Olympic RR Test Event this weekend ...

[Waterloo Sunrise]

Boost .

 

[The Cube]

Twice on sunday and nine times next summer.

Well, everything states that the race does the circuit twice on Sunday, but it arrives from the south and leaves to the north. I think it must be twice up the hill, but really that's only 1.75 times round the circuit.

So far today I've spent over an hour trying to plan my visit, and I still can't with certainty answer the above question!

There's no confirmed start list (i.e. something I can take with me listing rider numbers for that embarassing Huw Porter-style moment when the break goes past and I don't recognise any of them). The list of timings looks like fiction. Almost all the maps are indicative rather than exact, although eventually I found this one that met my needs:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/Box_Hill_Viewing_Map.pdf

If there is any radio coverage - even local or at a feature level - it's not made it onto the listed schedules, whilst the only mention of any TV coverage is one thowaway sentence in Cycling Weekly.

And this is the highest profile one-day race to visit our shores for many years!

 

[spalco]

I don't understand why this isn't shown anywhere. Lots of big name riders, possibly good insights into what's going to be maybe the biggest British road race ever next year and nobody's interested?

 

[timmers]

Well its a test event for the Olympics in 2012 so its not really a big event! Having ridden much of the course the questions I would have would be positioning in the country lanes and how I feel after riding up Box Hill a couple of times not about winning the sprint! I think it is almost a great course and with smaller teams it will be a great race next year!

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

Walking to the hairdresser this morning, saw Tom Boonen ride past just near Trav Square - very exciting.

 

[ParfaitAmour]

Not live (you never let the public see the dress rehearsal).

Cycling Weekly said they'd heard that the BBC were showing highlights the following week.

I watch football, but cycling won't get a look in now the season has started again. Annoying how cycling is passed over in the sports news each day.

 

[Anonymous]

Monster set of photos from the pre race just gone online.
http://www.teamskyfans.com/gallery.html


Photos from the post race and press conference later on.

 

[auscyclefan94]

Paulinho and Haussler have attacked.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I don't understand why this isn't shown anywhere. Lots of big name riders, possibly good insights into what's going to be maybe the biggest British road race ever next year and nobody's interested?

As has already been mentioned, they probably don't want to show the dress rehearsal live in case there are any problems and also because this is a dress rehearsal for the Olympics, so they want to see how the race will likely run more than they want to see who's watching.

Plus of course, week 1 of the EPL and all that.

 

[Michielveedeebee]

Monster set of photos from the pre race just gone online.
http://www.teamskyfans.com/gallery.html


Photos from the post race and press conference later on.

The Ireland jerseys are awesome

 

[Anonymous]

The Ireland jerseys are awesome

and the germans seem to have Harry Enfields stroppy teenager riding for them.

 

[spalco]

Monster set of photos from the pre race just gone online.
http://www.teamskyfans.com/gallery.html


Photos from the post race and press conference later on.

Oh gods, what drunken idiot thought those Italian shorts are a good design?

 

[Wergeland]

Cav won.....

 

[Papparrazzi]

Monster set of photos from the pre race just gone online.
http://www.teamskyfans.com/gallery.html


Photos from the post race and press conference later on.

Great set of pics.
Rob Hayles retired? Working for the Media now?
I see Cav's fav' Commissaire from TdF was officiating .

 

[Anonymous]

Great set of pics.
Rob Hayles retired? Working for the Media now?
I see Cav's fav' Commissaire from TdF was officiating .

Rob Hayles has been doing various media bits for the last couple of years, for both Eurosport and ITV (possibly even bbc). Think this is last season racing full time. Saw him in the north and he looked dead on his feet for both the Criterium and the Nationals.

Will be more pics later from the post race and press conf. Seems like everyone has been told not to ask cav who he is signing for

 

[Libertine Seguros]

The French, Australian and maybe the German outfits are the only ones I like. Great Britain's outfit is absolutely hideous. Italy's ridiculous shorts ruin the outfit, they'd be best served if they insist on adding the flag colours, to have something similar to their skiers, as modelled by Dorothea Wierer here:

and Lukas Hofer here:

 

[Jamsque]

Nice ride from Modolo for 2nd. Surprised that Boonen and Farrar were not up there.

 

[kanari]

Nice ride from Modolo for 2nd. Surprised that Boonen and Farrar were not up there.

Farrar crashed before the finish I think. (Saw a tweet about it somewhere).

 

[Anonymous]

Photos are now up from the finish, podiums and press conference
http://www.teamskyfans.com/gallery.html

 

[Andy99]

Farrar crashed before the finish I think. (Saw a tweet about it somewhere).

Yeah eurosport report also explains that Tyler Crashed.

Only 20 riders contested the sprint apparently

 

[Anonymous]

Yeah eurosport report also explains that Tyler Crashed.

Only 20 riders contested the sprint apparently

About that, pretty easy for Cav in the end

 

[just some guy]

Got wonder why O´Grady was in sprinting in front of Goss, not leading him out?

Unless Goss lost his wheel

 

[Jamsque]

Modolo was pretty close to Cav at the line actually.

 

[Anonymous]

Modolo was pretty close to Cav at the line actually.

about half a bike length, but cav eased up and was in celebrate mode. The rest were a good couple of bike lengths down.

Be very different next year with stronger teams and more goes around box hill

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Do the women get a rehearsal race too, or did they just look at the course, go "yea, Vos'll win" and not bother?