Rio 2016 Olympic Road Race and Time Trial courses

[Brullnux]

So Stybar and Barta but no Kreuziger on mountainous course? Makes sense

 

[DFA123]

Re:

Czech team:

Konig (RR + TT)
Stybar (RR)
Vakoc (RR)
Barta (RR + TT)

(no place for Kreuziger)

Stybar and Vakoc are really intelligent picks imo. They both have an outside chance if it's raced hard early on the 1km climbs and becomes more of an anaerobic challenge where everyone is on the limit before the final climb - a bit like Strade Bianche. If it turns into more of a cagey climbers race, they don't have much hope, but then neither would Kreuziger anyway.

 

[Hyman]

Re:

Nibali said the climb is similar to Ghisallo.

But The field has nothing to do with Ghisallo. Rio will be much harder. No way Dani Moreno or a 50% Valverde can compete for The podium.

 

[Brullnux]

Re: Re:

Czech team:

Konig (RR + TT)
Stybar (RR)
Vakoc (RR)
Barta (RR + TT)

(no place for Kreuziger)

Stybar and Vakoc are really intelligent picks imo. They both have an outside chance if it's raced hard early on the 1km climbs and becomes more of an anaerobic challenge where everyone is on the limit before the final climb - a bit like Strade Bianche. If it turns into more of a cagey climbers race, they don't have much hope, but then neither would Kreuziger anyway.

Really don't think Stybar has any kind of chance here. Should the scenario you mention arise then Stybar will be dropped anyway because 4km at 8.5%, and then a 3km 6% grind is slightly different to a 1km wall. He is there to protect König on the flat, as is Barta. Vakoc with a free role. Kreuziger is the only Czech rider with an obvious palmares in hilly/mountainous classics (was excellent this year at LBL and has won Amstel; would excel in a chaotic race with few powerful teams like this I reckon) yet wasn't picked. Honestly makes no sense to me unless he asked not to be.

 

[Gigs_98]

Re: Re:

Czech team:

Konig (RR + TT)
Stybar (RR)
Vakoc (RR)
Barta (RR + TT)

(no place for Kreuziger)

Stybar and Vakoc are really intelligent picks imo. They both have an outside chance if it's raced hard early on the 1km climbs and becomes more of an anaerobic challenge where everyone is on the limit before the final climb - a bit like Strade Bianche. If it turns into more of a cagey climbers race, they don't have much hope, but then neither would Kreuziger anyway.

Really don't think Stybar has any kind of chance here. Should the scenario you mention arise then Stybar will be dropped anyway because 4km at 8.5%, and then a 3km 6% grind is slightly different to a 1km wall. He is there to protect König on the flat, as is Barta. Vakoc with a free role. Kreuziger is the only Czech rider with an obvious palmares in hilly/mountainous classics (was excellent this year at LBL and has won Amstel; would excel in a chaotic race with few powerful teams like this I reckon) yet wasn't picked. Honestly makes no sense to me unless he asked not to be.

It's a stupid idea to protect one rider in this team because countries like this need anything but a controlled race and therfore not so many helpers. Moreover if they need to have a protected rider why not kreuziger? He is the way better classics rider and also the slightly better climber in my opinion.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Not selecting Kreuziger really makes no sense to me. He's their best bet on this parcours.

 

[Valv.Piti]

However you want to slice it, Kreuziger not riding is ludicrous. Without a doubt the rider with the best shot on the Czech team and actually has a palmarés in these kinda races. He must've told he didn't want to go

 

[Netserk]

I hope that means he wants to do well in the Vuelta.

 

[jens_attacks]

Re:

Czech team:

Konig (RR + TT)
Stybar (RR)
Vakoc (RR)
Barta (RR + TT)

(no place for Kreuziger)

you have any source to share?

because this doesnt make any sense...

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Re:

However you want to slice it, Kreuziger not riding is ludicrous. Without a doubt the rider with the best shot on the Czech team and actually has a palmarés in these kinda races. He must've told he didn't want to go

Yes, either he doesn't want to go or he is considered an undesirable element by the federation. It certainly can't be a tactical decision.

 

[snccdcno]

Re: Re:

Czech team:

Konig (RR + TT)
Stybar (RR)
Vakoc (RR)
Barta (RR + TT)

(no place for Kreuziger)

you have any source to share?

because this doesnt make any sense...

http://www.ceskysvazcyklistiky.cz/clanek/4850_sampion-kreuziger-do-ria-nepojede

 

[rehy90]

Kreuziger said that it would be difficult to prepare himself for Rio after the Tour and with the Vuelta as the next big goal, thats why he left olympic spot to much fresher Konig and Stybar who is not riding the Tour. Its still a shame because the course would suit him really well.

 

[jens_attacks]

Probably has something with zika then.

 

[boasson]

Re:

The olympics are not about the pure climbing shape. It's about the heat, the Tour in the legs, jetlag. It's about mentally. It's about handle the distance. It's about tactics. It's about crashes.It's about the strength of your teammates. And it's about the legs at this specific day, not 2 weeks before or afterwards.

