Cycling (Road Race and Time Trial)

[twistedAM]

You'd think the Brits would know more about filming a bike race. Maybe they didn't use anyone who'd done it before.

I wonder if Cav is regretting boasting about his wonderful dream team, right before four of them try to control a 250k race.

Bernie Eisel ended up helping Cav more than Froome.

 

[tommers]

Be careful what you wish for.

 

[Frumious B.]

I don't know anything about road racing tactics/rules, but why the fuck did the commentators keep saying that it wasn't fair that team GB had to do most of the work? And that they were controlling the race? From where I was, they weren't controlling anything. In my humble opinion, it simply feels like they didn't break away soon enough and were arrogant in thinking they could do it in a short distance.

Just sour grapes. They think the Germans should have shared the work so that Greipel could contest the sprint with Cavendish. But if you were a German you'd know that Greipel would have no chance unless Team GB were worn out well before the finish. Why should the Germans just give us the gold medal on a plate? Especially after having to listen to the Dambusters' March.

 

[twistedAM]

UK Postal might have to have a Plan B in future races.

 

[shygirl]

I'm just wound up after 2 hours of listening to them say, it'll be alright, team gb has it all under control, they have a game plan. Stupid fuckers (commentators). Grrrrh

 

[The Boy]

UK Postal might have to have a Plan B in future races.

But I though marginal gains and the scientific approach meant that Plan A was guaranteed to work?

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Dunno much about road cycling tactics, but, perhaps, if the GB riders had peddled faster they'd have done better? Seemed to work for the Kazakhstani fella.

 

[shygirl]

You're right, should have just stuck to my view they didnt have a chance in hell of closing that huge gap, rather than waiting for something next to a miracle happen because two commentators kept saying it would.

 

[twistedAM]

I'm just wound up after 2 hours of listening to them say, it'll be alright, team gb has it all under control, they have a game plan. Stupid fuckers (commentators). Grrrrh

I think the commentators missed the decisive move which probably wasn't all their fault. They seemed to have been fed very very little info about time gaps and which riders had made which break.
Some lemon phoned me about work just at the wrong time as well.

 

[Ted Striker]

I'm just wound up after 2 hours of listening to them say, it'll be alright, team gb has it all under control, they have a game plan. Stupid fuckers (commentators). Grrrrh

They were spectacularly rubbish "Oh it's the Russian Dave in the breakaway....No It's not it's the Italian Steve". Weren't helped that the on screen stats made you feel like you were in the 80's.

 

[twistedAM]

They were spectacularly rubbish "Oh it's the Russian Dave in the breakaway....No It's not it's the Italian Steve". Weren't helped that the on screen stats made you feel like you were in the 80's.

What onscreen stats? I think in five hours they flashed up riders numbers about twice.
Also they had no camera following the breakaways so the commentators who were sat in a box on the mall had no idea of who some of the riders were. Not making excuses for Porter/Boardman but the production was terrible.

 

[shygirl]

Let's hope Wiggins recovers for Wednesday.

 

[Fez909]

If GB had gone all out earlier, then they'd have lost their lead out. But I think Cav could've piggy-backed on the German train and beat Greipel.

Tactics fails, for sure.

Also, this talk about handing the win to GB being the reason Germany didn't chase it down. Worked out really well for them, too, eh? They could've had a silver, and quite possibly a gold if they'd helped.

I'm sure there's a famous thought experiment/psychology test which deals with this, where you choose "split the money" or "steal". If you don't work together, you get less/nowt. This looked to be a real world example in action.

 

[Hollis]

Watched the whole thing - its a weird sport to the unitinitiated, but a good way to spend a hangover. True the paucity of statistics was staggering..anyway - I blame the Germans.

 

[Nigel Irritable]

Just sour grapes. They think the Germans should have shared the work so that Greipel could contest the sprint with Cavendish. But if you were a German you'd know that Greipel would have no chance unless Team GB were worn out well before the finish. Why should the Germans just give us the gold medal on a plate? Especially after having to listen to the Dambusters' March.

