Worlds : Mens Elite *spoiler*

Crankbrother

i'm with Iain, at least San Remo has a climb for somebody to pretend they have a chance ...

Has there ever been a pure climber's race? It is mostly a sprinter's/puncheur's race ...

iainf72

Crankbrother wrote:

i'm with Iain, at least San Remo has a climb for somebody to pretend they have a chance ...

Has there ever been a pure climber's race? It is mostly a sprinter's/puncheur's race ...

At the worlds? Columbia in 1995 was fairly insane.

The Ponferrada circuit in 2014 is 30km flat, with a 9km climb I believe.

rick_chasey

Crankbrother wrote:

i'm with Iain, at least San Remo has a climb for somebody to pretend they have a chance ...

Has there ever been a pure climber's race? It is mostly a sprinter's/puncheur's race ...

Giro di Lombardia's trying its best this year to be a pure climbers.

It's brutal.

Stone Glider

Yes it was a dull race. Blame the parcours. Also the throttling grip of the extraordinary British team. They said what they were going to do and did it. Every other team had due notice and did nothing to alter it. Well done Mr Cavendish, leadership is a complex concept and difficult to pull off, but he did it.

I wonder if the Australians regret their omission of Mr Kershaw? That's the problem of an over-abundance of riches perhaps?

BTW, if anyone finds the Spanish, Belgian and Italian teams, tell them that the race has finished

Pokerface

Only 32 riders didn't finish the race - and most that did finish came in with either the lead group or the second main group. (And 2 that didn;t finish were Sky men who were pulling all day).

Possibly the highest percentage of riders ever to finish?


Whilst I loved watching the last few laps, have to agree with Iaan - if Cav hadn't won, it would be a pretty dull race.

graeme_s-2

I was unavoidably out all day. At about 3pm I was driving up the M6, and asked my wife to stick 5 Live on the radio. We got the end of the F1 coverage, followed by a guy saying we'd be going to the news, followed by the sport, and it was a great day for British sport. At this point my heart started to race, and I then had to sit through a new bulletin, followed by a sport bulletin with no mention of the cycling. They then played the BBC commentary of the last 500m of the race, at which point I nearly crashed the car.

Outstanding. Can't help but notice that the same people who are playing Cav's achievement down, are the same people who were saying it was an uphill finish that wouldn't suit him before the race.

Sounds like the whole of the GB team rode like heroes. So excited by this

rebs

The build up to flat stages can is often boring. Although the last 20km can be interesting (albeit not thrilling). With my GB specs watching the team work so hard it really was perfect that they got the win.

Looks like Cav had it when the aussies shut down his route to G's wheel. It was a bally and smart move. I know in hindsight it is easy to say this. But if the aussies has Renshaw leading Goss out I really think they would have had alot more speed to now allow Cav to sneak through as he did.

But amazing work for Cav to sneak through. The pace wiggins set on the last lap shut down alot of hte attacks as well. Fantastic team effort. Team GB only had 1 plan and they pulled it off... god knows how. I really idnt think Cav would have a chance because of so many teams looking to work against him. Makes it even more sweeter to watch.

I hope Cav is with Sky next year but you never know. But it'll be great to see him in a Rainbow jersey for a year. I do hope Highroad milk this for what it's worth and to let sponsors know they really missed a trick owning 2 rainbow jerseys with 2 guys at the top of their trades.

Tom BB

Pokerface wrote:

have to agree with Iaan - if Cav hadn't won, it would be a pretty dull race.

I don't think that that is quite what Iain is saying

I'm guessing that people found it interesting because they were British fans and it was tense watching them control the race and wonder whether or not they could get Cav to the finish line for the sprint etc If you were a fan of the climbers then 260km of what was essentially a crit was always destined to dissapoint wasn't it?!

I wouldn't know either way-I was standing in the rain marshalling cx races 8)

FJS

Rick Chasey wrote:

Nickwill wrote:

Ringo 68 wrote:

FJS wrote:

Well done Cavendish. Have to admit he surprised me - thought that finish ramp would have been a bit too steep for him.

Was only able to watch the last 20 km. Did I missed much? Those last 20 km were pretty dull

You thought it was dull???
Incredibly exciting with all the breaks and team GB hunting them down more like.

Agreed, I thought it was a great race.

Watching a team totally restrict the race as much as possible is fine if you support them.

Me thinks FJS had a different, rather more orange interest.

Nice to see Jonny time his attack on the final lap this time...

I didn't have an Orange interest at all - I generally don't, and no orange with any chance today. I just don;t have the British-tinted glasses needed for that finale to be exciting

That last 20km was a standard sprinters team chasing back completely chanceless inconsequential breaks. It was dull unless you were rooting very strongly for Cav.

