Olympic Road Race

[Dutchsmurf]

Mollema, Gesink, Poels, Ten Dam and Lars Boom

I bet I'm right for at least 4 names lol. The guy's an idiot.

But on the other hand it isn't like there are (m)any better options. We got no sprinters that have a good chance at finishing top 10, let alone a shot at winning.

 

[Michielveedeebee]

But on the other hand it isn't like there are (m)any better options. We got no sprinters that have a good chance at finishing top 10, let alone a shot at winning.

You have Kenny Van Hummel, Theo Bos and Pim Lighthart

on a serious note: Terpstra should be in the selection, guy is good on a parcours like that, see the WC in Geelong

 

[maltiv]

Of course not, Van Vliet is waiting for someone to film the course so he can decide which riders he'll bring, slightly intoxicated from his cocktail on the beach in Curacao. Or, scratch that, he won't even bother checking the course on the internet and bring 5 climbers.

Hope he does, then they can at least contribute in dropping Cavendish

 

[theyoungest]

Could Bos do it, or would he have a better chance in the Omnium?

Well, you kid, but actually Bos plans to try to qualify for the omnium... and why not, at least he'll do very well on the flying lap and the 1 k TT.

 

[JRanton]

With Thomas definitely and Millar (probably) unavailable I think the best four GB engines for Cav will be Wiggins, Froome, Cummings and Stannard. Dowsett has a decent chance of making the team because of the time trial but he'll also have to show an improvement on the hills and in longer races before July.

 

[Catwhoorg]

I was thinking Wiggins, Froome, Stannard then Swift as a final leadout, but Cummings is certainly a good option.

Wiggins and Froome make a decent TT pair, both should be challanging for a medal spot if they have top form. (Stannard and Summings aren't exactly muppets at the TT either)

I'd love for Dowsett to be there for the TT, but just don't see it happening, shame for such a bright young talent the only Olympics on home turf in his career is ~2 years too early for him.

 

[DirtyWorks]

..but I'm pretty sure all the riders dream of winning the Olympics. .. I'm pretty sure all the big guns will be going for the win in London.

Think about it this way. The audience for most sports during the Olympics is **enormous** compared to the fans that follow along outside of the Olympics. There are a couple of obvious exceptions.

The Olympic brand is one of the very few that spans countries, languages, cultures. For an athlete to get a medal, it's a career defining moment because of the ubiquity of the Olympic brand.

Cav's a marked man in the peloton at that race. Far, far worse than the World Championships. The best case scenario is an early doomed break keeps the peloton tempo up until the sprinter train drag race starts. It's a format problem. They need a big-money points-race inside the event to force some uncertainty throughout the race. I'll tune into the last 30 minutes if there's a media stream available in the U.S.

 

[Mambo95]

we are of course assuming that anyone outside of britain and australia actually care about the olympics.

im not sure how many of those countries will even send their best riders.

Plenty of countries sent top teams last time.

For example:
Spain: Sanchez, Freire, Contador, Sastre, Valverde
Italy: Rebellin, Pellizotti, Bettini, Nibali, Brushegin
Russia: Kolobnev, Menchov, Ivanov, Karpets, Efimkin
Luxembourg: Schleck, Schleck, Kirchen
Germany: Schumacher, Ciolek, Voigt, Grabsch, Wegmann

Those are all strong teams. And they're just examples. And this time they won't have to travel half way around the world.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Plenty of countries sent top teams last time.

For example:
Spain: Sanchez, Freire, Contador, Sastre, Valverde
Italy: Rebellin, Pellizotti, Bettini, Nibali, Brushegin
Russia: Kolobnev, Menchov, Ivanov, Karpets, Efimkin
Luxembourg: Schleck, Schleck, Kirchen
Germany: Schumacher, Ciolek, Voigt, Grabsch, Wegmann

Those are all strong teams. And they're just examples. And this time they won't have to travel half way around the world.

