Cycling Track

[Nigel Irritable]

A man still waiting for the much vaunted 'Australians winning the lions share of anything GB don't win' type event to occur.

How conveniently short your memory is, given that my original comment about Australia was a response to your claim that things wouldn't be as easy for Britain this time around and that "the rest of the world" had caught up!

Australia, the number one or two country at all but one of the last six world championships, remain the only other country with a serious track programme. But everyone is taking a kicking here. Looks like you'll be able to cherry pick two of the last eight major championships in future, although Australia may still end up the best of the also rans, so perhaps not.

The British trackies will have their work cut out this time around - it won't be the massacre of Beijing. Should be a fair few medals but the rest of the world has done some catching up

Hmmm.

 

[Orang Utan]

Pompous Nige

 

[tommers]

Pendleton just dropped a world record in sprint qualifying.

And meares 2nd by 0.081 secs.

Ah, turns out it's just an Olympic record. Commentator got it wrong.

 

[twistedAM]

Damn I missed that tis morning. Guo Shang seemed a little of the pace. Was going to stick a fiver on her but think I'll pass.
Hopefully Meares get a DQ somewhere along the line.

 

[editor]

Pendleton gets a-pwnin' again. The woman's on fire!

 

[twistedAM]

Pendleton gets a-pwnin' again. The woman's on fire!

Guo Shang looked awesome there as well. Never write off Meares either though i hope she gets nowt.

 

[agricola]

That was an impressively close win from that Trinidadian cyclist just then.

 

[agricola]

Nasty crash for Hansen in the omnium.

 

[bi0boy]

ouch

 

[bi0boy]

Commentators seem to have given up

 

[bi0boy]

oh they're back

 

[agricola]

Thats astonishing from Hansen.

 

[agricola]

Jason Kenny through in the sprint, despite Awang's attempts to knock him off.

 

[Corax]

Love the sprint events. Want to see some track stands though!

 

[Orang Utan]

I like how they get a nice motivational cuddle before the start of the race

 

[tommers]

Great Britain's stranglehold on track cycling within the "Pringle" is so strong that other teams are clearly struggling for an explanation. The French team's director, Isabelle Gautheron, fuelled speculation here with the claim that the British have "magic wheels" which they keep hidden from the opposition and which are not those issued by their official sponsor, the French company Mavic.

"We are looking a lot at the kit they use," Gautheron told the French newspaper L'Equipe. "We are asking a lot of questions: how have they gained so many tenths of seconds? Have they found a new training process based on certain energy pathways? I am not talking about any illicit product, because anti-doping tests are so strong. Honestly, we are looking a lot at the kit they use. It is not yet time to analyse, though. It's all over for these Games."
She added that the French were suspicious about Great Britain's wheels: "They hide their wheels a lot. The ones for the bikes they race on are put in wheel covers at the finish [of a race]. Do they really have Mavic wheels?"

 

[bi0boy]

That's why they should all have the same kit

 

[Corax]

Kidology ftw.

 

[twistedAM]

That's why they should all have the same kit

Made by Graeme Obree

 

[The Boy]

Made by Graeme Obree

Ideally the bike he's designed for the world record bid...

 

[peterkro]

Washing machine bearings FTW.

 

[Frumious B.]

Natasha Hansen of NZ is an air traffic controller - she worked full time right up to the Olympics. How on earth does an amateur compete at this level? Seems like a grossly unequal contest.

 

[Corax]

Made by Graeme Obree

Just read his wiki page. Sad story.

 

[twistedAM]

Just read his wiki page. Sad story.

Worth reading his book. Not an easy or settling read tho...

 

[Sigmund Fraud]

How conveniently short your memory is, given that my original comment about Australia was a response to your claim that things wouldn't be as easy for Britain this time around and that "the rest of the world" had caught up!

Australia, the number one or two country at all but one of the last six world championships, remain the only other country with a serious track programme. But everyone is taking a kicking here. Looks like you'll be able to cherry pick two of the last eight major championships in future, although Australia may still end up the best of the also rans, so perhaps not.
.

Oh dear, the sound of your rusty bike backpedalling again. Let me remind you of you fatuous claim:-

Not so much "the rest of the world" as the Australians. The lions share of the medals should go to Australia and GB, as the only two countries who take track seriously. It will be an interesting battle between the two though.

It hasn't been just the Australians, its been the rest of the world - so you're wrong there.

The lions share have gone to GB, Australia languish in 6th place for track medals with maybe one gold medal shot left in Meares (she will have to dismiss Pendleton, Guo, Krupeckaite...hmmm) and - so you're wrong here also.

There has been no battle to speak of between GB and Australia - so wrong there too...do you see a pattern emerging?

You also didn't have the good grace to consider France a threat to GB..well they haven't been much of an opponent to the all conquering Brtis but Bauge vs Hoy/Kenny will be a proper contest at least.

As for wittering on about Track worlds' you should by now realise that the last 3 olympic's have borne less and less relevance to track worlds medal tables. But I don't expect you to be a man about this and admit your rather arrogant dismissal of an number of nations whose track programmes 'aren't a big deal', or indeed to admit you have been wrong.

Keep digging.

 

[Sigmund Fraud]

Just read his wiki page. Sad story.

Highs and lows. The lows have been very low indeed. He's a fascinating character - have a listen to his podcast /interview at http://veloclubdonlogan.co.uk/, amazing stuff. I've had the privilege of meeting Graeme 3 times, he is a gent.

 

[Sigmund Fraud]

That's why they should all have the same kit

Agree with this - or maybe like NJS riders have a stipulated kit list thats homologated for track use. It needs to be a more level playing field kit wise.

 

[The Boy]

Agree with this - or maybe like NJS riders have a stipulated kit list thats homologated for track use. It needs to be a more level playing field kit wise.

Actually not a bad idea. Better than having it as a single manufacturer type thing, I reckon.

The situation with BC selling their kit direct with no details of price or delivery dates doesn't seem to fit with the idea that all the kit should be available to buy retail. Unless I'm mistaken the Germans also get round those regs in this way - someone wants to buy it they can spend £200k, if they can't afford it tough. Doesn't really encourage those nations without a full track program to step it up, imo.

 

[Frumious B.]

That's why they should all have the same kit

That would kill innovation and discourage kit sponsorship. Competitors' income would be reduced, giving an even bigger advantage to squads which have state funding.

 

[The Boy]

Oh dear, the sound of your rusty bike backpedalling again. Let me remind you of you fatuous claim:-



It hasn't been just the Australians, its been the rest of the world - so you're wrong there.

The lions share have gone to GB, Australia languish in 6th place for track medals with maybe one gold medal shot left in Meares (she will have to dismiss Pendleton, Guo, Krupeckaite...hmmm) and - so you're wrong here also.

There has been no battle to speak of between GB and Australia - so wrong there too...do you see a pattern emerging?

You also didn't have the good grace to consider France a threat to GB..well they haven't been much of an opponent to the all conquering Brtis but Bauge vs Hoy/Kenny will be a proper contest at least.

As for wittering on about Track worlds' you should by now realise that the last 3 olympic's have borne less and less relevance to track worlds medal tables. But I don't expect you to be a man about this and admit your rather arrogant dismissal of an number of nations whose track programmes 'aren't a big deal', or indeed to admit you have been wrong.

Keep digging.

At the risk of getting involved in argument that has nothing to do with me, the velodrome is largely a commonwealth dominion. The French (for example) have a strong history in sprinting, but they don't have a full track program to the same extent as for eg GB, Aus etc. Gather things may be changing, but road has always been the main focus.