Poor showing by the USA at the Worlds

frenchfighter

They didn't figure much at all and half the team retired, including Danileson and Farrar. Best finisher was Craig Lewis at 59th.

It makes me wonder how Lance would have performed on this course. I would have him as DNF.

Also why wouldn't he enter a course which has a large general public appeal and recognition?

redddraggon

He's old and at the end of a long season?

Monty Dog

Only ever if they moved the race to July - has he ever ridden beyond August post-cancer?

takethehighroad

+1. He's already got one rainbow jersey, so he's not gonna go eyeballs out at the end of the season.

To be honest, you could say much the same about the GB squad, only two finishers, teh highest of those in 52nd

blazing_saddles

I take it the women don't feature in this apraisal? :?
Team GB hardly set the world afire.

Lance in September? Amazed to see him in January and August.

Something tells me there's a worm on the end of this thread hook.
I wonder if someone will bite.

frenchfighter

Yeah the GB squad annoyed me as Downing shouldn't have had to bust his legs for Millar who then didn't even finish the race. Russell has great form and should have been given a shot.

Poor call by Wiggins too in the TT - no way he would beat Fabian, although I doubt he could of performed top ten in the RR.

frenchfighter

Blazing Saddles wrote:

I take it the women don't feature in this apraisal?

Ha, yes I should have specified. Armstrong is amazing.

takethehighroad

frenchfighter wrote:

Blazing Saddles wrote:

I take it the women don't feature in this apraisal?

Ha, yes I should have specified. Armstrong is amazing.

Somebody's changed their tune

stefrees

frenchfighter wrote:

Yeah the GB squad annoyed me as Downing shouldn't have had to bust his legs for Millar who then didn't even finish the race. Russell has great form and should have been given a shot.

Poor call by Wiggins too in the TT - no way he would beat Fabian, although I doubt he could of performed top ten in the RR.

That was Downings role in the team. He did it, and did it well.

I think GB worked ok for a team, they knew they couldnt win it, but it was good to plan for the next 2 years where they will have a chance.

frenchfighter

I know it was his role - that is fairly obvious. All I am saying is that I wish it wasn't. Millar was a non-entity and Russell could have been something. In any case, I would have Russell beating Millar up a 10% grade.

stefrees

frenchfighter wrote:

I know it was his role - that is fairly obvious. All I am saying is that I wish it wasn't. Millar was a non-entity and Russell could have been something. In any case, I would have Russell beating Millar up a 10% grade.

I know Downing was the only finisher last year, and he was immense on the last stage of the ToI, but he is very inexperienced at 260km so to give him protected status would have been stupid imo. froome or cummings would have been the best bet in hindsight

donrhummy

frenchfighter wrote:

They didn't figure much at all and half the team retired, including Danileson and Farrar. Best finisher was Craig Lewis at 59th.

It makes me wonder how Lance would have performed on this course. I would have him as DNF.

Also why wouldn't he enter a course which has a large general public appeal and recognition?

Wait, let me get this straight:

A sprinter who rode his first grand tour this year (farrar) and a guy who hasn't finished a GT in a long time (and isn't considered that great) didn't finish so you think that means that this year's 3rd place in the Tour de France wouldn't finish? What do their places have to do with Lance?

frenchfighter

The points are seperate. Un-related.

And for the reocrd, my third post relates to lady Armstrong.

cougie

frenchfighter wrote:

I know it was his role - that is fairly obvious. All I am saying is that I wish it wasn't. Millar was a non-entity and Russell could have been something. In any case, I would have Russell beating Millar up a 10% grade.

Is this the same non-entity that won a stage of the Vuelta last week ?
Russ is a great rider - but how many races this year has he done of similar length to yesterdays ride ? OK Millar didnt win - but looking at their races this year - you'd have to say that Millar stood a better chance ?

Tusher

It was a practice run for Team GB. Pure and simple.

frenchfighter

cougie wrote:

frenchfighter wrote:

I know it was his role - that is fairly obvious. All I am saying is that I wish it wasn't. Millar was a non-entity and Russell could have been something. In any case, I would have Russell beating Millar up a 10% grade.

Is this the same non-entity that won a stage of the Vuelta last week ?
Russ is a great rider - but how many races this year has he done of similar length to yesterdays ride ? OK Millar didnt win - but looking at their races this year - you'd have to say that Millar stood a better chance ?

Yes that is the one. He hasn't exactly performed well this year at all. A ITT to his name (which in no way means you are good at 260km and 38 10% hills), 80th in the Vuelta, 85th in the Tour, 9th in the Dauphine and a a handful of other ok results.

Downing on the other hand is a beast up those sharp climbs, has the ToI to his name as well as 5th in the ToB and all that on the small team he is on.

Yes I would have Downing over Millar.

andyp

If Downing is as good as you think he is FF, then why has he spent his career on low budget, predominantly domestic teams?