Nah, home biased whining aside, the Germans did screw this up pretty badly. Their chance was in the sprint too. The Germans and Austrialians rightly wanted to make Britain do most of the work, but there's a thin line between forcing them to the bulk of the work and dooming your own chances. And the Germans in particular were on the wrong side of it.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

When they came through my town it was only 45 minutes in and already the leading pack was 5 minutes ahead, did no one think that it would be a good idea to close that down?

Still, women's tomorrow, will cheer like a madman at them too.

And maybe take Wednesday off to watch the time trials come past too.

 

[The Boy]

Although if Team Sky wanted the Germans to work they should have just sat up. At least the Aussies had O'Grady in the Break. He finished third in the group so presumably capable of getting a medal if the Vino and Duran Duran hadn't gone off the front.

 

[Nigel Irritable]

Although if Team Sky wanted the Germans to work they should have just sat up.

Yep. It was arrogant to tell everyone that your team is super-strong and is going to pull everything back beforehand. And then even more arrogant to actually try to do all the work, without forcing teams like the Germans to contribute. It doesn't matter who you have on your team, you can't control a 250km race with a world class field with four men.

Some truly awful tactical decision making in that race, from the big teams in the peloton to the riders in the big break who looked at each while the very first attack went away.

 

[The Boy]

Shades of Paris-Roubaix about it, if you ask me.

Anyway, I'm still laughing at that top ten. My fantasy team is gonna be fucked .

 

[RubyToogood]

I think you're all being very unfair. Team Sky GB's tactics were spot on to win. If there were another 19 days of the race to come.

 

[Frumious B.]

GB were so complacement. Poker playing is supposed to be a key tactic - you'd have thought Brailsford would have studied it. They should have said "we're all a bit tired from the Tour and the PR and the parties" and then blended into the bunch looking depressed.

If Cancellara and Boonen hadn't been bolloxed they might have got the breakaway group a bit better organised and stopped Vino from escaping. The Aussies looked like a good team on paper but they all seemed to be operating independently. Gilbert seemed to be determined to commit suicide on his own instead of working with Boonen. The yanks didn't seem to achieve much for Van Garderen. All in all a v.disappointing shambles won by a bent embarrassment to the sport.

 

[RubyToogood]

Actually it seemed to me that the riders were bolloxed by not knowing how far away the leaders were as well as the commentators and the viewers (no radios). It can't have helped anyway.

 

[DJWrongspeed]

Here's my pic of the lead pack in Richmond Park. It was all over in 2mins really and then there were 2 other packs alooooooong way behind. Huge crowd along the whole route hear.

 

[RubyToogood]

I am going to try and see a bit of the women's road race tomorrow en route to or from my mother's. Probably Putney or thereabouts.

 

[gunneradt]

Cavendish not happy with the other teams

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/18909585

Does seem strange not to try to win

You may as well not compete

 

[Frumious B.]

I'm not sure it's fair of Cav to blame the Germans and the other teams. The lack of radios and the useless time check service must have made tactical decisions v. hard. The Germans definitely had ambition - Tony Martin worked so hard that he abandoned. But according to Boardman, Greipel sat up and said 'we're not working any more.' Which could have been a great masterplan for weakening Team GB in the latter stages and giving Greipel a chance of gold....so long as they'd been able to pick the right moment to start riding again.

edit: wot Ruby said

 

[Nigel Irritable]

Well that's sort of the point. The Germans fucked up and the Brits fucked up.

Anyway, if Cancellara has picked up an injury, Wiggins will be a nailed on TT gold medal winner. The cycling Gods really are smiling on him this year, it's unreal. The two best GC riders missing from the Tour, followed by the two best TT riders injured for the Olympics. I'm beginning to get the feeling that if he entered the swimming everyone else would drown.

 

[The Boy]

What I don't understand is why Degenkolb wasn't in the break. It's what I assumed the Germans would do. Same tactic as Oz, basically - stick a joker in the break and then you have two cracks at a medal.

 

[Nigel Irritable]

What I don't understand is why Degenkolb wasn't in the break. It's what I assumed the Germans would do. Same tactic as Oz, basically - stick a joker in the break and then you have two cracks at a medal.

He probably just missed the break, just like the Irish lads. Once it's gone, that's it.

 

[Hollis]

On another note, I felt abit uncomfortable when the camera was lingering on that Swiss cyclist blubbering after the race.. intrusive.. but a reminder of what it means to these folk.