Olympic Road Race (women’s) 2024 (August 4rd)

[jaylew]

It was an all or nothing move, giving up all potential shots at minor metal for what seemed like a fairly fanciful opportunity for gold as long as she was doing the majority of the work alongside Kopecky. In the vast majority of circumstances from that position, in the vast majority of races, ain't nobody backing Faulkner over Kopecky on that run-in, so it seemed like a very low percentage play at the time.

I was critical because it felt like she was doing way too much to give herself any chance in any group or two-up combination of the four athletes there coming to the line together, and I felt it played completely into Kopecky's hands. Hence why I thought she was doing the wrong thing but hoped that once they did make the junction (I hoped they didn't, I wanted Vas of the four) she was strong enough to pull it off and get away, because it would be the only thing that would justify the effort she had put into it. Don't tell me you were looking at the group 30" behind Vos and Vas going into the Butte de Montmartre and when the chasers started to splinter and Kopecky was on Faulkner's wheel, you thought "yea, Faulkner's going to win this solo".

Had to watch it late but I kept away from spoilers an wow, what a race!

I hear what you're saying, but I disagree. Lets' say Faulkner doesn't do the lion's share on the climbs and they don't catch the front 2. She almost certainly loses the 2-up sprint to Kopecky and is out of the medals. She rightly figured her best chance to win (or to medal at all) was to make it a group of 4 where anything can happen. She also said that she was having to persuade Lotte to work and her plan was to attack right after they caught them because she wanted to do it when everyone was exhausted. She knew she'd be the only one of the 3 not playing for the sprint and she may have also figured that might make them look at each other to cover her move. All in all, I think her tactics were spot on but it helped that she was also the strongest of the 4 on the day. As you mentioned, Blanka tried to follow and I think the other 2 were just as spent.

All that said, I was torn watching it because from the 4, I preferred a Vas or Faulkner win, and the only thing I didn't want was a Kopecky win.

 

[Oldermanish]

Looked like the finish of a zwift race

She's from Homer, Alaska, has credentials in the tech world that makes money and seems pretty well rounded. Actually did crew racing which is the most masochistic use of talent. Not getting killed by a charging Grizzly and knowing how to win a Norcal crit with fast but sh*tty riders probably is more stimulating than the surgical finish she put together. It was a perfect finish and my wife was wondering why I wasn't concerned on the gradual close to the front break.
"She needs to know Kopecky can't jump her so she'll make her work to test her. She could bridge on her own but Kopecky would attack on contact with the break." She asked how I was so sure (she does that when I want Bobke to shut up...). The answer was "that's what I'd do and use the closing speed while Marianne was looking for Lotte's move to get a gap. Ramp it up and, if they don't react; commit for the 2km finish." She's a serious track racer and could recover to contest anything that came in that last 2km. No Zwift...Real World.
That and Lotte and Marianne only know their world, not the last minute insert into the US team. They should have known since she was sitting in the front 6 the entire race until the 2 rider break. Absolutely the most masterful race next to Remco's.

 

[Oldermanish]

Unless it's like, Oliver Zaugg at Lombardia, fluking a GT - races that are designed to eliminate fluke winners - will always be a bigger upset than a surprise winner of a one-day race. The surprise is not that Kristen Faulkner won, because that can happen, it's that Kristen Faulkner won by being the strongest rider on the day and winning by outmuscling the likes of Vos and Kopecky, not by outsmarting them. You can argue that the final 3k she won it in tactics, but she won the right to do that by being the strongest on the final lap and taking what looked like a suicidal risk that exposed her to the risk of giftwrapping the race to Kopecky and dooming herself to 4th - but crucially, gave herself the chance to win.

Smart is as smart does. She was stronger and smarter. Plus the two Euros had no regard for her. Too bad.

 

[yaco]

Vollering has won some top top races. But she's struggled this season. It will be interesting to see what she can do at FDJ without the support she has had at SDW

What an uninformed post. She has only won the GC at the Vueltam Itzulia, Suisse and Burgos. She has also had numerous podiums in one-day races. She wins the TDF and she is the rider of the season. Finally, she was always going to be Holland's third card on this parcours.

 

[memyselfandI]

you and I didn't watch the same race.

