Tour of Oman 2011 **Spoilers**

FJS

RichN95 wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Cav should have been closer on his wheel to begin with.

True. It was only an observation. I think Cav would have had him without the swerve. Which shows Cav is in decent form, as Bos is good in the 150k races. It's only a pre-season friendly.

Excuse me? If there was one dangerous swerve in that sprint it was Cav's. That little dig just befiore the line from Bos was nothing, but look at the overhead how Cav swerves all the way from the right hand side of the road to the left, in the process cutting off some Sky riders. No, nothing to complain for Cav.

rick_chasey

FJS wrote:

RichN95 wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Cav should have been closer on his wheel to begin with.

True. It was only an observation. I think Cav would have had him without the swerve. Which shows Cav is in decent form, as Bos is good in the 150k races. It's only a pre-season friendly.

Excuse me? If there was one dangerous swerve in that sprint it was Cav's. That little dig just befiore the line from Bos was nothing, but look at the overhead how Cav swerves all the way from the right hand side of the road to the left, in the process cutting off some Sky riders. No, nothing to complain for Cav.

Am I sensing a little national pride?

jerry3571

Big swerve by Cav to get his sprint in. He is a bit of a nut.
Also got himself on the left side barrier so lucky he could get away with it; easily get boxed in. Not the best of his sprints.
Bos looks a bit Petacchi like in his build. Maybe a better year for him this year??

-Jerry

andyp

Cavendish, and others, swerved to avoid a spectator stood in the road.

jerry3571

Hmmm... not the worst bit of crowd participation really. Before the sprint kicked off.
Cav travelled about 4 metres across the road. :shock:

-Jerry

rick_chasey

Pfft, swerving etc is all part of sprinting. People are only sensitive because of Cali.

FJS

Rick Chasey wrote:

Am I sensing a little national pride?

Would have said the same with any other winner - the tendency to take away from other sprinters' wins because something must have happened to Cav that he loses. And it wasn't Bos anyway who was hindered by Cav's swerve. National bias, sure, but within reason - perhaps that's why I made the point in the first place.....

SBezza

One of the Sky riders seems to have had to check up massively. Though no doubt this goes on alot in most of the sprints.

RichN95.

FJS wrote:

RichN95 wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Cav should have been closer on his wheel to begin with.

True. It was only an observation. I think Cav would have had him without the swerve. Which shows Cav is in decent form, as Bos is good in the 150k races. It's only a pre-season friendly.

Excuse me? If there was one dangerous swerve in that sprint it was Cav's. That little dig just befiore the line from Bos was nothing, but look at the overhead how Cav swerves all the way from the right hand side of the road to the left, in the process cutting off some Sky riders. No, nothing to complain for Cav.

I never said Bos's swerve was dangerous or unfair. I only said that without it, I think Cav would have beaten him. I'm not complaining, nor is Cav. Smart move by Bos (although unintentional).

FJS

Cavendish takes stage 2.

RichN95.

The official twitter feed thinks Matt Goss won. But I wouldn't trust them.

FJS

FJS wrote:

Cavendish takes stage 2

No, he doesn't. It's Matt Goss. Confused reporting per twitter going on...

FJS

1. Matthew Goss HTC - High Road
2. Daniele Bennati Team Leopard - Trek
3. Edvald Boasson Hagen Team Sky
4. Greg Van Avermaet BMC Racing Team
5. Danilo Hondo Lampre - ISD
6. Oscar Gatto Farnese Vini-Neri-Sottoli
7. Luca Paolini Katusha
8. Lars Boom Rabobank ProTeam

rick_chasey

What's Van Avermaet doing in 4th?!

FJS

Looking at that top 8 I'm guessing that hill halfway was proper, and a bit too steep for the likes of Cav, Bos and Kluge

frenchfighter

frenchfighter

edit

Matt the Tester

cant wait to watch this tonight it's looking to be much better then Qatar!

Tom BB

EBH seems to have a great knack of finishing in third! Almost as consistent as Allan Davies

frenchfighter

edit

takethehighroad

frenchfighter wrote:

WOW
Getty

There's a better one than that

frenchfighter

Yeah like that one.

Can't see the Katusha rider on the left though: incredible.

SCR Pedro

That sprint looks epic. Has Bos thrown anyone into the barriers yet?

ilm_zero7

it was a good sprint - seen in person, they had a tight right into the complex, short straight, then right with a drop to run 500m to the line - great work and timing by Goss to ease ahead with 20m to go.

killer climb at 70km with 5 away at the front and then a split pack and a hairy ride downhill back to the outskirts of Muscat. Marshalling and road closures v good, course was wild, access to the riders brilliant, chat with Sky afterwards really good (esp Downing) - Cavendish as miserable as sin - what a poor ambassador for British Cycling and the sport

FJS

Stage 3. Apparently:
1. Bos
2. Benatti
3. Goss

Waiting confirmation

FJS

1. Theo Bos (Ned)
2. Daniele Bennati (Ita)
3. Matthew Goss (Aus)
4. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Noo)
5. Heinrich Haussler (Aus)
6. Oscar Gatto (Ita)
7. Denis Galimzianov (Rus)
8. Niko Eeckhout
9. Mark Cavendish (GBr)
10. Francesco Chicchi (Ita)

Goss keeps overall lead. Assuming Cavendish was giving Goss a hand in the sprint.

One for the climbers tomorrow

rick_chasey

I like Bos. Saw a prog about him when he was a trackie and he came across pretty well (to me anyway).

Boo hiss to those who don't.

Cumulonimbus

FJS wrote:

1. Theo Bos (Ned)
2. Daniele Bennati (Ita)
3. Matthew Goss (Aus)
4. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Noo)
5. Heinrich Haussler (Aus)
6. Oscar Gatto (Ita)
7. Denis Galimzianov (Rus)
8. Niko Eeckhout
9. Mark Cavendish (GBr)
10. Francesco Chicchi (Ita)

Goss keeps overall lead. Assuming Cavendish was giving Goss a hand in the sprint.

Cyclingnews report has Goss saying that Cavendish lost his wheel. Other teams werent very happy about the way Brown got Bos to the front, be interesting to see replays. Apparently the judges had no tv pictures to see though? Maybe just means they didnt have enough angles, from far enough out etc.

rick_chasey

People are never happy with Brown.

andyp

That's because he's dangerous.