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Can Robbie McEwan go out with a World Championship

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Agree. Noone wants a bunch sprint. Britain will have their work cut out for them, trying to bring back everything without help.

(A bit strange to find myself discussing the 2010 worlds already, but I suppose it's better than discussing the 09 TdF one more time.)
 
auscyclefan94 said:
Actually i had a look at the course yesterday and i must say that if it comes down to a sprint, that it will have timed perfectly, as the final straight is at 4% -5%. The last few kilometres have some really skinny roads that only 1 car could fit through. The main climb has some parts of 12-13% but the are in the first half of the course.

i think we should get excited. led the tally at the road, track and MTB world championship medal tally and 3rd best country in the world due to the UCI Protour. it's a shame though we can't get any coorporate sponsors involved to fund a pro team.

If anyone would like to look at the profile and gradient of the course here's the link; (Hit annotated link for gradient)
Geelong Men's Road Race Course

Men & Women's time trial course

It also sounds like a course that Cancellara or Gilbert could sneak away at the end for victory. I like the Sanchez choice too-actually either Sanchez:
Sammy or Luis Leon, who are both resourceful, aggressive riders with the tactical sense to get it done.

I too can't understand the lack of potential sponsors for an Australian pro team considering the recent successes. Maybe Evans' WC win will be the catalyst. I really thought I read somewhere that an Australian based pro team was in the works. Whatever happened with that? I was expecting that to occur before Sky surfaced.
 
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Angliru said:
It also sounds like a course that Cancellara or Gilbert could sneak away at the end for victory. I like the Sanchez choice too-actually either Sanchez:
Sammy or Luis Leon, who are both resourceful, aggressive riders with the tactical sense to get it done.

I too can't understand the lack of potential sponsors for an Australian pro team considering the recent successes. Maybe Evans' WC win will be the catalyst. I really thought I read somewhere that an Australian based pro team was in the works. Whatever happened with that? I was expecting that to occur before Sky surfaced.

Team Roamfree - travel company. never quite eventuated.
 
Mar 11, 2009
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Angliru said:
It also sounds like a course that Cancellara or Gilbert could sneak away at the end for victory. I like the Sanchez choice too-actually either Sanchez:
Sammy or Luis Leon, who are both resourceful, aggressive riders with the tactical sense to get it done.

That's kind of the case I'm making against an obvious bunch sprint next year.
If both Sanchez' could do it on this type of parcours, so could EBH, Breschel, Kroon, Langeveld, Gesink, Gilbert, van Avermaet, Boonen, Nuyens, the Schlecks, Fedrigo, Voeckler, Rodriguez, Valverde, Pozzato, Nibali, Ballan, Cunego, Nocentini, Quinziato, Wegmann, Uran, Brajkovic, Ivanov, Vino....

Ok, it's a year away, but even now I'm pretty sure nobody will want to take Cav to the line and the rest of the British team will be blown away in the first attack of the final round.

Cipo did it in Zolder, but he had an Italian superteam to back him up and an even flatter course.

Boonen showed in Paris - Tours that he's not willing to wait for bunch sprints anymore and Belgium has an awesome tandem with him and Gilbert, Freire's teammates woud rather win a rainbow themselves than see him win a 4th, Norway has a better bet with EBH in a breakaway than with Hushovd in a sprint, Petacchi, Chicchi or Napolitano will lose everytime against Cav and Ballerini knows this. They will aim for anything but a sprint. The Aussies will want to show something on homeground, but it won't be in a sprint (I still believe Robbie would have been WC once if Stuey had worked for him, now it's too late)

Again, it's a year away, but I can't think of a scenario where Cav is gonna be there at the line.
Always fun to look forward though :)
 
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Aussie based pro team

Angliru said:
I too can't understand the lack of potential sponsors for an Australian pro team considering the recent successes. Maybe Evans' WC win will be the catalyst. I really thought I read somewhere that an Australian based pro team was in the works. Whatever happened with that? I was expecting that to occur before Sky surfaced.

Apologies for the thread hijack, but attempts to build an "Aussie" ProTour team is going to be pushing poo uphill for the foreseeable future.

In a nutshell, most of the big races races are on in the middle of the night for Aussies. This obviously greatly restricts the potential TV audience here, and thus the value to a sponsor trying to sell to Aussies.

If you're trying to sell to a European audience, why would you want to build an Aussie-centric team?
 
ak-zaaf said:
That's kind of the case I'm making against an obvious bunch sprint next year.
If both Sanchez' could do it on this type of parcours, so could EBH, Breschel, Kroon, Langeveld, Gesink, Gilbert, van Avermaet, Boonen, Nuyens, the Schlecks, Fedrigo, Voeckler, Rodriguez, Valverde, Pozzato, Nibali, Ballan, Cunego, Nocentini, Quinziato, Wegmann, Uran, Brajkovic, Ivanov, Vino....

