disenchantedguy

In your opinion, who is each OLN commentator’s favorite rider? After watching the Tour on OLN for the last few years (which I think they have done a great job, it is certainly better than NO COVERAGE!) it is certainly obvious that Lance gets 99.99% of the coverage, but if you listen carefully you will notice that each commentator has a "favorite" that he readily heaps praise on.

Phil--Any Australian; especially Cadel Evans
Paul--Any Australian; especially Stuart O'Grady and Baden Cooke
Bob--Juan Antonio Flecha
Al--??? Hard to tell with Al, he seems to mention Joseba Beloki quite often.

Your choices?

OrionKhan

While watching another race in the past, I actually remember Paul saying that George Hincapie was one of his favorite riders.

Crack'n'fail

Paul and George love Hincapie and until recently David Millar.

Obviously Bob is in love with Lance

Al, I don't know if he even knows the difference between the riders.

jitteringjr

Phil always has good things to say about Jens Voigt

TCR

Phil and Paul like all the riders except for a few here and there. Bobke likes them all as long as they're not French. Al doesn't have a clue so it doesn't really matter!

Crack'n'fail

Paul and George?

Ha!!

I meang Paul and Phil. Although after their little spat today, I'm not so sure Phil's as high on Georgie as Paul.

Allen H

what spat? Did I miss something??

jbonus

David Millar was always in the running commentary by Paul & Phil; but, since Millar's suspended they've seem to taken a liking to the Aussies. Bob & Al: who will they root for next year, if there is a "next year" on OLN? It would've been Basso but Riis sealed the deal for him in style.

Crack'n'fail

Phil just mentioned that he didn't think George was very sporting in the way that he wond the stage. Paul said for the first time ever he was going to disagree with him, saying that George did what he had to do to win the Tour. Funny thing is that Paul said he only did that tactic once in his career and it was when he won the British Championships.

Allen H

Thanks, crack'n'fail. I did miss that.

daytonian

In the book it's not about the bike it talks about Bob Roll riding with Lance in the mountains by the tour of Georgia after Lance's recovery from cancer. I believe Lance states in the book that on a ride with Roll he felt he had gotten his power back. I imagine they are friends? Am I wrong?

disenchantedguy

Bob talks about it in Bobke II also. It is obvious that Lance is his favorite and they are most certainly friends. Was it today when he was giving that "bird of prey swooping down and grabbing the meat of the tour" analogy, with his hands in the shape of talons? Hilarious.

Crack'n'fail

It was the Tour du Pont that the road had been in. The ride was on Beech Mountain in North Carolina if I remember correctly, it's near (if not right in) Boone.

DieselDan

If I may add, Bob Roll has a more personal connection to Lance Armstrong because of that training camp that Lance, Chris Carmicheal, and Roll did in Bonne in 1998. Bob told the story last night, and Lance told it in his first book, how he rode with Lance for days in the rain. Suddenly, Lance's legs came to him. Kind of a Zen moment that you had to be there to understand.

Crack'n'fail

I believe this is what the original poster was referring to. Lance was really struggling and considering quitting. Bob convinced him to go and do the ride to Beech Mountain where some of the paint was still on the roads saying "Go Lance," etc. He then proceeded to mash up the climb and begin his comeback. The rest, as they say, is history.