For me there are 30-40 potentially winners for this race. Its a pretty easy course for the first 170k's, so there will be around 100 fresh guys at the foot of the first climb. Then you will have 3 climbs with 15 minutes of climbing for each one interrupted with a 1,5 min downhill at each single climb. So you can perhaps say: 3x10 min (at 8,5 percent) and 3x5min (at 5 percent; with pretty much drafting) climbing efforts in the last 80k's of the race. So i wouldn't say that guys like Dan Martin or Ala are without any chance. Guys like Rui Costa and Ulissi are also possible for me. They can hang on or come back at the downhill.

When there is a 10 men group after the last climb with 2 helpers in (maybe one for Valve and one columbian for Uran) it will be pretty hard for the last flat 12 km for someone like Niba, when he is alone with 20 or 30 secs advantage. It's unlikely that he get more than that on the climb and the downhill. And when he is clear with Valverde, i don't think they will go to the end. We all know Valverde...

 

[TuCzech]

Exactly, Kreuziger said in the press that it was actually his decision not to go for the Olympics because of too hard race programme. Its a shame, but I guess Tour-Olympics-Vuelta is too difficult combination for him.

 

[damian13ster]

Makes sense. He probably will be a leader in Vuelta and obstructing preparations for a minimal chance in Rio might not be the best idea. Especially in a contract year.

 

[Jungle Cycle]

They opened up the track today(!!) and delivered to the "hands" of the game organizers... still without upper seats and media infrastructure, but it looks nice..
I dont know how to attach a photo here----
They just put new asphalt on the last 8km of the RR and "almost" the entire route. The fast technical descent wont be a problem...

 

[Jancouver]

Re:

Probably has something with zika then.

Not really. There are only two possibilities:

1) Czech Olympic Federation made a deal with UCI/WADA to keep him out of the Olympics when he got "cleared" for his "thyroid issues."

2) As I posted in another thread, he is heavily disliked by the Czech cycling community because, in London 2012, he was clearly working for Vino and ever since, most Czech fans would tell you that he is not a team player and that should be on team Kazakhstan instead.

therefore, all that "I need to be ready for Vuelta" is a pure BS.

 

[rehy90]

Re: Re:

Probably has something with zika then.

Not really. There are only two possibilities:

1) Czech Olympic Federation made a deal with UCI/WADA to keep him out of the Olympics when he got "cleared" for his "thyroid issues."

2) As I posted in another thread, he is heavily disliked by the Czech cycling community because, in London 2012, he was clearly working for Vino and ever since, most Czech fans would tell you that he is not a team player and that should be on team Kazakhstan instead.

therefore, all that "I need to be ready for Vuelta" is a pure BS.

He is not hated by czech cycling community, he is hated by czechs who know sh*t about cycling. In 2012 he didnt help Vino to win, he just didnt pull the breakaway group when Vino was in front. And honestly, I cant see any reason why he would do that when he was one of the worst sprinters in that group. The only think he would have achieved was that Vino wouldnt win, but there would be no profit for him at all.

 

[liamito]

how probable will it be for the main contenders to skip San Sebastian for better acclimatization and jetlag issues in Rio?

 

[Asero831]

last year GVA was leading the field to the top of Jaizkibel until that infamous motor incident
what is his chance in Rio given that San Sebastian is steeper than the Rio route?

 

[DFA123]

Re:

last year GVA was leading the field to the top of Jaizkibel until that infamous motor incident
what is his chance in Rio given that San Sebastian is steeper than the Rio route?

I think he has an outside chance. The key for him and Belgium (Gilbert as well), perhaps counter-intuitively, will be to make the race really hard from the start. They need all those relatively small bumps in the first 170km to be ridden really hard, as tough anaerobic efforts. Anaerobic efforts like that will take way less out of the legs of someone like GVA or Gilbert than they will out of climbers who specialize in riding much more aerobically.

He's shown in San Sebastian and Strade Bianche that he climb well enough - he just needs to make sure that by the time the big climb comes, the pure climbers are already feeling the effects of a hard race. Otherwise they'll drop him like a stone. And the puncheur climbers, who will be able to handle hard anaerobic efforts, like Valverde and Martin aren't going to attack from the foot of the climb - they'll just look to gain a smallish gap near the top - a gap that a rider like GVA could close on the run into the line.

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

last year GVA was leading the field to the top of Jaizkibel until that infamous motor incident
what is his chance in Rio given that San Sebastian is steeper than the Rio route?

I think he has an outside chance. The key for him and Belgium (Gilbert as well), perhaps counter-intuitively, will be to make the race really hard from the start. They need all those relatively small bumps in the first 170km to be ridden really hard, as tough anaerobic efforts. Anaerobic efforts like that will take way less out of the legs of someone like GVA or Gilbert than they will out of climbers who specialize in riding much more aerobically.

He's shown in San Sebastian and Strade Bianche that he climb well enough - he just needs to make sure that by the time the big climb comes, the pure climbers are already feeling the effects of a hard race. Otherwise they'll drop him like a stone. And the puncheur climbers, who will be able to handle hard anaerobic efforts, like Valverde and Martin aren't going to attack from the foot of the climb - they'll just look to gain a smallish gap near the top - a gap that a rider like GVA could close on the run into the line.

Recovering from an anaerobic effort happens aerobically. GvA isn't gonna be near the front on a climb which has 4km at over 8% if its ridden properly. And it will

 

[Miburo]

GVA and Gilbert have no chance, stop it.

 

[Asero831]

Re: Re:

San Sebastian route is almost the same as the Rio route. If anything, it is even harder.
So GVA can do well here.