First, the Olympics - now the Worlds...

pedro118118
pedro118118 Posts: 1,102
edited August 2010 in Pro race
..."Cavendish's chance spoilt by Wiggins".

Not my words, but those of Richard Moore in today's Guardian.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/aug/18/mark-cavendish-road-championships-britain

Pretty harsh I thought and rather misses the bigger point - ie where is the strength in depth for British Road Racing and where are all the decent British races etc etc...

Seems Wiggo is to blame for everything!!!

Comments

  • Kléber
    Kléber Posts: 6,842
    I think it's more that Britain has usually languished in the rankings. Wiggins and Cav last year managed to get a peak in the rankings but that was exceptional.

    That said, it's been a poor year for Wiggins, he missed his chance in the Tour but didn't win many points in the rest of the season. So he's certainly not lived up to expectations, but that's for another thread.

    I don't know what Cav is expecting for Australia, the circuit is not really hilly but the repetition of climbs means it's probably not for him.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    edited August 2010
    Wiggins has 113 fewer points this year than he did last year.

    By contrast, Cavendish has 182 fewer points. So, if Mr Moore wants to apportion 'blame', like some tabloid hack, maybe he should start there.

    However, no cyclist is really to blame. At the moment, GB's standing in the world order should be somewhere between 10th and 15th - currently 15th on PT and 12th on CQ in a below par season. A sensible system would translate this to 6 places, but this is the UCI. Blame the game, not the players.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • pedro118118
    pedro118118 Posts: 1,102
    It's interesting to read these articles in the mainstream press.

    The journo suggest the route is "well-suited to sprinters", provided they have "strong team support". Sort of insinuating that if GB had 9 riders, rather than 3, Cav would be a shoe-in. Which isn't an opinion shared by anyone else - at least in terms of other press I've read?!

    So therefore, Wiggins's collapse at the Tour has robbed Cav (and team GB) of the Rainbow Jersey this year?! How selfish can you get??!!
  • Bronzie
    Bronzie Posts: 4,927
    Nine British riders qualified last year by virtue of the nation being ranked 10th in the world, but falling outside the top 10 leaves them at the mercy of the continental rankings. While Iran top the UCI's Asia Tour and Morocco lead the Africa Tour, and will thus line up with six-man teams, Britain sit 21st in the Europe Tour. The problem is that the Europe Tour is made up of the second-tier events that Cavendish and Team Sky generally avoid.
    There's the problem right there. How many Iranians or Moroccans are likely to be left at the end of 260km? More pointless fiddling by the UCI.
    It's a Lifestyle! -+-+- Coggan Training Levels
  • DaveyL
    DaveyL Posts: 5,167
    pedro118118 wrote:
    ..."Cavendish's chance spoilt by Wiggins".

    Not my words, but those of Richard Moore in today's Guardian.
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/aug/18/mark-cavendish-road-championships-britain

    Pretty harsh I thought and rather misses the bigger point - ie where is the strength in depth for British Road Racing and where are all the decent British races etc etc...

    Seems Wiggo is to blame for everything!!!

    Have they changed the article? The word "spoilt" is not there any more.
    Le Blaireau (1)
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,549
    The rules are well known and publicised before the start of each season. If BC don't like them they should seek to either change them, or get enough UCI ranked races in the UK that we qualify through the front door.
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    USA has 9 riders
    Contador is the Greatest
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,463
    Very poor journolism. Either write something with more background or don't bother rather than try to build an article with phrases such as "if Cavendish is looking for someone to blame" - I'm sure he's not as he will understand the system.
  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    frenchfighter wrote:
    USA has 9 riders

    The USA also has 3 registered Pro Tour teams, a 10 day, UCI ranked stage race and a couple of smaller pro-conti type races, as well as a number of smaller pro teams racing abroad.
    "In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"

    @gietvangent
  • Gazzaputt
    Gazzaputt Posts: 3,227
    Mr Moore talks out of his arse shocker.
  • pedro118118
    pedro118118 Posts: 1,102
    DaveyL wrote:
    pedro118118 wrote:
    ..."Cavendish's chance spoilt by Wiggins".

    Not my words, but those of Richard Moore in today's Guardian.
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/aug/18/mark-cavendish-road-championships-britain

    Pretty harsh I thought and rather misses the bigger point - ie where is the strength in depth for British Road Racing and where are all the decent British races etc etc...

    Seems Wiggo is to blame for everything!!!

    Have they changed the article? The word "spoilt" is not there any more.

    The online article differs slightly. The headline in the sport pages of today's paper uses the words "...spolt by Wiggins..."
  • bompington
    bompington Posts: 7,674
    pedro118118 wrote:
    Seems Wiggo is to blame for everything!!!
    Yeah, and I never got my Haribo either, or am I getting confused here?

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