Maybe. And of course Vos is getting older as everyone. But I didn't saw her that trashed. It's just the games they play up until the last moment. Top riders also keep up that reputation that they for reals are not doing work for others for tactical reasons, when they decide so. After certain point they can afford that, because they already have won so much. She doesn't have that amount of pro wins over the others, all time ranking #1 by chance.

Of course Faulkner did her move in the best moment.

 

[Salvarani]

Cyclingnews board poster, carefully critiquing the many "mistakes" professional riders make in the heat of the race.

I know who this is... but if I speak! So I wont.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Had to watch it late but I kept away from spoilers an wow, what a race!

I hear what you're saying, but I disagree. Lets' say Faulkner doesn't do the lion's share on the climbs and they don't catch the front 2. She almost certainly loses the 2-up sprint to Kopecky and is out of the medals. She rightly figured her best chance to win (or to medal at all) was to make it a group of 4 where anything can happen. She also said that she was having to persuade Lotte to work and her plan was to attack right after they caught them because she wanted to do it when everyone was exhausted. She knew she'd be the only one of the 3 not playing for the sprint and she may have also figured that might make them look at each other to cover her move. All in all, I think her tactics were spot on but it helped that she was also the strongest of the 4 on the day. As you mentioned, Blanka tried to follow and I think the other 2 were just as spent.

All that said, I was torn watching it because from the 4, I preferred a Vas or Faulkner win, and the only thing I didn't want was a Kopecky win.

Her tactics were indeed spot on, precisely because she was the strongest on the day.

I did not expect her to be the strongest on the day, especially as she had not been able to drop Kopecky on the climb, which meant that I thought her best shot of a medal was to make Kopecky do the lion's share of the work so that she could either drop her in the run-in or reduce Kopecky's sprint weapon. I had no problem with her riding up the climb to get rid of everybody else and eliminate all but her and Kopecky, but then she continued pulling the majority of the time on the flat too.

It was with this in mind that I thought she was doing the wrong thing (and was indeed proven wrong). My reaction at the time was also coloured by the fact that, like you, the only outcome I really didn't want out of those groups was a Kopecky win, and it looked like, by her actions, Faulkner was creating a scenario where a Kopecky win was the on-paper most likely outcome. Bear in mind that we've also had a couple of years of teams inadvertently helping SD Worx to chase by towing favourites around as well. As she said, she was having to persuade Kopecky to work. Kopecky has been so strong over the last couple of seasons and also has a good poker face. I thought Kopecky was playing Faulkner like the proverbial damn fiddle, getting the American to tow her up to Vos and Vas and riding her coattails to victory.

Of course, just because something's the on-paper most likely scenario doesn't mean that that's how it would play out, especially with the small teams at Olympic races and the lack of radios. The wisdom or otherwise of Faulkner's tactics depended on her being stronger than Kopecky; given it turned out that actually, Kopecky wasn't bluffing and Faulkner indeed had the best legs of the four for the finale, in fact she was doing the smartest thing, because rather than settling for a decent chance of minor metals, she was trading up for the scenario that gave her a chance at the gold, while Kopecky was spent and waiting for the chance to use her sprint, and just hoping that Faulkner would tow her to the opportunity to sprint for gold rather than minor metals. I just didn't expect Faulkner to be stronger than Kopecky on the day and clearly underestimated her (and possibly also overestimated Lotte a bit as well).

 

[ChasingPotatoes]

I just didn't expect Faulkner to be stronger than Kopecky on the day and clearly underestimated her (and possibly also overestimated Lotte a bit as well).

Keep in mind Kopecky chased back twice: once after the crash (a very hard 10 minute effort vs. a rotating group with Brits pulling) and once with Faulkner to get back to Vos / Vas. Both times, she set a QOM on the Montmartre climb, with her first solo effort slightly better than the one together with Faulkner.

She had to ride all out from way earlier compared to anyone else in that lead group: Kopecky was forced to do so with 48K to go, Vas / Vos committed with 22K to go, and Faulkner, while active, only made a major move with 11K to go.
Claiming Faulkner was the best is just based on the fact she saved (and was able to save) her bullets until the end. Overall, I'm pretty sure Kopecky's power average for the whole ride was higher. Not taking anything away from Faulkner but those thinking Kopecky wasn't worth winning, saying she saved / stayed in the wheels, get it all wrong.

