Olympic Road Race Men

[greenedge]

If Cav was as resilient as Gilbert or Cancellara he would have rode through all the other riders and attacked like crazy. If GB had Sagan instead of Cav they could have pushed the pace higher on each Box Hill to narrow/ close the gap and then left Sagan to his own devices.

Also Cav was not a certainty to win the sprint ( he should have at least attempted the consolatory sprint to show he was strongest ), but the Aussies' move was just tactics. They, Belgium and Switzerland did great to put GB under pressure. Italy and Spain also did but had some weird tractics near the end.

I therefore don't like Cavs' outburst at the Aussies racing negatively- if anything i think it was real racing.

 

[UlleGigo]

Luckily the victories are quite rare

Thank god for small mercies.

 

[simo1733]

You have to say Vinikourov is an incredible guy despite his ban.When they hauled his shattered body out of that ravine last year I thought he was finnished.
He is a flawed hero but a hero none the less.

 

[ustabe]

You have to say Vinikourov is an incredible guy despite his ban.When they hauled his shattered body out of that ravine last year I thought he was finnished.
He is a flawed hero but a hero none the less.

Exactly. Vino is the boss.

I admire him the way I love cats. They **** me off, but they be what they are, they do what they do, and they keep doing it and they're good at it, and they don't make apologies.

 

[movingtarget]

I agree. In hindsight, it was pure arrogance of GB to believe they could control a 250 km race with 4 guys. As Boonen said, they didn't even ask for help. After the Tour we were all so impressed we thought they could do anything, and they obviously thought so too. GB were indeed victims of their own success, but not in the way Cav meant.

Obviously they thought that Cavendish was their only possible winner and they were right but with only five man teams it was going to be difficult. The Spanish and Italians were not going to help because they lacked a quality bunch sprinter. The Belgians played their hand with Gilbert and the Australians gambled and lost. The USA rode well and the Norwegian getting third was a surprise. Interesting race without radios and riders like O'Grady and Vino showed their experience.

 

[Rip:30]

-AV

 

[slowoldman]

What an utter disappointment, seriously, Vinokourov??
Go away already.........

I would have rather Cavendish had won the sprint, and I thought I wanted anything but that when I started watching the race.

 

[mscaviy2601]

The irony that the man designated for the GB victory is sitting on all day. Then when the win doesn't eventuate everyone else didn't do enough work? If you want to win you do what the Swiss, the Italians, the Belgians did... get themselves into position to win. Sky expected that everyone would work to their tactic. That's not how cycle racing works. You need to adapt to the race as it unfolds. Cav should have called off the chase and asked his team to sit up.

I don't disagree. Team GB are a one trick pony and need greater flexibility. My point wasn't about Sky not getting help (I wasn't expecting it) but the suggestion that Germany were "all in" in helping Sky. That was patently not the case as evidenced by Tony Martin saving himself for the ITT.

 

[Franklin]

Obviously they thought that Cavendish was their only possible winner and they were right but with only five man teams it was going to be difficult. The Spanish and Italians were not going to help because they lacked a quality bunch sprinter. The Belgians played their hand with Gilbert and the Australians gambled and lost. The USA rode well and the Norwegian getting third was a surprise. Interesting race without radios and riders like O'Grady and Vino showed their experience.

*Sigh*

Germany in the 2000 Olympics. Nuff said.

 

[Nocontest]

At the end of the day, after all the bleating is done Vino took his chance and rode a good race. The guy who probably would have won (FC) managed to take himself out through a rookie mistake but thats racing when all the if's, but's and should haves are accounted for the best man won on the day.

 

[nowhereman]

Garbage race. Lousy example of "racing". "Looking over the shoulder" syndrome. Looking at each other, and weaving, side to side all over the road, while others get away. LOSERS!!! I walked away from the TV screen in disgust. That wasn't RACING, that was positioning, and a whole lot of nonsense. A bad example of elite level cycling, at it's lowest level.

 

[hjonge1]

It looked like Uran was bribed.

 

[CobbleStoner]

congrats to Vino, a deserved winner that rode with balls and brains.
so sick of idiots saying Uran was bribed, how stupid would Vino be to offer money to someone he was going to beat in a sprint anyways, and he knew already that Uran would kill himself to keep the gap, it was Uran's only hope of a medal, Vino is a smart, experienced rider, no reason to offer Uran anything.
I was shocked at the Ausie's cowardly riding, and then their excuse today was that they had O'Grady up the road in a 30(!!) man break, lolololololololol, they and they alone sealed Cav's fate, good job Australia, everybody will remember for years to come O'Grady's 6th place (beaten by Taylor Phinney and a Russian in that group)

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Vino is a legend. I am so happy that he won. I kept on saying i wanted Cancellara to win, then Boonen ( if it came to a sprint ) but once that move went clear i wanted Vino to win. Congratulations.

I am happy that O'Grady attacked and Australia fared reasonably well. Most of all i am happy that Cav was not escorted to the finish line to win a sprint.
There were some riders in that main group like Gerrans and Sagan who i think could have won if they went to that escape group but they did not and Vino won so...

