When I was 16 years old, the 7-11 team were training in Santa Barbara, CA for a week. The team was down at the old El Prado hotel and I rolled by one day to sneak a peak. The riders were milling about after some had just finished a ride. Bob Roll was hanging out and we started to chat. Super funny guy but very approachable. After about 10 minutes or so, he mentioned he was heading out on a ride and asked if I wanted to join. I had my team training ride later that day but was like "heck yeah I'll ride with a pro!" We went out for about two hours. Easy pace for him but I was hoofing it. Midway through, we rolled past my team going the other way and they all yelled over. I just put up my hands, shrugged my shoulders and pointed to Bob as if to say - "something better came up." He was the nicest guy and a real goofball. No pretension or ego, just a solid dude who likes to turn the pedals. I still have all their signed postcards and team posters over 33 years later. Thank you Bob for taking time out to make a kids day!
What an amazing story, Bob I met you in Philly. As a rider and your such a gentleman and a inspiration to me as a young cyclist. Thank you so much, and I have to say and I believe I speak for all cycling fans. What an amazing team Phil Ligget and Bob Roll make, we can never replace Paul Sherwin, but Phil and Bobke knock it out of the park. Thank you fellas
As a JR./Sr. I raced and did well in the Mid-West, rode with John Howard who would generally beat me by a wheel regardless of how far we would ride. Cycling in the 60's was tough, not that popular and I only won trophies or ribbons, never a dime. I got married and weeks later received a letter to try out for the '68 Olympic Team in Denver, I had sold my bike as a new husband and couldn't afford the trip, much less living expenses during tryouts. Without sponsors, cycling was a rough road to get to the pros. My hat is off to all of them who were able to stick it out as this sport progressed. Bob Roll is an admirable competitor and roll model as he faced adversities and persevered as a winner.
As someone who was also born in Oakland in 1960, I can relate to and can appreciate all the things Bob had to day about growing up there. Life was great as a teen growing up in the Bay Area.
Thank God for the greatest sport in my world, still riding the hills here in N.C. Bob is a great inspiration for us old guys, 70 yrs old, what freedom on the back roads,!mother nature and me,’wonderful!!! Thanks. What a story book life, what a champ, this guy is a real man. God bless him!!
Nice piece on Bobke. Bob really surpassed expectations this year in very comfortably joining Phil LIggett as a full-time commenter in the broadcast booth for this amazing 2019 Tour de France. Paul Sherwen will always be sorely missed, but Bob did an admirable job of filling Paul’s large shoes - he really stretched his talents wonderfully. Thanks, Phil and Bob.
Fantastic interview! Thank you NBC Sports for doing that. The Bobke is a wonderful character in the sport of cycling and I feel lucky to be able to enjoy the ride along with him.
This is a great interview of cycling's most iconoclastic gap-toothed joker. I grew up in the same area as Bob. I was taking photos on Mt. Diablo the day he beat George Mount to the top in a stage of the Coors Devil's Cup in the early 80's, an event that Bob describes in this interview. Only a few local cyclists had even heard of Bob Roll at that time and he beat the best riders in the country in that race. A true-life Cinderella story. One of my favorite memories of my early cycling days was sitting on a stone wall at the top of Diablo after riding up there on the annual New Year's Day ride (circa '85). I was sitting next to my friend Joe, who was a rider on 7-11's junior team, and a few other local riders, when this hiker guy, wearing a funky hat and a fully-loaded backpack that made metallic/clanky sounds as he strode, comes up and says, "Hey Joe, where'd you get that cool bike?" (A 7-11 team issue Serotta/Murray). At that point, I knew who we were dealing with. Joe says, "Hey Bob, what's that in your backpack? Wine bottles?" And Bob commences to pull about five 20-pound iron weights out of his pack to reveal the source of the strange sound he made walking towards us. "Oh, I just thought I'd hike up the mountain today," Bob says.
@@angus4463 Yeah, I was in there a lot in the years 1984-86 and went there to get tubes repaired when I was a kid. I was friends and rode some with Dan (I'm spacing on his last name) who was a pretty good rider and went over to race in Europe with Brian Neiderhaus. Did you know those guys? Or Brian who went over to Monument Cyclery? I think Dan wound up working for Brian as an electrician, if I recall correctly.
Love this interview. I grew up in a similar way. Those were good days. I love Bob Roll. The underdog on the tour. I especially liked reading his articles. His power of description is his real strength. Keep rolling, Bob!
