2011 Copenhagen World Championships: Elite Men Road Race

[Fus087]

Well, I was at the course too (for the entire week at that), and I had a great time.
Meeting up with a couple of friends on Slotsbakken (the hill 3 km into the lap that nobody seems to have noticed), cheering for the guy that eventually finished 143rd, meeting Czechs, Canadians, Belgians etc. with a love for cycling bringing us all together.
Maybe it helped not being able to actually watch the race.
But from our viewpoint, the Belgians did a good effort to get away (four guys up the road at one moment), Bak and later Nicki rode through a wall of noise, and Great Britain did a hell of a team effort.

I thoroughly enjoyed the last week, and hope it won't be 50 years until the next Worlds in Denmark - no matter what the course will be.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

As a dane, and as one of the many, many spectators who was on the route, I am very happy for a great experience and a really joyful day.

The race was perfectly arranged and everything went as it should.

However, I do understand the frustration everyone who was watching the race on television must have felt, because honestly the route was very boring.

 

[RedheadDane]

Next time the route can be in the East Jutland hills! Around Århus! With the finish on Kiddesvej of course!

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Next time the route can be in the East Jutland hills! Around Århus! With the finish on Kiddesvej of course!

You could potentially make a very good and interesting route around Aarhus. Hope they'll get it at some point

 

[simo1733]

It will be interesting to hear the experts response to the race.I would be surprised if we hear the same vitriol that is coming from the forum pond life.

 

[Eric8-A]

Why not have a WC course on the Eyre Highway?

 

[Valentino]

I had a great time watching the race on TV.
A very impressive ride by the GB team, capped off by an intelligent sprint by Cav. Fabian vas impressive too. Edvald just faded. I had Goss on my short list. MSR winners should be on such a fast cirquit.

Bennati:

I'm not a sprinter like Cavendish who can manoeuvre alone.

People have watched too many HTC trains.

 

[Bike Boy]

Wow what a week. got home late last night after the freaking best party I ever experineced. we were 250.000 people on the course!, it totally blew my mind. I'm so proud to be danish right now. Although the race itself was probably the most borring in recent years, but having the biggest stars in cycling on home soil is something very special, and i will never forget the atmosphere we created in Rudersdal.

Of course that ***edited by mod *** Cavendish was cheating from the gun. we were standing approximately 2 or 3 km from the start in central Copenhagen, and then behind the peleton we saw Cavendish hanging on to the british team car, not a single pedal stroke. He might as well be in the freaking car.

But hands down I was all goosebumps watching the final sprint. Although i can't stand Cavendish he and the british team really deserves credit. They controlled the race very well and for a short moment i thought cavendish was blocked in the right side in the sprint, but he found a way out of the trouble. He's a worthy world champion, no doubt about it.

 

[lancaster]

Congratulations to Cav easily the biggest win of his career.

On a less happy note, I really hope I never see such a bad WC course ever again.

WC RR shouldn't be just a long crit.

40m elevation (gained and lost) over 14km of road is amazingly flat. Too flat, the WC shouldn't have a group of 100 (including the gaps at the back) together at the end

 

[Cimber]

Course could have been better, but thats the best u can get around Copenhagen. If it should have been more selective it should have been placed in Jutland. But then again, why shouldnt a sprinter have the chance to win the WC one in a while. U need to have different courses every-year. Maybe too many ppl in here want it to be like an Ardenne-classic every year. Also I think that a group could have gone away if the Belgians hadnt suddenly put all in the Gilbert-basked towards the end. Too many teams rode solely (or at least mainly) for their sprinter. Too few teams attacked wholeheartedly and they should have opened up full gas earlier - especialyl after the big crash where the German team got severed. I think that "only" Germany, UK and Australia had a valid reason to rely on the sprint. Fabian was super strong and maybe should have tried to get clear at some point and not going for the sprint (though he did a great sprint). But it was a beautiful spring at the UK-team did an amazing job.

The tradeoff of a relatively flat course was that regarding spectators, cheering and general atmosphere it might be one of the best wc-races ever. As Nicki Sørensen said the lvl or noice from cheering was beating even Champs-Élysées.

EDIT: if it had been more windy and rainy (as it often is this time of year) it would have been harder for the sprinter's team to keep together, but then the crowd and the atmosphere would have suffered.

 

[Cimber]

I can't believe how many bitter people are on this forum...

So it was a sprint finish, so what? So the best sprinter won in the world, so what? I would hope the best sprinter in the world would win the world championships if the course suited a sprint finish. Just as much as I would expect the best climber to win, should it be a hilly course.

Going by the posts here, the UCI should just do away with flat courses as by the sounds of it, flat terrain doesn't really exist in the real world. The Grand Tours should only have hilly/mountain stages. Either that or should we expect a route to suit only a riders like Gilbert, Contador or Evans? Cycling consists of many disciplines, climbers, sprinters, puncheurs etc, this years suited a sprinter and the best man won.

