It's green, bumpy, and has trees on it
Jul. 17th, 2009 12:27 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stephbgIt's France. My new-found friend Le Tour continues and I'm getting quite fond of its company in the evenings.
Yes, it's sport, but I'm beginning to realise what makes this event so attractive.
The Commentary
"He's reaching into his suitcase of courage now..."
This little gem of sporting commentary caught my ear because it stood out quite suddenly in the field of really quite sensible comments about the race, the riders, tactics, teams, race history, the course, the countryside, the spectators, and the coverage. A cross-country event like this has the advantage over arena-based sports of shifting background to add colour. It's also a relief to not be bombarded with jingoistic hyperbole and irritating nicknames all ending in -o. The commentators are refreshingly even-handed in their words and demonstrate no noticeable national bias. There's enthusiasm without hysterics, and... I dunno (it's getting late), something else good without something else bad.
I've been aware for some time that the commercial sports coverage we usually get in Australia is just awful (remember the last Olympics?), but it's been a long time since I've heard extended coverage as it should be. Such a relief.
The Production
First-person shooter video game angles aside, the coverage is very nicely produced, with comfortable cuts between aerial and sundry road POVs. It's not covered in heavy-metal music; rather the audio background track of cheering and the whirring of wheels is quite soothing. It's nice to look at, although sometimes it's a challenge to identify which rider the commentators are referring to; much of the field is still an undifferentiated rainbow, although I'm starting to see patterns in the teamwork near the end of the stages. OK, I can see diagonal slashes of colour, but that's starting to mean something.
The Art
The roadside art is lots of fun, occasionally very cool, sometimes a bit wobbly, and frequently amusing. I love the fact that much of it is designed for an aerial perspective. Tonight's highlights included a giant bicycle picked out in traffic cones. A classic subject, but food for thought when the camera zoomed in on the very spikey seat. Ouch.
The Bodies
Part of the fun of watching the Olympics is seeing what selection and specialisation can do to the human body. Gymnasts and sprinters and weightlifters oh my! Cyclists are bulgy in interesting places--like their triceps--but I do worry about the poor lads chafing. I hope there's enough hot water in some of these village stops to go around at night. And they do this day after day. Physio support personnel: I salute you.
Yes, it's sport, but I'm beginning to realise what makes this event so attractive.
The Commentary
"He's reaching into his suitcase of courage now..."
This little gem of sporting commentary caught my ear because it stood out quite suddenly in the field of really quite sensible comments about the race, the riders, tactics, teams, race history, the course, the countryside, the spectators, and the coverage. A cross-country event like this has the advantage over arena-based sports of shifting background to add colour. It's also a relief to not be bombarded with jingoistic hyperbole and irritating nicknames all ending in -o. The commentators are refreshingly even-handed in their words and demonstrate no noticeable national bias. There's enthusiasm without hysterics, and... I dunno (it's getting late), something else good without something else bad.
I've been aware for some time that the commercial sports coverage we usually get in Australia is just awful (remember the last Olympics?), but it's been a long time since I've heard extended coverage as it should be. Such a relief.
The Production
First-person shooter video game angles aside, the coverage is very nicely produced, with comfortable cuts between aerial and sundry road POVs. It's not covered in heavy-metal music; rather the audio background track of cheering and the whirring of wheels is quite soothing. It's nice to look at, although sometimes it's a challenge to identify which rider the commentators are referring to; much of the field is still an undifferentiated rainbow, although I'm starting to see patterns in the teamwork near the end of the stages. OK, I can see diagonal slashes of colour, but that's starting to mean something.
The Art
The roadside art is lots of fun, occasionally very cool, sometimes a bit wobbly, and frequently amusing. I love the fact that much of it is designed for an aerial perspective. Tonight's highlights included a giant bicycle picked out in traffic cones. A classic subject, but food for thought when the camera zoomed in on the very spikey seat. Ouch.
The Bodies
Part of the fun of watching the Olympics is seeing what selection and specialisation can do to the human body. Gymnasts and sprinters and weightlifters oh my! Cyclists are bulgy in interesting places--like their triceps--but I do worry about the poor lads chafing. I hope there's enough hot water in some of these village stops to go around at night. And they do this day after day. Physio support personnel: I salute you.
