Australian Nationals

[Tugboat]

Ha ha... there's plenty of photos floating about of the real Jack Bauer on a bike. He's another kid who's going places on a bike (although he's perhaps fortunate Dean cramped as he kicked for the sprint). Big boost to the UK based Endura team to have picked up a national champion for this season.

 

[auscyclefan94]

I love it when a breakaway succeeds. Congratulations to Travis Meyer, but also to the local lad, Damien Turner, for sneaking in for third and the KOM. Turner looked more pumped than anyone at the finish.

I missed the first 6 or 7 laps because I went for a ride south of Bunninyong with a mate. It was toasty out there on the road. I was so hot when I got back to town that I needed two Frosty Fruits and an Icy-Pole to get my temperature back under control. I have no idea how those guys race in that heat. Hats off to all of them.

Rogers and Columbia screwed up very badly as they were the only major team that had nobody in any of the main breaks. Pretty average performance by COlumbia

 

[asockpuppet]

Rogers and Columbia screwed up very badly as they were the only major team that had nobody in any of the main breaks. Pretty average performance by COlumbia

A bit harsh. In 38 deg heat, with the winning break going on the 1st lap, no-one expected it to stick. We were 'camped' on the hill & it was quite obvious the 'bunch' were all quite happy to wait it out & keep their 'powder dry' until later in the race. Columbia only ever gave a half hearted effort to chase, Howard went to the front a little, but no-one wanted to assist in any chase. By half way Rogers had pretty much accepted that unless some of the 'domestic' teams were going to have a go, the break wasn't coming back, so he seemed reasonably content with that.

A bit harsh to say a poor performance when they didn't do anything to suggest that they had much interest in the result. Cookie looked awesome all day & stuck to Rogers wheel...maybe Mick was abit reluctant to bring back the break only to have Cookie 'roll him' in a sprint finish. Turner's was the ride of the day, only rider I saw all day in the big ring up the hill....& he did it every lap!

 

[craig1985]

Don't think it will matter too much since Columbia didn't win the Nationals. They are only going to have 321 race wins this season.

 

[blaxland]

Well done travis(Australian road race champion)and well done Cameron(Australian Time trial champion)these boys have big futures ahead of them..........

 

[53 x 11]

Womens: TT Carly Light. (third)

Under 23: TT Rohan Denis (first)

Mens TT: One of the Meyers (first)

Under 23 RR Tim Roe (fifth)

Mens RR: See Mens TT or an Aus based rider to pop up for the win. (first)

Not bad if I do say so myself! And Timmy was battling against 12 AIS riders with only Ben King to support him.

 

[auscyclefan94]

A bit harsh. In 38 deg heat, with the winning break going on the 1st lap, no-one expected it to stick. We were 'camped' on the hill & it was quite obvious the 'bunch' were all quite happy to wait it out & keep their 'powder dry' until later in the race. Columbia only ever gave a half hearted effort to chase, Howard went to the front a little, but no-one wanted to assist in any chase. By half way Rogers had pretty much accepted that unless some of the 'domestic' teams were going to have a go, the break wasn't coming back, so he seemed reasonably content with that.

A bit harsh to say a poor performance when they didn't do anything to suggest that they had much interest in the result. Cookie looked awesome all day & stuck to Rogers wheel...maybe Mick was abit reluctant to bring back the break only to have Cookie 'roll him' in a sprint finish. Turner's was the ride of the day, only rider I saw all day in the big ring up the hill....& he did it every lap!

Garmin played it tatically better, White was smart enough to have someone up in the break, Peiper put nobody up, one of the only teams that didn't that's why nobody wanted to assist in the chase. CHTC did chase a bit but after that the error had been made. i don't think Rogers should be content with result. he was telling everyone how much he wanted to win this race because of the bad error he and Hansen made last year so he screwed up. You can't use any weather arguement. Heat or not, columbia should of tried to control the race better.

 

[Jono L.]

. Heat or not, columbia should of tried to control the race better.

3 riders in a ~150 person field. You ain't controlling nothing with that.

 

[auscyclefan94]

3 riders in a ~150 person field. You ain't controlling nothing with that.

Firstly they are a protour squad, and if they didn't think they could control the race then they should of sent someone up the road. They played it tatically bad and garmin played it well.

 

[asockpuppet]

Firstly they are a protour squad, and if they didn't think they could control the race then they should of sent someone up the road. They played it tatically bad and garmin played it well.

