Olympic Road Race

[El Pistolero]

I have a few questions for El Pistrollero:

1. Who was 1st 2nd and 3rd at the 2000 Olympics Road Race in Sydney?

2. What was the profile of the course?

3. What were the time gaps between the medal winners?

4. How many people still watched?

Find the answers to these questions and then decide if the Olympic RR has no hope.

You do know cycling has changed a lot since Sydney? And it's always going to be watched a lot because it's the first or one of the first Olympic events. Doesn't mean it won't be incredibly boring like Milan-San Remo usually is. It's going to take a freak accident to make London exciting.

If no one can escape on the Poggio anymore then it sure as hell is not going to happen on Boxhill which has an average gradient of 5%
Cyclists laugh at that these days.

I'm not saying Cav will win, but a sprinter definitely will. You might as well show examples of 1930 Milan-San Remo of why London will be exciting lol.

 

[Mambo95]

Even if that situation has probably relaxed a lot (even then, I recall that I could find US cigarettes on the black market) in the years since that time

It must have been a very long time since you went. Beijing is capitalism gone mad. US cigarettes are now found on advertising billboards and in their own stores.

 

[L'arriviste]

It must have been a very long time since you went. Beijing is capitalism gone mad. US cigarettes are now found on advertising billboards and in their own stores.

Only ten years ago. I remember seeing a solitary (and deserted) branch of McDonald's. But you could tell something was in the air. Outside the Forbidden City, there were kids wearing printed "The Beatles" and "Manchester Unted" (sic) beenie hats.

 

[El Pistolero]

Only ten years ago. I remember seeing a solitary (and deserted) branch of McDonald's. But you could tell something was in the air. Outside the Forbidden City, there were kids wearing printed "The Beatles" and "Manchester Unted" (sic) beenie hats.

That's long in Beijing

 

[lancaster]

if they had had the start finish in richmond/hampton and done an extra lap of boxhill i think the course would be improved. the extra 15km flat into london only makes the course less interesting.
also it's not like they're finishing in the stadium or anything so i really don't know why the start finish had to be on the mall.

 

[Avoriaz]

Yes, the course is open.

Sadly, it isn't. Whilst most of the course is open, the area around Zig Zag Road on Box Hill (this is the area of teh hill with the switchbacks) will be restricted to 3,000 tickets. I am told this is at the behest of the National Trust, who own the land and are concerned about the impact race followers will have on the local flora and fauna.

I'm not sure if the tickets are to be sold or an application. Certainly for the London Surrey Cycle Classic in mid-August these tickets are open for application.

Actually rode up Box Hill last night, and whilst it is no Galibier, a few strong teams can really put the hammer down and try and distance themselves from the sprinters. It won't suit a lone breakaway, but a selective group can definitely jump away on the circuits. It is also very narrow in places.

Shame about the numbers because some of the switchbacks form a massive natural amphitheatre and I can envisage hordes of passionate cycling fans right on my doorstep.

 

[Izzy eviel]

This race will annoy me. They've could had the start/finish the same and gone up into north London and done laps around Hampstead Heath. Alot of short steep hills in that part of the world. They could've done gone up Swaines Lane 2 dozen times, 800 metres long average gradient 15%, max 23% in places and a very picturesque part of London.

But no. I hope Greipal beats Cav in the sprint just to annoy the organisers.

 

[patterson_hood]

if they had had the start finish in richmond/hampton and done an extra lap of boxhill i think the course would be improved. the extra 15km flat into london only makes the course less interesting.
also it's not like they're finishing in the stadium or anything so i really don't know why the start finish had to be on the mall.

You can't work out why the organisers want it to finish on the road leading to maybe the most famous building in the UK?

This race will annoy me. They've could had the start/finish the same and gone up into north London and done laps around Hampstead Heath. Alot of short steep hills in that part of the world. They could've done gone up Swaines Lane 2 dozen times, 800 metres long average gradient 15%, max 23% in places and a very picturesque part of London.

But no. I hope Greipal beats Cav in the sprint just to annoy the organisers.

I think the idea was to get out of London as soon as possible so as not to disrupt more traffic than absolutely necessary.

 

[virandociclista]

The 2016 olympic road race will be more good to see. The games will be at Rio de Janeiro and here there is a lot of hard hills so close one to another.

Possibly we will have a hard hilly circuit!

 

[AussieGoddess]

I think the idea was to get out of London as soon as possible so as not to disrupt more traffic than absolutely necessary.

quite honestly though - they are hosting the f****** olympics ..... and wanting to have the event finishing in the middle of London. Disrupting traffic is kind of a foregone conclusion surely!!!

Accept that you will inconvenience people during the 2 weeks, and plan the best events you can.

 

[lancaster]

You can't work out why the organisers want it to finish on the road leading to maybe the most famous building in the UK?

why make the race finish on a road leading to a well known but rather unspectacular building of little historic interest (by British standards) rather than the beautiful hampton court? no i don't get it. i think it's lazy and pays a disservice to the sport and fans of cycling.
deciding that you have to start and finish in the same place, a long way from a hill is a pretty stupid way of going about making a classics course for a cycle race.

 

[patterson_hood]

why make the race finish on a road leading to a well known but rather unspectacular building of little historic interest (by British standards) rather than the beautiful hampton court? no i don't get it. i think it's lazy and pays a disservice to the sport and fans of cycling.
deciding that you have to start and finish in the same place, a long way from a hill is a pretty stupid way of going about making a classics course for a cycle race.

