Lance and Cav quit Tour of Ireland before the big hill

ForumNewbie

I enjoyed watching the Tour of Ireland on TV over the last few days. However I was disappointed to see Lance and Cav quit the final stage before the steep St.Patricks Hill in Cork.

Okay, I know it was dreadful weather and probably a bit dangerous, but I felt sorry for the crowds waiting in the rain all day to see Lance in particular. It is his last race of the season - even if he didn't want to go for broke to win, I thought he could have finished the race.

micron

I feel sorry for them because they'll feel they missed out on seeing the main attraction without realising they saw some really good racing. That's the problem when a personality comes to overshadow a sport. Downing won with great panache but most of those on the roadside will only feel disappointment that they didn't see Armstrong and that's a shame.

Tusher

Completely agree, and I couldn't understand why until the TV told me that 'riders with multi-million pound insurance policies' had largely given up.

I would have been furious and deeply disappointed if I'd been standing in the pouring rain on St Patrick's Hill for hours.

LangerDan

As someone who was actually there today and stood in the rain, may I give my 2 cents.

The weather was truly appalling - "ordinary" rain, interspersed with torrential downpours. The finish circuit, as well as having Patricks Hill, has also got a lot of nasty technical descents through housing estates etc. that aren't shown cos they aren't particularly photgenic. It makes no sense to risk injury and chills under such conditions - after the podium ceremony, Phil Griffiths practically put Russ Downing under his arm to take him to the hotel to get warmed up. For most of the riders who abandoned, it was simply the equivalent of us taking unnecessary risks at work

As for all the disappointed people on the hill, not "realising" they were missing out on some fairly exceptional racing, I wouldn't worry too much. While the crowds were a little larger than normal on the Hill (though correspondingly smaller on other sections of the circuit), there have always been large crowds there for the Tour or the Nissan Classic, long before Lance ever arrived on the scene and hopefully after he retires too.

Lance or no Lance, the crowd did realise that they were seeing a sterling performance. Never underestimate the importance that sport plays Ireland and Irish daily life. Cycling is even more of a minority sport in Ireland than in Britain(even during the Roche & Kelly golden years, there were never huge numbers of competitive riders) but from an Irish perspective, sport is sport. People may not have known all the nuances, but between the PA system, mobile phones and just plain asking others, the crowd knew what was going on and there was lot of support for the riders, particularly Downing

There will be some people disappointed that they didn't see Lance or Cav, but equally, there were a lot of people queing to get autographs with Sean Kelly, Adrien Niyonshuti , Matti Breschel and any other pros they could lay their hands on.

I doubt that there will be many truly disappointed people heading home tonight (well apart from Columbia and Saxo Bank )

dulldave

Pain is temporary, quitting is forever.

Splottboy

Good to see Russell Downing doing so well, even tho I thought he'd get a good kicking!
Saw him strong on the city crits series, but thought he'd be out of his depth here.
I wuz Wrong, sorry Manc Munchkin! Great birthday present too.
Having taken teams to the Jnr tour of Ireland, realise the roads aren't - roads that is. Mostly badly surfaced, rough, tough and steep enough...
Hope he gets chosen for the Worlds, and see him against the Best of the Best.

paulcuthbert

dulldave wrote:

Pain is temporary, quitting is forever.

And I suppose you'd be able to do a couple of laps of St Patrick's Hill???

I seriously doubt it...

shinyhelmut

I think dulldave is borrowing a popular Texan saying

bikerZA

He still turned up and raced most of the Tour. It's not exactly a Cipo in the Giro incident.

dulldave

paulcuthbert wrote:

dulldave wrote:

Pain is temporary, quitting is forever.

And I suppose you'd be able to do a couple of laps of St Patrick's Hill???

I seriously doubt it...

Sorry to disappoint fan boy, but I reckon I could ride St Patrick's Hill a couple of times. What is it 23%? If I was ever in Cork with a bike, it's the first place I'd head.

Of course I couldn't do it at that speed and not after having completed the stage route leading up to it.

But that's not what got your bottom lip quivering was it?

moray_gub

micron wrote:

I feel sorry for them because they'll feel they missed out on seeing the main attraction without realising they saw some really good racing. That's the problem when a personality comes to overshadow a sport. Downing won with great panache but most of those on the roadside will only feel disappointment that they didn't see Armstrong and that's a shame.

