Mens Road Race: Suprises and dissapointments

[EmpressJo]

4. The Norwegian national anthem apparently only lasts for about 10 seconds...

Yeah, that was rather embarrassing. I cringed big time at that. Sorry.

Surprises
Cadel - what a great effort from a guy determined to keep the rainbow on home soil. He was a pleasure to watch.
Frank Schleck - in the final half dozen towards the end, that was a pleasant surprise.
Peloton catching the leaders - where did they come from? I think the leaders were as surprised as the rest of us.

Denmark next year will be a completely different kettle of fish - and without knowing what the course is, I think it would be hard to top this year's race.

 

[Polyarmour]

The 23 minute break meant that a furious pace was on from the first lap. Thank God we didn't end up with the breakaways lapping the peloton, what a mess that would've been.

The last few laps were as exciting as racing gets with a number of breaks that were subsequently reeled back in. Gilbert's attack on the 2nd last hill deserved to be the winning move (IMO) as he pulled out 22 seconds on everyone however a finish line 6km away proved to be his undoing as many had predicted. I thought the Belgians and Dutch were awesome but I guess the Spanish and Russians deserve some credit too for getting the peloton back in the business end of the race. They must have been pumping out serious Watts to catch those breaks. The end result was a little disappointing for me given what happened in the previous laps, but Thor is still a very impressive and deserving athlete so I won't be losing any sleep over it.

Cancellara was a disappointment for me. After putting a minute into everyone at the TT I thought he must be in super form again. I thought Goss was in better form than that too?

 

[NickBVK]

Standing by the side of the road, only knowing what the situation was by spotting faces and numbers in the peleton it was very exciting. A great race.

The crowd when the breakaway were only a minute behind the peleton on lap 1 was awesome.

Last few laps were exciting as people attacked, regrouped, broke away, regrouped.

 

[locker]

Boonen doesn't win every race like that. Hushovd does.

The cobbles-stage in the Tour? Hushovd didn't do anything, that was all Cancellara, Schleck and Evans, Thor just hid in the back of the group.

Even his good results in Paris-Roubaix. He just follows Boonen, Cancellara or Flecha, Hushovd himself never attacks.

pretty sure it was all Cancellara on that cobbled stage of the tour and why would he go through when Cancellara was just on the front smashing it for Schlek

 

[Motion]

Surprise

Kazakh Team was good without their leaders (Vino, Iglinsky, Kash)

 

[Climbing]

I didn't get the point of wasting both Nibali and Visconti like that... true Pozzato got cramps in the last lap, but many other riders did too.
They would have served better trying something in the last lap.

 

[Vonn Brinkman]

In what way was the Tour 2009 during Paris-Roubaix?

His [Hushovd's] wins are always in a sprint and his other significant results in big races (top 5 Paris-Roubaix) also don't involve a lot of offensive cycling.

Please. I regard the green jersey as a significant win.
But again, how can a sprinter involve offensive cycling in his sprints? What do you want him to do????

 

[il_fiammingo]

Please. I regard the green jersey as a significant win.
But again, how can a sprinter involve offensive cycling in his sprints? What do you want him to do????

Technically, every sprinter is a wheelsucker. So no sprinter ever deserves a win.

No, Thor did great: he hung in there and suffered for 6,5 hours while most of his fellow weelsuckers (Goss, Farrar, Cavendish) surrendered and 85% of the peloton was dropped or had abandoned.

 

[noomster]

i'm dissappointed with the overall result, that a rider who did so little for the entire race ends up winning

This has got to be the most ill-informed post in this thread.

I suppose the 5 in the breakaway "deserved" to win then?

 

[El Pistolero]

So you get my point right?

Hushovd wins the same way Boonen did in 2005. Back then, you couldn't care less that Boonen did 0.00 in the lead (+he had a team). Now you almost villify Hushovd for doing nothing (without a team), winning the same way.

Pure chauvinism and hypocracy at it's best.

Difference is Hushovd never attacks in any race(besides his pitiful attacks at the Tour, are you guys impressed at every break away getting away as well?) while Boonen attacks at races like the Ronde van Vlaanderen, Paris-Roubaix, Paris-Tours, etc

Hushovd won fair and square, but he's boring and he always will be and he'll never win Paris-Roubaix with tactics like that.

 

[theyoungest]

Difference is Hushovd never attacks in any race(besides his pitiful attacks at the Tour, are you guys impressed at every break away getting away as well?) while Boonen attacks at races like the Ronde van Vlaanderen, Paris-Roubaix, Paris-Tours, etc

Hushovd won fair and square, but he's boring and he always will be and he'll never win Paris-Roubaix with tactics like that.

United Belgians Against Hushovd.

 

[El Pistolero]

United Belgians Against Hushovd.

No, it's just the truth.

A mass sprint at the Worlds suck, even if Boonen was there it would've sucked. No one wants to see a big race like that being won in a mass sprint.

 

[The Hitch]

United Belgians Against Hushovd.

The irony is no one saw Hushovds win as a f you to the Belgians in the first place. They werent losers, their guy did very well. But now that so many are complaining and moaning they have made themselves into sore losers, when they werent even seen as losers in the first place.

Nicely done boys. Nicely done.

 

[rolfrae]

The disappointment with Gilbert is that he went so early. If he'd saved that uphill attack for the beginning of the finishing straight then I think he'd be the one in the rainbow jersey. Alas he was too eager and the smartest/strongest guy won.

 

[Machu Picchu]

No, it's just the truth.

A mass sprint at the Worlds suck, even if Boonen was there it would've sucked. No one wants to see a big race like that being won in a mass sprint.

