In all fairness to Carton the camera angles being used at the finish are abysmal, they are way too high and they didnt even show the line on stage 1. It needs to be a rear view camera so we can see the numbers on the riders backs.

In fact the TV coverage on the whole is pretty poor by the host broadcaster.

I doubt very much that Dave Harmon would've turned in a commentary like that. And there's the difference.

Well........Carlton missed them catching Fugslang........we all saw it on the screen but he didn't

It was quite funny when the attacks started and he was shouting (as he does) that Froome was going after Fugslang........who by that time had slid off the back of the peloton........

Let's be fair though..........it must be damn difficult. From what I've heard from the days of David Duffield onwards they tend to have monitors that are not as good as your average wide screen TV, there's nearly 200 riders in the race, days like today they have jackets on, scarfs, helmets......you can't see their faces even on widescreen TV, they've probably got producers talking to them in one earphone and race radio in the other, they've got to converse with a co-commentator, they've got to tee up adverts and coming back from adverts, they'll be looking up info from a paper folder with riders and other details, there'll be distractions outside around the finish area if they're on site..........

Try turning the sound off and commentating yourself off the telly !

Come on swingaleg, you've been watching cycling long enough to know that Kirby is a poor commentator.

As for the last line of your quote, he's getting paid for it, I'm not I wouldn't expect him to be able to do my job (he can't really do his own).

If Eurosport hadn't spit the dummy over someone's mental health issues, he wouldn't get near a Grand Tour commentary spot.

I agree that he's certainly my least favourite........I'm just pointing out that it's a difficult sport to commentate on !

So they should have a bit of slack when it comes to mis-identifying riders and so on

I reason I don't like him is not so much that but his annoying habit of premature orgasm when anyone gets 5 yards off the front in the last 10K........he's poor at reading the race finish in my opinion...........he thinks everyone who gets a few yards is going to win and he shouts it at the top of his voice.......

2 more races on Eurosport at the weekend, as well as the finish of the Tour of Catalonia.

E3 Harelbeek, Friday 14:00 on Eurosport 1
Criterium International from Corsica, Sunday 14:30 Eurosport 2

No pictures from Catalonia today......fog and snow

Carlton and Magnus waffled for 20 minutes then gave up and they showed some highlights from yesterday and from Milan Sanremo

Have you guys seen this.

Be strange..but would help us win more medals at the Winter Games!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/26770207

That is a strange one !

I don't follow the Winter Games very much but don't all the events happen on snow or ice ?

The IOC are looking to swap events from the Summer to Winter Olympics. It'd be easy for events like weightlifting, badminton etc but track cycling obviously costs far more than most other events.

Decent result for Geraint Thomas in Harelbeke today - he managed to get into the decisive group of 4, unfortunately it was along with Sagan and two Omega Belgians, so not much chance in the final run-in and he finished 3rd. Still, Sky are already showing that they've got more of a clue in the one-days this year.

The OPQS lads look like they spend as much time in the gym as on their bikes.

The YouTube video I watched of the last 25km of H3H froze in the final 300m.

Looks like at least another frame before highlights start.

Cavendish still suffering from the cold weather at MSR and not racing this weekend.

In a couple of weeks, as an alternative to Eurosport commentary, for the first time, 5Live will be covering Paris Roubaix.

Today, BES are covering the latter part of the Criterium International, and the Volta a Catalunya finale with the loops round the old Olympic Park in Barcelona.

Live coverage of the spring classic, Gent Wevelgem, online only. Highlights on Sky Sports. http://gw.pro.p.assets.flandersclass...pdf?1395862665

I think I'll watch the last stage of Catalunya as I've watched most of it so far

Looks like an interesting last stage around Barcelona with about 10 small climbs to break the field and only a few seconds covering the leaderboard.

I always like to watch bike races in Barcelona 'cos it's such a great city !

I'm guessing ES haven't got the rights to the Ghent race as surely they'd show it if they had............seems strange for them to show the last day of a 2 day race that they haven't shown the first day of........that strikes me as being a bit like Sky Sports showing Championship matches in the same timeslot that BT Sports have their Premier League games !

30 minutes highlights on Sky hardly seems worth bothering with.......think I'll give it a miss

Raining in Barcelona

the climbs are in fact the same climb.........Montjuic, which they go over about 8 times in the finishing laps in the city

They used to show the whole Criterium International (perhaps not all live). I remember watching Chris Boardman winning one of the first years I watched.

The rain will make it a better race. Warm and dry could just be a wait for the sprint teams to pull everything back together in the last couple of laps.

Peter Kennaugh got his first overall stage race win in the 5-stage Settimana Coppi e Bartali in Italy.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/26821711

This year's Tour of Britain route announced: http://www.tourofbritain.co.uk/stage...p#.UzmxhPldWwU

At GW yesterday, Stannard a fractured a vertebrae and Greipel broke his collarbone.

BBC story on Ian Stannard - obviously he's going to be out for a while.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/26828646

Mark Cavendish is also suffering from a stomach virus, so is out of De Panne.

Eurosport are showing the De Panne race starting today......3 days with 2 stages on day 3, morning road race and afternoon time trial

I was surprised Dehaes got up so quickly after hitting a bollard just before the finish: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BkTcAB4IAAE3I6e.jpg

He posted a photo of his shoe: http://instagram.com/p/mVr59IjV1C/

The Tour of Flanders on Sunday is live on both Eurosport and Sky Sports 4......strange that they've both got the rights........

Coverage starts 11.30 AM

Think I might watch on SS4 for a change........tho' obviously they'll be the same pictures !

testing............

(been having a problem posting !)

Sky have Rob Hatch and Magnus with Brian Smith in the studio

ES are going with Carlton and Sean


Shame........there has been a bad accident with a spectator being hit by one of the riders. She's in a critical condition in hospital

Epic win by Fabian, glad that tall chap didn't make the podium, just sat all wheels all day.