The best BBC sports podcast by a mile.
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“The grand tour reporting is world class. Ditto the world champs. After one full year since its improvement at the Giro 2018, it has maintained its high standards with only a few glitches (some tiny, one big) along the way. And it has also managed to evolve beyond the painful 'bants' and blokeiness it was sometimes guilty of in the past (and which still afflicts most other BBC sports podcasts).
Tom and Gareth both make excellent hosts, but with the latter perhaps....over...emphasising...his...diction. I noticed this happened a lot in the early to mid stages of the Giro 2019 when nothing much happened and it's maybe due to his desire to make the racing sound more dramatic than it was. He doesn't need to worry. Listners will, most likely, be cyclists who follow the sport and understand the cadence of a grand tour. It also means Gareth sounds like he's giving more weight to speculation (even conspiracy theories) than he probably intends. Unfortunate, but, like I said, a very minor glitch.
The big glitch? It's cycling's Achille's Heel: doping. Bespoke covers the factual news reporting of the story very well but it was painful to hear Jonathan Vaughters involved in some episodes—even though he talked sense about doping—but with no mention of his use of EPO on US Postal. You have to be upfront about these things or else it sounds like you're whitewashing history. There's also an interesting but lazy groupthink emerging amongst journalists that drug doping isn't as serious as mechanical. It was epitomised by Laura Winter and Jeremy Whittle on the Stage 18 Giro episode, Presenting mechanical versus chemical doping as a binary choice with the former (almost no evidence) being more serious than the latter (wrecked the sport, perhaps for ever) is ridiculous. it's perhaps testament to the fact that most British cycling jouralists are also committed fans of the sport and, for example, prone to give sympathetic hearings to Lance Armstrong's attempt to present himself as the victim. The BBC needs to remember its shameful reporting of cycling during the LA era. Bespoke's producer could perhaps think more carefully about how such the discussions are framed and, if necessary, step into segment to insist the host does not let the groupthink dominate.”Read full review »
MBelderson via Apple Podcasts ·
Great Britain ·
05/31/19
More reviews of BeSpoke: at the Tour de France
“Access to Geraint is better than any other media and a nice mix of insight from the assembled team. Am I imagining it though or were they longer last year? Another 15 minutes on average please. Also, you should play out with “Fact and Fiction” by Twelfth Night.”
Wary Gary via Apple Podcasts ·
Great Britain ·
07/22/18
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“Really enjoyed following this during the Tour de France and it brings back great memories of climbing Izoard, especially Simon Brotherton’s excellent commentary. Had it on in the car driving back from half-term with the family. My wife found it geeky but I caught her chuckling now and then. Good...”Read full review »
Baggiboy via Apple Podcasts ·
Great Britain ·
11/10/17
“Held back by it’s presenter’s frequent over-hyping of events, for example: "Anything the Lions can do, Geraint Thomas can do better”, or “(GT) is Team Sky’s new leader”. Plus his determination to plumb new depths of shallowness: "That would sting” on Valverde’s possibly career-ending injuries....”Read full review »
MBelderson via Apple Podcasts ·
Great Britain ·
07/02/17
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