 

[awavey]

Apparently Lizzie D almost didn't make the race, she caught covid during the Giro and shouldnt have carried on racing, struggled to recover, then had a medical emergency which required an overnight stay in hospital just 10 days ago

She says the attacks were to help Pfeiffer,they were designed to just unsettle the group as she was in too much pain to ride away herself. Hence why her form seemed to keep yo yoing in the finale.

I did think at the time that last slingshot move she did with Hendo, that launched Vos & Vas, Pfeiffer missed the jump, and then couldn't hold Faulkner/Kopeckys move on the hill.

Ifs & buts & maybes, all things considered the Brits rode a very good race imo. Though some might say of course I would say that 😉

 

[awavey]

Oh and some French neutral service driver is looking to swap insurance details with Henderson

https://twitter.com/x/status/1820213259254817053

View: https://x.com/MatMitchell30/status/1820213259254817053

 

[Izzyeviel]

I know who this is... but if I speak! So I wont.

Its Chris Horner on his Chesterfield

 

[Izzyeviel]

Apparently Lizzie D almost didn't make the race, she caught covid during the Giro and shouldnt have carried on racing, struggled to recover, then had a medical emergency which required an overnight stay in hospital just 10 days ago

She says the attacks were to help Pfeiffer,they were designed to just unsettle the group as she was in too much pain to ride away herself. Hence why her form seemed to keep yo yoing in the finale.

I did think at the time that last slingshot move she did with Hendo, that launched Vos & Vas, Pfeiffer missed the jump, and then couldn't hold Faulkner/Kopeckys move on the hill.

Ifs & buts & maybes, all things considered the Brits rode a very good race imo. Though some might say of course I would say that 😉

So we had four riders, refused to pick one, another one nearly died a few days, and only two were actually fit enough for the race (& one of those was hit by a car). And we still smashed it.

 

[RobertCrawley]

Oh and some French neutral service driver is looking to swap insurance details with Henderson

https://twitter.com/x/status/1820213259254817053

View: https://x.com/MatMitchell30/status/1820213259254817053

Hold your line!

 

[Sciatic]

Oh and some French neutral service driver is looking to swap insurance details with Henderson

https://twitter.com/x/status/1820213259254817053

View: https://x.com/MatMitchell30/status/1820213259254817053

Driver didn’t hold their line through the turn!

ed. Bob beat me to it.

 

[Potomac]

Faulkner's victory in Paris was Hemingway-esque in quality.

 

[jaylew]

"She needs to know Kopecky can't jump her so she'll make her work to test her. She could bridge on her own but Kopecky would attack on contact with the break." She asked how I was so sure (she does that when I want Bobke to shut up...). The answer was "that's what I'd do and use the closing speed while Marianne was looking for Lotte's move to get a gap. Ramp it up and, if they don't react; commit for the 2km finish." She's a serious track racer and could recover to contest anything that came in that last 2km. No Zwift...Real World.
That and Lotte and Marianne only know their world, not the last minute insert into the US team. They should have known since she was sitting in the front 6 the entire race until the 2 rider break. Absolutely the most masterful race next to Remco's.

Smart is as smart does. She was stronger and smarter. Plus the two Euros had no regard for her. Too bad.

I agree with you about her tactics but she's a well-known quantity in the women's peloton, not some last minute addition that nobody knows. That move wouldn't have surprised anyone as she does late fliers ALL the time. Sometimes she's brought back but she's stayed away for wins plenty of times. Of her 6 wins this year, all were solo ranging from late fliers almost exactly like the one yesterday to solos from far out. And we're not just talking about small races, she's won stages of the Giro, the Vuelta, Tour de Suisse, and an Opening Weekend classic among others. And who can forget her long solo at Strade Bianche last year when she was only caught by Kopecky and Vollering on the final climb into Siena and finished 3rd (ultimately DQ'd due to wearing a glucose monitor)?

Vos and Kopecky even said afterwards they know how strong she is. The only reason she wasn't on the team in the 1st place is because of the stupid qualifying rules the US has. I mean, she won nationals by almost a minute. Also, she's new to the track and much more experienced on the road.

 

[Oldermanish]

Faulkner's victory in Paris was Hemingway-esque in quality.

Adding today's Team Pursuit Gold she's had a pretty good week.