Renshaws non selection in Worlds Team?

[Anonymous]

Matt White defends not taking Renshaw: http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/white-stands-by-renshaws-non-selection

I think from this, we can certainly conclude one thing: Matt White is a ****ing idiot.

 

[Anonymous]

White says he stands by his non-selection of Renshaw - http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/white-stands-by-renshaws-non-selection
However it's just plain rubbish to say that Renshaw couldn't ride a 260km race when every sprinter not caught up in the crash made it to the bunch sprint and Cav as we well know was also right there at the finish.

After reading that, one thing becomes readily apparent: Matt White is a ****ing idiot.

 

[auscyclefan94]

I don't agree with White's descision but calling Matt White an idiot is very far from the truth. Matt White is a very good cycling brain and knows his stuff. Great tactician.

 

[AussieGoddess]

sorry ACF - have to disagree with you there.

Even if Matt thinks that it wouldnt have made any difference .... blind freddy can see that Renshaw would have been an asset in the way the race played out.

To not acknowledge that and keep flogging the dead horse that 'he knows best' is just stupid.

He needs to swallow his pride and say 'well perhaps we made a mistake in not taking him'.

 

[BigChain]

I don't agree with White's descision but calling Matt White an idiot is very fra from the truth. Matt White is a very good cycling brain and knows his stuff. Great tactician.

Having met Matty White and ridden with him a few times I have formed the opinion that he is a pretty nice bloke and he showed he was certainly pretty astute at Garmin (apart from letting them finding out he was going to GE!).

However if he intends to bring politics into things and not pick the best riders on their merits or ability to ride a particular course, then he (and Cycling Australia) only have themselves to blame for a pretty dumb decision to leave Renshaw out of the Worlds, and rue what might have been.

Let's hope they don't make the same mistake for the Olympics, otherwise they will definitely look like idiots.

 

[auscyclefan94]

sorry ACF - have to disagree with you there.

Even if Matt thinks that it wouldnt have made any difference .... blind freddy can see that Renshaw would have been an asset in the way the race played out.

To not acknowledge that and keep flogging the dead horse that 'he knows best' is just stupid.

He needs to swallow his pride and say 'well perhaps we made a mistake in not taking him'.

i wasn't saying that he was correct in not taking renshaw though insulting his intelligence is not really fair.

 

[greenedge]

I think Australia slowed down for an inexplicable reason ( O' Grady )/ the interposing of riders like Friere and Sagan who did not position themselves well at all. Hayman and Haussler did good lead-outs.

Cavendish even ended up following the Aussies lead-out anyways. He liked Goss' wheel ( who would have been on Renshaws ). I could not envisage Cavendish pushing Goss aside to get straight onto Renshaw's wheel though so Goss would have had a head start. Has a medallist ever been disqualified for pushing in a sprint??????

 

[abbaskip]

It was an excellent lead out, Sagan taking Haussler's wheel is Goss' fault not Hausslers, people on this thread seem to be giving Renshaw super powers

Lead out isn't just about opening up a sprint at the front of the pack with 500m to go. Goss and Haussler have both said in the past that this is why Renshaw is better at lead outs. Part of the art is not losing your sprinter. Renshaw very very rarely loses his, even in the messiest finishes.

 

[Midnightfright]

I don't agree with White's descision but calling Matt White an idiot is very far from the truth. Matt White is a very good cycling brain and knows his stuff. Great tactician.

I totally agree with you and can just ask out of curiosity before you had seen the course ridden how confident would you have been in Mark being at the sharp end of things? I think I would of probably found room for him in the team at the expense of Rogers myself but wouldnt of been confident of him being avalible to leadout.

 

[abbaskip]

don't really have to think too hard on this one:
recently: joined rabobank rather than greenedge
less recently: bagged out ca for taking out a long-term deal to hold the national champs on a non-sprinter friendly course at bunniyong, threatened to boycott them.

greenedge will have lost a lot of goodwill amongst australians over this.