Ok, it's a year away, but even now I'm pretty sure nobody will want to take Cav to the line and the rest of the British team will be blown away in the first attack of the final round.

Cipo did it in Zolder, but he had an Italian superteam to back him up and an even flatter course.

Boonen showed in Paris - Tours that he's not willing to wait for bunch sprints anymore and Belgium has an awesome tandem with him and Gilbert, Freire's teammates woud rather win a rainbow themselves than see him win a 4th, Norway has a better bet with EBH in a breakaway than with Hushovd in a sprint, Petacchi, Chicchi or Napolitano will lose everytime against Cav and Ballerini knows this. They will aim for anything but a sprint. The Aussies will want to show something on homeground, but it won't be in a sprint (I still believe Robbie would have been WC once if Stuey had worked for him, now it's too late)

Again, it's a year away, but I can't think of a scenario where Cav is gonna be there at the line.
Always fun to look forward though :)

agreed with most of your post but i think the aussies have a lot of cards to play aswell...hometown advantage(example;cancellara this year rr and tt=great form)aswell they have good small group sprinters(davis/haussler/gerrans and renshaw)so i think your right in saying no one wants to deliver Cavendish to the line.....except the brits........
 
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The feild are coming from European Summer to the back end of Victorian winter.
Then they need to learn to ride up side down get over Jet lag all in a short time.
When the race is on Europe will be in Bed. That will take some adjustment.
 
rgmerk said:
Apologies for the thread hijack, but attempts to build an "Aussie" ProTour team is going to be pushing poo uphill for the foreseeable future.

In a nutshell, most of the big races races are on in the middle of the night for Aussies. This obviously greatly restricts the potential TV audience here, and thus the value to a sponsor trying to sell to Aussies.

If you're trying to sell to a European audience, why would you want to build an Aussie-centric team?

Well at least we finally get some TV coverage (Eurosport). It's not so much getting a return though, we just need an individual with enough behind them to do it. We will never have CUB/Telstra/Qantas/BHP/Rio/Wesfarmers etc just stepping up to the plate. Rupert has a big enough stake in media to be able to just do it himself using Sky... He should have made an Australian team 10 years ago :(

If only Clive Palmer bought a cycling team instead of a football team.

If Australia continues to produce world class cyclists then it's only a matter of time given the ever-increasing popularity of the sport. It may take ten years, but eventually it will happen.
 
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ak-zaaf said:
That's kind of the case I'm making against an obvious bunch sprint next year.
If both Sanchez' could do it on this type of parcours, so could EBH, Breschel, Kroon, Langeveld, Gesink, Gilbert, van Avermaet, Boonen, Nuyens, the Schlecks, Fedrigo, Voeckler, Rodriguez, Valverde, Pozzato, Nibali, Ballan, Cunego, Nocentini, Quinziato, Wegmann, Uran, Brajkovic, Ivanov, Vino....

Ok, it's a year away, but even now I'm pretty sure nobody will want to take Cav to the line and the rest of the British team will be blown away in the first attack of the final round.

Cipo did it in Zolder, but he had an Italian superteam to back him up and an even flatter course.

Boonen showed in Paris - Tours that he's not willing to wait for bunch sprints anymore and Belgium has an awesome tandem with him and Gilbert, Freire's teammates woud rather win a rainbow themselves than see him win a 4th, Norway has a better bet with EBH in a breakaway than with Hushovd in a sprint, Petacchi, Chicchi or Napolitano will lose everytime against Cav and Ballerini knows this. They will aim for anything but a sprint. The Aussies will want to show something on homeground, but it won't be in a sprint (I still believe Robbie would have been WC once if Stuey had worked for him, now it's too late)

Again, it's a year away, but I can't think of a scenario where Cav is gonna be there at the line.
Always fun to look forward though :)

Sammy sanchez is a better climber than most of those guys who you have named at climbing and time trialling, which he will need to stay away. In your list you have named no aussies. No way the schlecks will win on this course, they would need a mountain top finish. Wiggins will ride the worlds. I think Sammy Sanchez or Gilbert will win, though the winds at geelong will be a big factor and may split the field.
Compared to other years, it goes through a lot of surburban streets. On the tv these worlds will have a diffrent look to them. Also the many traffic islands out on the course may play a factor.
 
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Ferminal said:
Well at least we finally get some TV coverage (Eurosport). It's not so much getting a return though, we just need an individual with enough behind them to do it. We will never have CUB/Telstra/Qantas/BHP/Rio/Wesfarmers etc just stepping up to the plate. Rupert has a big enough stake in media to be able to just do it himself using Sky... He should have made an Australian team 10 years ago :(

If only Clive Palmer bought a cycling team instead of a football team.

If Australia continues to produce world class cyclists then it's only a matter of time given the ever-increasing popularity of the sport. It may take ten years, but eventually it will happen.

James Packer can use his corporates and much money. Our aussies team could be called, Team Crown, Team Channel Nine or team womens weekly