Olympic Road Race Men

[robert_c]

Now that I think about it, why would anyone lead out for your teammate at the Olympics? It's not really a team sport, is it? Were you selected to be a train for the sprinter or because you are great at the break away? Is Cav's teammates or Greipels teammates the best lead-outs? (Not a rhetorical question.)

Obviously in the Pros you are paid to do a job, but in the Olympics?

Am I wrong? Seems like a breakaway would be the majority of finishes.

But I'd bet anything that this year will be a sprint finish with Britain, Germany and Slovakia at the front.

 

[Caruut]

I will be at the race (not on the hill, didn't get tickets), by the way. Look out for a 20-year-old with a Euskaltel headband. I will probably Tweet during the lulls of activity, too.

 

[JibberJim]

Is Cav's teammates or Greipels teammates the best lead-outs? (Not a rhetorical question.)

Neither teams have someone experienced as the last man, but both have lots of experience being in the train before that, Martin and Wiggins probably being amoung the best. Degenkolb in theory is likely to be good at the last man role, but I don't know how good he's likely to be without any experience. Probably really depends how much effort the respective teams have to make in the earlier stages.

 

[El Pistolero]

Ridden Box Hill much?

This 250km is no more difficult than the 245km stages he won and podiumed in the Giro.

He has a theoretical weapon to win (top 3). Those 2 simply do not in this company.

Can't compare a Giro stage(where almost no decent classic rider ever starts) with a big one day race I'm afraid. After all, Cavendish can't even make it over the Kemmelberg without getting dropped. He has also struggled at every edition of Milan-San Remo except 2009. One wonders how on earth he ever won that day...

 

[cabbagetom]

I can't find that video of Canc winning a few years back where he accelerated off the front and beat the sprinters, but I notice he has tried to play the same trick a few times since (MSR 2011, Champs stage at tour 2011, WC 2011) I think potentially he could try winding it off the front on The Mall. The road is wide enough to stop people from getting on his wheel, and the sprinters will most likely have tired legs...

 

[Tei6chai]

Now that I think about it, why would anyone lead out for your teammate at the Olympics? It's not really a team sport, is it?

I think this is where you went wrong.

Cycling is a team sport ... as well as an individual one.

It is very rare that a successful individual wins entirely through their own effort, because the cyclist's principle enemy is wind resistance.

Whether you simply want to give/receive payback (e.g. Cav sacrifices the green jersey as payback for Wiggins's world championship pull) or you want to earn credit with national and trade team selectors by demonstrating that you are a team player, what you do at major championships like the Olympics counts a lot ... not least because major championship performances are remembered.

 

[Tei6chai]

Neither teams have someone experienced as the last man

Are my memories of David Millar playing last man to Farrar and others, just fantasies?

I could have sworn that Millar's trajectory at the last corner let Cav in for victory on the Champs d'Elysee a while back.

 

[quiqui]

Why are people saying no one will want to be in the break with Sagan? It's great to be in a break with Sagan, because everyone will look at him to close down attacks. Lulu showed how that works in the Tour. Plus, even if it stays together and Sagan wins, second and third place still mean something in Olympics.

 

[Ferminal]

Can't compare a Giro stage(where almost no decent classic rider ever starts) with a big one day race I'm afraid. After all, Cavendish can't even make it over the Kemmelberg without getting dropped. He has also struggled at every edition of Milan-San Remo except 2009. One wonders how on earth he ever won that day...

You're setting a trap for yourself

 

[orangerider]

I can't find that video of Canc winning a few years back where he accelerated off the front and beat the sprinters, but I notice he has tried to play the same trick a few times since (MSR 2011, Champs stage at tour 2011, WC 2011) I think potentially he could try winding it off the front on The Mall. The road is wide enough to stop people from getting on his wheel, and the sprinters will most likely have tired legs...

I'm sure Sagan is just waiting for this to happen as he can, and has, followed in his slipstream then blow past by on the final few hundred meters. This course isn't going to tire Sagan in any way at all. He's sharp enough to play the race tactics without a race radio as well.

The only real issue is whether Cavendish, lead by the Wiggins-Froome nuclear powerplant, will upset any attempt for anyone to get away at all. They have a huge advantage here - home turf & they've already been practicing this for months on end being the same trade team, while every other viable team only started their collaborative training a week ago, or less.

 

[mewmewmew13]

I will be at the race (not on the hill, didn't get tickets), by the way. Look out for a 20-year-old with a Euskaltel headband. I will probably Tweet during the lulls of activity, too.

Hey caruut we'll be watching for your tweet updates

 

[blaxland]

Lets hope the Aussie's,dutch and belgium teams can make this race as hard as possible?This will be the best chance of beating the Brittish and german sqauds.I think Rogers may be a darkhorse for the Aussie's"

 

[Robert Merivel]

The Rothschild Olympics are a joke.

England is a Fascist, Terrorist State.

The Drones will be out in masses.

Anybody stupid enough to go to "the big show" deserves to get "molested" and "fried" by the perverted TSA mercenaries, hired by the illuminati.

England can go to hell! No, better yet, England IS hell.

 

[BroDeal]

The Rothschild Olympics are a joke.

England is a Fascist, Terrorist State.

The Drones will be out in masses.

Anybody stupid enough to go to "the big show" deserves to get "molested" and "fried" by the perverted TSA mercenaries, hired by the illuminati.

England can go to hell! No, better yet, England IS hell.

