# Christian Vande Velde as T of C commentator



## Chainstay

I appreciate his insightful commentary at the T of C. He compensates for the vacuous coverage of Phil Ligget. 

On the sprint finish Phil made up his mind early that Degenkolb had it and completely missed Cav's charge to the line.


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## dnice

like all newbs to the booth he needs to work on timing and projection. i'm not sure with paul sherwen there that he adds that much more, tbh.


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## Guod

I thought he did an OK job for a first go. It's not great, I agree projection and timing were a little off. He doesn't exactly have a good "announcer's voice" if you know what I mean.

Personally, I like Bob Roll. I know a lot of people find him a bit goofy, but to me he's fun to listen to and he knows his stuff.

I suppose we'll see if Van de Velde works out as an announcer. He's no Gogo, but he may work out!


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## looigi

+1 on Bob Roll. I don't really mind his goofy quirkiness, though I could see where it could be off-putting to some. He is extremely knowledgeable and is very good at explaining and elaborating on race situations and happenings. I think Vande Velde could improve with practice, some coaching, critically listening to himself after the fact, etc. if it's something he wants to do.


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## Hiro11

Christian has a lot of potential. First, he's a local boy for me, so I want to see him succeed. Secondly, I think you'd struggle to find anyone in the world who knows more about bike racing, his commentary yesterday was spot-on content-wise. He definitely needs more time on the mic and some voice lessons. I'm no broadcasting pro, but Christian's delivery seems a bit choppy and his pronounciation is a bit weak.

Bob Roll is also my favorite, say what you want about his sense of humor (I think it's great), the guy is clearly an encyclopedia of cycling.


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## DZfan14

He was nervous at first, but he rallied well. His comments were more interesting than Paul Sherwin's usually are.

It's too bad really. I prefer Steve Schlanger and Gogulski over just about everyone now. Those guys do a great job in calling DS's and riders before races and in between stages. I would love to hear them calling the bigger races as opposed to being marooned over on Universal Sports.


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## Coolhand

seemed like the audio was off on the live version.


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## Mapei

VdV gets better every time out. He has an inherently broadcast-friendly voice. I'm sure there's a sense of humor just waiting to come out. When he gets more comfortable, we'll hear it.


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## TehYoyo

Coolhand said:


> seemed like the audio was off on the live version.


There were a lot of production problems on the first stage.

Christian seems like a nice guy, down to earth and all that, but it's weird to hear him break up the eternal combo of Phil and Paul. Sure, they say a lot of the same things every time, and it's cool to have a more modern perspective (vs. Paul) b/c CVV can give current anecdotes and experiences from his time in the peloton. I think he was just nervous - he stumbled over his words, seemed anxious etc. He just needs to practice, like anything else. He'll get better.

As for Bob Roll, I'm not a Bob Roll guy.


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## 202cycle

Production problems for sure. The Europeans seam to be able to deal with the wind noise blowing past the microphones. The more I turned up the sound to hear the commentators, the less I could hear them. It may have been my service provider, but the video was very jumpy. I thought I was going to get motion sickness watching it. I hope they get it figured out.

As for Christian, I think he did a fine job. He'll get better as time goes on.


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## thalo

looigi said:


> +1 on Bob Roll. I don't really mind his goofy quirkiness, though I could see where it could be off-putting to some. He is extremely knowledgeable and is very good at explaining and elaborating on race situations and happenings..


That is where he is good. It's when he is reading whatever material they give him is when he sounds too robotic/forced.


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## Tschai

"For Sure" - I think he said this 30 times. He's not good and adds nothing to Phil and Paul. My belief is that the ex-athletes that become color analysts either "have it or they don't" and it doesn't change with any amount of practice, experience or whatnot. VdV doesn't have it. Roll does, even though I can easily see why some people don't like him.

This raises an interesting question. Which pro or ex-pro would make a good analyst?


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## PDex

Tschai said:


> "
> 
> This raises an interesting question. Which pro or ex-pro would make a good analyst?


Mike Creed.


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## DZfan14

Floyd.


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## spade2you

I think VdV is ok. Hopefully he doesn't crash while announcing.


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## Marc

202cycle said:


> Production problems for sure. The Europeans seam to be able to deal with the wind noise blowing past the microphones. The more I turned up the sound to hear the commentators, the less I could hear them. It may have been my service provider, but the video was very jumpy. I thought I was going to get motion sickness watching it. I hope they get it figured out.
> 
> As for Christian, I think he did a fine job. He'll get better as time goes on.


Both ToC and US Pro Challenge have been the font for production screwups/errors over the years. Especially WRT audio. I'd gladly trade the ****ing Adobe Tour Tracker for the Eurosportplayer plain-jane video window that just works.