For sure, Bob’s commentary is very insightful. He adds a great deal of contemporary knowledge, he’s even riding parts of the stages beforehand and you know he’s pushing a decent pace - the guy looks like he could jump in the field and hang even at 63!
This was great: I love the Tour de France and have always heard Bob Roll as a commentator. I knew he had raced before but had no idea until I watched this. What great moments in his life!
A NorCal Bay Area legend turned world cycling professional and now one of the best announcers ever. Most of the Bay Area race rides and races that Bobke began in are still going strong.
Fascinating story!!! I have really enjoyed Bob's commentary on the TourDe France and the Vuelta this year....I remember his racing days but had no idea of his story ..really great to hear it.
bobby bob bib bo boo boo roll and is totally awesome insights which really help the tour and its culture. and all those awesome bob roll people going to france ..
I took a years to warm up to this guy , maybe never totally, hated his tour Da France schtick. But this interview endeared me to Bob Roll. The guy is a humble, passionate soul .It really helps he’s a Bay Area guy and a zany west coast vibe. Love this guy!
I'm with you. I've never been a fan, but I thought he did a much better job in the booth with Phil than I had expected. And I found him way less annoying than usual. Although I really wish he'd learn to say the "g" in length.
As an East Bay resident and lifelong cyclist, I am aware of Bob Roll’s talent and insight into professional racing. To know he held the record for the Mount Diablo climb for years indicated to me that like Greg Lemond, Bob Roll had a huge internal talent that made him a world-class racer. Do not make the mistake of thinking Bob is just an easy-going guy. In his racer’s heart he is a killer. In years past when Bob covered the Tour with Phil Liggett, I remember Phil’s condemnation of racers even suspected of doping, and how Bob would just sit there, smiling. Years later Armstrong was expelled and Phil looked like a dupe. Like Greg Lemond, a fellow old pro, Bob knew or deeply suspected what was going on the whole time and gave Armstrong all the rope he needed to hang himself. Bob Roll continues to be a positive influence on bicycle racing in America. I hope that some day he is acknowledged.
I didn't know what happened to Bob Roll after his cycling stopped until I saw this interview. Bob wrote some really neat articles back in the day, he wrote one piece about cornering, I think it was published in winning magazine and I'm going back to the 80's. The advice I recall on every wet day and on any shady corner. That's a nice legacy I think.
How can you not like Roll? He retains his everyman self-effacing demeanour despite how exceptional he was to compete in elite level cycling as an American in Europe.
Cool start story: we also have a guy in West Texas, rode in cut-offs around U of The Austin at school, went with a buddy to Red Zinger for last place, young Lemond era, they all still hate wind lol
In the 70's road racing in NA was almost unknown. The only coverage we had locally was a Germany language newspaper. I learned to read German to follow the races.
Just Do It.” No steroids, no Dr. Strangelove transfusions, just folks on bikes gutting it out to finish the race and maybe win. Thanks so much for letting us hear this story.
I bought the Gold Cycling Package this year and love watching the coverage minus the commercials but I really miss the commentating by Bob and Phil, and of course Paul, so I'll often tolerate the commercials just to get their slant on the different races. Bob, never lose that fire in your belly...... ps: The guys doing the ad-free coverage are great, no cut on them at all.
Bob Roll is a Us Legend, Bob is the inspirational figure like 1984 Lucho Herrera was in Colombia, I really don't know how important is on world cyclist, until I see this Fabolous interview, We need to do a Spanish interview to share this amazing true-life journey, Of course with a red wine cup in hands if people agree with me. Fantastic !!!!! Also !!!!! Very Cool !!!! I like to add he was power up with Coke Burgers Shakes jajajajja
What a nice cool man! Go for it....ya look great with all that activity also...@ 13:48 well can you imagine you just confirmed my belief in music..I've always said if you have music you have EVERYTHING!