Do you speak for all those on the roadside yesterday ? I wonder as you seem to have concluded as to how how most of them feel purely on how you view a certain rider.

paulcuthbert

dulldave wrote:

paulcuthbert wrote:

dulldave wrote:

Pain is temporary, quitting is forever.

And I suppose you'd be able to do a couple of laps of St Patrick's Hill???

I seriously doubt it...

Sorry to disappoint fan boy, but I reckon I could ride St Patrick's Hill a couple of times. What is it 23%? If I was ever in Cork with a bike, it's the first place I'd head.

Of course I couldn't do it at that speed and not after having completed the stage route leading up to it.

But that's not what got your bottom lip quivering was it?

If a lip can quiver with the amount of tripe that people talk in this place, then yeah- you nailed it

Congrats

jswba

Maybe a new edition of It's Not About the Bike will just insert 'unless it's pissing down and I'm cold' after any mention of Lance not qutting?

Gazzaputt

It was a poor tour though. Most of the big teams didn't seem interested. Was a dull hour of TV.

Thought some of the road safety was shocking. There were parked cars on narrow streets and blind bends. On stage 2 there were cars coming towards a group in a break.

frenchfighter

I thought he was used to the rain.

blazing_saddles

Riding in the rain is rapidly becoming a thing of the past. We saw complaints and neutralised finishes at the Giro.
Now, we have half the field climbing off before the circuits and main climb.
Not a good advert to the sport, that often compares it's "toughness" to the football "softies", considering the footballers would have come out to play the second half.

Feedback from Irish fans, from what I have read, is far from positive, rather more anger fuelled.

All a bit pathetic, really.

dougzz

ForumNewbie wrote:

I enjoyed watching the Tour of Ireland on TV over the last few days. However I was disappointed to see Lance and Cav quit the final stage before the steep St.Patricks Hill in Cork.

Okay, I know it was dreadful weather and probably a bit dangerous, but I felt sorry for the crowds waiting in the rain all day to see Lance in particular. It is his last race of the season - even if he didn't want to go for broke to win, I thought he could have finished the race.

Maybe they could pop into a local blood doning centre and get the 'Lance Experience' that way

eh

Don't blame them for pulling off myself, especially the lot over 2 minutes down. Whats the point of getting cold and wet and risking a crash or illness when you have no chance of winning?

I think the problem with the rain now is that race organisers are ending a lot fo races in narrow town streets with a lot of street furniture, road paint and metal covers etc. all of which are lethal to a cyclist in the wet. Compare that to say the safety of a velodrome finish at P-R.

To compare with footballers is idiotic, which football match has the player doing 35mph towards a 90deg corner?

moray_gub

Blazing Saddles wrote:

Riding in the rain is rapidly becoming a thing of the past..

No it isnt you are overreacting to a few isolated incidents, the Northern classic season would not take place if what you say was held to be true.

andyp

If this hadn't have involved either Armstrong or Cavendish no-one would have passed comment. Pro cyclists abandon races all the time, especially on the final stage of a stage race, and this happens more when the weather is poor.

It's a complete non-story.

BikingBernie

eh wrote:

I think the problem with the rain now is that race organisers are ending a lot fo races in narrow town streets with a lot of street furniture, road paint and metal covers etc. all of which are lethal to a cyclist in the wet. Compare that to say the safety of a velodrome finish at P-R.

But to get the Roubaix velodrome you still have to ride the cobbles which make a road strewn with 'street furniture, road paint and metal covers etc' look positively inviting, especially in the wet!

eh wrote:

To compare with footballers is idiotic, which football match has the player doing 35mph towards a 90deg corner?

Aren't situations like this the reason why bikes are fitted with brakes? And don't motorcyclists race at up to the best part of 200 Mph in the wet?

Roscobob

BikingBernie wrote:

eh wrote:

I think the problem with the rain now is that race organisers are ending a lot fo races in narrow town streets with a lot of street furniture, road paint and metal covers etc. all of which are lethal to a cyclist in the wet. Compare that to say the safety of a velodrome finish at P-R.

