Geelong: Women's World individual Time Trial Championsips

[Spare Tyre]

Final = Pooley, Arndt, Villmusen.

Very, very close between 2nd and 3rd.

Longo fifth I think.

Edit: Yep, Longo 5th, Amber Neben (USA) 4th

Geelong looks surprisingly good on the TV.

 

[Spare Tyre]

Pooley says she liked the fact there was no radio -- no-one in her ear giving her the times of other riders etc, just straight out ride as fast as you can.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Little by little we know more of the course.
Since these climbs are in the road race.

Seems like a though race to me. No sprinters race. More like something in between the Amstel Gold Race and Plouay

 

[Skip Madness]

I was really impressed that Pooley kept taking time out on the second half of the parcours - I thought Neben and Arndt would come back much more strongly rather than continuing to lose time. Whitelaw was disappointing for me. Surprised that Longo managed fifth, and I also thought Villumsen might have suffered a bit more early on but she did well in the end.

 

[Ferminal]

The first climb in the TT looks bad enough, but in the RR it's all one drag around 10%, no flat sections apart from a couple of brief false flats.

They didn't show too much of the 2nd climb, it's been extended by 50m or so because of the bridge, as soon as you cross you have to start climbing back up to the road level and then the actual climb.

I think the first climb will be the most pivotal though in terms of breaking up the field. Of course we will know more after the U23s on Friday.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Yeah Feminal, but the way the speed decreases because of the twists and turns just before the 2nd climb, it might actually be more decisive than you would expect.

A whole peloton going through a narrow passage at low speed and then a steep 400m climb. Things could really break up a lot more than if it were approached full speed.

 

[auscyclefan94]

Yeah Feminal, but the way the speed decreases because of the twists and turns just before the 2nd climb, it might actually be more decisive than you would expect.

A whole peloton going through a narrow passage at low speed and then a steep 400m climb. Things could really break up a lot more than if it were approached full speed.

At the start of the coverage they showed the pros warming up on the 2nd climb and it was really steep as the pros were really laboring. it is right up in front of you.

 

[Jamsque]

Well, it would seem I am guilty of exactly the same thing as the rest of Great Britain, I vastly under-estimated Emma's chances. British women's cycling is going from strength to strength right now. Pooley has picked up where Nicole Cooke left off, if anything she is actually stronger in the climbs and the time trials although less of a sprinter, and track stars like Lizzie Armitstead and Wendy Houvenaghel are transitioning to the road well.

 

[craig1985]

Final = Pooley, Arndt, Villmusen.

Very, very close between 2nd and 3rd.

Longo fifth I think.

Edit: Yep, Longo 5th, Amber Neben (USA) 4th

Geelong looks surprisingly good on the TV.

Too bad for Denmark that she chose to be a New Zealander now.

 

[Stuart]

Pooley really had a great ride and she was almost throwing up straight after too - shows the effort she put in - great ride from the French 52 year old ... I can't believe you can go that fast at that age.

 

[sublimit]

Longo is by far the best female cyclist ever, 40kph average on a tough course for a 51year is unbelievable.

Impressed with the way Pooley took out more time on the flats and descents from the German girl so well done to her.

 

[Skip Madness]

Longo is by far the best female cyclist ever, 40kph average on a tough course for a 51year is unbelievable.

Amazing though she has been and continues to be for her age, in terms of palmarès I think Fabiana Luperini beats her pretty comfortably. No question over who wins in longevity, though. In fact here's a staggering thought - when Luperini won the first of her Grandes Boucles, Longo was 36. Fifteen years later, Luperini has retired and Longo is still going.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Ah, Luperini. She was my kind of rider. Up and down.

It is for this reason that Mara Abbott is by far my favourite American racer. None of the boring do-the-TT-then-suck-the-wheel of the men.

Great ride and win by Pooley, who has absolutely no right to put out that kind of power when she must weigh about 35kg soaking wet.

 

[Winterfold]

Fantastic!!!

Can she take the road jersey as well?

