Copenhagen World Championships: Elite Women Road Race, 140km

[Galic Ho]

Lies! Kournikova become popular solely due to her ace tennis skills!! Also how can it be a chock to someone that men like to look at pretty girls...

Well this very week I did hear someone talk about Kournikova's doubles career. She was good in that respect. She is the new trainer on the Biggest Loser and someone somewhere had a crack at her success. Not all female tennis players can win a grand slam so some use their looks to rake in the cash. Most people would do it if advertisers threw money at them. Male sports stars do the same...Beckham, Ronaldo and even this very week Nadal. All took Kournikova's route for some extra dosh.

The highest paid emale sports star in the world is Maria Sharapova and she hasn't won a Slam in quite some time. $30 million for looking pretty...personally I think there are 2-3 better looking Russian women tennis players but I can't argue with the numbers. But the boys do like to watch her and that sells. Don't be confused...watching pretty girls in sport is quite popular and I'd rcommend it to all red blooded males.

Only just daw Susans post. I won't reply to non race elements.

 

[El Pistolero]

Well this very week I did hear someone talk about Kournikova's doubles career. She was good in that respect. She is the new trainer on the Biggest Loser and someone somewhere had a crack at her success. Not all female tennis players can win a grand slam so some use their looks to rake in the cash. Most people would do it if advertisers threw money at them. Male sports stars do the same...Beckham, Ronaldo and even this very week Nadal. All took Kournikova's route for some extra dosh.

The highest paid emale sports star in the world is Maria Sharapova and she hasn't won a Slam in quite some time. $30 million for looking pretty...personally I think there are 2-3 better looking Russian women tennis players but I can't argue with the numbers. But the boys do like to watch her and that sells. Don't be confused...watching pretty girls in sport is quite popular and I'd rcommend it to all red blooded males.

Only just daw Susans post. I won't reply to non race elements.

Doubles tennis is like winning the paralympics while not having a handicap.

 

[spalco]

I think only one post so far has mentioned Bronzini won. There's other people out there besides Vos, you know.

Well, Vos taking 2nd was by far the most entertaining thing about this race.

 

[taiwan]

Where did I say the race should be fixed? Let alone for a pretty woman to win? Heck if that were the case I'd have one of the podium girls win.

Cut out the head of the winner, heck the upper body and ask a random stranger whether this was a mens or womens winner. Catching my drift? I've seen her before so clearly I don't watch womens cycling to check out the aesthetic qualitty I watch for the bike racing. Sure any person cannot really help how they look but given the sad predicament of a course and the lack of enthusiasm shown by many teams (that's why I liked the Dutch, they had a go) iI would hate to be the person selling the event to the masses. Womens tennis has the best formula. So does womens golf. Pretty them up and slap em in a bikini in a sports mag.

So where does that leave me with this as an adveriser and marketer? The sport which this thread has shown wasn't very good. If the sex doesn't sell, then you've gotta go on substance and this had llittle. With neither how do I pitch this as a must watch event and sport? Also don't act like women don't go nuts over male sports stars. They do, especially for footy players. Women have a harder sell to make in their respective sports, hence why both image and quality are needed. All I was saying todays event had neither. UCI can take the blame for the quality...that's the course.

But you're basically saying that Bronzini winning is bad for the sport because of the way she looks. They have had cyclists in bikinis in magazines many times: if you're rating them on looks what do you care what sporting achievements they make? I don't accept it would be better to have a weak winner of a WC who's the prettiest.
Rochelle Gilmore and Victoria Pendleton do tick both boxes, but I don't really see what good it does the sport. Maybe I'm being naive.

 

[El Pistolero]

As someone pointed out, a person's looks have nothing to do with their athletic abilties.

Take it to the BAbes on Bikes thread or the Clinic. Or open a thread where you can rationally discuss (fat chance) the effects of physical attractiveness on sports marketing strategies.

Otherwise, leave it alone. It is disgusting.

Susan

In some cases it does

 

[spalco]

Aha. So the city of cycling is not worthy a World Championship. Records were set wednesday with the amount of spectators and a TT in the middle of the city is quite unique. Sure, the road race course is not very demanding but to say that a small country like Denmark, who has so much influence in the sport considering its seize, in not worthy is just stupidity.

I think the races have been good, don't worry. Though maybe it's a lesson for future bids to make things just a touch more difficult, maybe use a couple kms cobble/gravel road or a short really steep incline; there's got to be something in or around Copenhagen like that. Just to make it a little easier to gain a gap with a hard dig.

