Melbourne - track world championship

[Freddythefrog]

Chris Hoy clearly can't be selected now - looking forward to seeing how that goes down when the media catches on in 2 months time.

Bad investment by Kellogs and P&G, backing a loser.

"when the media catch on...." hilarious. I have not seen him at the Tour in the yellow jersey either. Why wasn't Cav there, this was a sprint ? This cycling it is a weird game. Copenhagen and the London World Cup were the highwater marks. Either the other nations learned nothing and will play London as stupidly as they played into team GB's hand in Copenhagen or they will see what a variety of other pro teams are doing in every flattish race this year and when Cav is under pressure, cash in a good few of their chips because those very same chips become worthless with under 20km to go. Back to the track - Brailsford will be looking. Men's TP - on the day. Women's TP in the gold spot, GB's to throw away. Women's Omnium - looking like the best individual chance of Gold. Men's short distance, nobody looks like they will touch Bauge so I will get slated if I go with Hoy "Not manager enough. Stuck with his favourites, should have given the youngsters a chance" so he will select Kenny, who deserves the spot. "Well our best got beaten by the rest of the World's best". Varnish has not closed up on Pendleton enough despite a cold. Waterloo, I go with you regarding Pendleton. Men's Keirin - maybe a sop to Hoy. After all it is always something of a lottery - put the guy with experience in the hot seat. Bauge has it to lose, but Hoy may well come good. Team sprints, both GB teams need to find something more. On the road, Cav - as above. Men's TT, Brad is in the mix - depends who comes out of the Tour in what shape. Women's RR, - looks like Armitstead will need a new scapegoat. Winning the un-ranked Ghent Wevlegem while everybody else was at a World Cup goes well with the UK media, but Flanders indicated her excuses trail her performances by about 6 months. TT Pooley - they could not have designed a worse course for her if they had the pick of sites around the World and a cunning plan of doing exactly that. Against that backdrop it is not surprising her performance is down against the likely top two - Armstrong and Arndt - they rode away from her on the hills at Flanders. Team GB seem to have done pretty well in demotivating both Cooke and Pooley.

I don't think it is team GB becoming rubbish. It is the rest upping their game, indeed for the GB men on the road, things have improved so that is progress. Progress everywhere apart from on the road for the women. There, team GB have turned wine into water in what must have been a deliberate fashion. No team SKY for women. That was no accident. Back to the press again. Management got away with it, because they could.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

De Ketele was in the group, but it was only 2 riders larger than the group with Swift, and contained less than half the field.

The points race scoring system inherantly leads itself to perverse results. It is what it is, but I don't like it. I wouldn't accept a voting system where votes for 3rd/4th/5th parties affect the result between 1st and 2nd.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

Pendleton is obviously not going to win in London.



I commend her use of skill and talent over the other 2, but I suspect we've now reached the end of the time when you can be that much smaller, and that much less power, than the other 'girls' and expect to make up for it some other way.[/QUOTE


Dont Mention that to Laura Trott... Another Minature Pocket Rocket.

Fortunately sprinting is not pursuiting.

 

[Fus087]

nonsense. i'm sure i heard the commentators say it was being driven by De Ketele, the race leader at that point. Meyer put a lap in them, fair and square.

And he did it against all odds, when nobody thought it possible anymore. 16 laps off the front, basically alone (the Kiwi couldn't add much in his turns) - respect for that.

 

[3wheeler]

Great Tactic Kenny... What would of Happened without the DQ ... One to Ponder.. Bauge was out of it. Afterwards... Its the One Tactic that could be used again now its Been seen to Work..

 

[unsheath]

Amazing points race. Edge of the seat stuff.

Swift actually road the perfect race but still got done over. Meyer is one hell of a rider.

 

[dirkprovin]

Another tough but technically correct call on Kenny in Sprint final .... when watching, one couldn't help thinking he might be in strife for that move going on the commissaire's formline throughout the meet. Chapeau on a brave move though.