The British team did a tremendous effort in trying to control the race and it showed that it was a team effort.

Pretty much this. The WC courses need to change year for year and they need to suit different types of rides, also sprinters every so often. And its also up the rest of the peloton to make it as hard as possible for the sprinters and their teams if they want to beat them.

In days where you can barely stay awake, maybe. But I wonder how people will react when the world champion drops in the first 2nd cat, and loses 25 minutes per stage without caring the slightest bit. If he doesn't drop out, that is.

In contrast to Ballan who rode a stunning 2009 in the rainbow? I really think ppl go over the edge with their hate against sprinters patronizing their wins. Also, I think Cav might just do a very good MSR and PRB next year. I think we will see him focus more on more on some of the spring races.

 

[hrotha]

Pretty much this. The WC courses need to change year for year and they need to suit different types of rides, also sprinters every so often. And its also up the rest of the peloton to make it as hard as possible for the sprinters and their teams if they want to beat them.

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.

 

[spalco]

This thread baffles me for two reasons. Firstly, because the Danish forumers are being so defensive and reacting so strongly to the comments against the course (which sucked), as if they were attacks on Denmark as a whole. And secondly, because some veteran forumers still can't detect blatant trolling attempts.

Some people definitely criticised Denmark as a whole for being unfit for a World Championship location.

 

[Jamsque]

The course was fine, the race was fun, the people complaining about the first Worlds for sprinters in nine years are stupid, Cav is the best.

Haters continue to hate.

 

[El Pistolero]

Next time the route can be in the East Jutland hills! Around Århus! With the finish on Kiddesvej of course!

A finish uphill is not a good idea me thinks

 

[El Pistolero]

Het spijt me. Ik wist niet dat je Nederlands was. dat verklaart alles.

Hoe zeg je 'Fingerbang "in het Nederlands?

I don't think there's a word for it

Vinger schot would be a direct translation, but sounds silly

 

[theyoungest]

Het spijt me. Ik wist niet dat je Nederlands was. dat verklaart alles.

Hoe zeg je 'Fingerbang "in het Nederlands?

Excuse me, you call the biggest Belgian fanboy on this forum Dutch? Poor Pistolero.

 

[goggalor]

The course was fine, the race was fun, the people complaining about the first Worlds for sprinters in nine years are stupid, Cav is the best.

Haters continue to hate.

And black is white.

 

[El Pistolero]

Excuse me, you call the biggest Belgian fanboy on this forum Dutch? Poor Pistolero.

I still have an immense dislike for Devolder and some other Belgian cyclists, so that doesn't hold up I'd take Wout Poels over them any day.

 

[theyoungest]

I still have an immense dislike for Devolder and some other Belgian cyclists, so that doesn't hold up I'd take Wout Poels over them any day.

As soon as Devolder finds back his winning ways, you'll love him.

 

[El Pistolero]

As soon as Devolder finds back his winning ways, you'll love him.

I love it when he's not winning

 

[Eshnar]

the first Worlds for sprinters in nine years

Sorry?
2004: Sprint. Freire win. maybe 30-40 riders in the bunch at the end.
2005: Sprint. Boonen. A lot more riders in the bunch.
2006: Sprint. Bettini. 2nd Zabel
2010: Sprint. Hushovd.

What worlds have you been watching in the last 9 years?

 

[Cimber]

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.

there is a difference betwen finishing on HC climb og having a flatish (wasnt totally falt) course. On a HC climb u imidiately eleminate most rider. On a flatsh course u favor sprinters, but dont eliminate versatile riders. After all Fabian finished 4th. Imho the teams could have put mroe pressure on the UK team and tried harder to make a selection, but too many team relied on they sprinter to pull it off.

The beauty of a WC race is that it isnt suiting the same ppl every year (but usually it doesnt exclude anyone either - and this year it didnt either)

 

[theyoungest]

Sorry?
2004: Sprint. Freire win. maybe 30-40 riders in the bunch at the end.
2005: Sprint. Boonen. A lot more riders in the bunch.
2006: Sprint. Bettini. 2nd Zabel
2010: Sprint. Hushovd.

What worlds have you been watching in the last 9 years?

That's not completely fair, when there's one or two sprinters left in the peloton at the end obviously they have a big chance of winning. Freire and Hushovd are great classics riders who happen to be great sprinters as well. This year's Worlds was not for classics riders, but for pure sprinters.

 

[Cimber]

That's not completely fair, when there's one or two sprinters left in the peloton at the end obviously they have a big chance of winning. Freire and Hushovd are great classics riders who happen to be great sprinters as well. This year's Worlds was not for classics riders, but for pure sprinters.

Fabian begs to differ But ye it was a course favoring the pure sprinters though the sprint was uphill. But cant have the classic guys sitting on in every year.