UCI World Championships 2010, Geelong: Early Thread

[Andy99]

Where do you live? You obviously don't know geelong or melboure or victoria very well. Probably some snobby Sydney sider.

I live in neither, but have been to both - and in fairness, compared to some of the scenery on offer in Australia - it is pretty grim.

 

[sublimit]

The Belgian team for the elite road race ran into trouble today with the local police, who stopped them today for what they considered were traffic violations. The riders were riding along the Great Ocean Road when they were reported by a driver.

It appears the indiscretion they were accused of was merely riding two abreast, thus causing traffic to build up behind them.

Local police arrived on the scene and prevented the riders from continuing their training ride for some 15 minutes.

Australians really seem to have a heart for cycling

Holy **** some overly sensitive car driver got so upset he felt the need to complain... haha.

BTW, sorrry if I upset anybody but Geelong looks like a trailor park on TV. what a dump.

 

[Spare Tyre]

Holy **** some overly sensitive car driver got so upset he felt the need to complain... haha.

BTW, sorrry if I upset anybody but Geelong looks like a trailor park on TV. what a dump.

Really? In what way?

 

[fox1981]

The Belgian team for the elite road race ran into trouble today with the local police, who stopped them today for what they considered were traffic violations. The riders were riding along the Great Ocean Road when they were reported by a driver.

It appears the indiscretion they were accused of was merely riding two abreast, thus causing traffic to build up behind them.

Local police arrived on the scene and prevented the riders from continuing their training ride for some 15 minutes.

Australians really seem to have a heart for cycling

it is legal in victoria to ride two abreast. wouldnt suprise me to know that the police werent aware of it.

 

[Ferminal]

Holy **** some overly sensitive car driver got so upset he felt the need to complain... haha.

BTW, sorrry if I upset anybody but Geelong looks like a trailor park on TV. what a dump.

Just like 95% of England then?

(You are correct about Geelong, even worse on the ground with the wind).

 

[Tuarts]

I think the crux of the matter is it was holding up traffic. For those that are locals or who cba to google map it, is the Coast road single lane? If it is, then if it was a busy night it could have some problems.

 

[moblet]

The Belgian team for the elite road race ran into trouble today with the local police, who stopped them today for what they considered were traffic violations...Australians really seem to have a heart for cycling

Unfortunately this is too often too true. Whatever the law says, perhaps a majority of drivers here believe cyclists have no right to use the roads and when it comes to enforcement the police generally don't challenge that opinion. Delaying a motorist for 20 seconds draws more police response than throwing a glass bottle at a cyclist as you drive past. Victorian police in particular are very good at acting with sensibilities that can be difficult to reconcile with the objective of greater community safety; they seem to me to operate a bit like third world police forces except they aren't fishing for bribes, they take themselves completely seriously. They also seem to see international events as a opportunity to be officious and draw attention to themselves, as Lewis Hamilton discovered at the last Grand Prix (not suggesting they shouldn't have breached Hamilton for burning rubber on a public street, but the manner in which they handled it was, from what I read, quite over the top). I've been waiting for either a local motorist to take the opportunity to teach some foreign cyclists a lesson (the Luxembourg women's team has apparently taken a small knock), or Victoria Police to find some way of drawing attention to themselves. I know exactly how they would have dealt with the Belgian cyclists, and it wouldn't have been in the spirit of welcoming them to Australia, politely requesting, or if necessary instructing, them to ride more considerately, and wishing them well for their upcoming races; the Police were probably much more excited about the possibility of arresting someone who is famous somewhere else just to prove how equally everyone is treated in Victoria.

All that said, Melbourne has historically been something an oasis of tolerance to cyclists in this country (although in my experience that has weakened in the past two decades).

The Great Ocean Road is a two-way highway, single lane each way, but it's not wide and visibility is limited by its many curves, so it's not easy to overtake even a cyclist in many places. The vast majority of traffic is tourist traffic taking in the views, and it's school holidays at the moment so there'll be plenty of that; it's not a road you take if you're in a hurry, and in the spirit of hosting an international event both the complaint and the Police response to it are as unsurprising as they are embarrassing. None of this being flattered that we were selected to host a major international event, or given the opportunity to see world class athletes in the flesh. It's legal to ride two abreast provided you keep as far left as practicable and don't ride more than 1.5m apart. I have seen a rule in the past in NSW about keeping 2.5m left of the centreline so vehicles can pass but that's not on the current Victorian road rules website.