He has talent for sure, but put him up against the best in the world over a 260 km course and he'll be an also ran.

moray_gub

andyp wrote:

If Downing is as good as you think he is FF, then why has he spent his career on low budget, predominantly domestic teams?

He has talent for sure, but put him up against the best in the world over a 260 km course and he'll be an also ran.

I kinda agree with this whilst think Downing is a decent rider who might do a good job for Sky i think a certain amount of caution is required here his talents are being hyped up beyond his actual ability imo.

andyp

Don't get me wrong MG, I think Downing has real talent but he's 32 now and next season will be his first year competing at the highest level. I hope he wins races but he's never going to be a contender in the monuments or the Worlds.

moray_gub

frenchfighter wrote:

Downing on the other hand is a beast up those sharp climbs, has the ToI to his name as well as 5th in the ToB and all that on the small team he is on.

Yes I would have Downing over Millar.

Without being disrespectful to the ToI or ToB as they are great to watch they are small beer in cycling terms and barely register in the true cycling heartlands. Winning or placing in them should not give a rider protected status over a continental pro such as DM imo.

moray_gub

andyp wrote:

Don't get me wrong MG, I think Downing has real talent but he's 32 now and next season will be his first year competing at the highest level. I hope he wins races but he's never going to be a contender in the monuments or the Worlds.

Agree totally.

disgruntledgoat

Moray Gub wrote:

andyp wrote:

Don't get me wrong MG, I think Downing has real talent but he's 32 now and next season will be his first year competing at the highest level. I hope he wins races but he's never going to be a contender in the monuments or the Worlds.

Agree totally.

Agree also. Millar has been racing with the very best (through fair means or foul) for over a decade now. Downing is 32, has raced on the Premier Calender for much of his career and for whatever reason never had the chance to prove himself against the best in the world. Were I managing the GB team, I know which basket my eggs would be in.

As for LA not riding, why didn't 1st place in the Tour saddle up?

Kléber

Downing over Millar? Downing is a good rider but he's not been tested in long races, the Worlds is all about how you perform in the final hour of a seven hour race and Downing's spent a lot of the year doing four hour races and criteriums.

Millar can be world class but he was never going to feature last Sunday, the final selection was really a who's who of world cycling. I wouldn't be too harsh on any team, there can only be one winner on such a selective circuit. Even the Spaniards fluffed the finish.

Note the revisionism in Cyclingnews.com today, "Australian team tactics played to perfection", when Evans's triumph was really a solo effort. The Aussies did chase at one point but that was hardly a race-changing tactic.

thebongolian

i think the poor show by the US is that the riders who might have had a chance just didn't ride - they needed CVV, Armstrong, Horner or Leipheimer to show up to have a hope of getting someone in the top 10. Those who were there were a bunch of (very good) domestiques but frankly pack fodder.

The same is true of the GB I'd say but at least our best guys turned up and gave it a go. The next two years we do have a credible threat in Cav and it'll be interesting to see what happens - can't see many countries wanting to tow him to the line unless someone like Farrar steps his game up a bit

frenchfighter

andyp wrote:

If Downing is as good as you think he is FF, then why has he spent his career on low budget, predominantly domestic teams?

He has talent for sure, but put him up against the best in the world over a 260 km course and he'll be an also ran.

Fair point, but then I am not saying he would have won, just that he could have been in there a lot longer and maybe made an attack as that is the type of rider he is, thus showing off the GB colours as Millar wasn't going to do that, apart from crashing.

alanmcn1

Does any thought go into some of these comments................................

frenchfighter

Alan if you have something to contribute on this topic I would be glad to hear it.

alanmcn1

OK, so a 32 year old never has been should have been UK's great white hope??? That ToL win would have really set him up for the toughest one day challenege in the sport!!!

Where exactly would he have attacked? if he was so hot maybe he should have been the UK guy to make the races big break ( we were shockingly absent from that break). And when that was reeled in, no offence to Downing but he has a cat in hells chance of keeping up with the calibre of rider that went in the second break, or indeed escaping from the calibre of rider who was driving the main field.

In other words.............that's bolllocks JC.........


PS. do i win a prize for 1st use of the new cycling phenomenon catchphrase

frenchfighter

Do you know how may GB riders finished in the Worlds last year? One. Guess who it was. Clue: it wasn't Millar, it wasn't Stannard, it wasn't Geraint, it wasn't Froome and it wasn't Cummings.

I find it very bizzare how nearly all the members are trying to put a GB rider down so hard. I think it is more because I made the point and you go into 'diasgree with FF' mode.

Lightweight.

iainf72

FF

millar has been there at the sharp end of the race before. Russ has not. Finishing is different to being in the selection on the last lap.

TommyEss

Err........

Wasn't Millar taken out by an over-zealous flag waver early doors in the race?