Cycling Track

[Nigel Irritable]

Everyone else a nationalist. Just like the tour.

No, everyone else isn't a nationalist. But this thread is full of cheerleading for British riders on the basis that they are British riders. As was the Tour thread.

It's a straightforward question: Can you honestly say that you would defend a French rider who deliberately crashed so as to get a restart? Because I know I wouldn't.

 

[Frumious B.]

Amazing strength from Pendleton - she goes round the outside and then stays on the front for ages. She must have done a lot more work than the others. Tactically it should have been a disaster, but she did it.

 

[fen_boy]

Beast mode activated

 

[butchersapron]

No, everyone else isn't a nationalist. But this thread is full of cheerleading for British riders on the basis that they are British riders. As was the Tour thread.

It's a straightforward question: Can you honestly say that you would defend a French rider who deliberately crashed so as to get a restart? Because I know I wouldn't.

No it wasn't, and you got caught out rather embarrassingly claiming that it was.

Yes, in that situation - which followed the original 'mishap' (important point) i would.

Tell me, how sure are you that this happened?

 

[where to]

butchers - what was that story about VP, bailiff or something?? or am i getting totally confused here, the internet has nothing.

 

[Frumious B.]

The team said they had agreed beforehand that a deliberate crash was the way to fix a crap start. I think everyone can be 100% sure that the only mishap was the start, not the crash.

 

[butchersapron]

butchers - what was that story about VP, bailiff or something?? or am i getting totally confused here, the internet has nothing.

Think you may be getting confused (not saying that 100%). Let me have a delve in my files.

 

[Nigel Irritable]

No it wasn't, and you got caught out rather embarrassingly claiming that it was

Yes it was. This is a British based board, with a largely British user base, where, across all sports, British athletes and teams are mostly supported. The cycling threads are exactly the same. It's not shocking or outrageous or some great crime against sports, but it's true.

I'll take your word for it that you'd be fine with similar unsportsmanlike conduct from the French team.

[quote="butchersapron]Tell me, how sure are you that this happened?[/quote]

The deliberate crash? He said it himself.

 

[butchersapron]

The crash after what - you've read the rules right?

I don't believe you'd pursue this if it wasn't a british team.

 

[twistedAM]

[quote="butchersapron]Tell me, how sure are you that this happened?

The deliberate crash? He said it himself.[/quote]

Not only did Hindes say that but he said all three of them agreed on the tactic which implicates Lord Hoy of Scotland as well.
Brailsford probably put it on a spreadsheet as well.

 

[twistedAM]

The crash after what - you've read the rules right?

I don't believe you'd pursue this if it wasn't a british team.

Isn't he arguing that it's against the ethics and not the rules as they stand and therefore IF it had been the French then the British media et al would have been up in arms at such unsporting conduct?

 

[butchersapron]

Isn't he arguing that it's against the ethics and not the rules as they stand and therefore IF it had been the French then the British media et al would have been up in arms at such unsporting conduct?

Why would they? Some sort of genetic britishness?

 

[twistedAM]

Why would they?

I don't read the red tops much but they have jingoistic form on this type of thing especially if the French had done it and prevented Mr Endorsement from a fifth gold medal.

 

[butchersapron]

I don't read the red tops much but they have jingoistic form on this type of thing especially if the French had done it and prevented Mr Endorsement from a fifth gold medal.

How could the papers have prevented anything?

 

[twistedAM]

How could the papers have prevented anything?

They couldn't and that's not what I said. I bet they would have moaned about it though.

 

[butchersapron]

But so what? British papers moan etc. Nigel accuses people on here of nationalism.

 

[Nigel Irritable]

The crash after what - you've read the rules right

The crash after their bad start. He sought to exploit an ambiguity or loophole in the rules in an unsportsmanlike way. And as a direct result the authorities are now looking to clear up the rule in question, which is a pretty clear indication that they aren't happy with people seeking an advantage by deliberately crashing either.

[quote="butchersapron]I don't believe you'd pursue this if it wasn't a british team.[/quote]

I'm genuinely amused at your apparently sincere belief that I'm biased against British teams (in general?) or British cyclists. This is a board which, for obvious demographic reasons, has a pro-British team/athlete bias. I don't share that bias. That doesn't mean that I'm biased against Brits, but it does mean that I'm more likely to say critical or disapproving things about British teams or athletes than people who do share that bias. If I was to list the dozen or so cyclists I habitually cheer for, Britain has the biggest single number (3).

And in direct competitions between Britain and Australia in sporting events, as track often is, I generally don't give a fuck, but in so far as I care at all, I would tend to cheer for the Brits (or perhaps, against the Australians).

 

[Nigel Irritable]

But so what? British papers moan etc. Nigel accuses people on here of nationalism.