Will GBR selectors have the balls to make the call on Hoy for the sprint spot .... the corporate money boys may be reaching for the whisky bottle or the revolver !! Going into London, it looks like Bauge goes in favourite over the Brit selection. Bronze looks a level below where I'll favour a German ahead of Perkins who probably just isn't quite the very top both in speed or smarts.

Congratulations to Trott in the Women's Omnium & she justifiably goes in as a narrow favourite. 2 seconds from 2 intl Omnium starts speaks volumes for Edmondson's potential - just needs some additional experience & savvy in mass races. Only two other medal chances are Hammer & Whitten, neither of whom can be discounted for the win but may be battling for the bronze behind the young upstarts.

Kierens will always remain a lottery but Meares must go in as favourite. Looking across the 3 linked sprint events" - Meares does appear the strongest & fastest but like anyone, she's not impregnable. Pendleton really did have to pull out a "lifeline" out of somewhere in the individual event but was sub par in both team sprint & kieren. She has had a great career & a period when she was completely dominant. Whilst still formidable & major factor, I'm not seeing a triple gold last hurrah in London.

Scarily formidable ride by Meyer in the Points .... feel a little sorry for Gate the Kiwi who just missed a medal after teaming up with Meyer. The main pack they caught WAS more that a couple of riders bigger than the Swift/Belgian group.

 

[dirkprovin]

Medal table (Olympic events) after night 4
GBR 4G 1S 1B Total 6
AUS 3G 4S 1B Total 8
GER 1G 1B Total 2
FRA 1G 1S Total 2
CAN 1S 1B Total 2
NZL 2B Total 2
LTU 1S Total 1
RUS 1S Total 1
DEN 1B Total 1
CHN 1B Total 1
USA 1B Total 1

Men's Kieren only Oly event to be decided

 

[Cancellator]

This is the first track event I ever watched on TV. I was actually very excited for the sprint final, and Kenny's tactic in the second round was amazing. It was so disappointing to see him DQed, it was obvious that the Frenchman was cooked from doing those 3 laps so fast, he could barely walk, Kenny would have won the 3rd round for sure.

For me as a novice, it seems almost impossible to stay under the red line when sprinting all out. It looks like the rider above has a big advantage. What's more, the comm's decisions seemed a bit arbitrary, especially in the women's sprint final.

 

[abbaskip]

O'Shea should ride the Omnium at the Olympics, and Meyer the Team Pursuit, that could be the difference Australia needs.

As for whoever said that the Australian Team Pursuit squad was Bobridge and three others, did you notice the individual pursuit results? They seem to tell a different story.

Meyer will add a bit of strength that O'Shea doesn't have, it's just a matter of whether that is more important, or the starting speed that a O'Shea possibly brings.

 

[Fus087]

If the men's sprint has shown one thing, that is that limiting each nation to only one competitor is utter nonsense.
The great thing about a competition is that it is just that - a competition. Yes, normally Baugé and Kenny are the best at the moment; but I don't see why Sireau, Bourgain, Hoy or anybody else should be refused the opportunity to compete just because they're not the best of their country. To name just one example, Sireau may well beat Kenny if he has a good day (although I have my doubts about anyone beating Baugé fair and square).
As it is now, we can already pretty much say who'll win the medals in London - Baugé and Kenny (or Hoy if they really pick him instead - they shouldn't) plus Perkins or Förstemann. Everybody else who actually gets to compete is a long way behind. They might as well cancel the competition and give Baugé (or Kenny) the gold at the round table. They do that a lot anyway...

 

[delbified]

i was annoyed at kenny for hooking bauge, as i reckon he had a decent chance of holding him off fairly in that 2nd heat. what a great tactic to go from the gun - an oldie but a goodie. bauge needs to turn that big gear and it makes him vulnerable. opponents should try that on him again.

