Worlds commentary - Porter v Harmon

[Willo]

Dave Harmon for me. During the TdF I used to watch the racing highlights on Eurosport for the commentary and then ITV for topping and tailing with more interviews with the riders/teams.

Haven't yet listened to the BBC commentary but thought Eurosport captured the drama pretty well.

Off on a slight tangent, struck me that whenever Harmon referenced Team GB during the race, Sean Kelly responded without fail by referring to them simply as Sky.

 

[perplexed]

David Harmon and Magnus B for me are the best combination by far IMO.

I have to agree the lady doing the co-commentary on the ladies races did grate on me a little...

 

[naffets]

Have to disagree with rich having been fortunate to meet sean kelly he is very passionate about the sport and didnt come over as being unintelligent and more than happy to chat.

His tone of voice maybe? but you cant fault him for his informative commentary he can read a race better tthan a n other.

Magnus has been great with his pro tour anecdotes.


Harmon and eurosport head and shoulders above!!!

 

[rich p]

Have to disagree with rich having been fortunate to meet sean kelly he is very passionate about the sport and didnt come over as being unintelligent and more than happy to chat.

His tone of voice maybe? but you cant fault him for his informative commentary he can read a race better tthan a n other.

Magnus has been great with his pro tour anecdotes.


Harmon and eurosport head and shoulders above!!!

I don't doubt his passion for the sport and the 'unintelligent' jibe was a bit cruel, I'll admit, but my main criticism is that he never says anything unless prompted by DH.

 

[lukesdad]

Porter is a numpty whereas Harmon is genuinely knowledgeable.

I have gone off Sean Kelly as he never says anything remotely interesting that isn't prompted by DH. I think he's a not very interesting and intelligent person despite being a superb cyclist. Magnus Backstedt has shown how to be the on-board expert this year IMHO.

I knew there was a reason, I like Kelly so much !

....and it must be hard to get a word in with Harmon going on, can t think who he reminds of to be honest

 

[dellzeqq]

I cannot abide Hugh Porter's commentary.

His Brummie accent, very poor rider recognition, constant references to riders' track exploits (the only cycling discipline he knows anything about), the constant over-dramatisation of virtually everything that happens, his mangling of the English language... grrrrrr. Awful.

I'd rather watch in silence than listen to Porter.

David Harmon is the best by a long shot.

I'm afraid I agree. We were being told that Offredo was at the front when he'd long since disappeared in to the bunch

Sean Kelly is Sean Kelly. The man that puked on the riders next to him and then set off on a solo break. The man who saw his rival in a sprint run out of space, hit a fence and fly twelve feet in the air (it was deemed to be an 'incident dubieuse'). He doesn't waste words.

 

[lukesdad]

I knew there was a reason, I like Kelly so much !

....and it must be hard to get a word in with Harmon going on, can t think who he reminds of to be honest

Thinking about it, perhaps we should apply for the ITV job and give Harmon and Kelly a run for their money. We could take Crax and Noodley along for the in depth analysis. Noods colourfull language would liven it up a bit, and Im sure they could afford Crackle s extortionate fee !

 

[rich p]

Thinking about it, perhaps we should apply for the ITV job and give Harmon and Kelly a run for their money. We could take Crax and Noodley along for the in depth analysis. Noods colourfull language would liven it up a bit, and Im sure they could afford Crackle s extortionate fee !

I'm free! Well, cheap anyway

 

[beastie]

I enjoy listening to most of the Eurosport commentators especially Harmon, Big Maggie, Brian Smith and Sean Kelly. They all bring something different to the party and they all know their stuff. I can't listen to Carlton Kirby without cringing, and Hugh Porter has me shouting at him when he gets the riders mixed up ..... again!

Phil and Paul are ok most of the time but ITV has too many advertising breaks (or they are too long)

Eurosport every time.

Hhmm, how long to the spring classics ?

 

[rich p]

.

Hhmm, how long to the spring classics ?

It's a long lonely winter!

Perhaps MaQuaid is right in promoting a world tour

 

[Molecule Man]

I think my favourite commentators must be these Eurosport guys:

[media]

]View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fw1MHv4uDGY&feature=related[/media]


I don't speak a word of Dutch, or Flemish, not sure which it is, but they have a great rapport, and seem pretty knowledgable.
I love the rhythm of their speech while commentating.
Does anyone know who they are?

 

[Molecule Man]

And as for the original question, I really like Dave Harmon's commentary, I think he does a good job of following the sport all through the season, so he can provide context. I'm somewhat ambivalent about Sean Kelly, he comes across as rather media-shy, so he often doesn't have much to say and frequently just repeats what Dave Harmon says, and his cliches can get a bit wearing at times ('...playing the waiting game...' etc)
However, every so often he comes out with some really sharp insight that can only come from his sort of experience, and when he relaxes he can suddenly become quite chatty and articulate and sometimes really funny. I like Brian Smith a lot too, haven't heard much of Magnus Backstedt for a while so can't really comment, and I don't actually find Carlton Kirby that annoying, but nowhere near as good as the others.
As for Hugh Porter, great for commentating track racing, you can tell he really knows his stuff, but pretty poor at commentating road racing.

 

[Belly]

Harmon for me, although I didn't have Eurosport this year...so I watched ITV4 during the Tour and Vuelta. I like the combination of Boardman and Ned Boulting, and even Liggett and Sherwen began to grow on me after decades of gettin on me nerves!
Matt Rendell impressed me with his knowledge of just about every rider mentioned, and also his analysis of the racing. He brings a gravitas to bike racing that has been missing so far.
Just my opinion!