Popped out of your bunker to see if the world was still around? Disappointed I presume.

I'll give you style points, but it needed your usual paranoia about Da Joos to take it to the next level.

 

[Eric8-A]

I can't find that video of Canc winning a few years back where he accelerated off the front and beat the sprinters, but I notice he has tried to play the same trick a few times since (MSR 2011, Champs stage at tour 2011, WC 2011) I think potentially he could try winding it off the front on The Mall. The road is wide enough to stop people from getting on his wheel, and the sprinters will most likely have tired legs...

This one? 10 characters

 

[Caruut]

The Rothschild Olympics are a joke.

England is a Fascist, Terrorist State.

The Drones will be out in masses.

Anybody stupid enough to go to "the big show" deserves to get "molested" and "fried" by the perverted TSA mercenaries, hired by the illuminati.

England can go to hell! No, better yet, England IS hell.

England isn't even a state, before we get on to deciding whether or not it's fascist and/or terrorist.

 

[Robert Merivel]

Popped out of your bunker to see if the world was still around? Disappointed I presume.

I'll give you style points, but it needed your usual paranoia about Da Joos to take it to the next level.

Typical stereo-typing analysis, BigDeal. Who said anything about "Jews"? That's your insight. Your remark might put you into the "anti-semite" profile. Do they ban anti-semites here?

Speaking of "paranoia", did you happen see what "they" are doing to "prepare" for terrorists? Huh? And you're calling ME PARANOID? How does that go, "ROTFLMAO"?

Like I said, England is the premier Fascist Country. London, the Hub of the Illuminati, loves to show their power to the world. The Olympics is their pet project.

I mean, how can anyone argue with the insanity taking place there, for all the world to see. They're flaunting it.

PS, do live here, BigDeal? Is this your life? I can't imagine the withdrawals you'd be going through if someone pulled the internet coaxial implanted in your cerebral cortex. You might actually have to go out and ride a bike again, if you didn't succumb to the "shakes". Speaking of shakes, you've been "posting" since Mar '09, that's roughly 1250 days. You've posted a record 9420 posts. Holy ****, BigDeal, that's about 7.5 posts a day. Is that another record? You do live here, don't you. This is your home. THis is where your legacy lies. This is it, BigDeal, this is as good as it gets. I hope for your sanity sake, the 'net stays up and running. Cheers!

 

[danjo007]

Wiggo ... Got some practice in at some recent race or other.

ROFL. that man wont have half a dozen riders cuddling him during this race!

 

[Eric8-A]

I also remember Wiggo doing some moderate leadouts for CJ Sutton in the '09 Herald Sun Tour.

 

[Kwibus]

The only real issue is whether Cavendish, lead by the Wiggins-Froome nuclear powerplant, will upset any attempt for anyone to get away at all. They have a huge advantage here - home turf & they've already been practicing this for months on end being the same trade team, while every other viable team only started their collaborative training a week ago, or less.

Remember they also got Millar and Stannard. Stannard ain't wuss and Millar can ride a bloody high pace at the front as well.
It's just 4 of them though. I wonder how much time Cavendish is behind the leading group after the last time they passed Box Hill, because that's when the uk riders have to ride really fast.
Will all of them wait for Cav when Cav drops from the bunch while the first group still contains Goss and Greipel?

 

[Froome19]

Stannard will most likely be the rider guiding Cav in the finish, as they will probably employ Wiggins in the same capacity as they did in the World Champs and use Froome and Millar for the bulk of the race, of course if that is not sufficient then Stannard may need to be used previous to the finale and then Cav would be left to his own devices.

 

[Kwibus]

Stannard will most likely be the rider guiding Cav in the finish, as they will probably employ Wiggins in the same capacity as they did in the World Champs and use Froome and Millar for the bulk of the race, of course if that is not sufficient then Stannard may need to be used previous to the finale and then Cav would be left to his own devices.

Big fat chance all 4 have worked before they reach the final km.

 

[Froome19]

Big fat chance all 4 have worked before they reach the final km.

Which is why I find it hard to see Cav winning, he can do it without a leadout but he still would at least want someone navigating him through the field but as you said that seems unlikely.

If this makes sense even though he may be the best positioner of the sprinters he will needs a position to position.

 

[JibberJim]

Are my memories of David Millar playing last man to Farrar and others, just fantasies?

I could have sworn that Millar's trajectory at the last corner let Cav in for victory on the Champs d'Elysee a while back.

Millar is normally the man before that isn't he? (Like Wiggins and Martin), and it's only if it goes wrong / unplanned that he ends up last man, so yeah like anyone in certain races that's where he ends up - doesn't mean he's either suited to the role or really experienced. Like all the GB team he's another massive engine who can ride on the front of the bunch at high speed for a couple of km in a leadout, but he can't accellerate from that high speed to really launch someone. Cav probably doesn't need that though, GB need the legs to get it to be a bunch sprint.

 

[the asian]

People are forgetting the length of the course ( 260 Km), the lack of race radios and the smaller size of the teams. This means it should be much more difficult to control the race. I predict a reduced ( about 30 man) bunch sprint with guys like Sagan, Goss, Boonen/Gilbert, Breschel, Degenkolb, in the mix.
Only GB and Germany will favour a full bunch sprint, but Germany has a very good option in Degenkolb for a reduced bunch sprint.
I excpect the other nations to make the race harder, after all the Olympics comes only once in four years, why should they hand the Victory on a plate to Cav.