The Olympic Road Race 2016. Rio de Janeiro. 253km

[IzzyStradlin]

Re:

Cipollini is a nice dude, but come on, there is nothing right about he says here:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cipollini-nibali-should-have-offered-henao-cash-to-help-him-win-olympic-gold/

For Henao and Colombia was not important????
$100,000 would have been enough?

What's next, we still live in "Chozas"?

I hope Vino paid Uran at least $500,000....I bet Uran still regrets taking it every single day.

 

[Gigs_98]

Bump.

So, yesterday I was browsing youtube and suddenly saw that the entire 2016 Olympic Road race was uploaded to the Olympic channel:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGyd8YmulWk


Now aside from the fact that getting to rewatch great races like that again is always nice, this one made me curious in particular as back in 2016, due to the nature of the Olympics with multiple events taking place at the same time, I never actually watched this in it's entirety and even missed some crucial moments near the end.

For example I only found out yesterday that the selection on the penultimate lap wasn't actually an Italian team effort but apparently it was really just an attack by Nibali with Aru on his wheel. Nibali's attack led to multiple splits in the peloton, one group (with the likes of Henao and Majka) caught the Nibali/Aru duo, the rest didn't. I think the fact that Nibali was actually able to create gaps on the penultimate descent makes him pushing his limit on the final one again seem like a much more reasonable decision.

I also couldn't remember that the Purito group had actually caught the Nibali/Henao/Majka group on the final climb but they were simply dropped again once Nibali attacked. In my memory those groups never merged.

It's possible that this isn't news to any of you and I'm the only one who missed those things because of how the race was shown on Austrian TV, but I still wanted to write about this somewhere. It's just interesting how you get a completely new perspective on a race 4 years after it happened.

 

[Red Rick]

That race can still make me salty to this day

 

[Rollthedice]

Bump.

So, yesterday I was browsing youtube and suddenly saw that the entire 2016 Olympic Road race was uploaded to the Olympic channel:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGyd8YmulWk


Now aside from the fact that getting to rewatch great races like that again is always nice, this one made me curious in particular as back in 2016, due to the nature of the Olympics with multiple events taking place at the same time, I never actually watched this in it's entirety and even missed some crucial moments near the end.

For example I only found out yesterday that the selection on the penultimate lap wasn't actually an Italian team effort but apparently it was really just an attack by Nibali with Aru on his wheel. Nibali's attack led to multiple splits in the peloton, one group (with the likes of Henao and Majka) caught the Nibali/Aru duo, the rest didn't. I think the fact that Nibali was actually able to create gaps on the penultimate descent makes him pushing his limit on the final one again seem like a much more reasonable decision.

I also couldn't remember that the Purito group had actually caught the Nibali/Henao/Majka group on the final climb but they were simply dropped again once Nibali attacked. In my memory those groups never merged.

It's possible that this isn't news to any of you and I'm the only one who missed those things because of how the race was shown on Austrian TV, but I still wanted to write about this somewhere. It's just interesting how you get a completely new perspective on a race 4 years after it happened.

The world crumbled on that last descent. I don't need to watch it again, it's still very clear in my head. Nibali caught Aru on the penultimate descent forcing on the end of the descent right about where he will crash the next lap. He knew very well what he was doing. All he needed was a few seconds in front of Henao when they hit the flat to the line. From what Nibali said about it these years, it is still the biggest disappointment of his career.

 

[Sciatic]

That race can still make me salty to this day

Because Nibali crashed out? (I don’t remember who your favorites are). That was a wonderful race to watch—the dynamic felt very different from most major races because of the small teams and the jungle backdrop.

 

[Red Rick]

Because Nibali crashed out? (I don’t remember who your favorites are). That was a wonderful race to watch—the dynamic felt very different from most major races because of the small teams and the jungle backdrop.

That, and and GvA basically becoming the summer equivalent of Steve Bradbury

 

[BlueRoads]

I also rewatched it a few days ago (I have actually started to watch old races, I'm really desperate...) I had forgotten how much Kwiatkowski had done for the race. How much many individual riders did for that race. It really was a great one, although I can understand how it must hurt a Nibali fan.

 

[tobydawq]

That, and and GvA basically becoming the summer equivalent of Steve Bradbury

Okay, that's just ridiculous...

 

[tobydawq]

I also rewatched it a few days ago (I have actually started to watch old races, I'm really desperate...) I had forgotten how much Kwiatkowski had done for the race. How much many individual riders did for that race. It really was a great one, although I can understand how it must hurt a Nibali fan.

I think that race and Paris-Roubaix of the same year are the best one-day races I have ever watched (with an honourable mention to Flanders 2011) but because those races were the same year, the Olympics tend to be a bit forgotten.

 

[Jungle Cycle]

I think that race and Paris-Roubaix of the same year are the best one-day races I have ever watched (with an honourable mention to Flanders 2011) but because those races were the same year, the Olympics tend to be a bit forgotten.

just rode the 1st part of the course today and wednesday went by the VERY tricky Nibali/Henao corner..
still very much alive here in Rio the ONLY race we watched in person with these kind of riders, in shape and wanting to win the race..
the last 3 times up Canoas was awesome!! even within the mid peloton...
I hope Tokyo can delivery the same...

