Olympic road race warmup this weekend

bikergirl17

i guess that explains why most of richmond park is fenced off ... even the deer looked confused tonight by the amount of fencing keeping them out of this now 'sensitive greenlands'. i do hope they rethink this, and route somewhere in the uk with proper hills and good viewing.

RichN95.

SLX01 wrote:

That didn't seem to stop them flogging tickets for the other events though did it?? I would have thought the whole point of a dry run is to see how the whole thing goes including marshalling spectators, security and transport? Its not even being shown on tv so the press side isn't being tried out fully either? What are they actually having a dry run for, just to see if Cav and Co can get around the course without getting lost?

Maybe. But this event is for the benefit of the organisers (and some cyclists) - nobody else. They can run it how they like, to achieve what they what to. This is not about you.

Pop quiz: Who won the Beijing test event?. Did you know that or Google it?
This isn't some huge race, it's a glorified training session.


PS (general rant) - taking bikes to these sort of events - don't. I remember the 2007 Prologue and some pompous cyclists with a huge sense of entitlement getting arsey with families and generally good people because the huge crowds wouldn't part like the Red Sea to let them and and his fixies through. Would you take your bike into a football stadium - no that's stupid. So don't bring it right up to the course. If it's too valuable to leave five minutes walk away out of sight, then don't bring it.

carl_p

SLX01 wrote:

Maybe you should start a campaign to remove all cycling from the TV unless it includes a mountain then? The majority of road races only get 'exciting; in the last 1km maybe they should cut down the coverage of all the big tours and just show the sprints then? Golf seems to get plenty of coverage on te TV are you telling me watching a couple of blokes walking around a park followed y a few shots of the sky is exciting tv?

Maybe I like watching cycling on TV actually. Maybe I've watched the highlights of just about every stage of every "tour" broadcast on Eurosport this year, and know what I like. Actually I prefer the one day classics so am quite looking forward to the Olympic Road Race. But the "warm up" is nothing more than. Don't expect the actual olympic race to be broadcast live either. It MIGHT be on Eurosport, but BBC might dip in and out of the race and share coverage time with other events.

Jez mon

Huh? Fairly sure I remember watching most of the RR live in Beijing, for the men's and women's

Come the day, it will be live, if not on BBC1 or 2, then via red button

carl_p

Jez mon wrote:

Huh? Fairly sure I remember watching most of the RR live in Beijing, for the men's and women's

Come the day, it will be live, if not on BBC1 or 2, then via red button

I can't remember that far back - before I got hooked on cycling as well. Hopefully it will be then.

Jez mon

Yea, I'm fairly sure the rr is early on in the Olympics before the athletics etc. so there aren't that many events which they can switch to!

Plus, if Cav's riding, it could be a fairly good chance for a gold medal!

RichN95.

Jez mon wrote:

Yea, I'm fairly sure the rr is early on in the Olympics before the athletics etc. so there aren't that many events which they can switch to!

Plus, if Cav's riding, it could be a fairly good chance for a gold medal!

It's on the first weekend (first day, I think). Cav is certainly GB's first credible chance at a medal.

redddraggon

Sailing in Weymouth, Football in Manchester, Glasgow, Newcastle, Cardiff, Coventry, not sure why they couldn't have done the cycling somewhere decent instead of somewhere sh!tty.

Could have made an awesome race in the likes of the Peaks, hell Euston to Manchester on the Pendelino takes no time at all, and BC is based in Manchester afterall. Would have been far fewer viewing restrictions there too.

RichN95.

redddraggon wrote:

Sailing in Weymouth, Football in Manchester, Glasgow, Newcastle, Cardiff, Coventry, not sure why they couldn't have done the cycling somewhere decent instead of somewhere sh!tty.

Football is always spread around the country, and sailing can't really be done on a park lake.
The cycling road race needs to show off the city and its sights and provide a decent course. It's not there to serve the ideals of a minority of cycling fans who have a climb fetish.

berk713

Dave_1 wrote:

hope some of the domestic riders make an impact in this event.

