Cav takes tabloid heat for failed GB tactics

[Swabian Lass]

It's Germany gets me. Australia I can understand as they had O'Grady in the break. Although even an on-form O'Grady was unlikely to win from that break. If he'd made the final split I think he might have beaten Urans, but I don't see him getting past Vino.

But Germany's only realistic chance was Greipel in a sprint finish, surely a silver medal is worth riding for?

 

[Fearless Greg Lemond]

It's Germany gets me. Australia I can understand as they had O'Grady in the break. Although even an on-form O'Grady was unlikely to win from that break. If he'd made the final split I think he might have beaten Urans, but I don't see him getting past Vino.

But Germany's only realistic chance was Greipel in a sprint finish, surely a silver medal is worth riding for?

I guess humiliating Team Sky/British Cycling on home soil was gold to the entire/rest of the peloton.

Greipel wants to win, he is not interested in yet another second behind Cavendish.

 

[Swabian Lass]

I disagree. Tour stages are one thing, but I think he'd fancy an Olympic medal even if it meant coming second to Cavendish. And that wasn't a done deal anyway.

 

[Angliru]

From your previous post

I was responding to the quoted post that proferred that as an overall strategy to be used in the Tour, not as one that I agreed would be viable enough to trick the other teams into believing it. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[El Pistolero]

Cav got beaten in the sprint of the peloton. He can use excuses all he wants that he wasn't trying anymore, but if he won that sprint he could at least say "I was the fastest after a long hard race" afterwards.

 

[roundabout]

And nobody would have said that since it was a sprint for 27th that the rest weren't trying as much as in a sprint for a medal?

 

[El Pistolero]

And nobody would have said that since it was a sprint for 27th that the rest weren't trying as much as in a sprint for a medal?

Greipel and Boonen obviously sprinted. Greipel is normally the second best sprinter. I reckon Cav was on his limit anyway. Looking at the top 10 of the peloton the fastest sprinters were represented.

 

[Angliru]

And nobody would have said that since it was a sprint for 27th that the rest weren't trying as much as in a sprint for a medal?

Cav has a long history of not being motivated unless he's sprinting for the actual win. He's content to cruise in with the pack otherwise. That likely applies to the rest of the elite sprinters too since there really isn't anything to gain at that point.

 

[johnnycash]

Cav got beaten in the sprint of the peloton. He can use excuses all he wants that he wasn't trying anymore, but if he won that sprint he could at least say "I was the fastest after a long hard race" afterwards.

Greipel goes back home and says to his family 'Yep won that one'

'er, no dear, you came 27th, you only get a medal for 1st, 2nd or 3rd'

'who said anything about medals, I beat Cavendish didn't I? geez what more can i do'

'Ok dear, well done'

 

[Caruut]

You can't say they should have put Millar in a break because if the break had stayed away, which it probably still would have, then they could be accused of spreading an already small team too thinly.

They had to put all their eggs in one basket, and Cav was a pretty safe bet to do that with. You can't win them all, Sky/GB did their best and it didn't work out - end of story.

All the other teams were small though, and the breakaway was of a normal size. So, team size relative to breakaway was lower than usual, and hence the ability to control the breakaway by sheer power was lower than usual. However, the effect of having a man in the break as a way of controlling it stays the same, so I think that should have been something they did.

You don't win one-day races by putting all your eggs in one basket. It's so easy to counter a tactic that has only one possible way of winning.

 

[Kellys Big Sprocket]

Typical English tabloids. Absolutely worthless.

In the UK it's called the gutter press. Any angle they find they will jump on it. Don't think kit will bother Mark too much and his team mates will be taking the p*ss out of him for it and he'll love it. Reckon it will be his last Olympic's anyway. Next week it will be all out of sight out of mind except on this forum.

 

[thehog]

In the UK it's called the gutter press. Any angle they find they will jump on it. Don't think kit will bother Mark too much and his team mates will be taking the p*ss out of him for it and he'll love it. Reckon it will be his last Olympic's anyway. Next week it will be all out of sight out of mind except on this forum.

 

[BroDeal]

Hold it! I thought the Brits were set to dominate the games. What went wrong?

Arch rival Australia is in 9th place. Britain is in 12th.

Kazakhstan has three golds.

The Brits are being beaten by the North Koreans, whose athletes have to survive on grass and leaves.

 

[Arnout]

The Brits are being beaten by the North Koreans, whose athletes have to survive on grass and leaves.

Doubt it, to be brutally honest

 

[spalco]

The Brits are being beaten by the North Koreans, whose athletes have to survive on grass and leaves.

Maybe, but eating grass and leaves means nothing when you have Kim-Jong-Un's supreme moral leadership behind you that gives you the super-human mental strength to overcome the structural disadvantages compared to the capitalist scum.

 

[Don't be late Pedro]

Paul Kimmage has his say on the race here

 

[BroDeal]

Paul Kimmage has his say on the race here

Whoah. That's harsh.

"That is not something I could extend to Nicolas Roche or Daniel Martin on Saturday. I thought that was one of the poorest performances I’ve ever seen."

 

[thehog]

Cav must be spitting chips at seeing all this gold.

 

[Avoriaz]

Cav must be spitting chips at seeing all this gold.

May I refer you to your previous post in this thread then?

I thought he would have been bitter, but in his commentary position he has been incredibly happy for the rest of the team. The only mini sulk was when jake Humphries asked if he and Cav could have a photo with an Olympic gold

 

[Warhawk]

Last I checked, getting ripped in the British tabloids was pretty much a mark of honor at this point.

 

[stampedingviking]

Hold it! I thought the Brits were set to dominate the games. What went wrong?

Arch rival Australia is in 9th place. Britain is in 12th.

Kazakhstan has three golds.

The Brits are being beaten by the North Koreans, whose athletes have to survive on grass and leaves.

Care to revisit this post?

 

[Pricey_sky]

Care to revisit this post?

You have to love it, Earlier in the week there were several Aussies gloating that we still hadn't won a gold and they had.

GB 16 golds, Aussie's 1 gold last time I checked.

 

[burning]

Hold it! I thought the Brits were set to dominate the games. What went wrong?

Arch rival Australia is in 9th place. Britain is in 12th.

Kazakhstan has three golds.

The Brits are being beaten by the North Koreans, whose athletes have to survive on grass and leaves.

5 days later, they have 16 golds though

 

[burning]

You have to love it, Earlier in the week there were several Aussies gloating that we still hadn't won a gold and they had.

GB 16 golds, Aussie's 1 gold last time I checked.

Well that 1 gold stuff is largely misleading considering the fact that they have 12 silvers and 7 bronzes

 

[Pricey_sky]

Well that 1 gold stuff is largely misleading considering the fact that they have 12 silvers and 7 bronzes

True but while sliver and bronze are very respectable its gold what every athlete and nation wants.