Paul Sherwen
Paul Sherwen is generally seen as Phil Liggett’s counter-point, dutifully keeping the iconic duo’s race commentary on course, helping to convey to the English-speaking world the sport of Professional Cycling. Liggett, of course, has undeniably helped shape this great sport for Anglophones across the globe, having been the English voice of this sport since before I was born – and for that I’m eternally grateful to him; merely the sound of his voice warms the cockles of my cold, black heart. But as much as he is inextricably bound to the sport, the last time he got a fact right must have also been before I was born, if he ever has.
The balance Liggett’s special breed of factual rigor is Paul Sherwen. Not only does he have the insight of an ex-pro with which to season his commentary, he has several other highly technical analytical tools at his disposal, such as actually watching the race. Furthermore, Paul is able to counter Uncle Phil’s constitution under pressure – which resembles that of a knock-kneed Rhode Island Red in a washing machine on a delicates/knits cycle – with his Sprinter’s Cool. Whereas Phil can be heard squawking and clucking incomprehensibly with excitement as a race unfolds, Paul peppers the commentary with self-deprecating jokes about his own career and adds a Swahili proverb or two that might be helpful for the riders, were they only able to hear him.
In this current role of his, as the commentary equivalent of Autocorrect on Liggett’s iPhone, it is easy to forget that Paul was among the most respected riders of his day. Seen here stringing out a bunch (in complete Rule Compliance, I might add) reminds me of the various tales of tenacity that earned him the respect not only of his fellow riders, but of race organizers.
One such example is of the 1985 Tour de France when Sherwen, a domestique with no chance at the overall, crashed in the opening kilometers of a Pyrenean stage and was left to fend for himself while Bernard Hinault raced for the win at the front, making small children of grown men. Refusing to give up, Sherwen limped through the stage alone, accompanied only by a single Gendarme’s motorcycle. More than an hour after the stage winner and well outside the time limit, he finished the stage. The race jury, moved by his resolve to finish the stage, reinstated him and allowed him to continue on in the Tour. In a word, respect.
I think of all the people in the cycling world I most admire, it has to be Paul Sherwen.
Sherwen was a tough guy, but wasn’t there a mt stage (or was it the same one where he crashed?) when he was passed by a bike tourist? is this an apocryphal story? or are there pictures?
Perhaps Fränk, given your respect for the man (deserved as it is) you could go back through said article & decide how you wish to spell his surname???
Or are they deliberate “Ligget-isms”?
Many of todays riders could learn a few things from Paul. Wish I could have seen him ride in person.
Paul was such a stud. I always thought, however, that our top man was such a BAMF that he did not wear gloves. Or was that only when he was laying down the V on the cobbles such as the ’77 Roubaix Espoirs or the ’80 Ronde? Can someone find us a photo of our hardman of the stones sans gants?
@Mikael Liddy
*Ahem* For a guy who’s name is not pronounced like it’s spelled, you’d think I’d be more sensitive about other people’s naming irregularities. Indeed it is Sherwen. Sheepishly Corrected.
@Velo Kitty
I’m not sure about those, but this is a good start.
@Velo Kitty
Like this?
While we’re making spelling corrections, I believe “incomplete Rule Compliance” may read better “in complete Rule compliance”
Or,
Paul and Laurent (is it ‘cross season??):
@frank
This is a pain I know only too well myself. The Danish spelling of my name is Michael, however on moving out here to Aus there weren’t many that could work out that it might be pronounced a little differently. Hence the substitution of the ch for the k & the blind hope that the cerebral types out here will spot the difference.
Great pic and story about Sherwen – never heard the ’85 Tour story. For me, Ligget and Sherwen are the voice of pro cycling.
Verses (NBC Sports) should can all the other commentators they mix in, and have Phil and Paul do the entire coverage. Leave Bob Roll of course, but allow him more room to show off his Tour knowledge and experience – and his whacked out sense of humor.
One more Jens thing. This is cheesy, but fun, and besides, it’s only a buck (that’s like .62Euro, or 1.28NZD). And let’s face it, dollars alone are worth nothing except at a strip club.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/jens-voigt-soundboard-pro/id451025107?ls=1&mt=8
Great guy to highlight, Frank. I know it’s truly cycling season when I can hear Paul and Phil talk about cycling – it’s just not the same to watch some Flemish feed I can’t understand.
Timely post frank after a lot of us having listened to Aunty Phil and Uncle Paul during the Tour. Even when hearing his anecdotes and insider’s knowledge during their commentary, it’s easy to overlook the fact that the bloke was brimming with the V.
@Mikael Liddy
Only a non-Australian could think that we would give a fuck how people’s names are spelt.
Have you not yet learnt that we are the country of alternative-name spelling bogans?! A few examples
Bylynda, Tyfeney, Shayne, Jayke, Mikhayla, just to name a few. For a few more examples, go here.