As for VV, he's new and sounds nervous and sounds conscious of the fact the people are listening...especially beside experienced commentators like P&P who have a very laid back relaxed speaking rhythm unless they mean to.


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## cxwrench

I'll watch the coverage tonight and I'm interested to see how he does. I was working at the race the last 2 days so I haven't seen any TV stuff yet. Christian rode in one of our cars at the women's TT today and he's a super nice guy w/ a good sense of humor. Since I was in the back seat w/ the spare wheels CVV held my Garmin cam and shot a bunch of video for me. 

I'm over P&P...at least the Phil part. I'd rather listen to Sean Kelly and his partner from the euro broadcasts.


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## seashee

echmm that's good idea..


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## LostViking

I think he is getting better as he relaxes more - could be good.

I am also a Bob Roll fan - always enjoy it when he is part of the team.


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## highroller

Agree with most everyone here - he is a very bright guy, just needs to get used to live broadcasting, which is intimidating. And he continues to contribute to the sport with this commentary, as well as his product safety work (active cooling gloves). Just give him some time, his wit will come out when he relaxes.


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## woodys737

I'll just add my support for Christian. Being so close and familiar with the characters and teams in the peloton made his commentary way more interesting that Paul and Phil. Not as polished but, I really don't care too much about the delivery. The content is what's more important to me. He did seem to relax as each stage passed.


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## Hiro11

Mapei said:


> VdV gets better every time out. He has an inherently broadcast-friendly voice. I'm sure there's a sense of humor just waiting to come out. When he gets more comfortable, we'll hear it.


I noticed that as well, by the end of the ToC, he was sounding comfortable and competant. I think he has a good career ahead of him, Sherwin and Ligett can't announce forever.


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## looigi

Agree. His voice is good and his enunciation and diction improved a lot toward the end of the ATOC. He just needs to relax a bit more, and perhaps work a little on his enunciation, IMO.


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## misterwaterfallin

woodys737 said:


> I'll just add my support for Christian. Being so close and familiar with the characters and teams in the peloton made his commentary way more interesting that Paul and Phil. Not as polished but, I really don't care too much about the delivery. The content is what's more important to me. He did seem to relax as each stage passed.


It seemed to me that he just needed to keep talking. This is 2+ hours of coverage for 5-10 minutes of real action on most stages. He shared some good insight, but would say a few sentences and then clam up. If he would keep going and actually finish his thoughts completely that would add quite a bit.


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## den bakker

misterwaterfallin said:


> It seemed to me that he just needed to keep talking. This is 2+ hours of coverage for 5-10 minutes of real action on most stages. He shared some good insight, but would say a few sentences and then clam up. If he would keep going and actually finish his thoughts completely that would add quite a bit.


if all there is to say is a few sentences, clamming up is the proper thing to do. unless one is scared of silence of course.


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## Dunbar

I thought he spoke too fast, mumbled a fair amount and I struggled to figure out the point he was trying to make at times. Hopefully he can slow down and improve with more practice. I like that he was riding with most of the guys in the race last year so he knows what he is talking about. Paul and Phil tend to just repeat the same stuff over and over.


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## misterwaterfallin

den bakker said:


> if all there is to say is a few sentences, clamming up is the proper thing to do. unless one is scared of silence of course.


There is always more to say.

"Hey CVV, what do you think of Sky, are they really the team to beat?"

CVV- "Yea they brought a strong team."

You don't think more could/should be said there? That same thing would happen every time they would ask him a question


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## davidka

I think he did very well. I'd rather listen to him than a professional announcer who doesn't know the sport from the inside.

"At this point in time.." - he needs to say that less.


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## kps88

as a new cyclist and green to the sport, I thought he was insightful. he seemed to explain things differently than I have been experiencing over the past 18 months. he made a ton of statements regarding the Peloton. I really liked him, some people are just too critical. If this was his first broadcast, some of you could cut the guy a break. Its not easy to do this live.


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## 55x11

agree. It took Bob Roll YEARS to get his voice and punctuation down. He is still far from Paul and Phil (even as Phil gets senile). In the good old days Bob Roll would put me to sleep. Something about his voice. Always entertaining (Tour-Day-France), but also very boring.

VdV is already very good. Needs to find a way to be more relaxed, more spontaneous and colorful. 

Frankly, I wish he told us more anecdotes from his racing days. Surely he has some good stories about Jensie, Cav, Sagan, Wiggo, Contador, Zabriskie, Sastre, Millar, Hesjedal, Vaughters, etc. 
And I am not even talking about doping, Lance, Hincapie, Landis, Hamilton, Levi, Danielson etc.!


