ITV4 ToB Coverage

One last thing could you do any better ???

Its also not doing it any good slating their commentators

If its not wingeing wot is it, if they took it off itv 4 they wud be wingeing because its gone and whose fault would that be!!! Jst watch and enjoy if you dont like the commentators thats easy turn down the sound. At the end of the day its free and a lot more than we used to get.

Its also not doing it any good slating their commentators

Winge wingw winge!! U lot would be wingeing even more if it was not on at all. Its free to watch so stop your wingeing and get a life. U lot must have nowt else to talk about, well done to itv 4 for showing it, keep up the good work.

If anyone from ITV is reading this forum I'd like to say "Thank you". I've been off work with pneumonia since May and your coverage of Tour De France, Vuelta, Tour of Britian and even your Monday night Cycle Show have helped keep me sain during this time.

Thanks for having the balls.

The problem though is that there aren't many 'specialist' cycling commentators like you get in other sports (football/cricket/rugby etc) who are both knowledgeable and capable of providing excellent commentary (personally I think that this is partly down to lack of radio coverage which has vastly improved the commentary of football).

Because of this I think the likes of ITV, who are at the forefront of free-to-air cycling coverage in this country (as well as the BBC at the Olympics), tend towards the safe options of people who've been doing it for years or who are 'names' rather than someone who's more able. It's also really difficult for someone to make their name in cycling commentary as there are no 'lower forms' of cycling to commentate on. Look at Boulting, he was called up from Champions League coverage to do the TdF and didn't know a thing but worked in front of camera.

I like Rob Hayles - he is not long retired so can offer good insight into the sport. I think he is very patient with old man Porter. Its a shame there isnt a Logans Run type thing with commentators - just because they have been around for a long time dont make em any good. The likes of Ligget and Porter can frankly be a bit embarrassing at times - like a boring old uncle who collars you at a wedding and insists on telling you tedious stories.

Although this is going "old skool" I used to like Gary Imlach and Phil Liggett doing coverage on channel 4 back in the day

Boulting was doing the C4 Paralympic cycling coverage. I agree, the ToB is a small event really, its not world tour and the big teams don't have to turn up therefore it'll get less coverage than other stuff going on around the world. The scheduling hasn't helped and neither has the lack of forward planning on ITVs part.

Whatever the reasons, just be happy we're actually getting coverage on a free to air station and not Eurosport or Sky.

I don't think the paralympics were a factor, Because Hugh was the cycling guy there wasn't he?

But what didn't help was having it start while the Vuelta was still on and also having the GP's in Canada. To me, both higher profile than the ToB. Its a diddy race in the scheme of things. Also with the World Champs starting on Sunday, The day the ToB ends, so anyone tied up with that wouldn't have taken on the ToB either.....

Rob Hayles was always going to be part of the team. He seems to just follow Team Sky when Wiggo and Cav are both there.....He was part of Eurosports team for TdF

I quite enjoyed Boardmans commentary at the Olympics.

What I would add is that ITV decided to run this at fairly short notice and its likely everyone else was already under contract for either Eurosport or the Paralympics or something else therefore it was slim pickings.

Yup Harmon is the best. I'd go with this for a list

David Harmon
Ned Boulting
Sean Kelly
Brian Smith

That would be my choice's. If I had to pick just two its hard because David and Ned are the lead guys with Sean and Brian being more back up for them

Can you not record the show on a PVR/Sky Plus and watch it from quarter past 7? Then by the time you've spun through the adverts and waffle, it'll have caught up with itself.

We should be thankful that ITV's fourth channel can secure advertising revenue for them to put this on. Clearly, budgets have to be cut somewhere and the commentary probably suffers as a result.

I'm not defending Hugh Porters hysterical uncertainty but who is the best cycling commentator?

What irritates me (about the hightlights programme) is that the pointless chat/interviews/ adverts take up so much time that only about 50% of the show is action from the race.

He said that again yesterday. You would have thought he'd know about Rouleur...

He's today's cheese

https://twitter.com/rouleurmagazine/status/245485091495763968

I posted this elsewhere but it's worth repeating. On the live feed on ITV4 for stage one, dear old Hugh suggested the combativity prize was sponsored by Rouleur - the cheese maker.

Agreed, Hugh Porter is useless.

Yup, its shocking. Thats why i'm watching it over the tinternet on Eurosport international