And yes, sublimit, Geelong is, shall we say, economically challenged. It's a predominantly working-class industrial city with few pretensions beyond beer, Australian rules football, and its own borders. Not all of the locals will appreciate the significance of the event they're hosting, or why their civic leaders brought the event there, which to me is a real shame. yourwelcome is spot on about the range of many prettier places this race could have been run. I'm disappointed that the site of the event will be no great advertisement but I have to admit that the location is excellent for spectator access and in the route design the weather and topography have been exploited to, as Paul Sherwen would say, absolute perfection, to create a cracker of a race that's keeping everyone guessing.

 

[Andy99]

Good post that moblet. Coming from the uk, we fully appreciate the trials and tribulations of the publics and police perceptions of cyclists. Though in my experience things are starting to improve(and for that I think we can thank initiatives like the skyrides which really are encouraging everyday people to get on a bike)

As far as geelong is concerned, it isn't that bad, and is obviously a great area to hold a race - as the bay series testifies I suppose. I think it just becomes second nature to disagree with Acf. If he hated the place, the majority would probably love it.

 

[Tuarts]

Molehill meet mountain.

So on a single-lane road, cyclists are holding up traffic and police intervene and stop them for 15 minutes to let traffic flow and then send them on their merry way. I think another CCC inquiry is needed...

 

[auscyclefan94]

Holy **** some overly sensitive car driver got so upset he felt the need to complain... haha.

BTW, sorrry if I upset anybody but Geelong looks like a trailor park on TV. what a dump.

Hmmm, I agree with Ferminal. If geelong is such a dump then what does England?

 

[Galic Ho]

Hmmm, I agree with Ferminal. If geelong is such a dump then what does England?

Really some people around this forum are nothing more than utter idiots. The properties along the waterfront in the last 3km of the course would all fetch over a million dollars at market easily. Hardly dump material. There are a large number of large newly renovated properties littering the side of the course, evident from the mens U23 race from aerial view. Geelond a dump? If that is a dump, I'd happily live there. Better yet, those who think those affluent properties are signs of a dump, dare I suggest it, I ask that you list your net earnings and we'll see if you could afford to buy the best in the area for a residency? I'd wager most wouldn't be able to make the down deposit on the middle of the market.

 

[Galic Ho]

Holy **** some overly sensitive car driver got so upset he felt the need to complain... haha.

BTW, sorrry if I upset anybody but Geelong looks like a trailor park on TV. what a dump.

At least everyone has a backyard if they want one. We're not running out of land or new buildings? Is Britain? Sorry, I forgot, old land, small centuries old plots and few new buildings. I'll go slip in Skins and see how charming Bristol is. Yeah, it really does look so much better. There is a reason more people immigrate from Britain to Australia, than the reverse. With a comment like that, heck, are you royalty? Missing the House of Lords governor?

 

[Galic Ho]

OK - I was a bit worked up after reading the comments section in the local Geelong Murdoch rag and for that I humbly and sincerely apologise. I do however stand by my assertion that the race should have been held in Adelaide and I'm from Sydney. I in no way asserted that Sydney should have anything to do with holding any type of cycling event as it is hands down, truly Australia's #1 cyclist hating city / town / suburb and has a huge population of what could only be described as Bogans. Truly, I've had bottles thrown at me by the best of them.

Still, It does seem, from what I can glean from the press and the web that the average Geelong local does not take kindly to cyclists of any description. See this Facebook page called Brick a Cyclist for further evidence of what the worlds best cyclists will face from, dare I say it, a significant percentage of the local population. Edit: Looks like the amount of reports about the above page has seen FB take it down already ... amazing to see FB actually respond so fast.

And the AFL final replay will obviously intrude into air time for the worlds, although I acknowledge that Adelaide is an AFL town too.