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## woodys737

den bakker said:


> if all there is to say is a few sentences, clamming up is the proper thing to do. unless one is scared of silence of course.


I agree.



misterwaterfallin said:


> There is always more to say.
> 
> "Hey CVV, what do you think of Sky, are they really the team to beat?"
> 
> CVV- "Yea they brought a strong team."
> 
> You don't think more could/should be said there? That same thing would happen every time they would ask him a question


I think when Christian was asked an insightful tactical questions he answered with insight. When he was asked more general questions then he gave shorter, one sentence answers. Which imo were appropriate. Paul and Phil paint a picture for the broader US viewership who may or may not ride all that much. Christian, on the other hand, was hired to provide a more refined commentary aimed at a more knowledgable US audience.


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## 55x11

agreed- but he needs to learn to do both. And show more enthusiasm for EVERYTHING that is going on. 

My wife, who doesn't follow cycling that much, is always annoyed with Paul and Phil that their voices get so excited with 10K to go - she assumes the race is almost over, but there is still often 20min to an hour to go. 

I think this is a plus. How else do you get something relatively boring (a bunch of identically looking riders all wearing spandex riding very fast very close to each other with nothing much else happening) into something really exciting?

VdV needs to learn from Paul. And even Phil. Phil makes a lot of mistakes but it doesn't matter in grand scheme of things. He sells excitement, and class with his English accent.


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## DZfan14

55x11 said:


> agreed- but he needs to learn to do both. And show more enthusiasm for EVERYTHING that is going on.
> 
> My wife, who doesn't follow cycling that much, is always annoyed with Paul and Phil that their voices get so excited with 10K to go - she assumes the race is almost over, but there is still often 20min to an hour to go.
> 
> I think this is a plus. How else do you get something relatively boring (a bunch of identically looking riders all wearing spandex riding very fast very close to each other with nothing much else happening) into something really exciting?
> 
> VdV needs to learn from Paul. And even Phil. Phil makes a lot of mistakes but it doesn't matter in grand scheme of things. He sells excitement, and class with his English accent.


I disagree. Phil and Paul seem so out of touch that they often seem to be completely disconnected with reality. Paul seems to mention once a day that X rider used to be a mountain biker therefore he knows how to descend. All these guys do is regurgitate the same talking points over and over.

How else do you get something boring seem exciting? Well, if you try to make something exciting that really isn't then all you do is lose credibility with the audience. I watch the Giro on Bein Sports with Kirby and Lloyd. And there have been some really boring parts of that race this year. But those guys actually can carry on a conversation that is somewhat interesting and relevant that is worth listening to.

VdV has the same thing that Lloyd has going for him; which is up to date insight on riders and the roads that they ride on. I enjoyed VdV discussing the roads in the ToC because I know that he actually trained and raced on them.


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## Geezer

Given some time to develop he will be fairly good. You could hear him get better (and more comfortable) as his air time continued.


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## bas

Geezer said:


> Given some time to develop he will be fairly good. You could hear him get better (and more comfortable) as his air time continued.


Too much studdering at times.
He won't last long like that other guy that studdered during broadcasts.


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## bruin11

DZfan14 said:


> I disagree. Phil and Paul seem so out of touch that they often seem to be completely disconnected with reality. Paul seems to mention once a day that X rider used to be a mountain biker therefore he knows how to descend. All these guys do is regurgitate the same talking points over and over.
> 
> How else do you get something boring seem exciting? Well, if you try to make something exciting that really isn't then all you do is lose credibility with the audience. I watch the Giro on Bein Sports with Kirby and Lloyd. And there have been some really boring parts of that race this year. But those guys actually can carry on a conversation that is somewhat interesting and relevant that is worth listening to.
> 
> VdV has the same thing that Lloyd has going for him; which is up to date insight on riders and the roads that they ride on. I enjoyed VdV discussing the roads in the ToC because I know that he actually trained and raced on them.


I was glad to be able to download and watch the Eurosport coverage. Even though Matt Stephens kept calling Ben King Ted King the day he was in the break, it is always better than listening to Phil and Paul. Now if the promoters can just get the television pictures corrected the coverage would have been perfect.


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## Carverbiker

I thought he did well for a rookie, its hard to break into a well oiled pairing. I really liked his knowledge and experiences he shared when Taylor Phinney attacked on the descent for his win. CVV knew that TP could descend very fast and relayed stories about how he could not keep up with him on the downhills in training runs.


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## 55x11

PDex said:


> Mike Creed.