When I was 16 years old, the 7-11 team were training in Santa Barbara, CA for a week. The team was down at the old El Prado hotel and I rolled by one day to sneak a peak. The riders were milling about after some had just finished a ride. Bob Roll was hanging out and we started to chat. Super funny guy but very approachable. After about 10 minutes or so, he mentioned he was heading out on a ride and asked if I wanted to join. I had my team training ride later that day but was like "heck yeah I'll ride with a pro!" We went out for about two hours. Easy pace for him but I was hoofing it. Midway through, we rolled past my team going the other way and they all yelled over. I just put up my hands, shrugged my shoulders and pointed to Bob as if to say - "something better came up." He was the nicest guy and a real goofball. No pretension or ego, just a solid dude who likes to turn the pedals. I still have all their signed postcards and team posters over 33 years later. Thank you Bob for taking time out to make a kids day!
some famous people we can tell are just really cool. bob is that guy. thanks for telling this story.
Bob Roll, famous american and wonderful character. I'm an old guy that used to watch the 7-11 team and Roll was one of the guys. Great stuff.
Bob Roll is a cycling legend and an American treasure. Keep rolling, Bob!
What an amazing story, Bob I met you in Philly. As a rider and your such a gentleman and a inspiration to me as a young cyclist. Thank you so much, and I have to say and I believe I speak for all cycling fans. What an amazing team Phil Ligget and Bob Roll make, we can never replace Paul Sherwin, but Phil and Bobke knock it out of the park. Thank you fellas
As a JR./Sr. I raced and did well in the Mid-West, rode with John Howard who would generally beat me by a wheel regardless of how far we would ride. Cycling in the 60's was tough, not that popular and I only won trophies or ribbons, never a dime. I got married and weeks later received a letter to try out for the '68 Olympic Team in Denver, I had sold my bike as a new husband and couldn't afford the trip, much less living expenses during tryouts. Without sponsors, cycling was a rough road to get to the pros. My hat is off to all of them who were able to stick it out as this sport progressed. Bob Roll is an admirable competitor and roll model as he faced adversities and persevered as a winner.
How can you not love this guy
Best story I have ever heard. There needs to be a movie about Bob's story!
He'll eventually ride off into cycling immortality.......Happy Trails.
I agree. I never heard of this guy till now. The sociology commentary on the bay area is tremendous. Lets make a film. Who shall we find to star?
As someone who was also born in Oakland in 1960, I can relate to and can appreciate all the things Bob had to day about growing up there. Life was great as a teen growing up in the Bay Area.
Thank God for the greatest sport in my world, still riding the hills here in N.C. Bob is a great inspiration for us old guys, 70 yrs old, what freedom on the back roads,!mother nature and me,’wonderful!!! Thanks. What a story book life, what a champ, this guy is a real man. God bless him!!
Bobke is the man. He’s one of the best out there and has earned his place on the broadcast team with Phil and Perrino. 👊🏼🤙🏼
Phil Del Giudice you got that right, one of my all time sports figures, cycling the best and toughest sport on the planet!!!!!
Love Bobke! Would see him at the Durango Dinner all the time back in the 90s
Bob Roll a living legend. Amazing life story. Thanks for sharing
Bob Roll is so wonderful-and that giggle. ❤
Bob has this wonderful, infectious enthusiasm - a great TV presenter!
Got that right !
Mad respect for Bob! Great cyclist and great commentary during the races!!!
Nice piece on Bobke. Bob really surpassed expectations this year in very comfortably joining Phil LIggett as a full-time commenter in the broadcast booth for this amazing 2019 Tour de France. Paul Sherwen will always be sorely missed, but Bob did an admirable job of filling Paul’s large shoes - he really stretched his talents wonderfully. Thanks, Phil and Bob.
I love Bob Roll!!! What a legend, and above all just a genuinely nice guy.
Thanks Paul and Bob, really enjoyed Bob's journey. Really enjoy his comments on TV.
Fantastic interview! Thank you NBC Sports for doing that. The Bobke is a wonderful character in the sport of cycling and I feel lucky to be able to enjoy the ride along with him.
This is a great interview of cycling's most iconoclastic gap-toothed joker.
I grew up in the same area as Bob. I was taking photos on Mt. Diablo the day he beat George Mount to the top in a stage of the Coors Devil's Cup in the early 80's, an event that Bob describes in this interview. Only a few local cyclists had even heard of Bob Roll at that time and he beat the best riders in the country in that race. A true-life Cinderella story.
One of my favorite memories of my early cycling days was sitting on a stone wall at the top of Diablo after riding up there on the annual New Year's Day ride (circa '85). I was sitting next to my friend Joe, who was a rider on 7-11's junior team, and a few other local riders, when this hiker guy, wearing a funky hat and a fully-loaded backpack that made metallic/clanky sounds as he strode, comes up and says, "Hey Joe, where'd you get that cool bike?" (A 7-11 team issue Serotta/Murray). At that point, I knew who we were dealing with.