On the other hand, maybe the route in Beijing was a key factor in that. I wouldn't expect to see the likes of Contador, Nibali and Menchov in London, that's for sure.

I still think we'll see some very strong teams put in by those teams that feel like they realistically have a chance, but it will be the top sprinters and rouleurs rather than the top puncheurs and climbers that make up the bulk of the entry list this time.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Plenty of countries sent top teams last time.

For example:
Spain: Sanchez, Freire, Contador, Sastre, Valverde
Italy: Rebellin, Pellizotti, Bettini, Nibali, Brushegin
Russia: Kolobnev, Menchov, Ivanov, Karpets, Efimkin
Luxembourg: Schleck, Schleck, Kirchen
Germany: Schumacher, Ciolek, Voigt, Grabsch, Wegmann

Those are all strong teams. And they're just examples. And this time they won't have to travel half way around the world.

beijing was a hard course

 

[theyoungest]

Plenty of countries sent top teams last time.

For example:
Spain: Sanchez, Freire, Contador, Sastre, Valverde
Italy: Rebellin, Pellizotti, Bettini, Nibali, Brushegin
Russia: Kolobnev, Menchov, Ivanov, Karpets, Efimkin
Luxembourg: Schleck, Schleck, Kirchen
Germany: Schumacher, Ciolek, Voigt, Grabsch, Wegmann

Those are all strong teams. And they're just examples. And this time they won't have to travel half way around the world.

But with a fish nor fowl-course like London's, the countries won't know whom to send. Freire will probably be there, Grabsch maybe, that's about it from this list.

 

[Richeypen]

But with a fish nor fowl-course like London's, the countries won't know whom to send. Freire will probably be there, Grabsch maybe, that's about it from this list.

Ciolek surely? Also wouldnt count out Nibbles' engine being used if he has anything left after the tour.

 

[Mambo95]

beijing was a hard course

I know. I was there.

I was responding to the idea that some countries won't send their best team because they don't care about the Olympics.
They sent their best teams for that course half way around the world, so they'll definitely send their best teams for this course just over the channel.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Ciolek surely? Also wouldnt count out Nibbles' engine being used if he has anything left after the tour.

I'd have thought Germany would think more of Degenkolb and Kittel as sprinters, but yes Ciolek would be a good bet.

As for Nibbles, I'd have thought that Bruseghin, Pinotti and Scarponi would probably be better suited to that role. Though I guess the current Italian national team regulations preclude the chance of seeing Scarponi.

 

[Richeypen]

I'd have thought Germany would think more of Degenkolb and Kittel as sprinters, but yes Ciolek would be a good bet.

As for Nibbles, I'd have thought that Bruseghin, Pinotti and Scarponi would probably be better suited to that role. Though I guess the current Italian national team regulations preclude the chance of seeing Scarponi.

I forgot about Griepel. I guess Germany have sprinters in an abundance now.

 

[theyoungest]

I forgot about Griepel. I guess Germany have sprinters in an abundance now.

Exactly. And with Greipel ánd Degenkolb ánd Kittel, I'm sorry Ciolek, but you're out.

 

[El Pistolero]

Exactly. And with Greipel ánd Degenkolb ánd Kittel, I'm sorry Ciolek, but you're out.

Kittel already got dropped at the Worlds this year. Olympics is harder, so even if he improves(and he will) he'll struggle to make it to the finish line next year.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I forgot about Griepel. I guess Germany have sprinters in an abundance now.

Yea, put Greipel, Degenkolb and Kittel in the team, then give them Martin and Grabsch to control the race, and you have a strong team that can contend for the win. Remember Kittel has medalled the U23 ITT and was originally seen as an ITT specialist. You could also replace one of them with Hondo since he's the best leadout man in the sport.

By this point you've committed so much to the sprint that some German stagehunters and riders who could fight for the win such as Burghardt and Wegmann simply can't be viably included, because they don't fit the sprint goal.