Fair enough, but it is human nature to put oneself into the spotlight, particularly in this day and age. The one thing that doesn't help is the attitude between all roads user groups and their interactions. There are many quirky things on the internet, anything that rings your bell you can find. How hard did you have to look to find this Facebook page? It takes a conserted and intelligent effort to even think of looking for such a thing.

It seems like you're looking for trouble. Which is exactly what happened last year after the Magda Szubanski incident. People, riders and car drivers went looking for a beef. A fight. Why? Because they're precious feeling were hurt. It doesn't help with your focus that a year back, Melbourne's roads were the talking point. Todays world is selfish and "me" oriented. People talk a lot of smack they cannot and will not back up if forced to. People bluff all too often. Most people know (by most I mean over 99%) that if they hit a person with a car (cyclist or pedestrian), that it is a weapon and they will be criminally charged, because in all likelihood that person will be seriously injured. Most people are also pussies, gaol scares the snot out of them. Ignore the internet cycling haters in Australia, they are only wannabees talking smack, they're bark no bite.

And for the updated race selection. I think Cancellara is a real threat. Gilbert, Kolobnev, Evans and Cancellara are the ones to watch.

 

[auscyclefan94]

Fair enough, but it is human nature to put oneself into the spotlight, particularly in this day and age. The one thing that doesn't help is the attitude between all roads user groups and their interactions. There are many quirky things on the internet, anything that rings your bell you can find. How hard did you have to look to find this Facebook page? It takes a conserted and intelligent effort to even think of looking for such a thing.

It seems like you're looking for trouble. Which is exactly what happened last year after the Magda Szubanski incident. People, riders and car drivers went looking for a beef. A fight. Why? Because they're precious feeling were hurt. It doesn't help with your focus that a year back, Melbourne's roads were the talking point. Todays world is selfish and "me" oriented. People talk a lot of smack they cannot and will not back up if forced to. People bluff all too often. Most people know (by most I mean over 99%) that if they hit a person with a car (cyclist or pedestrian), that it is a weapon and they will be criminally charged, because in all likelihood that person will be seriously injured. Most people are also pussies, gaol scares the snot out of them. Ignore the internet cycling haters in Australia, they are only wannabees talking smack, they're bark no bite.

And for the updated race selection. I think Cancellara is a real threat. Gilbert, Kolobnev, Evans and Cancellara are the ones to watch.

I agree Galic but i think Pozzato should be chucked in that group. It will be different that the U23 race imo.

How good was michael matthews, Galic?

 

[Galic Ho]

I think a Gold Coast/Brisbane race would have been awesome. Maybe starting at Coolangatta, up the strip to Surfers, Southport, then on to Sanctuary Cove, Brisbane via the canefields of Pimpama, then finish with a few laps around the rainforest of Mt Nebo and Mt Glorious.

Anyway we're all a bit biased about this one, there is no doubt that Melbourne is the sporting capital of the country. For the life of me though I don't know why they didn't run the course East along the Beach Rd then into the Dandenongs instead of West to Geelong?

It would come down to council permissions. Who was willing to allow the Australian organisers and UCI come into their yard for a week and mess with business routines, traffic flows and residents daily undertaking. It has to be close to a major airport (we're not Europe with highways galore and massive public transport systems) to get the international visitors into the region quickly and also have a large enough surrounding population base to provide an adequate viewing base. Bums on seats, or walking feet increase the appeal from a tv perspective. Geelong also probably gave some financial kickbacks. Short story, they ticked more boxes than anyone else did at the shortest notice, so the organisers chose them.

Someone asked what Pro Tour events does Melbourne have? There are not just Pro Tour signed riders competing here. Pro Tour status events means squat. If that were the case, the WC would never leave Europe. They have. At least the event is on in this country and viewable at a normal time for once. No waiting till 10 or 11pm for the footage to start showing.

 

[Galic Ho]

I agree Galic but i think Pozzato should be chucked in that group. It will be different that the U23 race imo.

How good was michael matthews, Galic?

