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Enlarge textThe 2011 Giro d'Italia that was at times a snooze-fest has come to a welcome end writes Mike Tomalaris.
Alberto Contador won the 2011 Giro d'Italia. Photo: AAP
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The Giro d'Italia has come and gone for another year and I for one couldn't wait to see the finish line.
I'll be honest, if impressions on television are an indication, Italy's biggest cycling event was a major let down.
In fact, at times I thought it was a snooze-fest!
It's not as if my passion for world cycling and viewing for Grand Tours has wained nor does it have anythning to do with the riders who go through hell and back in order to generate competition and provide entertainment.
I simply thought the three week event as a television spectacle lacked the excitement of its French cousin from across the border.
Sad really as the anticipation from SBS executives to screen four "epic" mountain stages live for the first time was seen as a breakthrough in the network's bid to expand its cycling portfolio.
Let me remind you television images of cycling races, in most cases, are provided by the host broadcaster.
In Italy it's RAI, in France it's France Televisions while in Australia for the Santos Tour Down Under, an independent production company provides the services on behalf of SBS which ultimately is responsible for the picture quality and overall presentation.
I'm told to be at the Giro in the flesh is an experience of its own - that may be the case, but to watch scratchy images on a screen from the other side of the world served up by the Italian host broadcaster left me cringing.
Unlike the polished production values we've come to expect from television types here, I thought our Italian colleagues failed to deliver.
Apart from the dodgy (and dangerous) camera work from operators hanging off the back of moto bikes and the curious selection of cuts provided by the director and producers from the safety of a production truck, satellite break-up on each of the four stages SBS screened had me reaching for my bag of inertia tablets.
Now, I'm the first to expect a picture break-up especially when riders traverse through remote and hostile regions, but when images start to crumble as they did during the final stage time-trial held on the streets of Italy's biggest city, it becomes a major problem.
Speaking of the final stage time-trial, was it just me or did the "homecoming" lack the atmosphere one might ususally expect on the back of a three week tour?
I must question the organisers wisdom to run a section of the 26km course through some of Milan's industrial area, especially when there is the potential of a huge international audience watching.
Milan is not the prettiest of cities, but it certainly has more to offer than empty side-streets lined with ugly warehouses.
This is where the Tour de France is head and shoulders above any other event.
Every year the Champs Elysees is closed to hundreds of thousands of spectators who tavel from all parts of the globe to witness the end of a special event.
The Giro is also very special while Italy as a country is one of my favourite holiday destinations, but I just didn't get that impression from the low-standard images we received.
My point is this: if the Giro wants to be taken seriously, it must raise the bar at every level to engage and attract non-Italian fans hungry to watch top-quality cycling.
There's a huge untapped market of cycling followers out there who still think the Tour de France is the only race that counts.
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Comments (40)
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09 Jul 2011 17:23 AEST
From: Tugun
that said more of it is hyped up in the tdf and the giro has an image problem...
09 Jul 2011 17:20 AEST
From: Surfers Paradise
Perhaps SBS could add some culture by showing cafe culture or some Italian Babes in Milan or some cycle chic....or cross to the cycle commuter culture in the interim as a live cross during the dull bits. Also combine the coverage with an Italian cooking presentation or a cross to a cafe in Lygon St or...
25 Jun 2011 12:21 AEST
From: perth, tas
I am new to watching the 'tours' and I am pleased that SBS is providing the coverage. I did enjoy watching the 6PM highlights of the GIRO and as for the transmission breakup - I thought that it was the fault of the transmission in Tasmania (frustrating as it was)! As for Contador and the comments made above, I thought that he was doing the job that he was there for - to win the race. As for being 'boring' I was amazed at his stamina in tackling those hills in such a high gear - good on him.
13 Jun 2011 20:26 AEST
From: Gippsland, Victoria
--
Yes, let's get to the main event - TDF. Looking forward to it, and the commentary team - especially PL. And I hope by now you've taught Matty how to pronounce "polka". Love his astute analysis of the tactics, but why does he think it's "pokerdot"? And of course SBS has paid for him to take some French lessons during the year? Or maybe that's why Sophie's on the team this year.
06 Jun 2011 23:43 AEST
From: Melbourne
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@ D-man. Wow what a comment, full of cynical judgement, whinging and hate. No more than your "inane 2c worth" and no different to the comments you condemn. Did it not occur to you that everything you complain about, your comment is guilty of aswell? I suppose it's "irony" when you do it? If you don't like it, don't read it. Revolutionary!
03 Jun 2011 19:15 AEST
From: Perth
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Last years giro was brilliant. By far the best grand tour of the year. Unfortunately this year the field was not so good and I pretty much gave it away after a while. Obviously Mike is not interested enough in cycling to have watched it last year or previously because generally it is much more interesting than the Tour. I think most real cycling fans would prefer a good race than a pretty one. Maybe someone could send Mike a few DVDs so he could expand his cycling knowledge which seems a little limited.
02 Jun 2011 20:58 AEST
From: cairns
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yep, boring. Is it my hearing, or is watching the Giro like watching a silent movie compared to the TDF? No atmosphere, can't hear the sound of whirring chains and gear changes.
02 Jun 2011 0:24 AEST
From: Perth
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Agree with some of Mike's comments, but SBS could at least get a more animated commentator for the highlights program - his terrible, flat tone bored me silly. Also, why do we in the West have to wait until the small hours for the 'live' broadcast?
01 Jun 2011 20:13 AEST
From: Taz
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One thing the Giro has that the Tour doesn't: The Dolomites.
01 Jun 2011 13:02 AEST
From: Brisbane
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To paraphrase Mel Brooks, [coverage of cycling on FTA tv] is like pizza. Even when it is bad it's still good. MT - I hope your execs don't make future decisions based on the comments on this website. Judging by what gets written on this (and other) sites, cycling fans are a bunch of cynical, whinging, judgmental haters who now despise the sport and who will no longer watch any pro race ever again (due to their hurt feelings and intimate betrayal) yet will spend an inordinate amount of time posting their inane two-cents for the benefit of other haters out there. If you don't like it - don't watch it (revolutionary thinking people!!!). I , for one, do like it and want to see more of it on FTA. If all those haters want to have a circle jerk as they bitch about cycling - that's fine just don't do it in public. Negative articles like this simply feed the beast and provide a forum for all those haters to air their petty greivances. In your position MT as the face of cycling on tv (whether you, I or we like it or not) I would have thought you'd be a little more media savvy given that cycling's been your baby at SBS since time immemorial. For shame!!!!
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Stay in touch with the ProTour road cycling season with SBS's cycling blog, featuring race reports, video highlights and blog coverage of every race of 2010, as well as details of SBS's racing coverage
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