ATTENTION.
The 80s and 90s had Phil Liggett. Ok, ok…. He was also there at the beginning of the 21st century, but by then he had already become irrelevant as the shit around Lance Armstrong was unraveling more and more... And Phil loved Armstrong. Like many others, of course, but suddenly nobody loved him anymore...
Basically, the person behind these lines became (and remained) an unbridled fan of cycling and commenting on it somewhere at the beginning of the 21st century. Various pleading and begging parents to pay for some crazy satellite connections and signals led me directly to the indestructible, supreme and "daddy" of all commentators - David Duffield. His ease of speaking and keeping pace and tension during the transmission was truly amazing. When nothing was happening at the races, David Duffield was happening. The information from the ‘’Road Book’’ and the endless line of data about cycling and what was found on the way of individual races were so instrumental for my understanding of the tactics, strategy and tradition of this sport that I somehow feel indebted to that unique voice and its sonic "appearance".
But, as it sometimes happens, the student surpassed the teacher. There, at the end of the first decade of the current century, a student entered the scene. An even funnier voice, with sharp British humor and with the right moral compass that with older commentators used to be... well, to put it simply, confused. The same style, the same amount of information and knowledge about everything. Whether it's about castles, whether it's about a cemetery or a monument on the route or simply about the race itself, the student was just as efficient in terms of information as the teacher. Just a little boosted. In all respects. The student's name is Carlton Kirby.
A commentator who came to cycling both as a fan and as an indestructible commentator of the insane 24 Hours of Le Mans race. A fan of Monty Python, endearingly grumpy and with a very pronounced British sarcasm, Carlton Kirby quickly stepped out of the shadow of the outgoing David Duffield. With a superb commentary style and full of knowledge, Carlton Kirby attracted all cycling fans and thus created certain problems within the concept of Eurosport. Namely, the localized versions did not allow you to switch to Eurosport International to listen to him…… But we were privileged in that respect. Our absolute irrelevance within Eurosport's market goals immediately put us in the OTHERS basket where we fell into Eurosport International's signal area……. And there he was.
However, today everything is easier. And how to get to that voice when watching races.... Enjoy.
And share the road.
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