Well starting and finishing in the same place is pretty obvious if you are going to charge for grandstand tickets, particularly with the stupid olympic system. And while you may feel it is of little Historic interest it is still probably the most recognisable building in London and a massive tourist attraction. I think it would have been silly for them not to use it, particularly as it is long and wide and they are hoping for a bunch sprint to finish it off.

quite honestly though - they are hosting the f****** olympics ..... and wanting to have the event finishing in the middle of London. Disrupting traffic is kind of a foregone conclusion surely!!!

Accept that you will inconvenience people during the 2 weeks, and plan the best events you can.

London might be, but a lot of the people of London don't feel part of it. I'm pretty sure there would be uproar if they had much more of the course in London and shut down more traffic. Remember that unfortunately cycling is hardly followed in the UK compared to other events and many people just won't care about it. I do agree with you, but I can see why it has been planned as it has.

 

[Andy99]

why make the race finish on a road leading to a well known but rather unspectacular building of little historic interest (by British standards) rather than the beautiful hampton court? no i don't get it. i think it's lazy and pays a disservice to the sport and fans of cycling.
deciding that you have to start and finish in the same place, a long way from a hill is a pretty stupid way of going about making a classics course for a cycle race.

As far as I know our friends at the UCI insisted that the finish be here.

 

[Hawkwood]

As far as I know our friends at the UCI insisted that the finish be here.

That's what I thought as well.

 

[Boardslide]

As far as I know our friends at the UCI insisted that the finish be here.

Also the UCI insisted that the course included a lot of the famous landmarks of London as the original route was due to go out in a completely different direction as so had to be changed to the current one which they approved.

 

[Izzy eviel]

Nothing wrong with where the course starts and ends, just why pick a dull and easy route in the middle of nowhere?

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

quite honestly though - they are hosting the f****** olympics ..... and wanting to have the event finishing in the middle of London. Disrupting traffic is kind of a foregone conclusion surely!!!

Accept that you will inconvenience people during the 2 weeks, and plan the best events you can.

London's a little bigger and busier than Sidney. Fortunately most of the games are out in the **** end of East London.

Atlanta was a blue print of the way forward for me - give the Olympics to 2nd tier cities rather than messing up genuinely busy places. London is bad enough with gormless tourists as it is.

 

[cycladianpirate]

What would make the Olympic RR far more interesting (and fairer for that matter) has nothing to do with the course.

Make it a team event.

 

[Ferminal]

What would make the Olympic RR far more interesting (and fairer for that matter) has nothing to do with the course.

Make it a team event.

You have to get three riders across the line instead of one..?

 

[sublimit]

No but Surrey suffers from the wealthy classes with big cars who don't want their roads jammed up by cyclists!

I'm glad the route goes through Surrey just to annoy to the residents, they deserve it.

I've marshalled some Surrey league races and the locals tend to be intolerable. The sight of a few bike riders is like the worse thing thats ever happened to them and they really get upset with the disruption. They come out of their million pound mansions, get held up for about 45 seconds by a race and then just lose it, steam comes out of their ears, they probably write to the local MP and local paper and god knows what.. Probably traumatised by the whole experience but gives them something to complain about.

 

[Mambo95]

I'm glad the route goes through Surrey just to annoy to the residents, they deserve it.

I've marshalled some Surrey league races and the locals tend to be intolerable. The sight of a few bike riders is like the worse thing thats ever happened to them and they really get upset with the disruption. They come out of their million pound mansions, get held up for about 45 seconds by a race and then just lose it, steam comes out of their ears, they probably write to the local MP and local paper and god knows what.. Probably traumatised by the whole experience but gives them something to complain about.

It'll also be dangerous. A Surrey mother with a 4x4 trying to get Georgina to ballet and Joshua to his violin lesson before going to Waitrose to get some Sea Bass and cranberry juice isn't going to be held back by some awful cyclists, if they get hit it's thier problem. She goes to the same gym as David Cameron's sister and once met Mrs Middleton. She's damn well more important some random Frenchmen and Italians. Unless they're from the Dordogne or Tuscany, of course.

 

[Andy99]

It'll also be dangerous. A Surrey mother with a 4x4 trying to get Georgina to ballet and Joshua to his violin lesson before going to Waitrose to get some Sea Bass and cranberry juice isn't going to be held back by some awful cyclists, if they get hit it's thier problem. She goes to the same gym as David Cameron's sister and once met Mrs Middleton. She's damn well more important some random Frenchmen and Italians. Unless they're from the Dordogne or Tuscany, of course.

Ha! That pretty much sums it up!

 

[Havetts]

It'll also be dangerous. A Surrey mother with a 4x4 trying to get Georgina to ballet and Joshua to his violin lesson before going to Waitrose to get some Sea Bass and cranberry juice isn't going to be held back by some awful cyclists, if they get hit it's thier problem. She goes to the same gym as David Cameron's sister and once met Mrs Middleton. She's damn well more important some random Frenchmen and Italians. Unless they're from the Dordogne or Tuscany, of course.

Thanks for the laugh .

 

[auscyclefan94]

You have to get three riders across the line instead of one..?

I think he means trade teams.

 

[Ferminal]

I think he means trade teams.

Oh... like we don't have 15 big classics a year with 7-8 size trade teams. There would be no point even running it in 2012 then, we could just watch Hamburg Cyclassics or Paris-Tours.

Why should they change the only race with small national teams, which happens to occur only once every 4 years.

Anyway, Australia's team for the test event is:

O'Grady
Goss
Haussler
Matthews
Howard

Can I buy a sprinter?