I just wish he would stop saying it "Tour daaay France".

Years ago it used to annoy me the way Bobke would mangle the French language - particulatly the way he said Tour de France. One would think that someone who spent 10 years racing in Europe would pick up on some of the nuances of the French language. Now, I think that he is playing with us and that's fine with me. Bobke is really a larger than life character and let's face it, TV sports coverage is at a high level, entertainment, and those larger than life characters can and do bring life to a sports broadcast that can be taking itself a little bit to seriously. Think John Madden in football or Don Cherry for hockey.

Go Bobke go!!

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

With my TiVO set up to record the stages for me so that I can watch them each night, I can get through 2.5 hours of race coverage in about an hour, unless I stop to watch the Bob Roll commercials. He is the only reason I will not fast forward through the coverage.

I loved the Bobke commercials during the Giro!! Hilarious!!!

was my hearing failing me or did anyone else catch Kirsten Gum say thanks to Lance's coach, "Chris Connelly" last night?

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Marty Gaal, CSCS
One Step Beyond Coaching
Triangle Open Water Swim Series | Old School Aquathon Series
Powerstroke® Freestyle Technique DVD

Bob Roll ROCKS!

I'm sure you've all seen the promo by now. Bob Roll's boss says "The viewers dont like the way you say "Tour Duh France".. Bobke says "Dont you mean 'Tour daay France?' Of course he knows he's butchering the language.. Its part of his schtick.

Exactly, Bob has a marvelous sense of language and humor. I think he just likes to play with people's heads. Furthermore the people who think they are pronouncing "Tour de France" correctly and end up saying "Tour duh France" are just as goofy as Bob's feigned hick pronunciation "Tour day France". If you've ever heard him speak Italian you know he could pronounce anything in French if he wanted to.

I love Bob's commercials for the Tour on OLN.

Well, I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I got no problem with Bob; I just wish he'd calm down with the gigantic hand gestures. He could wave down a 747 with those.

As for Le Tour, if you say Tour de Fraaance you're pretentious, if you say Tour DAY France(nasal AanCE!) you're a dumbass hick. There's no happy medium. I usually just say "The Tour."

This makes me appreciate the Giro d'Italia even more. Everyone just calls it the Giro, and we all sound cool. Not Fonzie cool, but maybe Bowser cool. Well, okay, some people correct me by saying, "No, it's pronounced 'heros', not gyro". They really are dumbasses.

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I love it, "Lance is eating the legs off of the competition" Where did he get that leg.

If you want a quick read...get a hold of Roll's book "Bobke"...It is a great incite into the working of the man and his mind....

After reading it you will give him the latitude of pronouncing the tour however he sees fit!!!!!

I used to idolize Yate...but Bobke is right even with him now....

Sadly, you can't find it anywhere. It's out of print, and not available anywhere.

But Bobke II just came out. Only available from Velopress, that I have seen.

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What I want to know....

Are Chris Carmichael and John Ritter brothers?

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Tour "duh", "day" who cares. In my book if someone even knows it going on and expresses the least bit of interest, then they are ok...dumb ass hicks included.

Bob Roll is fantastic, would it not make for a great three man comentary with Liggett and Sherwen? Or just get rid of Sherwen...

Missed Kristen calling him Connelly, but am getting a little tired of hearing about the men's beautiful thighs.

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The Cuban Comet
(Comets are unbelievably slow over Cuba)

I think Sherwin is great. Sure he's a bit of a stuffy Brit, but isn't that the point? I think he plays a great straight man for Liggett. What I'd really like to see is for Frankie to go to Journalism school for a summer. I really like the guy but he needs to work on his on camera skills.

I like the combo though it is too bad that Bob is left outof the action. But Kristen needs someone to help out with tour expertise. She grated on me at first - but I am getting used to her. Can't tell, but I think she is improving as the days and broadcasts go by... this oln broadcast is reeking havoc on my study and work discipline!

Ultimately, you're correct, however the race is French, therefore we must maintain pretense. ;)

What I find truly alarming is the number of women in their 40's and 50's that I talk to on the train that know about Lance and the Tour NOT because of their interest in biking, NOT because of his attempt at five in a row, NOT EVEN because of his whole story about overcoming cancer, and making a comeback, as so on. They know about him because of the coverage his marital problems have gotten in the tabloids. And they know almost as much about his personal life as I do about his professional life.

Sorry, we were talking about Bob. Oh Yes! What's with the gestures?!? (And Yes, the commercials are hilarious. I finally get the whole Bob Roll thing. He's like the John Long(of rock climbing fame) of cycling.)

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I'll admit I'm not a big Bob Roll fan, but I can take him in small doses. I was happy to see OLN had relegated him to the special reports w/ Kristen. That seems to suit his talents more than the "play by play" commentary. They used all three during the Giro, and it seemed like there were too many cooks in the kitchen.

Roll has some talent in there and is a colorful character, or characature (however you spell it). But he is a comic figure. Some people have strong on-air presence and are naturals, Bob Roll isn't one of them. We are watching his education before our eyes. He is evolving and improving, but at this stage it isn't a whole lot better than Wayne's World brings you the Tour day France. It's not really journalism. It's entertainalism. Good or bad, that's my take. FWIW.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

I think is Kirsten, not Kristen.

Here's how I rate these OLN personalities:

Kirsten: A-

Bob: A-

Phil: A

Paul: A-

Frankie: C (although I enjoy the information that he provides)

I love the TDF coverage, but my publisher is hopping mad that I'm not getting my manuscripts turned in on time; my students are hopping mad that I'm not keeping for student consultation hours; my wife is hopping mad that I'm not getting anything done around the house; and I'm lovin' life! To hell with responsibilities. This is the Tour de France!

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Do not take counsel of your fears.--Andrew Jackson

After watching the "Tour Lite" on CBS today I'm craving OLN. Good grief, who was that for...people who hate cycling?

But, even OLN needs to get into the 21st century with its hiring practices. Kristen Gum is a pretty face, but can't they find a woman cyclist who can talk bikes and racing? Maybe they could find a spot for her on the PBR show? :),

-Robert

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"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." ~Anne Frank

"After watching the "Tour Lite" on CBS today I'm craving OLN. Good grief, who was that for...people who hate cycling?"

You nailed that one!

Kristen is growing on me. As she loosens up and relaxes, the interplay is much easier to watch. I think her asking those questions allows the three experts to shine and it helps a lot folks that are new to the event figure it out.

Have you noticed how often she reaches out a touches Bobke on the arm?

"Have you noticed how often she reches out a touches Bobke on the arm? "

Fantastic call. Good times...