Is Ned Boulting any good?

Ned started on the Tour in
Ned started on the Tour in 2003. He was, as he openly admitted in his first book, totally clueless. In recent years his understanding has grown hugely and I now feel his questions are usually less predictable/tired than most. He also demonstrates insight in the podcasts I’ve heard.

His ‘Surviving the Tour’ series with Boardman, that follows on from the previous comedy features like the wind tunnel piece from last year, is brilliant e.g.
http://www.itv.com/tourdefrance/features/video-surviving-le-tour-life-on-tour
http://www.itv.com/tourdefrance/video-surviving-le-tour-the-weather

Yes, Liggett makes some howlers and yes, they repeat the same clichés and stats but they’re an institution. You and I would undoubtedly struggle if we had to talk virtually non-stop for 3 hours, and how many times would you say “um”? But the latest OPQS video with Cavendish in the team car shows how much less Sherwen knows about being inside the race.

I believe that David Harmon has put TV commentating behind him, possibly for good, and is working on other projects.

Hope you have a good day out on the RideLondon, bikeboy B-)

I don’t habitually watch ITV
I don’t habitually watch ITV cycling, although I recorded ITV’s live coverage of the two Yorkshire stages for posterity. The pre- and post-game chit chat and features were good. Phil and Paul going out of their way to commentate for newcomers to the spectacle didn’t spoil the enjoyment. So, the wheel is connected to the pedals how…? :/

As for Eurosport, after today we won’t have to listen to Carlton Kirby saying, “it’s free energy, Sean…” every bloody time riders are descending. Until his next commentary, that is. ~X(

As a relative newcomer to
As a relative newcomer to following professional cycling, I’ve been quite enjoying the ITV coverage of the Tour so far. I don’t have time to watch the live coverage and so the hour-long highlights shows, particularly when broadcast at a sensible time of day, are just what I need.

I’d watched races like the Giro and some of the Classics on Eurosport earlier in the year and found it hard going. No presentation as such, badly-placed adverts and Sean Kelly… I appreciate he is something of a legend of the sport, but I can barely understand half of what he says!

I suppose it’s where I’ve been “conditioned” from watching the likes of Match of the Day or the BBC F1 coverage that a magazine-format show, such as what ITV offers, is my preference. Contrary to the above, I’ve even quite liked the sections with Boulting and Boardman, but I agree that some more technical features wouldn’t go amiss.

Just a shame that ITV doesn’t cover other events during the year. You’d have thought with the relative popularity of cycling these days that they’d want to get in on more than just the Tour de France, but presumably it’s the same old broadcast rights issues as with pretty much any other sport shown on TV?

Sorry but much of ITV’s
Sorry but much of ITV’s coverage seems rather tired. Same old music, same old everything. Geriatric and mistake-strewn Phil Liggett now makes the ‘world of pain’ whimsy of Carlton Kirby seem like a better option on Eurosport even though that means Sean Kelly too and even though Liggett remains the voice of cycling. And Boulting and Boardman’s buffoonery takes up too much of the 60 minute highlights. Why is what seems like the first 10 minutes of the highlights them on their bikes? Jesus. Why isn’t there more from the mechanics trucks on the bikes, the tech, the riders etc. Showing us stuff we can’t see and don’t know about. Imlach is still excellent. And 2 minutes of Boardman are better than 30 of Lemond. When he finally scrutinises the action.

Slightly off topic, but is it
Slightly off topic, but is it just me or does Sean Kelly seem to think Thibaut Pinot is actually called Pinot Thibaut?

glynr36 wrote:
Don’t forget

glynr36 wrote:

Don’t forget the calculation too! Peloton full of mathematicians

I think you mean the ‘kol-cal-lation’. It’s a cycling term and it means to cycle slower than another rider while still trying to figure out how to win a stage….

I despise Leggit. He seems a twisted bitter old man. I hate his predetermined phrases which he has just been itching to unleash like ‘ the man in blue is in front of the the man in white and if he stays there the man in blue could end the day being the man in white’. Dear Lord, save me.

I think I would break it down like this: ITV4 live coverage blows because of Bigot and Sherwen. I like ES, Sean Kelly is dour, uninspiring and has vocabulary of a 10 year old, but by contrast he makes his co-commentator sound like he’s giving the Gettysburg address. ITV4 highlights, curtesy of Imlach delivers the most pithy and interesting breakdown of the tour.

I’m hoping that Jens Voight
I’m hoping that Jens Voight will be on the team in some capacity next year….