Renshaw back to being leadout?

[Caruut]

I guess in Britain it's different with the hype around your Olympic track cyclists, but in Holland track cycling is not a big sport. At all. Even while he was still a track cyclist people would ask Bos why he wouldn't try the road.

It gets a bit weird, to be honest, how into track cycling we suddenly got after one good Olympics. You know something is wrong when the BBC's "cycling" section doesn't report the results of the Ronde van Vlaanderen, but is extremely interested in the minutiae of Chris Hoy's Olympic preparation. Personally, I just don't get track cycling, but I didn't realise that everywhere else felt the same. I guess what I find strangest is that even when he's clearly going to do better on the track, he perseveres.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

It gets a bit weird, to be honest, how into track cycling we suddenly got after one good Olympics. You know something is wrong when the BBC's "cycling" section doesn't report the results of the Ronde van Vlaanderen, but is extremely interested in the minutiae of Chris Hoy's Olympic preparation. Personally, I just don't get track cycling, but I didn't realise that everywhere else felt the same.

Track cycling only has a profile and prestige even a tiny fraction as high as road cycling in precisely two countries, Britain and Australia, and in both countries it is completely an Olympic medal thing. The sport has a whole load of Olympic slots, and nobody else takes it seriously, so some emphasis on a track programme is a cheap and easy way to bag a haul of medals. And a haul of medals means that people sort of care about it or pretend to care about it for a few days every four years.

I guess what I find strangest is that even when he's clearly going to do better on the track, he perseveres.

A mediocre Premiership striker isn't going to go and break scoring records for his local Sunday League team either. And to be fair to Bos, it's not yet clear that he's not going to be successful on the road.

 

[theyoungest]

I guess what I find strangest is that even when he's clearly going to do better on the track, he perseveres.

I don't know if he could still become a great track sprinter. His body has changed quite a bit, although he was always quite lean for a track sprinter. Chris Hoy is about 50 kgs heavier.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Well, we can finally find out if that stuff about Renshaw being the best leadout guy in the world (for my money it's Hondo) was based in fact or just extrapolation from his being part of a dominant train that could, and would, bully people out of their way. Bos takes a lot more looking after than Cavendish to make sure he's in the right place, so Renshaw's work will be increased to counter that.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Winning a gold medal is of course a challenge, but you can only get one every four years. I think Bos was pretty crushed mentally after the disillusion in Beijing.

You shouldn't judge him by the standards of a former world champion, track sprinting is a totally different discipline. That's why your comparison with Graeme Brown is moot as well, he's a gold medallist in the team pursuit and madison, not in the sprint.

the comparison was because brown has won gold on the olympics. teh discipline doesn't matter. now bos is a rider like brown in the road. limited and he rarely wins anything. in fact bos has been doing worse since he joined rabo just like brown did

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Really? You can't see why someone would give up being a top rugby sevens player to play rugby union? You can't see why someone would give up being a top Canadian Football Player to try American Football? You can't see why someone would give up being an Amateur code boxer to try the Pro code, even though it means giving up your chance at the Olympics?

The answer is straightforward: Track cycling is a backwater within the sport, ranking somewhere just behind cross and mountain biking. Road cycling is where the prestige and money can be found. It's like asking why Daniel Teklehaimanot wants to ride in Europe instead of beating up everyone in the Tour of Rwanda.

lol. couldn't be further from the truth

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

lol. couldn't be further from the truth

Cross has its own fanbase who actually turn up to watch regular season events. There are people who don't ride competitively themselves who actually care about it.

Nobody cares about track cyling outside of Britain and Australia, and they care about it in the same way that British people care about rowing or curling. For ten minutes once every four years.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

nobody cares about crosscycling outside of belgium

 

[El Pistolero]

Nobody cares about track cycling and the sport would be dead if it wasn't an Olympic event.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Nobody cares about track cycling and the sport would be dead if it wasn't an Olympic event.

oh look who we have here. the wise guy that knows about every sport and the german economy

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

nobody cares about crosscycling outside of belgium

Sure. And that's one more country than cares about track.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

define popular? track is popular in japan, colombia, australia, new zealand, argentina, chile, germany, france and uk for instance. there they broadcast and their riders are pros. that's alot more than cross for instance

 

[theyoungest]

Yes, the whole of Britain is currently off the streets because of the track worlds, like Belgium during 'cross worlds...

 

[Gloin22]

Track is more popular than cross. That's simple too me. Belginas love cross, but it's the only country that cares about it a lot. There are few smaller for sure, while Track is much more popular imo. Around 3.5Million people watched BBC broadcast in UK when there was Manchester Track meeting around 2 months ago and that's only in UK.

 

[theyoungest]

Track is more popular than cross. That's simple too me. Belginas love cross, but it's the only country that cares about it a lot. There are few smaller for sure, while Track is much more popular imo. Around 3.5Million people watched BBC broadcast in UK when there was Manchester Track meeting around 2 months ago and that's only in UK.

Of course cross is only popular in Belgium, but the country is crazy about it. I don't get that feeling about track cycling in Britain (except during the Olympics).

 

[richtea]

They aren't - but then 3.5m people, while not even half the population of London is fairly substantial chunk of the entire population of Belgium.

 

[El Pistolero]

Those people care about Olympic medals, not the sport. Make cyclocross an Olympic sport and it will gain popularity in more countries.

 

[theyoungest]

It can only become an Olympic sport if there's a global demand for it. Which there isn't.

 

[richtea]

I'm not sure that is everything - no one watches swimming despite GB being strong there at the moment. The women's gold in the TP was top story on BBC news this morning - ahead of England taking control of the second test against Sri Lanka. I've never seen that happen with any other Olympic sport. But as soon as GB aren't any good any more, interest in track cycling will die off - there isn't interest in the sport itself.

 

[theyoungest]

I mean for a sport to become Olympic, there has to be worldwide interest. Afterwards it doesn't matter anymore

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Those people care about Olympic medals, not the sport. Make cyclocross an Olympic sport and it will gain popularity in more countries.

that's why it's not an olympic sport because nobody cares for it and it has no history as a real sport

 

[El Pistolero]

It can only become an Olympic sport if there's a global demand for it. Which there isn't.

Curling?

Many other small sports no one cares about. Italians have roots in cyclo-cross, that could come back if it becomes Olympics. And there's some interest for it in the US that can only grow if it would become Olympic. And the Netherlands as well...

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Curling?

Many other small sports no one cares about. Italians have roots in cyclo-cross, that could come back if it becomes Olympics. And there's some interest for it in the US that can only grow if it would become Olympic. And the Netherlands as well...

cross has always been a roadriders pastime during the winter. that's how it always was. it's about as seruous as 6days races in track.

and curling is actually a very big worldwide sport. I know it sucks but it's the truth

 

[therhodeo]

Cross has a pretty dedicated following here. Its not huge but the people involved are very dedicated. Cross has way more potential than track in alot of countries because it doesn't require anything but some open land and plastic fencing. Velodromes aren't cheap.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Cross has a pretty dedicated following here. Its not huge but the people involved are very dedicated. Cross has way more potential than track in alot of countries because it doesn't require anything but some open land and plastic fencing. Velodromes aren't cheap.

velodromes can be found everywhere though. I'll just speak for colombia here but every mid-big town basically has it's own track