RIP Paul Sherwen
The Tour de France will not be the same without him.
Back when I wrote this essay, I was feeling pretty despondent about the state of affairs in professional cycling. While I have never quite regained my love of the sport after the cheating scandals, more recently I did find myself tuning in from time-to-time mostly to listen to the unmistakable voices of the Tour de France, Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen. They had lost none of their enthusiasm for the race and it was infectious. It is therefore deeply saddening to hear of the untimely passing of Paul.
It was hard not to be swept up by Paul’s knowledgeable commentary which while instructive to less knowledgeable fans such as myself, never made me feel like I was an outsider looking in. The exact opposite in fact – he made us feel like we were being an peek inside the tent and made a member of an exclusive club. His commentaries were always smart, fresh and interesting from one year to the next.
Enjoy your final breakaway, Paul. You will be fondly remembered and sorely missed.