 

[Koronin]

Good race overall, but I really prefer to not see Nibali and Henao crash out again.

 

[Gigs_98]

Yeah it's weird, I absolutely think this is one of the best races I've ever seen but the Nibali crash is still one of the saddest sports memories I have. Still makes me genuinely sad.

 

[Rollthedice]

Yeah it's weird, I absolutely think this is one of the best races I've ever seen but the Nibali crash is still one of the saddest sports memories I have. Still makes me genuinely sad.

"I'm not impetuous or impulsive. It was the last lap, I knew that corner well and where the wall was. The road there is not wide. I just went in a bit hard and when the wheel rolled on the brakes, as we say in slang, I still managed to stay on my feet. The point is that there was no way out."

You looked like a lonely man with his shadow. Defeated.
"In fact I was waiting for the ambulance."

But you deny you were upset.
"I pulled like crazy because I had the pursuers behind me at only 20 seconds."

But how can you not be so pissed off when the sacrifice of a whole year vanishes into thin air?
"Because I built my victories on the descents. My career. The attacks and defenses. That's why."

 

[Red Rick]

"I'm not impetuous or impulsive. It was the last lap, I knew that corner well and where the wall was. The road there is not wide. I just went in a bit hard and when the wheel rolled on the brakes, as we say in slang, I still managed to stay on my feet. The point is that there was no way out."

You looked like a lonely man with his shadow. Defeated.
"In fact I was waiting for the ambulance."

But you deny you were upset.
"I pulled like crazy because I had the pursuers behind me at only 20 seconds."

But how can you not be so pissed off when the sacrifice of a whole year vanishes into thin air?
"Because I built my victories on the descents. My career. The attacks and defenses. That's why."

Truly not afraid of losing and not afraid of winning

 

[tobydawq]

"The sacrifice of a whole year".

Maybe dial down the drama a bit (I know it was a journalist quote). Two months before he had won the Giro...

 

[Red Rick]

"The sacrifice of a whole year".

Maybe dial down the drama a bit (I know it was a journalist quote). Two months before he had won the Giro...

To be fair, that was Nibs sacrificing Kruijswijk's entire year.

 

[tobydawq]

Another thing: What is it exactly that makes you guys think that Nibali would have been able to beat Henao in the finish of that race?

 

[Bonimenier]

It was also not certain that Nibali, Henao and Majka would have stayed in front. The coöperation in the chasing group probably would have been much better with 3 guys in the front who would have taken all the medals.

 

[tobydawq]

Re: Re:



He was decent when he was in Saxo, but I don't see him doing too much in one day races when he is in Astana

Well, I think he was passable last year.

 

[Red Rick]

Another thing: What is it exactly that makes you guys think that Nibali would have been able to beat Henao in the finish of that race?

1. We're mourning a lost chance, not a lost guarantee.
2. We're in the realm of hypotheticals, where his only equal is Alberto of the House of Contador. They have neatly split this realm between them in one day races and Grand Tours.

 

[RedheadDane]

Bump.

So, yesterday I was browsing youtube and suddenly saw that the entire 2016 Olympic Road race was uploaded to the Olympic channel:

You know... you do have a reputation for always missing the action. But this is just taking it to the extremes!

 

[Rollthedice]

Another thing: What is it exactly that makes you guys think that Nibali would have been able to beat Henao in the finish of that race?

There are two plausible outcomes. First, Nibali finishes the descent a few seconds before Henao, he is a far better rouleur and TTer than Henao, the gap increases and Henao is joined by Majka who obviously will not take turns. The second is Henao can keep Nibali's wheel, they work together and again, as bad as a sprinter Nibali is, he is better than Henao.

 

[tobydawq]

There are two plausible outcomes. First, Nibali finishes the descent a few seconds before Henao, he is a far better rouleur and TTer than Henao, the gap increases and Henao is joined by Majka who obviously will not take turns. The second is Henao can keep Nibali's wheel, they work together and again, as bad as a sprinter Nibali is, he is better than Henao.

What? Okay, I actually don't recall seeing Henao do a flat sprint but he was much more explosive than Nibali. In 2016 (I think) he was the lead favourite for Flèche Wallonne before UCI decided to open another case against him. The Mur de Huy and the Copacabana beach are two different things but just expecting Nibali to beat him in a sprint because he is a minor actor in your "Nibali is the hero of cycling" story is not particularly reasonable.

 

[Rollthedice]

What? Okay, I actually don't recall seeing Henao do a flat sprint but he was much more explosive than Nibali. In 2016 (I think) he was the lead favourite for Flèche Wallonne before UCI decided to open another case against him. The Mur de Huy and the Copacabana beach are two different things but just expecting Nibali to beat him in a sprint because he is a minor actor in your "Nibali is the hero of cycling" story is not particularly reasonable.

I'm not going to argue with you. It finished as it did. Van Avermaet won, end of story.

 

[Escarabajo]

Henao was not going to let Nibali go in the descent as it was obvious. Because that's why they crashed.
It was going to come down to the sprint between the two of them. Those sprints after a long race are weird. So hard to tell.

I saw the race again few days ago. As Gigs said somebody downloaded it. Nice race.