I know that sports commentary is a difficult job, and I wouldn’t want to do it myself, but jeez, that bloke (Ant Something?) is rubbish! 😀

It took 30 minutes of me peering at the TV, trying to work out who the GB rider was, in 5th place in the junior women’s race, before he said her name. She’d been there plainly in view for ages but I guess he was checking his texts.

No, that rider’s hands aren’t cold – he’s wiping mud off them, you idiot.

Pidcock was apparently a victim of the Belgian tactics when they made a gap by pulling away from him. No – they just rode away from him, that’s not team tactics.

And NO I don’t care if Jennifer from Halifax is enjoying the coverage, just get on and tell us a bit about the race.

hehe you’re new to this aren’t you?

I think BBC just took a UCI youtube feed. He’s been doing the same rotten job on there for years and years, never improves.

GCN have been better this year and redbull pretty good.

hehe you’re new to this aren’t you?
I think BBC just took a UCI youtube feed. He’s been doing the same rotten job on there for years and years, never improves.

😀 No, but I’ve normally only heard him on the really poor Eurosport highlights programme. When I watch full races it will be via the first internet video I can find, so with lots of Flemish gibberish. They might be talking just as much nonsense, but I’d have no idea! 😀

Helen Wyman gave Rob Hatch a wee telling off on Red Bull when he got over-excited about a ‘first British Rider’ on the Elite podium, she then listed the two or three (?) women who had already achieved that feat.

He could have been a bit more graceful about it, didn’t really acknowledge the correction and only sort of grudgingly qualified the statement next time by emphasising elite MEN’S podium.

Also glad they focused on 2nd – 4th place, that was actually worth watching! MvdP needs to do the decent thing and go find a sport he’s not quite so good at 😉

Another mainly flat & featureless course for a major championship – I hope this is not a trend.

I might well be in a large minority for this one, but I dislike the idea of adding features to CX races mostly for entertainment value. With so much stuff tailored for TV these days, I think it’s great we have this niche discipline, passed on from simpler times, of basically racing around fields.

How CX used to be done before they started using flat playing fields;

“I know that sports commentary is a difficult job, and I wouldn’t want to do it myself, but jeez, that bloke (Ant Something?) is rubbish!”

Yes it is hard, and he not just there for UK viewers, he was on UCI you tube world wide! so have to include other riders etc,
Also even more hard to commentate when you on you own and no one to chat to, bounce ideas, ask questions, which is why red bull is gen very good, as they have “experts” to help talk about the tech/training/tactics with.

It might not of been brilliant but it 100% better than having no commentary.

Helen Wyman gave Rob Hatch a wee telling off on Red Bull when he got over-excited about a ‘first British Rider’ on the Elite podium, she then listed the two or three (?) women who had already achieved that feat.

He could have been a bit more graceful about it, didn’t really acknowledge the correction and only sort of grudgingly qualified the statement next time by emphasising elite MEN’S podium.

I noticed that and went back to listen again, he had said men’s podium in the first place.

How CX used to be done before they started using flat playing fields;

Ah yes…or ‘taking your bike for a run’ as it used to be known…

It might not of been brilliant but it 100% better than having no commentary.

As I said, I generally have the Flemish stream which is much better than the English one, even though I don’t understand a word. 😂

How can a professional commentator miss the fact that a competitor from his own country, wearing his own country’s very obvious colours, is sitting in fifth place for over half the race?

The thing I don’t get is how he seems completely oblivious to the intracies of cyclocross having commentated it for so many years. Normally comes up with a couple of howlers every race.. at least for the world champs, Simon Burney is often there to correct / flatly contradict him!

Well, that course was rubbish.
The best riders in the world and it looked like…well, the best riders in the world going round and round at an airfield.
Boo.

On the plus side, the racing on that dull course was pretty good. Strong performances by most of the category winners (and the best finish of the day by the elite women), nothing held back by anyone – except possibly the Belgians watching each other in the elite men’s race, who were then punished for it by a flying Tom Pidcock – and plenty of grit and determination shown by everyone who crossed the line without being pulled from the races.

I didn’t bother with the commentary, from everyone’s comments I didn’t miss anything 🙂

I re-watched the end of the women’s elite with my son on a Polish feed, the commentary was a flat as a pancake. Just like nothing was happening.

and the best finish of the day by the elite women

That was one of the best finishes I remember seeing!!