Mikael – that spelling would just have people thinking you were another Aussie bogan.
@Marcus
Then he would have been called “Mikko”, and you would be “Mazza”.
Dan O would be “Danno”
Scaler 911 would be “Scazza” and
mouse would be “dickhead”
@mouse
No mate – you don’t geddit. Shortening names and adding a vowel is old school bogan. New school bogan is an olternatyv fonetik spellyng of the full nayme.
@frank
The balance Ligget’s special breed of factual rigor is Paul Sherwen. Not only does he have the insight of a seasoned ex-pro with which to season his commentary, he has several other highly technical analytical tools at his disposal, such as actually watching the race
truly magnificent Fronk, I must confess I have just had to wipe my coffee off my keyboard and screen – I sense you are coming close to penning your second book shortly (after the Prologian “Book of American English Common Phrase and Neologisms”) – comedic prose is a natural talent, and I think you should consider cashing in on your greatest talent (a complement indeed, after your recent belittling of the Volcano)
@Marcus
how very Australian of you – what TF is a bogan?
@mouse
unnecessarily self deprecating
Is Buck’s avatar actually a picture of Paul Sherwin? Something about that picture makes me a little uneasy, I have to remind myself the guy has actually just laid down the V and has finished a bike race, and there is no other cause for his expression – forgive me, I need therapy
@Dr C
Or is Buck Rodgers ACTUALLY Paul? You never know who might be lurking behind their screen name.
@Dr C
A bogan is the Aussie equivalent of a US redneck or a British chav. However, Australia being the great bastion of equality that it is, bogans are not identified by socio-economic status. There are plenty of “rich bogans” in Australia.
And if they ride bikes, they ride Treks. Coz Lance does.
See here for more edification (the use of that word is a half-arsed attempt to mark myself as a non-bogan – but I really am).
@Marcus
Such as Maakiss, Mowss or Beeankkee Denttyy (possibly needs more “y”s and “ah”s – despite originating from Hamilton, NZ, I never passed Bowgyn 101.
@Marcus
Damn, I’m even a failure at being a failure in spite of residing not 5km from the abode of Cory Worthington.
@frank
As we all know, Paul’s co-commentator is Phil Liggett. Two T’s.
I spotted Mr Liggett recently at the annual sportive ride in the Peak District which bears his name (the Phil Liggett CTC Challenge). He completed the ‘short’ route (100km) in just under 7 hours. Me and a couple of pals were riding the long route (150km), which was quite tough in the cool, wet and windy conditions. Early on we were passed by a small group of riders on one of the many climbs and my pal said “there goes Malcolm Elliott”. From Sheffield, Elliott must have had one of the longest careers of any professional cyclist. I would have liked to have said I rode alongside him for a while, but I only got a fleeting glimpse of his Motorpoint jersey as he glided effortlessly past.
Does Laurent have on a full-on winter cap in that photo? I can’t imagine racing in hat that thick!
Nice one, Frank. I actually didn’t know Sherwen was such a respect or strong rider. Love a little history lesson. I also love how two of the guys chasing him in the original photo are digging in their jersey pockets. “Yeah, I’m going full tilt, but I still have the balance and skill to try and fish out those two quarters that keep on jingling together.”
@Marcus
Nah, I’m old enough not to be part of that generation…I just looked at like a weird fucking foreigner!
Sometime many years ago, must have been about 1978, there was a documentary on TV in the UK called ‘The Great Bike Race’. I was really excited by this as an impressionable twelve year old bike fan. It followed Paul’s progress through the Tour and I seem to remember it featuring a stage where he was allowed back in by the race jury. I can only guess that it was the stage you mention. I also seem to remember that the opening scene was of him getting ready, and shaving his legs. I have trawled the internet to find anything about this documentary, to no avail. I’m beginning to wonder if I imagined it! Does anyone know if copies of it still exist anywhere? Or if it’s just a figment of my ageing imagination?
I do enjoy hearing Paul & Phil call a race, but since I lack a t.v. I watch all the races online, which means mainly Eurosport. I like King Kelly and Duffield. The weird thing is that I don’t mind listening to races in languages I can’t understand. It’s kind of like being in a foreign country and enjoying the fact that I can tune out all the mobile phone conversations on the tram, bus, train, restaurant because I have no idea what they are saying. Now, if I could only learn how to tune out English speakers I’d be over the moon; I really don’t want to hear you discuss your love life on the bus at 7:30.
@Ron
Sometimes I think I’m the odd sports fan in that I actually like listening to commentary during most sporting events (unless I’m there live, of course).
Fuck yeah, Orange badge time. All those extra posts where I corrected my poor grammar or spelling in the previous post finally paid off.