Don;t get me wrong, the GB team did a good job there, and get lots of praise from non-British reports

TheStone

fish156 wrote:

P.S. You'd think the UCI budget would stretch to a couple of sizes of podium jersey, not just one that has to potentially fit Spartacus or Thor:

The whole event felt a bit cheap. The cameras weren't great. Many of the country tops are awful (I'd include the GB kit in that). Cav, with his top (some kind of 3/4 length sleeves) and helmet (with plastic covering it) looked like he'd popped into Argos on the way to the race.

I agree with Iain. Race was dull. Cav and GB were awesome.

magicrhodes

If Cav hadn't won the last 20km would have been just as thrilling, if it had been uphill and someone else won it would have been great. The WC needs a varying circuits that give different people chances to win each year.

I have watched cyclin for 30 years and love now having the option of having a patriotic interest after years of watching the patriotic support of the French, Dutch, Belgians, Italians etc!

NervexProf

Like David Millar's reference to Cav at the end of this article!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/se ... mpionships

TheStone

Radio 5 sports news order:
1) 20-20 cricket
2) premiership football
3) championship football
4) women's golf
5) rugby
6) CAV
7) formula one

that's shocking!

Tusher

(Long and boring post, please feel free to scroll on by)


"Jerusalem?"

"Jerusalem??"

We stared at each other, then at the answering machine and then at each other.

Yup, through her rich Antipodean tones, it was definitely Jerusalem, although she appeared to be shouting over the din of what I assume was Terminal 5, Heathrow. Or maybe Terminal 4, Gatwick. Either way, she did sound exhausted, and she was heading off to find their flight to Scotland.

She had called to let us know the hymns that were to be played at her grandfather's funeral tomorrow morning, and I gather that she must be a most dutiful grand-daughter because not only was she carrying her grandfather as hand luggage, but this was also the start of her honeymoon. He'd actually died a couple of years ago, but had left precise instructions that he was to buried with his grandparents and wee brother, at 'home' even although he had left 'home' 89 years ago, at the age of 3, speaking only Gaelic. Presumably he learnt English and liked his new country so much he never left it's shores again.

I have been playing the organ for over a decade, and I have never, ever, been asked to play Jerusalem. If I lived south of the border I would no doubt have been a stalwart member of the WI and could sing it lustily without even glancing at the words. But I don't, so I haven't. Once, a bride at a 'tourist' wedding asked minister friend for Jerusalem at her wedding, but he merely fixed her with a piercing and disdainful gaze and informed her that, as she was several hundred miles from England's green and pleasant land, there would be zero chance of that sort of behaviour.

The music's in the present Church of Scotland hymn book, but to different words, so I had to hunt out how many verses it has. And practice. I'm no good at sight reading.

The chief puddin of the UCI, Pat McQuaid, knows perfectly well that the Harvest Thanksgiving Service in the parish of Brigadoon is always the last Sunday of September, because it's on our web-site. Yet he insists on trying to ruin the quality of my boring little life by holding the Men's Elite RR on a Sunday. I mean, is there any reason why it couldn't have been run on a Monday? No, there isn't.

So, grabbing only what crumbs I could find in my kitchen for sustenance, I had to cycle my faithful Raleigh Wisp back to the Kirk to squeeze in practising Jerusalem before the gang of worthies returned at 3 to set up the tables for the sale of the Harvest produce tomorrow afternoon in the Hall.

I was not a happy bunny, but I discovered that, by climbing into the pulpit and leaning north-northeast, I could pick up a mobile signal on my state of the art Nokia 1100, thus catching the twitter updates from the ever faithful Comic, bless them.

The wind was blasting against the stones, the rain was torrential, and the Kirk was getting dark and chilly as I alternated practising Jerusalem and running up to the pulpit to receive the latest up-dates from Copenhagen. Lionel Birnie's twitter "Whatever happens in the next hour, GB have ridden to their plan without flinching or deviation. They have taken on the race and given it all" seemed to be gently bringing us down with a 'This is a British sportsman, and this is how we nobly fail' moment.


And then, at 14:50, the news came.

"He's done it. Cav's World Champion!"

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!



YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!


I stood in the pulpit, hundreds of miles from Copenhagen, and screamed with joy. I almost wept.

Mr Cavendish will never know how I have followed him since he was a teenager, and he'll never guess that throughout the globe there were women and men screaming encouragement at him. I was just one of them. I was standing in a pulpit staring out at the empty pews of my beloved kirk, on a bleak hillside in appalling weather, but I can say that I Was There. A Scotswomen (and proud of it) cheering for a Manxman in the British team in Denmark.

