The joke that ended my career as a television pundit
It’s a part of my career that’s almost completely forgotten even by myself, but I was an in-studio TV pundit for the 2007 Vuelta. I was offering color on the pre-race show, on a broadcast that was going out to both the UK and US through actual TV syndication.
I knew a huge amount about the sport, I had all the insider gossip from working so many races, and I ran an extremely popular cycling comedy site. In that context you can see why it seemed like I’d be an entertaining and informative co-host. That assumption was terribly wrong. I was actually a weird and incoherent deadpan shambles, completely unsuited for a light-hearted program.
Here’s the joke I made on Stage 7 that finally took me off air. I wasn’t invited to go in front of a camera for another three years.
If you could choose to have one cyclist as a dinner party guest, who would it be?
Any cyclist, living or dead?
Any cyclist, living or dead.
Oh, then a dead Lance Armstrong.
Ba dum tss. I’m still available to Zoom into your live broadcast and ruin it.