2011 Copenhagen World Championships: Elite Men Road Race

[maltiv]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/hushovd-says-two-captain-strategy-backfired-for-norway
Classic Hushovd.

I honestly don't think Hushovd would've done better than Edvald anyway. Hushovd hasn't shown the ability to compete with sprinters like Cavendish and Greipel for a long time.

 

[El Pistolero]

This thread made it to a Danish newspaper quoting a few posts:

http://spn.dk/cykling/article2558012.ece

That's epic.

 

[mancsyboy]

Cav deserves it

I also think that considering GB had one plan and there was only one way he was going to win it, that makes him a deserved champion. The way he constantly delivers wins makes him one of the best riders of this generation.

 

[sublimit]

When Wiggins pulled over it gave the other teams a chance but they didn't take it.

Thor talking crap, the fact they went in with 2 riders with a free role gave them a chance even if Hagen didn't win.

Thor was positioned too far back before the crash so only has his self to blame anyway.

 

[L'arriviste]

This thread made it to a Danish newspaper quoting a few posts:

http://spn.dk/cykling/article2558012.ece

Ian Caster !== lancaster

 

[auscyclefan94]

This thread made it to a Danish newspaper quoting a few posts:

http://spn.dk/cykling/article2558012.ece

I think Eric8a... and Mellow Velo got a mention

 

[El Pistolero]

I also think that considering GB had one plan and there was only one way he was going to win it, that makes him a deserved champion. The way he constantly delivers wins makes him one of the best riders of this generation.

It makes him the fastest. Cavendish has never been the best man in any race.

 

[just some guy]

I also think that considering GB had one plan and there was only one way he was going to win it, that makes him a deserved champion. The way he constantly delivers wins makes him one of the best riders of this generation.

Riders - no

Sprinters yes

Best rider should be able to climb, ride Cobbles ITT, sprint. at some level.

Cav is the best sprinter of his generation and probably 2nd best all time now and could move to best by the end of his career, but rider all around no.

 

[El Pistolero]

I think Eric8a... and Mellow Velo got a mention

They called Eric a nerd.

 

[mancsyboy]

Riders - no

Sprinters yes

Best rider should be able to climb, ride Cobbles ITT, sprint. at some level.

Cav is the best sprinter of his generation and probably 2nd best all time now and could move to best by the end of his career, but rider all around no.

He's one of the best because he wins. 30 grand tour stages in 4 years a monument and world champ. That to me is a great athlete. He has to have the skill, power and balls to do that. There are too many riders who get called great riders and in reality there are only a couple better than him at the moment.

 

[sublimit]

It makes him the fastest. Cavendish has never been the best man in any race.

I'd say Froome or Wiggins were the strongest riders in the race but they can never win a race like that, Cav wins races and thats what its about.

You sound like a triathlon fan where you expect the strongest athlete to come through. Kind of naive

 

[Dr. Maserati]

And yet there's never been a course for pure climbers. And, as far back as my memory goes, no course for the cobble specialists. The WC shouldn't be for specialists, but for versatile riders. That's why usually they don't end on a hill, but on the flat - that opens up all kinds of tactical situations. Last year it was a sprinters course, provided you were a versatile sprinter/rouleur, like Hushovd, Breschel and Davis, but guys like Gilbert, Evans and Nibali had a real go at it. Otherwise it's a sprint championship, and there's a track event for that.

Copenhagen and Zolder are the only courses I can think of that were designed for pure specialists who didn't have to be good at anything else.

Not entirely correct.
The Worlds was in Columbia in 1995 and was set in Sallanches in the Alps in 1980.

I don't get the argument that the WC should just be for versatile riders, why?
Certainly different types of courses should be selected, to offer all types of rider the opportunity to go for the WC.
The only difficulty is the preference of the host organizer and/or the UCI to select circuits, which means it is difficult to put in long or demanding climbs.

 

[L'arriviste]

Not entirely correct.
The Worlds was in Columbia in 1995 and was set in Sallanches in the Alps in 1980.

I don't get the argument that the WC should just be for versatile riders, why?
Certainly different types of courses should be selected, to offer all types of rider the opportunity to go for the WC.
The only difficulty is the preference of the host organizer and/or the UCI to select circuits, which means it is difficult to put in long or demanding climbs.

+1. Everyone deserves a shake of the tail in their careers. There may indeed have been too many underwhelming parcours in recent years, so it's important to take the terrain into account when choosing a host city and not base the decision entirely on how much Fat and his pals can net from a weekend of hubris.

 

[hatcher]

"Versatile" basically means not good enough to win on mountains, not fast enough to win bunch sprints, but able to get over hills well.

I'm not really sure why that is the ideal World Champion.

 

[cobblehead]

Race itself was a total snoozefest (reminded me of watching a flat stage in the tour de france)...

however I must admit that I saw some impressive racing by the British team who were very strong, good on them and good for cavendish to take it, if a sprinter wins it should be the best sprinter in the world..

 

[Ferminal]

"Versatile" basically means not good enough to win on mountains, not fast enough to win bunch sprints, but able to get over hills well.

-Able to get over hills well
-Has a strong finish
-Can create a gap before the finish
-Great stamina
-Good tactics

Seems like a wider base skill set than what someone would use to win a 20km mountain race or a Madrid sprint.

 

[auscyclefan94]

-Able to get over hills well
-Has a strong finish
-Can create a gap before the finish
-Great stamina
-Good tactics

Cadel Evans, Alejandro Valverde, Phillipe Gilbert, Fabian Cancellara, etc.

 

[lancaster]

Ian Caster !== lancaster

for autographs and press appearances please speak to my agent.

 

[spalco]

This thread made it to a Danish newspaper quoting a few posts:

http://spn.dk/cykling/article2558012.ece

That's funny.

 

[Mambo95]

"Versatile" basically means not good enough to win on mountains, not fast enough to win bunch sprints, but able to get over hills well.

I'm not really sure why that is the ideal World Champion.

The most versatile rider of the last decade, the one who genuinely could do everything fairly well, was Kim Kirchen, but I can't remember anyone calling him a great rider.

Wiggins is very versatile and he just seems to get abuse.

 

[El Pistolero]

The most versatile rider of the last decade, the one who genuinely could do everything fairly well, was Kim Kirchen, but I can't remember anyone calling him a great rider.

Wiggins is very versatile and he just seems to get abuse.

Ever heard of Alejandro Valverde?

 

[sublimit]

Cadel Evans, Alejandro Valverde, Phillipe Gilbert, Fabian Cancellara, etc.

I'd put J-Rod in there because he can cope with the big mountains as well as the one day stuff.

 

[El Pistolero]

I'd put J-Rod in there because he can cope with the big mountains as well as the one day stuff.

Joaquim Rodriguez is the Cavendish of climbing.

 

[just some guy]

I'd put J-Rod in there because he can cope with the big mountains as well as the one day stuff.

Can TT with the best of them as well

 

[hatcher]

-Able to get over hills well
-Has a strong finish
-Can create a gap before the finish
-Great stamina
-Good tactics

Seems like a wider base skill set than what someone would use to win a 20km mountain race or a Madrid sprint.

But in reality that all boils down to "can get over hills well", and leaves us with a course suited for the same 5 riders every year. Some years we'll make it harder so Evans has a better chance, other years we'll make it a bit easier so Cancellara and Hushovd have a better chance.

I just don't get why hilly classic riders are held up as the ideal. It's not the world hilly road champion. I'd love cobbles one year, mountain the next, hilly the next, sprint the next.