I'm no fan of sprints but let's be honest, this was not a normal mass sprint, this race had some great attacks and I was willing Gilbert to make it to the line but when the camera panned back to reveal the bunch swallowing up the evans group, wow, didn't see that happening and Hushovd did a great job in being the strongest guy left at the finish. chapeau Thor.

 

[El Pistolero]

The irony is no one saw Hushovds win as a f you to the Belgians in the first place. They werent losers, their guy did very well. But now that so many are complaining and moaning they have made themselves into sore losers, when they werent even seen as losers in the first place.

Nicely done boys. Nicely done.

You should read the thread title. It's about your surprises and your disappointment. A WC ending in a mass sprint is a disappointment.

 

[Moondance]

Pretty sure all has been said already, but here are mine:

Disappointments:

-The 'Big Two': Spain & Italy were not nearly as decisive as I expected them to be. The two strongest nations in cycling both only had one on the right side of the final split, when Slovenia, Kazakhstan and the Netherlands had two, and Denmark even had three. I guess I shouldn't be too mad at the Italians specifically since they did really animate the course, but I nevertheless find it disappointing.
-All big sprinters not named 'Thor.' Would've thought at least one of them could do better than complete nothingness.

Surprises:

-Greg van Avermaet: Nice to see the man have a great placing in a big race like this. He hasn't had the easiest of times since he really entered the hype-stratosphere in 2008, but here's hoping the change of scenery to BMC next year will help him fully realize the potential he has.
-'Small nations': While the small nations have the benefit of not being forced to work early in the race, I was nevertheless really pleased to see the amount of non-superpower racers in the final grouping, with them occupying the top two rungs as well. Denmark in particular was great to see (and they'll be very pleased what with Copenhagen next year), even though they're behind Estonia, New Zealand and Ireland in the UCI World Rankings... Goes to show what a bunch of rubbish that list is anyway.

 

[wallymann]

Biggest disappointment: Pozzato. What a f**. He could become a great detective after his cycling career, as shadowing people seems to be one of his specialities.

from CN headline: Pozzato admits he picked wrong wheel in Worlds sprint

pippo's problem is that he's always looking for the right wheel instead of riding to win. i liked him when he took that stage in the TdF a few years ago and really was a fan when he won Milan-San Remo out-foxing the favorites and riding to a glorious solo win with a late move inside the final kilometer.

Adri Van Der Poel had some great words for this sort of problem from many years ago (paraphrased): back then pippo raced like an entrepreneur, these days he's riding like an accountant!!!

Fortune Favours the Bold!

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

And Japan having 2 in the lead group going in to the final lap. Although beppu had to let go.

all 3 Japanese riders finished as well. Seems the shimano plan is working

 

[Climbing]

from CN headline: Pozzato admits he picked wrong wheel in Worlds sprint

pippo's problem is that he's always looking for the right wheel instead of riding to win. i liked him when he took that stage in the TdF a few years ago and really was a fan when he won Milan-San Remo out-foxing the favorites and riding to a glorious solo win with a late move inside the final kilometer.

Adri Van Der Poel had some great words for this sort of problem from many years ago (paraphrased): back then pippo raced like an entrepreneur, these days he's riding like an accountant!!!

Fortune Favours the Bold!

Man, that I strongly agree.
I'm happy for Thor, I like him alot, but I feel sorry for Gilbert... he was really the strongest in the field.

 

[TRDean]

Very surprised and happy for Thor! Gotta say I am happy he won.
Also, really happy for the Japanese riders..great stuff.

Disappointed...not too much. Sorry for Gilbert...but I think he will get his. He has a lot of class as a rider.

Lastly, happy that Koen de Kort represented the Netherlands...disappointed he didn't get a highter place. But he did his job.

 

[Nick C.]

surprises:

how fast the "peleton" would appear behind the breaks on the last laps;
Greipel being the only sprinter in the group of 31;
cav reportedly being dropped on the climbs from the initial laps;
Goss out early;
Pozatto still doing thinking the best tactic for him is the bunch sprint;
Allan Davis with silver after being ridiculed for being included on the team;
not a surprise but pleasant nonetheless no podium for Pippo;

disappointments:
the headwind for Gilbert;
the "tactical" riding of the guys up the road on the last 2-3 laps;
did I mention the headwind?
Farrar being non-existent and the whole US team other than TVG being invisible
the headwind

 

[Mich78BEL]

This has got to be the most ill-informed post in this thread.

I suppose the 5 in the breakaway "deserved" to win then?

like El Pistolero said, a WC finishing in a bunch sprint is rather disappointing even though the race was quite entertaining overall

and just to make it clear, i think Hushovd is a 'worthy' rider to become WC and follow up Evans

and yes i'm not really a fan of masssprints, if thats the only way a rider can win then he will never be my type of rider

 

[kurtinsc]

like El Pistolero said, a WC finishing in a bunch sprint is rather disappointing even though the race was quite entertaining overall

and just to make it clear, i think Hushovd is a 'worthy' rider to become WC and follow up Evans

and yes i'm not really a fan of masssprints, if thats the only way a rider can win then he will never be my type of rider

Do you consider a group of 30-40 at the finish a mass sprint?

It's a sprint, yes... but to make that sprint you had to survive a race that shot 100+ riders out the back.

At what point is it not a mass-sprint? 30 or less? 20? 10?

 

[jaylew]

Hushovd won fair and square, but he's boring and he always will be and he'll never win Paris-Roubaix with tactics like that.

Hmm...I think that's exactly how he'd win it.