Wouldn't that be cool to see the Raleigh team run away with it?

I'm in California, so I'll have to wait for pics via the interwebs.

jerry3571

Jeeesus, come on you miserable Goats, get out and have a look. It's 6.45am and heading over to my sister's to go up and get to see a few top riders. I don't give a toss whether it's a dress rehearsal or not. I've done loads of training races in my past and they were eyeballs out.
My sister mentioned Hushovd may be there as well as Cav. Also, have a go at Marshalling the Tour of Britain if you don't make it today.
If some of you lot had thier way, there would be no crowds at all on any race during the year or no events because no one could get off the sofa.
Take a look below at what you lot sound like-




-Jerry

ALaPlage

Its being covered on BBC News Channel now.

ALaPlage

A whole 2 minutes but at least it was noted

inkyfingers

ALaPlage wrote:

Its being covered on BBC News Channel now.

Yes, but in the bit I saw earlier they spent longer discussing the traffic chaos than they did the race.

NWLondoner

ALaPlage wrote:

A whole 2 minutes but at least it was noted

bet they were complaining about the road closures :roll:

Cubic

Here's a little clip of them coming down Upper Richmond Road. It all seemed to be over in a flash!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWhckq3Sdls&feature=youtube_gdata_player

ALaPlage

NWLondoner wrote:

ALaPlage wrote:

A whole 2 minutes but at least it was noted

bet they were complaining about the road closures :roll:

No actually they didn't in the piece I saw. They mentioned that roads were closed from early this morning until late this afternoon. Showed a shot of one of the roads in London with all barriered up for spectators and stated they were expecting thousands to line the route today. Certainly made it sound more of a big deal race than some commentators on this thread believe.

Be good if they actually show more than 20 minutes on the Olympic show this afternoon.

inkyfingers

ALaPlage wrote:

NWLondoner wrote:

ALaPlage wrote:

A whole 2 minutes but at least it was noted

bet they were complaining about the road closures :roll:

No actually they didn't in the piece I saw. They mentioned that roads were closed from early this morning until late this afternoon. Showed a shot of one of the roads in London with all barriered up for spectators and stated they were expecting thousands to line the route today. Certainly made it sound more of a big deal race than some commentators on this thread believe.

As I said above, bit I saw at about 7AM included a fair bit of moaning about road closures and some discussion of a colleague who had been stuck on Putney Bridge while trying to get into work.

Don't forget that the BBC will be broadcasting the Olympics, it's very much in their interest to hype up anything Olympics related. They don't give a damn about cycling, just look at their TdF coverage; a Radio 5 programme chaired by that well known cycling expert, Matt Dawson.

WisePranker

I'm gutted that I'm missing it as I couldn't get the day off work :x

Just listening to the LBC on the radio now and there's loads of people calling up and complaining that they can't get anywhere or do anything due to the road closures. It's worrying that people who live virtually on the route are claiming that they didn't know anything about it. This must be the first tine they've ventured outside or listened to the radio in weeks as it's been advertised all over the place!

NWLondoner

WisePranker wrote:

I'm gutted that I'm missing it as I couldn't get the day off work :x

Just listening to the LBC on the radio now and there's loads of people calling up and complaining that they can't get anywhere or do anything due to the road closures. It's worrying that people who live virtually on the route are claiming that they didn't know anything about it. This must be the first tine they've ventured outside or listened to the radio in weeks as it's been advertised all over the place!

i've been listening to it too.

What amazes me is that the presenters did NOT once ask if their journey was doable by tube or train.

In all the debates on these Olympics all i keep hearing is WHY SHOULD I??

why should i change my journey for a week etc.


Well to be be frank if we don't change our journeys/commutes etc during 2012 we will all sit in gridlock chaos!!

FransJacques

so what time do they except the finish to be? I can't believe I can't find any schedule on line.

i was going to catch them by putney bridge - anyone know the exected time they'd be coming back along through putney?

Thanks

jonginge

FransJacques wrote:

so what time do they except the finish to be? I can't believe I can't find any schedule on line.

i was going to catch them by putney bridge - anyone know the exected time they'd be coming back along through putney?

