Image courtesy of the Versus Network

Carlton Reid of the bike industry site BikeBiz mentioned earlier today on Twitter that today is pro cycling sportscaster Phil Liggett’s birthday. If Wikipedia is to be believe, the other half of the commentating Commonwealth duo of Phil and Paul who narrate the Verus coverage of cycling is 67 years old today.

To celebrate Phil’s contribution to the sport, I thought I’d share my top 10 favorite Liggettisms from the racing coverage archives.

10. “The elastic has snapped.”
9. “The shadow-boxing is over”
8. “He’s dancing on the pedals.”
7. “And the heads of state have come to the fore…”
6. “He’s ripping the legs off of him.”
5. “Once you pull on that golden fleece, you become two men..”
4. “Now comes the first pedals turned in anger.”
3. “He’s wearing the mask of pain”
2. “He’s thrown a cat amongst the pigeons”
1. “He is riding like the halcyon days of Eddy Merckx.”

What are your favorite Phil Liggett sayings?