Sagan making the move would have killed it. Sagan was riding alone, so he would have had nobody to help him the way Italy, Switzerland and Spain had men to toast on the front, and no way is the break cohesive with Sagan there, because everybody has to try to get away from him if they want a chance to win. Therefore they mess about more, and the bunch has a better chance of coming back.

i found it interesting that brajkovič and kreuziger, vono's astana teammates but riding today for their own nations, became his teammates in the olympic race....

they were doing everything to slow the peloton when vino attacked.

am i the only one who saw it ?

Maybe, but then again you had Eisel being a mercenary for Cav and Bak being one for Greipel back in the bunch, so hard to be too critical.

 

[Kwibus]

"Because if we ride a sustaine wattage of 420 at an RPM of 95 with a heartrate of 155 they can ride away whatever they want we still win." /GB computer tactics

I really hate this. This will kill cycling.
Race radios and wattage meters should all be banned. Cycling will be awesome again. It would be even better if they reduced the size of the teams, but that's a lot more complicated.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I really hate this. This will kill cycling.
Race radios and wattage meters should all be banned. Cycling will be awesome again. It would be even better if they reduced the size of the teams, but that's a lot more complicated.

Basically, what we're watching is cycling's equivalent of the fuel stop era in F1 with Schumacher dominating. "OK Michael, we can go 2 laps longer than they can, sit tight behind him and for the love of god don't try actually racing him. Then when he comes in you need to be hitting 1'31,2 for those two laps because our fuelling will take 9,2 seconds instead of their 9,6 and we'll be able to get you ahead."

 

[Zam_Olyas]

Piers Morgan lol

Piers Morgan ‏@piersmorgan
Memo to Mark Cavendish: stop whining about the Aussies. They don't deliberately play to lose anything. You blew it, move on.

 

[The Cobra]

Germany for one. A smaller nation. Something eventually gets organized. Even if it doesn't just ride a slower tempo and let the break grow.

Killing your 4 man lead out train from kilometer 4 wasn't going to win them the race.

They should have waited. GB played their hand from the start and once everyone saw it they just followed until they blew.

The real race was with 20km. If Sky were rested the final breakaway never would have got away.

Explain to me how Cancellera is allowed to ride into a breakaway group with 22km to go!!! Crazy.

GB lost the race with stupidity and over confidence.

A lot of sense in this post Hog. Tbh when they were doing the same thing at the Worlds with 8 men I thought it was madness, but trying to do it with four guys, for 250km, they needed a miracle.

 

[UlleGigo]

Piers Morgan lol

Piers Morgan ‏@piersmorgan
Memo to Mark Cavendish: stop whining about the Aussies. They don't deliberately play to lose anything. You blew it, move on.

Wow even Piers Morgan can see Cav for what he is. Doesn't say much for the 20 pages of bluster on here does it?

 

[The Hitch]

Basically, what we're watching is cycling's equivalent of the fuel stop era in F1 with Schumacher dominating. "OK Michael, we can go 2 laps longer than they can, sit tight behind him and for the love of god don't try actually racing him. Then when he comes in you need to be hitting 1'31,2 for those two laps because our fuelling will take 9,2 seconds instead of their 9,6 and we'll be able to get you ahead."

Wrong thread. You want the cafe.

 

[The Hitch]

Piers Morgan lol

Piers Morgan ‏@piersmorgan
Memo to Mark Cavendish: stop whining about the Aussies. They don't deliberately play to lose anything. You blew it, move on.

Shame on twitter for giving the vermin of society a voice on this and any attention.

 

[The Cobra]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/olympic-shorts-australian-aggression-angers-british

Matt Goss:
''"We wanted it to come back together, but unfortunately - not through lack of trying - the break stayed away, it was such a strong bunch of riders. Obviously I would have loved to have been right up there and given it a go myself."

Is he being serious?? How exactly did they try to bring it back together? Maybe I was watching a different race, but to me it looked like Australia had 4 guys lined up near the front with 25km to go, then did absolutely nothing.

 

[Don't be late Pedro]

Piers Morgan lol

Piers Morgan ‏@piersmorgan
Memo to Mark Cavendish: stop whining about the Aussies. They don't deliberately play to lose anything. You blew it, move on.

Much as I dislike Morgan he has a point. Although you can expect the Aussies to pull at some point in the race if they don't then you can't moan about it.

I would have liked to have seen Cav jump on the break when Canc went. May not have come to anything but at least you are taking it into your own hands and it was pretty apparent that the GB riders were spent.

 

[argyllflyer]

The 3 man Belarus team have been generally overlooked. Kiryienka put in a good shift at the front in the run up to box hill, the only other guy to help out GB, presumably in support of Hutarovich.

Kiryienka to Sky was mentioned on Twitter as soon as he hit the front. Apparently an existing rumour, though one I hadn't seen.

 

[Anonymous]

Cavendish does not have another event but I wonder if Bradley W has not ruined his chances in the TT?

A little unfair on Cav. He would have said beforehand (did say) that the only chance of a medal was in a bunch sprint (for any of the sprinters) and he regarded the medal as a team one. I am wondering if there should not be two events? One for the likes of Vino or Sagan to sore an individual road medal and one as a team sprint event?

Otherwise the two types of rider are ruled out depending on the design of the course. For that matter, a straight climb of 20 kms could give the likes of Schlecks and Contador an Olympic opportunity. Bit difficult to organise this in the Netherlands of course (if they had the games)!