But to get the Roubaix velodrome you still have to ride the cobbles which make a road strewn with 'street furniture, road paint and metal covers etc' look positively inviting, especially in the wet!

eh wrote:

To compare with footballers is idiotic, which football match has the player doing 35mph towards a 90deg corner?

Aren't situations like this the reason why bikes are fitted with brakes? And don't motorcyclists race at up to the best part of 200 Mph in the wet?

Would you even have replied if Armstrong wasn't one of the riders?

Monty Dog

FWIW in races like RvV and P-Rx, the vast majority of riders turn off well before the finish - sometimes at Flanders, as few as 30 riders actually make it over the Muu - the majority turn right at the bottom and head striaght to Meerbeke. Likewise with P-Rx, after Carrefour they head straight to the velodrome and the showers. That said, there are a few riders who appear to be reluctant to ride for 'health and safety' reasons these days.

PS. for the Fanboy, I'd happily race you up St Patricks or any hill you like as many times as you wish and probably beat you every time - I'm 44!

andyp

When I was at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne a few years back, Daniele Nardello abandoned after about 3 kms.

BikingBernie

Roscobob wrote:

BikingBernie wrote:

eh wrote:

I think the problem with the rain now is that race organisers are ending a lot fo races in narrow town streets with a lot of street furniture, road paint and metal covers etc. all of which are lethal to a cyclist in the wet. Compare that to say the safety of a velodrome finish at P-R.

But to get the Roubaix velodrome you still have to ride the cobbles which make a road strewn with 'street furniture, road paint and metal covers etc' look positively inviting, especially in the wet!

eh wrote:

To compare with footballers is idiotic, which football match has the player doing 35mph towards a 90deg corner?

Aren't situations like this the reason why bikes are fitted with brakes? And don't motorcyclists race at up to the best part of 200 Mph in the wet?

Would you even have replied if Armstrong wasn't one of the riders?

But I have passed no comment specifically relating to Pharmstrong! Rather, I was expressing my view that racing in the wet on dodgy roads is actually a part of the sport, or at least it was when I was a lad.

dennisn

Roscobob wrote:

BikingBernie wrote:

eh wrote:

I think the problem with the rain now is that race organisers are ending a lot fo races in narrow town streets with a lot of street furniture, road paint and metal covers etc. all of which are lethal to a cyclist in the wet. Compare that to say the safety of a velodrome finish at P-R.

But to get the Roubaix velodrome you still have to ride the cobbles which make a road strewn with 'street furniture, road paint and metal covers etc' look positively inviting, especially in the wet!

eh wrote:

To compare with footballers is idiotic, which football match has the player doing 35mph towards a 90deg corner?

Aren't situations like this the reason why bikes are fitted with brakes? And don't motorcyclists race at up to the best part of 200 Mph in the wet?

Would you even have replied if Armstrong wasn't one of the riders?

I think BB has some sort of Lance alert system on his computer that scans the various web blogs for news and postings about his anti-hero. Don't take him too seriously though.
He hasn't found out that there are TWO Lances. Much like Superman and Bizzaro Superman. He also doesn't know that I am the Bizzaro BikingBernie. So take it easy on him.

BikingBernie

Monty Dog wrote:

FWIW in races like RvV and P-Rx, the vast majority of riders turn off well before the finish

But they are not doing it for cancer survivors...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VfiXAaEQiY

frenchfighter

FLAHUTE.




Credit: Panoramic:




AP Photos
Earlier today

Reuters
Arriving at Ritz-Carlton before the race:

dennisn

frenchfighter wrote:

FLAHUTE.




Credit: Panoramic:




AP Photos
Earlier today

Reuters
Arriving at Ritz-Carlton before the race:

So, we can assume that's it's you in the mud and Lance in the suit? Do I detect a bit of jealousy in this post? No, couldn't be. Not you. In all truth, my first reaction to this post was........and therefore?????? Or Maybe it was sort of ......huh, what?????? Same thing either way, I guess.

eh

WTF? How has this turned into a LA thread yet again, no one spotted the other 50-60 riders who also packed then?

All this obsession with what LA and Cav did, takes away from Downings quality win.

dennisn

eh wrote:

WTF? How has this turned into a LA thread yet again, ....?

Well, you've got BikingBernie, frenchfighter, and a few others involved. I would say that's
probably, at the very least, part of it. Those guys are anywhere Lance is. Kinda weird.