Phil Liggett: The Voice of Cycling

The life of legendary television commentator Phil Liggett MBE is inextricably entwined with the history of professional cycling. During a career that has spanned five decades, 15 Olympic games and 47 Tours de France, Phil Liggett has been there for every key moment in cycling over the last half century. The heroic triumphs, the appalling tragedies, the scandals and the controversies; Phil has seen it all, and told us about it with passion, knowledge and his trademark wit. As much as anyone, Phil Liggett has shaped the way the world sees cycling Born in wartime England in 1943, Phil began riding at age twelve and was quickly hooked. Phil aspired to be a professional cyclist and, during the 1960s, raced with a number of elite amateur teams. Phil supported himself by working at the local zoo where his life-long love of animals was born, and where he once memorably crashed his bicycle into an elephant. Phil was offered a professional cycling contract in 1967, but he turned the offer down. He was racing against the likes of the legendary Eddy Merckx and knew that he wasn't in the same league. Instead, Phil chose to pursue a career as a sports journalist. Initially he wrote for newspapers and had no ambition to be a commentator. Then, one fateful day, he picked up a microphone at a local bike race and called the finish for the watching crowd, "just because nobody else was." Phil found he had a natural ability to talk about cycling. His career as a television cycling commentator began and took off into the stratosphere. Phil Liggett became known globally as "the Voice of Cycling", "the Soundtrack to Summer", "the Jewel of July" and "the Talk of the Tour". For generations of sports fans, he is as famous as the riders about whom he commentates. His thoughtful commentary is imbued with gentle humour and an astounding knowledge of cycling. He is legendary for his florid commentary and unique turn of phrase, known around the world as "Liggettisms". Now in the twilight of his career, Phil looks back on his own life and on his decades behind the microphone. Phil has seen the giants of cycling come and go, and he has outlasted them all. He paints a vivid picture of his own personal highlights and the quiet moments of personal triumph and unsung heroism he has witnessed over the years. Phil recalls the bad times: the time his car was blown up by terrorists, the devastating recent loss of his long-time commentary partner Paul Sherwen, and the doping scandals that alm