body just can’t cash.

Love them both, but sometimes there is a whole world of pain involved in listening to them both. Ligget was interviewed for cycling, mentioned Ligget bingo and knows he says them, knows people play the game, but as he says, the comments are spontaneous and he can’t help them. I like that.

And besides, bike racing, except for a few choice moments, tends to be pretty dreary. Just watching the one hour hilights does not tell the whole story…

I’m missing Hammond’s analysis to be honest. Boardman doesn’t do it for me. After all, he was a time trialist above all else. Maybe it’s just his dour demeanor.

Hammond takes the trophy for dreariness though. Suspect he might have been banned from the airwaves for those awful shirts he sported last year 😉