You can't seriously be suggesting that there isn't a pro-British athlete bias on this board?

 

[butchersapron]

Are you seriously suggesting that there isn't a pro-British athlete bias on this board?

I'm suggesting that you've manufactured one and that your first wheeling out of it on the tour actually destroyed your cred in claiming it. Any person of honour would recognise this.

 

[Nigel Irritable]

I'm suggesting that you've manufactured one

Let's get this straight here: You don't think that there's a pro-British athlete bias on this board, and that I've made one up? Seriously?

As for mentioning it during the Tour, I had quite seriously never once in my life before encountered a non-British cycling fan who is a big admirer of Wiggins. Not one. Ever. Anywhere. I still haven't encountered a second.

 

[The Boy]

I'm suggesting that you've manufactured one and that your first wheeling out of it on the tour actually destroyed your cred in claiming it. Any person of honour would recognise this.

Unless I'm misunderstanding what is being meant by pro-British bias, I'd be very surprised if there wasn't one. The majority of posters are British, so it would make sense (to me) that the majority of posters will be cheering British athletes.

I didn't sleep much last night, so if this argument is a little more nuanced than that it is likely flying right above my head.

 

[editor]

Let's get this straight here: You don't think that there's a pro-British athlete bias on this board, and that I've made one up? Seriously?

As for mentioning it during the Tour, I had quite seriously never once in my life before encountered a non-British cycling fan who is a big admirer of Wiggins. Not one.

The French press seemed rather complimentary after his Tour De France win.

 

[butchersapron]

Let's get this straight here: You don't think that there's a pro-British athlete bias on this board, and that I've made one up?

I'm saying that you have an anti-British view that means that everyone who disagrees with you on anything is in the grip of a pro-british view. You've embarrassed yourself with this nationalist thinking already this year. Up The RIRA

 

[Nigel Irritable]

The French press seemed rather complimentary after his Tour De France win.

No French cycling fan I've ever met, in real life or in forums, has ever been a Wiggins fan. It's not personal and it doesn't mean that everyone hates him or won't acknowledging him doing well. It's just that he has an incredibly dull style, of a sort which never attracts neutral support. I've also almost never encountered a Denis Menchov fan, because he rides in exactly the same way.

 

[mrs quoad]

Thanks for that. Ace.

I think someone on here should make it their mission to invent a totally bonkers new sport for inclusion into, say the 2020 Olympics.

Deathrace 2020?

 

[Nigel Irritable]

I'm saying that you have an anti-British view that means that everyone who disagrees with you on anything is in the grip of a pro-british view.

1) That's almost charmingly mental. Exactly what evidence do you have to back that up, other than my skepticism of the Sky cycling miracle? I'm probably the only Irish person you'll ever meet who doesn't instinctively cheer against, for instance, the England football team.
2) You still haven't answered my direct question: Do you accept that there is a general bias in favour of British athletes on this board?

 

[Nigel Irritable]

Unless I'm misunderstanding what is being meant by pro-British bias, I'd be very surprised if there wasn't one. The majority of posters are British, so it would make sense (to me) that the majority of posters will be cheering British athletes.

I didn't sleep much last night, so if this argument is a little more nuanced than that it is likely flying right above my head.

No, you've pretty much got it. Although noticing this fact doubtless means that you are in the grip of an anti-British view.

 

[butchersapron]

1) That's almost charmingly mental. Exactly what evidence do you have to back that up, other than my skepticism of the Sky cycling miracle? I'm probably the only Irish person you'll ever meet who doesn't instinctively cheer against, for instance, the England football team.
2) You still haven't answered my direct question: Do you accept that there is a general bias in favour of British athletes on this board?

1) So mental is your pursuit of pro-British posters you discovered that your prime britisher was was irish. Nice one.
2) Of course it is. Are you now connecting being British with cheating, dishonesty and so on?

 

[Espresso]

Deathrace 2020?

Great idea.
I propose that these two argufiers in this here thread be the first pair of opponents in it.

 

[Nigel Irritable]

1) So mental is your pursuit of pro-British posters you discovered that your prime britisher was was irish. Nice one

You are right that I incorrectly identified Sigmund as having stupid opinions for reasons of national bias, when I should have realised that he habitually holds stupid views for much less understandable reasons.

[quote="butchersapron]2) Of course it is. Are you now connecting being British with cheating, dishonesty and so on?[/quote]

What on Earth are you talking about here? When have I ever done that?

I'm glad though that you acknowledge the general pro-British athlete bias on these boards. Given the existence of that bias, no doubt you will be able to understand why people who don't share that bias will sometimes quite reasonably assume that controversial pro-British athlete opinions stem from that very real bias.