Joe says, "Hey Bob, what's that in your backpack? Wine bottles?" And Bob commences to pull about five 20-pound iron weights out of his pack to reveal the source of the strange sound he made walking towards us.
"Oh, I just thought I'd hike up the mountain today," Bob says.
Did you ever come into Diablo Bike? I worked there and you may have known some of my co-workers--
@@angus4463 Yeah, I was in there a lot in the years 1984-86 and went there to get tubes repaired when I was a kid. I was friends and rode some with Dan (I'm spacing on his last name) who was a pretty good rider and went over to race in Europe with Brian Neiderhaus. Did you know those guys? Or Brian who went over to Monument Cyclery? I think Dan wound up working for Brian as an electrician, if I recall correctly.
What an amazing story, a great man, and thank God to all us cycling fans that we have Bobke! 🙏👏🙌
Absolute LEGEND!
Absolutely great to see this side of Bob and the history of the sport.
Absolutely !
As a kid fro Castro Valley who grew up around the same time...this is pure gold!!
A real warrior and hugely entertaining man.
I look forward to watching bike races, but I especially love listening to Bob. He and Phil are so much fun.
LOVE this interview. Bobke’s a treasure
Bobke is really well aware of tactics and situational racing. He has helped alot of us understand and respect the sport. Roll on Bob
Love this interview. I grew up in a similar way. Those were good days. I love Bob Roll. The underdog on the tour. I especially liked reading his articles. His power of description is his real strength. Keep rolling, Bob!
For sure, Bob’s commentary is very insightful. He adds a great deal of contemporary knowledge, he’s even riding parts of the stages beforehand and you know he’s pushing a decent pace - the guy looks like he could jump in the field and hang even at 63!
Love you Bob. respect
A great racer and an even better man!
So glad I found this. I knew there was a reason I liked Bob.
This was great: I love the Tour de France and have always heard Bob Roll as a commentator. I knew he had raced before but had no idea until I watched this. What great moments in his life!
Those memories are so unique for the rest of ours lives! This guy is so special!
Great stuff. I miss Paul, but other than that, I think this group of announcers has been the best yet. Thanks, Bob.
At @4:40, Bob captures exactly how I've felt about cycling since I was a kid. And still do 50 years after learning how to ride a bike.
Please make Bobs story into a movie! What a great story!
Super fun to listen to Bob talk.
Bob Roll is the man...super huge Kudos!
LEGEND and an inspiration!
This is a fantastic interview. The guy knew what questions to ask, and Bob provides a ton of insight.
A NorCal Bay Area legend turned world cycling professional and now one of the best announcers ever. Most of the Bay Area race rides and races that Bobke began in are still going strong.
You were a strong man Bob! Hat's off to you.
Great interview. Learned a bit more about Bob. Like wow.
Without Bobke there is no pro cycling -- he is the true Kingbo of broadcasters of the TDF!
Live long and prosper Bobke!!!!
I love this man.
Candid and very transparent ! Thankyou for sharing your experience Mr. Roll , freakin awesome stuff !
Bob Roll epitomizes the drive, motivation, and dedication that makes an elite athlete.
Love you Bob!!❤❤
Fascinating story!!! I have really enjoyed Bob's commentary on the TourDe France and the Vuelta this year....I remember his racing days but had no idea of his story ..really great to hear it.
What an incredible life story. Well told and well elicited by skillful interviewing.
bobby bob bib bo boo boo roll and is totally awesome insights which really help the tour and its culture. and all those awesome bob roll people going to france ..
Great interview. I lived a few miles south of Bob in New Mexico and never got to ride with him.
Bobke FTW !!
Bob Roll is hand down one of the best road cycling commentators! 🫡
Love you, Bobke!!!
Love Bobke's personality.
Love Bob Roll! Excellent interview
Let's remember just 3 months ago this kid underwent surgery and was off the bike. To be within a minute till the 3rd week is amazing. Tough dude.
My favorite cycling commentator
I took a years to warm up to this guy , maybe never totally, hated his tour Da France schtick. But this interview endeared me to Bob Roll.
The guy is a humble, passionate soul .It really helps he’s a Bay Area guy and a zany west coast vibe. Love this guy!