Mike Creed may be good if he talks the way he writes.
David Millar may be good. Horner could be good.
For entertainment value, I'd love to see Zabriskie. It's like watching a stoned guy commentating, even when he is not actually stoned.


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## rose.johnp

I think he was a shuddering, babbling fool. He was very annoying and irritating to listen to.


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## 55x11

I disagree with both of you guys. I watch Bein coverage of Giro and have been watching Eurosport forever. Sean Kelly is insightful but he is so monotone. BEIN guys are worse than Gogolski and Schlanger. The BEIN guys just tell you what's going on, but if you know a thing or two about cycling you can *SEE* what is going on. Adds very little to the footage, which is generally pretty good.
Phil and Paul are much better - they use colorful, exciting language and seem to be genuinely into the race. They are literally screaming and spitting at microphone in the final 1K of the race. Sometimes the last 10K of the race!

Yeah, so Phil gets senile and mixes up riders or says a wrong thing, he is still better than most commentators out there. Even Bobke improved to the point when he is better than BEIN guys or even Eurosport folks.

If you go watch some of the old footage of Paul and Phil from the 90ies, they are just as great, except Phil is less senile back then and they both have more hair.


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## DZfan14

55x11 said:


> I disagree with both of you guys. I watch Bein coverage of Giro and have been watching Eurosport forever. Sean Kelly is insightful but he is so monotone. BEIN guys are worse than Gogolski and Schlanger. The BEIN guys just tell you what's going on, but if you know a thing or two about cycling you can *SEE* what is going on. Adds very little to the footage, which is generally pretty good.
> Phil and Paul are much better - they use colorful, exciting language and seem to be genuinely into the race. They are literally screaming and spitting at microphone in the final 1K of the race. Sometimes the last 10K of the race!
> 
> Yeah, so Phil gets senile and mixes up riders or says a wrong thing, he is still better than most commentators out there. Even Bobke improved to the point when he is better than BEIN guys or even Eurosport folks.
> 
> If you go watch some of the old footage of Paul and Phil from the 90ies, they are just as great, except Phil is less senile back then and they both have more hair.


Gogolski and Schlanger are my personal favorites. To each his own I guess. Phil and Paul are over in my book. They seem completely disconnected and out of sync.

Kirby and Lloyd are probably my second favorite.


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## dnice

Gotta bump this to note that his contributions during the Tour have been unique and insightful. Example from today: the riders have the same cleats to ensure a straightforward bike swap.


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## turbogrover

CVV is getting better and more comfortable speaking in front of a camera. I like him, but I don't know if he'll ever be a great announcer. 

Usually the best announcers are like the guys I dislike the most....people that like to hear themselves talk.

I like Bob Roll for his knowledge and insight, and not for his on-camera aptitude. They're both guys you could hang out with and chat, but not great announcers, hehe.


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## burgrat

I think CVV is doing really well. I think he will only get better and he is way better than Scott Moninger. 
Today they had Chris Horner on set and he seems so relaxed and able to communicate his thoughts well, he will probably be a good announcer once he retires (in 5 years or so).


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## surfinguru

I'm enjoying CVV on the set this year. He appears to be growing more comfortable as the Tour goes on. I'm really digging the fact they are getting more riders in the booth after each stage. 

So with all that said, you know who I'd really be stoked to see / listen to? JENS!!!! The guy has such charisma and insight, he's funny and tells it like it is, how could anyone not groove on that?


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## Marc

dnice said:


> Gotta bump this to note that his contributions during the Tour have been unique and insightful. Example from today: the riders have the same cleats to ensure a straightforward bike swap.


I learned today from the 10 minutes I had NBC on during Eurosport commercials that today's stage had the "first climbs of the Tour". After LMAO-ing I decided in the interest of blood pressure and sanity I'd refrain from furth NBC checks during commercials.


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## il sogno

He needs to slow down his speech. Sometimes it's hard to understand him. 

Also, it's difficult to differentiate between his voice and Bobke when they are speaking off screen.


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## Coolhand

CVV has been pretty good, but Chris Horner has been _outstanding_ every time they give him air time.


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## 55x11

today's comment about Chris Horner's switching to diet cokes was pretty funny. I think VdV will be great. He is already quite good actually.

Also, I must say, even though it's pretentious and hip to hate on Phil and Paul and talk how great Eurosport is - after having to watch Eurosport exclusively on recent trip to Europe, I strongly disagree. The Stage 5 for example, lacked any commentary. Kirby and Kelly just spoke in generalities and didn't even comment on attacks, on who is in the break, ignored the gap information (in fact giving the commentary that directly contradicted the information on the screen) and were quite boring overall. I generally like Kelly's commentary since he is quite knowledgable most of the time but his delivery is so monotonous and uniform, I will take overly excited Phil and Paul any time. Phil makes a lot of mistakes but they are usually so obvious to anyone who follows cycling, there is no harm done - and usually Paul corrects him right away. But the combination of Paul and VdV and some additional commentary by Bob Roll, would be good. I don't care much for GoGo or the two brittish dudes doing the Giro commentary (Kirby/Lloyd, I think). 