Plus kicking up a stink when he qualified Australia for the Madison at the Athens Olympics, was given the impression in the lead up that he was racing it, then being withdrawn for O'Grady in the few days before.

 

[Midnightfright]

Lead out isn't just about opening up a sprint at the front of the pack with 500m to go. Goss and Haussler have both said in the past that this is why Renshaw is better at lead outs. Part of the art is not losing your sprinter. Renshaw very very rarely loses his, even in the messiest finishes.

Know that you say that its true I find it hard to recall the last time Cav and Goss lost is wheel in a sprint.

 

[abbaskip]

I totally agree with you and can just ask out of curiosity before you had seen the course ridden how confident would you have been in Mark being at the sharp end of things? I think I would of probably found room for him in the team at the expense of Rogers myself but wouldnt of been confident of him being avalible to leadout.

I still think instead of Sutton. Rogers is stronger, CJ faster. But when did Australia need that speed? Especially if they had Renshaw in the team. The argument that CJ won a Vuelta stage doesn't hold much water, when his role on the team was completely unrelated to how he won that stage.

 

[Midnightfright]

I still think instead of Sutton. Rogers is stronger, CJ faster. But when did Australia need that speed? Especially if they had Renshaw in the team. The argument that CJ won a Vuelta stage doesn't hold much water, when his role on the team was completely unrelated to how he won that stage.

True but I didn't have a problem with them going with numerous sprinting options as it was apparent GB were going to do almost all the work, I would of left out Rogers as his form of illness was questionable. Saying that he actually seemed fine.

 

[abbaskip]

White says he stands by his non-selection of Renshaw - http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/white-stands-by-renshaws-non-selection
However it's just plain rubbish to say that Renshaw couldn't ride a 260km race when every sprinter not caught up in the crash made it to the bunch sprint and Cav as we well know was also right there at the finish.

Ridiculous comments. He should at last acknowledge the mistake. Then compares 6 hours of racing to 4? Didn't mention the 200+ km races Renshaw has successfully led Cav out in? Or the fact that apart from the crash, the field basically came in all together. Its almost rude to Renshaw to imply he wouldn't have been there at the end to help. Makes me think even more it wasn't a sporting decision.

 

[movingtarget]

Ridiculous comments. He should at last acknowledge the mistake. Then compares 6 hours of racing to 4? Didn't mention the 200+ km races Renshaw has successfully led Cav out in? Or the fact that apart from the crash, the field basically came in all together. Its almost rude to Renshaw to imply he wouldn't have been there at the end to help. Makes me think even more it wasn't a sporting decision.

True. Would the best lead out rider in the world have been left off any other team. No, not on that circuit. It was a ridiculous decision. Why Rogers was there I will never know. Is Renshaw's sprint brain and experience worth half a wheel ? I think so. White stuffed up and all he could say was that Goss was not expected to do that well. If that was the case why was he one of the protected riders ? Another Gold medal gone begging. Renshaw would have seen where Cavendish was positioned and opened up the sprint earlier. Goss hesitated and lost.

 

[woodie]

True. Would the best lead out rider in the world have been left off any other team. No, not on that circuit. It was a ridiculous decision. Why Rogers was there I will never know. Is Renshaw's sprint brain and experience worth half a wheel ? I think so. White stuffed up and all he could say was that Goss was not expected to do that well. If that was the case why was he one of the protected riders ? Another Gold medal gone begging. Renshaw would have seen where Cavendish was positioned and opened up the sprint earlier. Goss hesitated and lost.

White also said that while everyone else thought Goss wasn't going so well the selectors and team management knew, so why wouldn't they get Mark to support him?

I said it before i'll say it again....

Politics

 

[Winterfold]

White should at least have the balls to say he stuffed it up.