I'm with you. I've never been a fan, but I thought he did a much better job in the booth with Phil than I had expected. And I found him way less annoying than usual. Although I really wish he'd learn to say the "g" in length.
We love you Bob, Your Awsome.
Thanks for sharing, Bobke.
I'm sure he rode the same East Bay hills that I did growing up riding. Great rider, commentator and a story to match.
I really love this guy........would love to have a beer with the Bobke and hang out!
For Sure~!
Bob Roll is a classic. Truth or fantasy? It doesn't matter. True American spirit!
Did not know it was possible to love him more
Wow, what a great story! Bobke!
Great insight to the journey of learning by doing. Thanks guys great time capsule
Great video, and a testimonial to Bob Roll’s toughness!
Bob Roll - American Treasure
Gotta love Bobke.
Beautiful story and person. I had some fun with cycling, and great friends.
Love BOBKE!
Please allow bob to guest comment during the tour for us brits. Please. Even if it just for a 20 or 30 minute stint.This was inspiring.
Bring back the podcast, Bobke! we miss you.
Bob is so awesome, h3 makes want to ride more.
Such a warm, classy guy…
As an East Bay resident and lifelong cyclist, I am aware of Bob Roll’s talent and insight into professional racing. To know he held the record for the Mount Diablo climb for years indicated to me that like Greg Lemond, Bob Roll had a huge internal talent that made him a world-class racer. Do not make the mistake of thinking Bob is just an easy-going guy. In his racer’s heart he is a killer.
In years past when Bob covered the Tour with Phil Liggett, I remember Phil’s condemnation of racers even suspected of doping, and how Bob would just sit there, smiling. Years later Armstrong was expelled and Phil looked like a dupe. Like Greg Lemond, a fellow old pro, Bob knew or deeply suspected what was going on the whole time and gave Armstrong all the rope he needed to hang himself.
Bob Roll continues to be a positive influence on bicycle racing in America. I hope that some day he is acknowledged.
these are the guys that make champions big.
Very similar race era/scene as when I raced but in FLA...always loved Bobke.
Everybody loves Bobke.
I didn't know what happened to Bob Roll after his cycling stopped until I saw this interview. Bob wrote some really neat articles back in the day, he wrote one piece about cornering, I think it was published in winning magazine and I'm going back to the 80's. The advice I recall on every wet day and on any shady corner. That's a nice legacy I think.
Love Bob Roll!
A great personality
Great story, fun to hear about his journey.
How can you not like Roll? He retains his everyman self-effacing demeanour despite how exceptional he was to compete in elite level cycling as an American in Europe.
Great interview! Great stories! Very inspirational!!
Bobke for Broadcasting & Cycling Hall of Fame!!!
I rode with Bob in Seeley WI 30 years ago.
Cool start story: we also have a guy in West Texas, rode in cut-offs around U of The Austin at school, went with a buddy to Red Zinger for last place, young Lemond era, they all still hate wind lol
In the 70's road racing in NA was almost unknown. The only coverage we had locally was a Germany language newspaper. I learned to read German to follow the races.
I raced with Bob when he first started as a Cat.4
Just Do It.” No steroids, no Dr. Strangelove transfusions, just folks on bikes gutting it out to finish the race and maybe win. Thanks so much for letting us hear this story.
how naive
I bought the Gold Cycling Package this year and love watching the coverage minus the commercials but I really miss the commentating by Bob and Phil, and of course Paul, so I'll often tolerate the commercials just to get their slant on the different races. Bob, never lose that fire in your belly...... ps: The guys doing the ad-free coverage are great, no cut on them at all.
I agree. I like the commercial free but do miss hearing Phil and Bob.
Great guy. Love his comments.
Such an endearing person :-)
Bob Roll is a Us Legend, Bob is the inspirational figure like 1984 Lucho Herrera was in Colombia, I really don't know how important is on world cyclist, until I see this Fabolous interview, We need to do a Spanish interview to share this amazing true-life journey, Of course with a red wine cup in hands if people agree with me. Fantastic !!!!! Also !!!!! Very Cool !!!! I like to add he was power up with Coke Burgers Shakes jajajajja
What a nice cool man! Go for it....ya look great with all that activity also...@ 13:48 well can you imagine you just confirmed my belief in music..I've always said if you have music you have EVERYTHING!
Thank you very nice. and great coverage.
Alright.......that was good. Yay Bob.