 

[PCutter]

i was annoyed at kenny for hooking bauge, as i reckon he had a decent chance of holding him off fairly in that 2nd heat. what a great tactic to go from the gun - an oldie but a goodie. bauge needs to turn that big gear and it makes him vulnerable. opponents should try that on him again.

I don't think he actually tried to hook him, his line was just getting sloppy as he blew up/lactate took hold - he doesn't train to maintain the pace for that long. Really disappointing as it was great to see, there were boo's in the stadium when he was DQ'd

 

[greenedge]

I think Kenny will take Hoy's place ( sry for Hoy ).

Nice rides by Hepburn, Meyer and Meares.

 

[simo1733]

I can't say he didn't break the rules but all these DQ's are clearly un- satisfactory.
The elimination race in particular needs to change, because at the moment niether the riders, commentators or spectators know what is going on.

 

[stefank]

I'm getting sick of these sycophantic commentators. Why is Chris Hoy the only rider to be given the the courtesy of an an honorific? Why no "Miss" Anna Meares, etc etc.

 

[simo1733]

I'm getting sick of these sycophantic commentators. Why is Chris Hoy the only rider to be given the the courtesy of an an honorific? Why no "Miss" Anna Meares, etc etc.

I think it's the 4 Olympic Golds and the Knighthood.

 

[durhamwasp]

What type of bike is Swifty riding?

 

[stefank]

I think it's the 4 Olympic Golds and the Knighthood.

So? Fawning sycophants, the lot of them. Bring on the republic!

 

[King Of The Wolds]

Bad investment by Kellogs and P&G, backing a loser.

I've heard the 10, sorry 11, times World Champ and 4 times Olympic Champ described as many things, but never a loser.

Seems Sir Chris is all over the news again today. I reckon they'll be pretty pleased with their investment.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

I've heard the 10, sorry 11, times World Champ and 4 times Olympic Champ described as many things, but never a loser.

Seems Sir Chris is all over the news again today. I reckon they'll be pretty pleased with their investment.

Nice feel good story, bouncing back from defeat.

Still, in the Olympics he'll be riding in a team sprint team that has its work cut out to make the final, and an event that is far more of a lottery than the sprint.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

I'm getting sick of these sycophantic commentators. Why is Chris Hoy the only rider to be given the the courtesy of an an honorific? Why no "Miss" Anna Meares, etc etc.

Have you tried calling women Miss recently? Half of them will insist they're a manuscript.

 

[durhamwasp]

If Kenny comes up against Bauge in the olympics he should try that tactic in the first leg, even if Bauge catches him and takes the 1st, he doesnt look the sort of guy that can recover from that effort quickly and could be goosed for legs 2 and 3.

 

[Freddythefrog]

Keirin

Well that was one heck of a set of events. How often in a World Championship final, with 4 riders abreast going for the line, does the 2nd up, move out and disturb the run in for the two outside him, and in so doing disqualify himself AND open a big door with a "WALK THIS WAY" sign on it so that the guy with nowhere to go, can waltz past them all ? Whilst Hoy was only there because he did not have enough gas to make one of the 3 coming round the lead rider, so it was not a good choice, it was an "only choice" he was there, still in the race and he had enough gas in his legs to do it. You have to take your opportunities - so well done to him. Like Waterloo I am keen he rides in London, and would like him to ride in the sprint as well, but Kenny deserves that ride. Also Kenny does deserve the keirin ride and on another day Hoy would be sat in 5th with Kenny in Silver or gold. However the UK media are about as capable of analysing this as they are of working out where VP is right now. Those London finals of the TP are going to good, as is the Kenny Bauge sprint final.

 

[Cancellator]

If Kenny comes up against Bauge in the olympics he should try that tactic in the first leg, even if Bauge catches him and takes the 1st, he doesnt look the sort of guy that can recover from that effort quickly and could be goosed for legs 2 and 3.

That was my impression as well. He looked in pain and was trying to do some stretches on the floor, while Kenny was ok on his warm-up bike.