 

[Galic Ho]

Doubles tennis is like winning the paralympics while not having a handicap.

That is one way of describing it which illustrates what I was pointing at. Seriously though I don't like what little the UCI do to help womens cycling. Gotta agree with those who think this course is bland. It seems every time I discuss a womens race the efforts of the UCI to expand and grow womens cycling take precedent and are the focus. Short story womens cycling is great and unpredictable if of course one ignores Vos last five WC results. Unpredictable is exciting IMO. Can't say todays race was except for one women who only just returned to cycling having spent time as an ice-skater. You'd never hear that in the mens...which tells me a lot about this course and the attitude of teams and riders.

Also apologies for mispelling Bronzini (if this spelling is right) and to anyone thinking I was baggin out someone for how riders look. I wasn't, but people can interpret things differently than I intended.

 

[Galic Ho]

I don't accept it would be better to have a weak winner of a WC who's the prettiest.

I never said that. I simply suggested that womens cycling doesn't get the attention mens cycling does, which as a sport it isn't exactly making waves in terms of viewers outside of Europe. I then elaborated using an example (whilst highlighting that looks do not matter to me, only substance sporting wise) that when your sporting quality is lacking then womens sports uses image and aesthetic appeal to turn in viewers. I was suggesting you figure the rest out in light of todays results and the actual sporting effort. As I said I watch cycling...advertisers don't need to target you, me or anyone else here, but they sure as hell do with not so loyal cycling fanatics if they want womens cycling to grow. If one is lacking the other must be there in some form.

Be greatful I don't post what my mother had to say about womens cycling after this event.

 

[Benotti69]

In some cases it does

strange how nearly all the women used to advertise cycling to women are 'babes'

 

[Susan Westemeyer]

Take the doping references to the Clinic. Final warning.

Susan

 

[Dead Star]

Boring race. Sorry, I will normally watch most of a flat stage in a GT with no problems. But when it's a circuit race....and nothing is happening........ This is why they have helicopters sent off to see the local sights and places of interests. Bit difficult to do when you're concentrated in on area!

But that's just the way it is.

 

[The Cobra]

This race was a massive fail. How many times do female pro's complain about the lack of coverage and the lack of money and that its just as exciting as the mens. Well it maybe, but they really let themselves down today in advertising their sport.

I dont think you can blame it solely on the parcour, yeah it pretty flat but the junior and U23 mens races were plenty exciting. I dont understand why there was no one making a concerted effort to form an early break even, get a bit of TV time off the front and make the race interesting.

As for the Brits tactics, made no sense to me. Armistead was talked up as the big sprinter for us but even though she finished 7th she never really featured in the sprint. Cooke was the only one decently placed but there was no lead out, no team work, they just did two independent sprints. Cooke or Pooley or someone should have been launching off the front to put some pressure on the other teams or trying and form a decisive split.

 

[canyonball]

At first, I thought the same. Apparently, the plan was to lead out Armitstead. But Lizzie got caught up in a crash, so when the time came, she was a little too far behind. Nicole Cooke just decided to go for it herself. LINK Somehow, I feel they aren't Best friends.

 

[simonk]

I dont get some of those comments after this race. This is not worth of a World Championships? Are you kidding me? Should Copenhagen, or other citys that cant make really hard routes, just never have the chance to get a World Championship then? Thats just... Stupid.

I actually like the course. What makes it good is the finish. Cant be such a hard course every year, but this is a nice "easy" course i think. Because yes, its not so difficult, but still it got some hills and most important the uphill finish. This is a good way to make a "easy" world championship imo.

EDIT: And the riders also makes the race. The womens didnt make a hard race, so it was boring. Really not Copenhagens fault. They could have done a lot more, but they didnt, and because of that it became a pretty boring race.

 

[El Pistolero]

I dont get some of those comments after this race. This is not worth of a World Championships? Are you kidding me? Should Copenhagen, or other citys that cant make really hard routes, just never have the chance to get a World Championship then? Thats just... Stupid.

I actually like the course. What makes it good is the finish. Cant be such a hard course every year, but this is a nice "easy" course i think. Because yes, its not so difficult, but still it got some hills and most important the uphill finish. This is a good way to make a "easy" world championship imo.

EDIT: And the riders also makes the race. The womens didnt make a hard race, so it was boring. Really not Copenhagens fault. They could have done a lot more, but they didnt, and because of that it became a pretty boring race.