Obviously the uk's premier public service broadcaster considered an ex-intl striker resigning from a 4th tier club more newsworthy

Pooley is IMO a bit more media friendly than Cooke ( who I portrayed as a bit difficult to get on with - no idea never met the girl - but she is a heroic rider) so maybe some more coverage will be forthcoming.

GB women have a very strong team with 2 possible winners - but how well will they cooperate? I hope they go for the 'team' won based on strongest rider on the day...

 

[Skip Madness]

The GB road race team should be completely centred on Armitstead. Fire off a couple of the others on breaks to get other teams working, sure, but Armitstead's natural talent and excellent form, particularly in the second half of the season, merits her being looked after properly I reckon.

 

[Winterfold]

We're not short of options - hopefully they can pull it off

For sure the talent is there and we have a rider for breakaway/puncheur/bunch eventualities

The beeb have at least realised she's won now - even if it is not deemed as important as some parochial bollox

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Pooley is IMO a bit more media friendly than Cooke ( who I portrayed as a bit difficult to get on with - no idea never met the girl - but she is a heroic rider) so maybe some more coverage will be forthcoming.

GB women have a very strong team with 2 possible winners - but how well will they cooperate? I hope they go for the 'team' won based on strongest rider on the day...

Cooke does have that reputation, yes.

I was going to say that I hoped Pooley didn't win because I think her Cervélo British champs' jersey is one of the classiest in the péloton (male or female) - then I realised she's probably going to be wearing some argyle monstrosity next season

Tatiana to go back-to-back! Or Patuzzo

 

[Jamsque]

I assume Cooke isn't in the GB women's team for the Road Race? She's had a disappointing couple of years after winning the Olympics-Worlds double in '08.

 

[Skip Madness]

She's in the full squad of eight, of whom seven will ride, so it's a provisional maybe. Her form is totally unknown, isn't it? Anyone have an indication as to her condition? I'd think that Colclough, Pooley, Martin, Armitstead and Laws are all certainties, which leaves two out of Cooke, Williamson and Emma Trott. I'd imagine Cooke will get the nod since her pedigree speaks for itself, but those three should be assessed on their current form, none of which I know about.

 

[Sum_of_Marc]

We're not short of options - hopefully they can pull it off

For sure the talent is there and we have a rider for breakaway/puncheur/bunch eventualities

The beeb have at least realised she's won now - even if it is not deemed as important as some parochial bollox

It was BBC Sport's leading news article for most of this morning, so you have no real right to complain.

 

[Superbagneres]

I must say I was delighted to see Pooley win, but when I got round to watching it last night I couldn't help noticing that to my eyes she seemed to have on her back under her skinsuit the rectangular box which I have always understood to be race radio equipment. One of the phtos on the CN gallery also seems to show that. I'm not accusing her of cheating because apart from anything else it would seem to be unlikely that anyone would try something so obvious, but I am a bit curious. Does anyone else agree that there appears to be some sort of box under her skinsuit, and if so what would it be?

 

[Spare Tyre]

I must say I was delighted to see Pooley win, but when I got round to watching it last night I couldn't help noticing that to my eyes she seemed to have on her back under her skinsuit the rectangular box which I have always understood to be race radio equipment. One of the phtos on the CN gallery also seems to show that. I'm not accusing her of cheating because apart from anything else it would seem to be unlikely that anyone would try something so obvious, but I am a bit curious. Does anyone else agree that there appears to be some sort of box under her skinsuit, and if so what would it be?

Phil Liggett says some riders position the GPS there (if I understood him correctly).

 

[Ferminal]

Phil Liggett says some riders position the GPS there (if I understood him correctly).

Yeh it's a GPS unit with HR etc.

 

[Superbagneres]

Interesting, thanks for the responses as it caught my eye as being quite a lump. Anyway, I thought it worth asking on a quiet news day

 

[Skip Madness]

Interesting, thanks for the responses as it caught my eye as being quite a lump. Anyway, I thought it worth asking on a quiet news day

Tee hee : )