By the way, Bicycling has been doing Tour Talk videos with Frankie Andreu and James Startt. Bicycling Video | Bicycling Magazine
These guys are GREAT! Funny as hell, and very insightful, but then again - they only do this for 15min a day.


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## Rich Gibson

Good grief all the elocution experts here on this site! Van de Velde is doing a fine job. He displays a pleasant on screen presence and possesses credibility having participated in many TDFs. As for the derisive comments about Phil and Paul, they add a unique flavor to the TDF. I do agree that's about as far as they should go though. Their specialty is France and the Tour as an institution. The other pairings (Schlanger & Gogolski) do a better job on the other races, and monuments. P&P waxing eloquent on the dry arid California landscape just doesn't hack it. I'd suggest giving them all a bit of slack and not nitpicking..."VDV a shuddering, babbling fool"...really?

Rich


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## jlwdm

I can't stand listening to Vande Velde. He is so choppy, and can't finish a sentence or a thought. 

Jeff


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## spade2you

He is getting a little better. The race is what matters.


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## Hiro11

Coolhand said:


> CVV has been pretty good, but Chris Horner has been _outstanding_ every time they give him air time.


Yeah, Horner's basically an encyclopedia of cycling. If he doesn't get into broadcasting, could see him becoming a hard ass DS for Katusha or something.

CVV has been great over the last few stages, much improved in a very short time.

Also, I love when Bob Roll says something that he thinks is clever and does a little self-satisfied wriggle in his chair. He's like someone's goofy, lovable, gap-toothed uncle.


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## ti-triodes

Hiro11 said:


> Yeah, Horner's basically an encyclopedia of cycling. If he doesn't get into broadcasting, could see him becoming a hard ass DS for Katusha or something.
> 
> CVV has been great over the last few stages, much improved in a very short time.
> 
> Also, I love when Bob Roll says something that he thinks is clever and does a little self-satisfied wriggle in his chair. He's like someone's goofy, lovable, gap-toothed uncle.



Horner seems like he'd be perfect when he retires. Animated, knowledgable and funny. Jens would also be great. Imagine him and Bobke together talking over NBC's revolving host of the year.

I always liked VdV, and am rooting for him to improve, but he better do it soon. He's still very hesitant and choppy. NBC has showed no compunction in moving people in and out of the booth from year to year.


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## TehYoyo

Coolhand said:


> CVV has been pretty good, but Chris Horner has been _outstanding_ every time they give him air time.


Disagree. Horner seems really jaded and it's annoying (to me) to listen to.


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## TehYoyo

I would rather listen to the Jonas Brothers and One Direction than Sean Kelly... what gets that guy's pulse going in a race?? Anything?? It's the same monotone the whoooooole time.


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## Dunbar

Vande Velde is definitely improved compared to the Tour of California. I think NBC sent him to a speech coach or something like that. He still speaks too fast and mumbly at times.

Horner does sound like more of a natural speaker though. I even liked Cancellara during that extended interview after the Froome crash-out stage although he went on for way too long at times. I think all of the older guys are angling for a commentator gig after retirement LOL.


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## TehYoyo

I think George Hincapie should become a commentator. That'd be really, really fascinating, scintillating stuff.


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## spade2you

TehYoyo said:


> I think George Hincapie should become a commentator. That'd be really, really fascinating, scintillating stuff.


I'd imagine it would be more along the lines of a P-Chem lecture.


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## Dynastar

TehYoyo said:


> I think George Hincapie should become a commentator. That'd be really, really fascinating, scintillating stuff.


I really like VdV, and I keep rooting for him to get better, but he is too painful to listen to. Which sucks, because he does have a lot of good insight. I think Horner would be great, but Big George would be horrible. I have listened to a couple of interviews with him, and besides giving no insight he in very monotone and boring.

All that said I really like Harris and I hope they keep him in the driver seat.


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## evs

What do you mean he seems jaded. I don't understand? He's very insightful. I liked how he talked about the mountains and how the rain kept everyone cool and that kept everyone for the most part together. He stated he was hoping it would warm up so others would over heat and thin the herd and he'd excel in those conditions. This is the insight I'd like to hear from previous pros. CVV is getting better in front of the camera but he should talk more about his experiences and how it relates to the race.


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