We're talking about the world champion of a sport in a one day race. Yet the winner will probably get dropped in every single Monument next year

It's a disgrace to the sport if you ask me.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

I just came from from a busy day...

I didn't think Vos could manage it, but she did, AGAIN a silver medal

 

[spalco]

We're talking about the world champion of a sport in a one day race. Yet the winner will probably get dropped in every single Monument next year

Not if it's Cavendish.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I dont get some of those comments after this race. This is not worth of a World Championships? Are you kidding me? Should Copenhagen, or other citys that cant make really hard routes, just never have the chance to get a World Championship then? Thats just... Stupid.

I actually like the course. What makes it good is the finish. Cant be such a hard course every year, but this is a nice "easy" course i think. Because yes, its not so difficult, but still it got some hills and most important the uphill finish. This is a good way to make a "easy" world championship imo.

The whole point of a World Championships is that it's hard to win, otherwise it devalues the championship, and if being World Champion at a sport is devalued it means the sport is devalued.

If the World Championships are not a challenge, then we may as well not bother with rolling around for six hours, we can have a happy little sprint off a single lap and be done with it. Saves everybody the time and effort, and we can be back at home to enter local crits by 6.

You can have WCs that are more hilly, less hilly, more windy, less windy, more technical, less technical. That creates variety. But we shouldn't have WCs that are one derny away from being a keirin on the road.

 

[55by11]

Well done Bronzini today. While watching her being interviewed, I couldn't help thinking that she didn't appear very, well, womanly. Wonder if she's ever had to take a gender test?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Well done Bronzini today. While watching her being interviewed, I couldn't help thinking that she didn't appear very, well, womanly. Wonder if she's ever had to take a gender test?

Last year called.

Giorgia Bronzini is a multiple national and world champion on both the track and the road and has been around for about eight years now. I'm not going to say that doping can't affect one's womanliness (really, we don't need people posting the Tammy Thomas photos yet again), but she's been around without anybody questioning her gender, whilst winning many things for several years now, and really, she's just a fairly butch woman, that's all there is to it.

 

[palmerq]

come on now, susan already asked you guys to leave this nonsense about how they look out of this thread, so please make sure you do or else :S.

 

[180mmCrank]

She is a female cyclist - full stop. We have run out of patience with disrespectful comments about her appearance.

Terry
Admin

 

[zapata]

Well done Bronzini today. While watching her being interviewed, I couldn't help thinking that she didn't appear very, well, womanly. Wonder if she's ever had to take a gender test?

Come on. These comments are getting tiresome. She's not even that butch, she just wears her hair short.

 

[Freddythefrog]

Funniest thread ever

Is this a thread for those with some sort of special needs ? Reading these comments it is easy to see how the banksters and politicians pull the wool. The win to the prettiest rider ? I loved somebody going by the name of AUSFAN was routing for a Gilmore win. Get informed - try this link - the title is "learning to walk again" http://www.rochellegilmore.com/2011/08/learning-to-walk-again/

Who the heck do you think sets the tone for the race ? You want to get selected ever again - you do what the Nat DS tells you. The DS is male. He comes with a male view of women. He has one race a year to boss all them dumb women. He conforms because he wants to please his bosses and wants to be promoted. He might get promoted if "his" rider sneaks a lucky (don't mention it was lucky) medal. The DS knows little about women's racing or the riders who are likely or capable of forming the race. He wants to coach the men. Maybe he has not watched a whole women's race all year. If he was good he would be DS of the men or the U23 men. He isn't good, but he can certainly tell the girls what to do and will certainly ruin the career of anyone who does not perform to his instructions. = bore fest on this course. "Don't attack - the Dutch will pull anything that goes, back. After all Vos handed the World cup to Van Vlueten at Plouay so she could have pay-back here. Hang on until the end and see if you can get yourself in a good position and sneak a medal or a top 10 place. I don't want to see you up the road - ever - period. You will get pulled back." Vos hauled back Cooke and Arndt in a suicide mission last year, then as she died, cut up Johanson who would have taken silver. This year Tuetenburg and Bronzini closed Vos (and Cooke on her wheel).

Does anyone think the girls riding for Russia, Belgium, France, Canada, Denmark etc., didn't know how this race was going to unfold unless they went up the road and formed a decent break in the first few laps ? The pattern was woven on 27th Aug. The response of the Nat DSs was like night follows day.

 

[blaxland]

Boring....that has got to be one of the most boring races i have seen in the last 20 yearsCourse not difficult enough and riders not willing to take chances...