And who would have thought one person could post so much about basically nothing?
I promise to represent the sacred Dutch color with pride. Thank you, thank you all. *sniffle*
@toomanytreks
No, you’re not imagining things. I saw it too – albeit a long time ago. A last look at the old school. I remember Sherwen having to wash his own gear and it was, of course, wool. I also seem to remember a piece of flat steak being put into the shorts between the chamois and the ass to alleviate saddle sores. I kid you not. We just don’t know how good we have it these days.
In that first picture what bike is Paul on? Shouldn’t it be a silver Merckx? The brakes are center-pull with reverse cables.
@mcsqueak
Now, if you could only get the little v in the middle………
Anyone who races (and wins) in a jersey that says “Banana” is a stud in my book.
Pretty seriously cool wool kit, too, with some surprisingly big guns, not to mention the excellent example of the Three Point System.
And more corroboration that he preferred to ride with no gloves…
Most Casually Deliberate.
Double-stud shot here; still convincingly rockin’ the Razors in ’93 with the other Uncle Phil.
But now into sketchier territory…did he open the sweater can of worms? Did he improvise the turntleneck and give Vaughters some bad ideas?
Could it be that this may have been preempted had Paul not gone in this direction? Could it be there’s some parallel universe where Vaughters doesn’t continually wear wretched clothing?
@frank
Frank, re 2nd and 3rd pics of Sherwen. Gotta love those Cinelli 66 sprinter bars on the bikes. I used to have them on my bikes back in the day. So sweet compared to the “any shape you like so long as its square” styles available today.
Also, as a Scot, I’m deeply offended by JV’s tartan breeks. Miller,, being somewhat Scottish, can’t actually bring himself to look at them for fear of burning his retinas. To paraphrase the song, “the pants are so bright, I gotta wear shades . . . .”
Hard to believe, but Farrar looks like fucking Cary Grant next to those two.
I’m not 100% on this, but I seem to remember Sherwen being reinstated after missing the time cut twice in two separate Tours…
@Jim
That pic is from the 1978 Tour – Eddy had retired earlier in the season after setting up and moving to the C&A squad, along with his bikes. The FIAT team rode La France bicycles in the ’78 season.
On the subject of race commentary, a beauty from Sean Kelly last night when Stuey O’Grady was leading the pack down a descent. To paraphrase,
“Now O’Grady can ride a descent at full speed without having to look behind to see whether he has dropped his Schlecks.”
SLAP!
@Bianchi Denti
WHAT? If you were spawned in Hamiltron you may not be much of an Australian bogan but you’re like the second bogan coming of christ in En Zed
This Paul Sherwen moment brought to you by Quizno’s and Sheets blotter acid, with special thanks to United Healthcare.
The product placement of the US Pro tour is overwhelming. Do they have to sell nameing rights to everything? Are we going to have the Gatorade nature break moment? The Road ID road rash of the day?
@scaler911
Excellent. There’s our studmuffin w/o the gloves! Merci. À jeune chasseur, il faut un vieux chien.
@scaler911
YES! THANK YOU! À jeune chasseur, il faut un vieux chien.
@seemunkee
I cheesed off at the Tour of Utah guys of twitter after seeing the 4th tweet in the space of about 3 minutes plugging on of their sponsors. Ya know, I’m all for the economics of advertising, but at some level, it becomes spam. I actually do buy sponsors shit when there’s the option, but it does seem like my nose is being rubbed in it at times.
I find it rather odd that Coors didn’t want to sponsor the CO race. Although all the media is pointing out the race goes by their brewery in Golden. Well, it goes by a lot of other places too. And didn’t Quiznoes offer to be a title sponsor, but back out? WTF?
Sherwen and Liggett are rock stars, but if you get a chance to listen Bobke talk off TV, take the time. He’s full of…stories.
@seemunkee
Welcome to the modern world.
@Velo Kitty
You’re welcome, and I’m not sure what the rest says, as the other languages I kinda understand are Spanish (horrible) and Tibetan (worse).
Never liked their commentary, but he was a hardman as a rider. Have to say, I hate riding with gloves unless it’s winter, so he was onto something there.
@scaler911
The trick is picking out something neat to write about that hasn’t already been covered by folks who have been into cycling for 20 more years than I have.
@mcsqueak
Nice!
@mcsqueak
Chapeau! Well done.
@frank
I wonder where that photo of Millar, Farrar, and Elton John was taken? Kissena is a local Brooklyn club.
@mcsqueak
Has anyone covered smooth valve stems vs. threaded valve stems? Proper nasal evacuation while riding in a paceline? Guys named “Bob” in the pro peloton from past to present?
But seriously–what about the day you decided you were a cyclist and everything else fell by the wayside? I’ve thought about that a lot lately.