It may not have made any difference but insisting you were right when you were clearly wrong is not very Aussie IMO

 

[Old School]

I guessed wrong

Well, it may not have mattered..we'll never know. I really didn't think Cav would have the legs at the end...WRONG!

 

[oncehadhair]

200m to go and Goss was second in line, Australia did an excellent lead out, you can't blame Goss for being slower than Cav.

On this occasion Goss was faster than Cav, just started a little late after the hiccough 150 out.

 

[auscyclefan94]

Meh, I am little annoyed with all the talk regarding renshaw in the team. The final sprint was so messy that it was ultimately every man for himself in that final 500m. It was a crazy sprint. If Goss kicked a little earlier he could of beaten Cavendish. He didn't. Renshaw wouldnt of changed that. If Gossy was 1/2 a wheel further ahead, this talk would of been non-evident.

 

[spanky wanderlust]

don't really have to think too hard on this one:
recently: joined rabobank rather than greenedge
less recently: bagged out ca for taking out a long-term deal to hold the national champs on a non-sprinter friendly course at bunniyong, threatened to boycott them.

greenedge will have lost a lot of goodwill amongst australians over this.

ok. good. but now greededge doesn't have the rainbows, quite possibly as a result of cockblocking renshaw?

 

[spanky wanderlust]

Meh, I am little annoyed with all the talk regarding renshaw in the team. The final sprint was so messy that it was ultimately every man for himself in that final 500m. It was a crazy sprint. If Goss kicked a little earlier he could of beaten Cavendish. He didn't. Renshaw wouldnt of changed that. If Gossy was 1/2 a wheel further ahead, this talk would of been non-evident.

hence the controversy. isn't this exactly what the world's best, most experienced lead out man is supposed to do. i couldn't think of anyone i would want more in that situation. haussler doesn't fit the bill.

but seriously, and i think you pointed this out, just because cav beats your guy in the sprint doesn't mean you made the wrong decision. cav is faster and probably would have won regardless.

still, on a flat course like this, renshaw is your best bet as a leadout guy. especially if your alternate is haussler!? to leave him out is just plain moronic.

 

[richo36]

I assumed when Renshaw was left of the team it was because the Race tatics where to race hard from the begining. I assumed they where going to push the pace and launch multiple attacks. All in the hope of reducing the field to a smaller group and dropping cav and the other big sprinters. So no need for a lead out. So i was cool with his non selection but after watching the race and seeing the australians tatics it was 100% political. Australia raced for the bunch sprint. They did this knowing that GB were going to do all the work at the front so they could relax in the peloton and wait for the finish. So with this race plan why would you not take the worlds best leadout. Apart from riders in the crash everyone else made it, so renshaw would of been there. Hopefully they can pick the right riders next year.

 

[CobbleStoner]

I assumed when Renshaw was left of the team it was because the Race tatics where to race hard from the begining. I assumed they where going to push the pace and launch multiple attacks. All in the hope of reducing the field to a smaller group and dropping cav and the other big sprinters. So no need for a lead out. So i was cool with his non selection but after watching the race and seeing the australians tatics it was 100% political. Australia raced for the bunch sprint. They did this knowing that GB were going to do all the work at the front so they could relax in the peloton and wait for the finish. So with this race plan why would you not take the worlds best leadout. Apart from riders in the crash everyone else made it, so renshaw would of been there. Hopefully they can pick the right riders next year.

so true.
and also nobody has pointed out that not only is Renshaw the best, most experienced lead-out man, but he knows Cav better than anybody. If you watch the overhead tape you can clearly see that not only did Goss have to go too early, but he also left Cav a perfect, wind blocked gap, to go right through. If Renshaw was there he would of had the presence of mind to make sure there were no gaps after he releases Goss.
what a pompous idiot Mick Rodgers is for saying publicly that Renshaw wouldn't have been a difference in a messy sprint where Cav lost his leadout, so wrong.
FAIL team oz, on all levels

 

[William H]

Anyone who leads out Cavendish is the best leadout man in the world.