 

[c&cfan]

Yea, put Greipel, Degenkolb and Kittel in the team, then give them Martin and Grabsch to control the race, and you have a strong team that can contend for the win. Remember Kittel has medalled the U23 ITT and was originally seen as an ITT specialist. You could also replace one of them with Hondo since he's the best leadout man in the sport.

By this point you've committed so much to the sprint that some German stagehunters and riders who could fight for the win such as Burghardt and Wegmann simply can't be viably included, because they don't fit the sprint goal.

renshaw.

canc, cav or conti FTW

 

[Libertine Seguros]

renshaw.

canc, cav or conti FTW

I've been through this many a time. For me, Hondo is a better leadout than Renshaw.

Mark Renshaw is great at his job, but his job is pretty consistent - be on the end of the train, set blistering tempo, use force if necessary to make sure your sprinter has the best position to set up from. All very good, but pretty samey, especially when he can usually nigh-on guarantee that he'll be finding himself in the best position because he's part of a well-drilled train. It will be interesting to see how he goes now divorced from the likes of Eisel and Cavendish. After all, part of why Renshaw has such a good reputation is because of playing his part in such a huge number of wins, but there are probably quite a few of those sprints that Cavendish could have won without him, and having the fastest guy in the world on the end of your train certainly does wonders for making you look good. Danilo Hondo is something else. Him and Petacchi are incredible at times. They've been four riders apart on opposite sides of the train, then round a corner and whoosh, they're there, together, right where they need to be. Hondo can muscle his way into other people's trains, he can drag a sprinter to the front from the most unlikely of positions, and when you see something like stage 4 of the 2010 Tour where he completely on his own totally derailed the Columbia train with a full kilometre to go, you realise he's more than just a leadout man in the "get on the front and launch your guy" sense.

 

[Fus087]

On the other hand, back in their CA days, Hushovd praised Renshaw as "the best lead-out man in the world".
And I don't remember CA building HTC-like sprint trains. It was Renshaw (maybe one guy more in front of him) and Hushovd only.

 

[ingsve]

On the other hand, back in their CA days, Hushovd praised Renshaw as "the best lead-out man in the world".
And I don't remember CA building HTC-like sprint trains. It was Renshaw (maybe one guy more in front of him) and Hushovd only.

We've seen situations where the HTC train has been derailed by other teams as well and Reshaw still managed to bring Cav to a good lead out.

Hushovd has said the same about Dean and Lancaster as well though so his standards for being best in the world is fairly wide perhaps.

In my opinion there is a handful of riders, including Hondo and Renshaw that make up the world class lead outs and ranking them any more than that doesn't really say much. They are all very good and any sprinter behind them would probably not complain regardless of who he had.

 

[Ruudz0r]

Hondo is losing it imo, dont get me wrong he is still very good but his lead out performances in 2010 were much better then those in 2011 there were a few times this year that I really didnt understand what he was doing and in what way he was helping Petacchi (although on most occasions he did a good job). But I guess in 2012 his lead out level will be lower again probably cause he is losing speed.

 

[Fus087]

Hushovd has said the same about Dean and Lancaster as well though so his standards for being best in the world is fairly wide perhaps.

Haha, didn't know that. It surely puts it into perspective.

In my opinion there is a handful of riders, including Hondo and Renshaw that make up the world class lead outs and ranking them any more than that doesn't really say much. They are all very good and any sprinter behind them would probably not complain regardless of who he had.

I agree.
Still waiting to see if Renshaw will be Rabo's no. 1 sprinter, or "only" an enormously well-paid lead-out for Bos/Matthews.

 

[theyoungest]

I agree.
Still waiting to see if Renshaw will be Rabo's no. 1 sprinter, or "only" an enormously well-paid lead-out for Bos/Matthews.

I think he'll be their no. 1 sprinter in the Tour, at any rate. In the way they used to employ Freire: go ahead and good luck. I have zero faith that he'll actually win any important sprints though.

Also, enormously well-paid? Have you seen his contract?