He was good. I was surprised he won by such a length. I really hope the pros don't let Cav near the finish. I really hope they all push hard on those climbs and rip him apart, because if it is a group sprint, Cav will win. But I'm pretty confident it will be a select bunch. I forgot to add Pozzato. I think he'll be there, Hushovd as well, but not a real danger for the win. To think a few weeks back people here were wondering if Cancellara would even ride. Silly thinking.

Liggett and Sherwen called one correctly for once. They seemed sold on Matthews for most of the race. I hated the damn add breaks though. 5km to go and Ten One kicks in. I have seen enough advertisements for a motorbike superstore in Canberra to last a lifetime. If another incident like that occurs in the mens road race, channel ten will cop a nice viewer reply pronto.

Nice little celebration, if not an ecentric one, by Matthews. Also good to see Matthew Keenan didn't wet his shorts this time around. God help the viewing audience if Evans wins again.

 

[auscyclefan94]

He was good. I was surprised he won by such a length. I really hope the pros don't let Cav near the finish. I really hope they all push hard on those climbs and rip him apart, because if it is a group sprint, Cav will win. But I'm pretty confident it will be a select bunch. I forgot to add Pozzato. I think he'll be there, Hushovd as well, but not a real danger for the win. To think a few weeks back people here were wondering if Cancellara would even ride. Silly thinking.

Liggett and Sherwen called one correctly for once. They seemed sold on Matthews for most of the race. I hated the damn add breaks though. 5km to go and Ten One kicks in. I have seen enough advertisements for a motorbike superstore in Canberra to last a lifetime. If another incident like that occurs in the mens road race, channel ten will cop a nice viewer reply pronto.

Nice little celebration, if not an ecentric one, by Matthews. Also good to see Matthew Keenan didn't wet his shorts this time around. God help the viewing audience if Evans wins again.

His win didn't even get a mention on tthe fircken news! I am f@#$%&* ****ed! I nearly threw my remote at the tv when they went to those ad breaks. i think I will be typing a e-mail to One HD tonight with some very strong language in it about the ads.

Great to see the raw emotion by matthews though. That was pretty good!

Galic Ho, I am telling you now! if Cadel wins on Sunday you may see a streaker on course starting up the aussie party! IT WILL ****ING GO OFF!

 

[Nick777]

His win didn't even get a mention on tthe fircken news! I am f@#$%&* ****ed! I nearly threw my remote at the tv when they went to those ad breaks. i think I will be typing a e-mail to One HD tonight with some very strong language in it about the ads.

Great to see the raw emotion by matthews though. That was pretty good!

Galic Ho, I am telling you now! if Cadel wins on Sunday you may see a streaker on course starting up the aussie party! IT WILL ****ING GO OFF!

I flicked over to 7, just caught the end of the report & saw the win.
Bizarre by channel 9.

 

[Nick777]

He was good. I was surprised he won by such a length. I really hope the pros don't let Cav near the finish. I really hope they all push hard on those climbs and rip him apart, because if it is a group sprint, Cav will win. But I'm pretty confident it will be a select bunch. I forgot to add Pozzato. I think he'll be there, Hushovd as well, but not a real danger for the win. To think a few weeks back people here were wondering if Cancellara would even ride. Silly thinking.

Liggett and Sherwen called one correctly for once. They seemed sold on Matthews for most of the race. I hated the damn add breaks though. 5km to go and Ten One kicks in. I have seen enough advertisements for a motorbike superstore in Canberra to last a lifetime. If another incident like that occurs in the mens road race, channel ten will cop a nice viewer reply pronto.

Nice little celebration, if not an ecentric one, by Matthews. Also good to see Matthew Keenan didn't wet his shorts this time around. God help the viewing audience if Evans wins again.

What's your tip for Hawaii next weekend?

 

[Galic Ho]

What's your tip for Hawaii next weekend?

Crowie or Macca. Should be closer this year than last year.

Womens...that is a given. A Brit who never loses. Go figure who that is.

 

[Tuarts]

ABC Radio (Grandstand) gave a brief mention of the Womens Race (that is was on) before the AFL match. So I'm surprised that at least some media (that isn't cycling media) is covering it.