They might be a 'pro tour' squad, but they only had 3 riders, Howard & Goss, pretty much 1st year on the squad.. & Rogers. They were never gunna be able to control anything with that group. The fact is the 'break' went 500mts into a 160km race in 38 deg heat...no-one expected it to stick (see meyer's comments). Sure, Fly V & garmin had riders in it, but apart from obviously deciding to have a rider in 'everything', it was more luck than good management ...& failure by the rest of the field to consider chasing. Columbia didn't chase at all...no-one in the bunch did anything until after half way & even then it was Loyd & a couple of domestic pro's that had a bit of a dig, nothing from Columbia. If Rogers wasn't content to let it go, parhaps he should have done somthing about it...Howard & Goss obviously couldn't, Goss nearly got dropped up the hill every lap.

To prove my point that they didn't chase, a young amateur shot out of the bunch at about lap 3, hoping to coax someone to come with him in an attempt to bridge....no-one did & it took them 40km to reel him in (& even then it was because he was 'stuffed' rather than an increase in the bunches pace). The upshot is, Rogers didn't want it enough to be bothered doing anything to influence the bunches behaviour. Rather than bad tactics, it was eveidence of 'acceptance' that without anyone assisting, once it got out to 7mins, (about halfway), it wasn't coming back. Pro riders are nothing if not pragmatic...no point killing yourself in that heat for no reward

 

[auscyclefan94]

If the weren't willing to chase, then they should of had someone in the break but columbia had nobody in the break... If they did then they would have had a chance. Tatical error... Trav Meyer is a guy who is a track sprinter, you don't have to be a climber to win on this course.

Meyer-wins-Australian-road-race-title/

listen to what matty white has to say.

 

[asockpuppet]

who said you needed to be a climber to win on this course?....apart from Cookie's rant the other day?. So tactical genius that you are, you'd have had Rogers in the break after 500 mts?...No point putting either Goss or howard up there, what would that achieve?...neither of them could have won if it stayed away, (both were struggling in the bunch, despite not doing much work) & Rogers still couldn't have won if it came back together....Cookie would have....so, in your world, let's say Goss was in the break & refusing to work in the hope that Rogers could get 'back' into it later, that scenario still relies on some domestic pro's dragging him up...didn't happen & your scenario changes nothing...or Goss working with the break & still getting pumped by Meyer at the finish. Howard might have had a chance in the break against Meyer, but the way he looked, he wouldn't have had any answer to meyer's final attack to force a sprint finish....you sure you were at the same race as the rest of us?

 

[Jono L.]

They might be a 'pro tour' squad, but they only had 3 riders, Howard & Goss, pretty much 1st year on the squad.. & Rogers. They were never gunna be able to control anything with that group. The fact is the 'break' went 500mts into a 160km race in 38 deg heat...no-one expected it to stick (see meyer's comments). Sure, Fly V & garmin had riders in it, but apart from obviously deciding to have a rider in 'everything', it was more luck than good management ...& failure by the rest of the field to consider chasing. Columbia didn't chase at all...no-one in the bunch did anything until after half way & even then it was Loyd & a couple of domestic pro's that had a bit of a dig, nothing from Columbia. If Rogers wasn't content to let it go, parhaps he should have done somthing about it...Howard & Goss obviously couldn't, Goss nearly got dropped up the hill every lap.

To prove my point that they didn't chase, a young amateur shot out of the bunch at about lap 3, hoping to coax someone to come with him in an attempt to bridge....no-one did & it took them 40km to reel him in (& even then it was because he was 'stuffed' rather than an increase in the bunches pace). The upshot is, Rogers didn't want it enough to be bothered doing anything to influence the bunches behaviour. Rather than bad tactics, it was eveidence of 'acceptance' that without anyone assisting, once it got out to 7mins, (about halfway), it wasn't coming back. Pro riders are nothing if not pragmatic...no point killing yourself in that heat for no reward

Wot he said.

 

[rgmerk]

Could a moderator unsticky this thread now that the race has been run, won, and discussed to death?

 

[auscyclefan94]

Could a moderator unsticky this thread now that the race has been run, won, and discussed to death?

Ditto ,,,,,,,

 

[Anonymous]

agreed.. and can we unsticky the TdU start list thread as well and just have a daily stage thread now.. this place is getting very cluttered..

 

[Susan Westemeyer]

Consider yourselves unstuck.

Susan