Thanks

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest/529685/london-surrey-cycle-classic-the-big-preview.html

So about now. Although taken with a big pinch of salt

tremayne

Cavendish takes it !

gsk82

NWLondoner wrote:

WisePranker wrote:

I'm gutted that I'm missing it as I couldn't get the day off work :x

Just listening to the LBC on the radio now and there's loads of people calling up and complaining that they can't get anywhere or do anything due to the road closures. It's worrying that people who live virtually on the route are claiming that they didn't know anything about it. This must be the first tine they've ventured outside or listened to the radio in weeks as it's been advertised all over the place!

i've been listening to it too.

What amazes me is that the presenters did NOT once ask if their journey was doable by tube or train.

In all the debates on these Olympics all i keep hearing is WHY SHOULD I??

why should i change my journey for a week etc.


Well to be be frank if we don't change our journeys/commutes etc during 2012 we will all sit in gridlock chaos!!

as a london resident you are probably oblivious to the outside view of london. i very much doubt that anyone in the real world will be suprised at all if thats the overrideing attitude of londoners to any event that slightly affects their super busy lifestyles.

no offence intended

SLX01

NWLondoner wrote:

WisePranker wrote:

I'm gutted that I'm missing it as I couldn't get the day off work :x

Just listening to the LBC on the radio now and there's loads of people calling up and complaining that they can't get anywhere or do anything due to the road closures. It's worrying that people who live virtually on the route are claiming that they didn't know anything about it. This must be the first tine they've ventured outside or listened to the radio in weeks as it's been advertised all over the place!

i've been listening to it too.

What amazes me is that the presenters did NOT once ask if their journey was doable by tube or train.

In all the debates on these Olympics all i keep hearing is WHY SHOULD I??

why should i change my journey for a week etc.


Well to be be frank if we don't change our journeys/commutes etc during 2012 we will all sit in gridlock chaos!!

Just got back from a good morning out on Headley Common, nice to Sigma sport leading the breakaway over the hill.
The debate on LBC is ridiculous have these people been living in a cave?? The event signs stating roads closed have been up for weeks, the free local papers had front page spreads, its on every bus stop, local residents on the route got leaflets through the door!!
People are ringing up moaning they didn't know the roads were closed or that they asked the stewards for analternative route and they didn't know. They are event stewards ffs not the AA travel service, how is some volunteer going to know the best route from Kingston to Camden avoiding the traffic??
Everyone I know were either going to watch or staying in doors until the afternoon because they don't walk about with blnkers on.

flasher

Some of the closures are a bit crazy though, local roads still closed 4 hours after the race went through :?

SLX01

Flasher wrote:

Some of the closures are a bit crazy though, local roads still closed 4 hours after the race went through :?

So you want cars on the route chasing along behind the peleton?

sin2000

SLX01 wrote:

Flasher wrote:

Some of the closures are a bit crazy though, local roads still closed 4 hours after the race went through :?

So you want cars on the route chasing along behind the peloton?

In the Tour, the roads re-open as soon as the Fin de Course vehicle passes - normally only a few minutes after the last rider. Obviously, you are not permitted to pass that vehicle.

flasher

SLX01 wrote:

Flasher wrote:

Some of the closures are a bit crazy though, local roads still closed 4 hours after the race went through :?

So you want cars on the route chasing along behind the peloton?

Have you ever been to a pro road race?

roypsb

Over to my Mum's this morning in Shepperton and a quick stroll down Walton Bridge Rd. Eerily quite - I grew up there and the lack of sound from usual traffic was surreal. Loads of people making their way for a view of the race.

Over Walton Bridge to the end of Oatlands Drive, where we took our positions. It was all over very quickly; the 4 man break, 1 in no-mans land and a few minutes later the peloton.

Glad I went, was an excellent atmosphere with a fantastic turnout (certainly helped by the good weather). A great success from what I saw.

Delighted Cav won - wish I could say I spotted him in the main group.