Paul Sherwen, Renowned Cycling Commentator, Dies At 62
Cycling commentator Paul Sherwen, pictured at the 2013 Tour Down Under, died on Sunday at the age of 62.
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Paul Sherwen, one of the best-known pro-cycling commentators who is widely credited with introducing the English speaking world to the sport, died on Sunday at his home in Uganda. He was 62.
Sherwen’s voice became almost inextricable from the Tour de France and other major cycling events after a stellar career as a competitor. He rode in the Tour seven times during the 1970s and 1980s, twice becoming the British national champion. But the British cyclist is best known for his 33 years commentating on the world’s most famous and grueling cycling competition — many with co-commentator, Phil Liggett.
Over more than three decades, Sherwen spread his passion for cycling across British, Australian and American television and radio to new generations of fans. He covered the sport during five Olympic Games as an analyst for NBC Sports.
“We are saddened to offer our condolences to the friends and family of Paul Sherwen, who passed away this morning at his home in Uganda,” the news outlet said in a statement on Sunday.
“Paul was synonymous with the Tour de France in the U.S. and will be greatly missed by his legions of fans and the NBC Sports family, which was honored to be part of Paul’s 40th Tour last July,” NBC wrote. “Our thoughts are with Paul’s wife, Katherine, their children, and all of those in the cycling community who became Paul Sherwen fans over his many years calling the sport he loved.”
Members of the cycling community, including his longtime broadcasting partner, were blindsided by the news of Sherwen’s sudden death.
“I went to bed in Africa with a heavy heart last night feeling sadness like never before,” Liggett wrote on Twitter. “My team mate for 33 years was no longer with me. Your hundreds of messages showed how well @PaulSherwen was loved.”
I went to bed in Africa with a heavy heart last night feeling sadness like never before. My team mate for 33 years was no longer with me. Your hundreds of messages showed how well @PaulSherwen was loved. Let’s think of Katherine and his children with love just now.
— Phil Liggett (@PhilLiggett) December 3, 2018
British Cycling also noted the loss of the former national champion in a tweet, calling him “a great voice of our sport.”
We were truly saddened by the news of the passing of @PaulSherwen. A former national champion and a great voice of our sport, our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time.
— British Cycling (@BritishCycling) December 2, 2018
Lance Armstrong, who won the Tour seven times before being stripped of his championships amid a major doping scandal, wrote about meeting Sherwen in 1992, when he worked as a press officer for Team Motorola. “He was always a class act and a great friend,” Armstrong said.
Completely shocked and saddened to hear of Paul Sherwen’s passing. Met Paul in 1992 when he worked as our press officer for Team Motorola. He was always a class act and a great friend. My deepest condolences go out to his family. RIP Climber.
— Lance Armstrong (@lancearmstrong) December 2, 2018
“The soundtrack to our July and our sport has been silenced,” Australia’s Cycling Central wrote on Twitter. “We are too gutted for words right now.”
The soundtrack to our July and our sport has been silenced. Paul Sherwen died overnight at his home in Uganda. We are too gutted for words right now, but we tried somehttps://t.co/5x0jQZRBqY pic.twitter.com/fSjX0xdarm
— CyclingCentral (@CyclingCentral) December 2, 2018
Cycling commentator and former professional Paul Sherwen has died at age 62. I don’t know specifics, other than he was in Uganda, where he lived and had stake in mining businesses. An extremely warm guy and a true gentleman from the first time I met him to the last time I saw him pic.twitter.com/P05yiang3H
— Neal Rogers (@nealrogers) December 2, 2018
Sherwen was born in Lancashire in the U.K. and raised in Uganda since age 7, NBC Sports reported. “He helped create Paul’s Peloton, which brought bicycles to Africa, and advocated for African wildlife as a chairman of the Ugandan Conservation Foundation and supporter of the Helping Rhinos initiative.”
The cause of Sherwen’s death is not yet known.
U.S. And China Halt Trade War With Temporary Truce
The U.S. and China have called a temporary truce in their trade war, halting the increase in tariffs between the two countries — for now.
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
We’re going to spend a few minutes on trade policy now. The G-20 summit in Argentina has ended with a truce between the U.S. and China. The White House says President Trump has agreed to delay a scheduled tariff hike on Chinese goods for the next 90 days so that the two sides can have time to negotiate a trade deal. To understand what the Chinese are saying about this, NPR’s Rob Schmitz reports from Shanghai.
ROB SCHMITZ, BYLINE: U.S. tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports were scheduled to increase from 10 to 25 percent on January 1. The White House says President Trump will maintain the tariff rate at 10 percent while both sides begin intense negotiations on a deal. If a deal cannot be made within 90 days, the tariffs will be raised to 25 percent.
BILL BISHOP: Which counts as a short-term victory for the Chinese, I think, because they – you know, they’re more than happy to keep talking.
SCHMITZ: Bill Bishop runs a China newsletter, Sinocism. Though Xi Jinping also agreed to purchase what the White House calls a very substantial amount of U.S. products to draw down the trade deficit, Bishop says it’s in China’s interest to delay the U.S. tariff hikes. He says it’ll give the Chinese more time to bolster its economy in case both sides fail to reach a solution on trade, which Bishop says is just the tip of the iceberg.
BISHOP: The trade is just one dimension of multi-dimensional relationship that’s full of tensions and potential problems.
(SOUNDBITE OF PRESS CONFERENCE)
WANG YI: (Foreign language spoken).
SCHMITZ: At a press conference following the meeting, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi was full of optimism, as was China’s state media, which did not report the crucial details of the agreement, including the 90-day clause. Instead, Wang said both sides had made progress on key issues in their 2.5-hour meeting – issues like Fentanyl, a drug at the heart of America’s opioid crisis. Xi Jinping agreed to designate it a controlled substance in China, with its sales subject to the maximum penalty under law.
In the meantime, both sides will continue to negotiate items like China’s forced technology transfer of U.S. companies, nontariff trade barriers and cyberintrusions until March when, if no progress has been made, U.S. tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods are scheduled to increase from 10 to 25 percent.
Rob Schmitz, NPR News, Shanghai.
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