I went back over to the organ and pulled out all the stops. Hubert Parry would have been thrilled.
It seemed appropriate.
I even sang it.


Which was when the rest of the women came in and peered at me with suspicion before asking if I was perhaps doing too much recently, and when was I going to get a rest as I clearly needed it. I can tell that I'm going to have to buy a lot of SNP raffle tickets in the near future.



And even although it's after 10, I've just stopped for today and have still to hunt down the video of his win, I cannot convey just how momentous this win is. I was 2 when Tom Simpson won (I think I'm the oldest in the forum) and I never thought I would see this day. And I'm surprised at the effect it's had on me.



Anyway, please think of me tomorrow morning playing Jerusalem to a sad, jet-lagged couple whilst looking at a little urn who so wanted to rest with a brother he only knew for months rather than his wife of over 50 years.

Because from now on, I'm going to struggle not to break into a huge grin whenever I hear Jerusalem again.




Chariot of fire indeed.


[/i]

sonny73

What a great day, awesome. Superb Cavendish. I don't think I've ever shouted at the tv like that before.

Tusher

cornoyemade wrote:

As much as i hate cavendish, he totally deserved the win today. It was a masterful finish, and on this day, i will say, cheers, you earned it

c

Cornoy!! Little Cornoymede, come over here so I can clutch you to my bosom and smother you with big smacky kisses whilst we share our mutual love for Cav.................

NervexProf

Tusher,

I salute your wonderful tribute to Cav - a most engaging and meaningful tribute to your man Cav.

May your Raleigh ~Wisp serve you well in your trundle to the organ console!

verylonglegs

TheStone wrote:

Radio 5 sports news order:
1) 20-20 cricket
2) premiership football
3) championship football
4) women's golf
5) rugby
6) CAV
7) formula one

that's shocking!

agreed, women's golf before the rugby is quite disgraceful.

Tom Butcher

Thought it was a great race - one of the better world champs of recent years - and that's irrespective of the result. The circuit isn't a bad one - only the senior women have really disappointed - the rest haven't matched up to the men's but they haven't been bad.

Stone Glider

No not a great race, but a great result. Remember all the pre-race favorites, Sagan, Gilbert, Hushovd, et al? Where were they when the sh*t hit the fan? Only Fabian fulfilled his promise. The story of this race is the story of what did not happen. No attacks at 2K, no bursts for the line at 500M, all stifled by the relentless BC machine. Have we entered a new world of power meters and Testers setting the agenda?

bigmat

verylonglegs wrote:

TheStone wrote:

Radio 5 sports news order:
1) 20-20 cricket
2) premiership football
3) championship football
4) women's golf
5) rugby
6) CAV
7) formula one

that's shocking!

agreed, women's golf before the rugby is quite disgraceful.

I caught the 6 music sports bulletin this evening. One story only, and it was Cav!
Managed to catch the last 5 minutes of the race on Eurosport live streaming to my HTC as I sat on a train, first time I've got that to work and I was very chuffed!

StanwaySteve62

iainf72 wrote:

Strong sprint from Cavendish, so deserved win. But it really was a race of 15 seconds interest

I did tweet this about halfway through the race



as it will probably be a bunch sprint why not cut the first 250km and start the race with 5km to go ;o

Tom Butcher

Stone Glider wrote:

No not a great race, but a great result. Remember all the pre-race favorites, Sagan, Gilbert, Hushovd, et al? Where were they when the sh*t hit the fan? Only Fabian fulfilled his promise. The story of this race is the story of what did not happen. No attacks at 2K, no bursts for the line at 500M, all stifled by the relentless BC machine. Have we entered a new world of power meters and Testers setting the agenda?

Each to their own I suppose. To me it was nothing like that. The GB team struggled to keep that under control - if they'd just steamrollered it then yes it would have been boring but whether it would follow the script that British Cycling had written was in doubt right from the first break going away until Cav crossed the line.

andrew_s

I think the interest depends on the emotional investment you have in the result. If you care, the will they, won't they of whether the team overdo it and lose control of the race makes it quite gripping. If the result is of academic interest only, the race is boring (though not as boring as a marathon where you've never heard of the contestants, even if one of them did set a new record in 2h 03' 38").

PS

bazbadger wrote:

Someone was asking a while back "Is this (Cavendish) Britain's greatest current athlete?"
The answer surely has to be "probably, (yes)"...

The answer is "No, that's Chrissie"

TMR

andrew_s wrote:

The answer is "No, that's Chrissie"

Chrissie who?

dilemna

Whooo hoooo! You gotta hand it to Cav. He struck gold. It was a pity Thor went down. Would have been nice for Cav to have beaten him in the final sprint.

dilemna

BigMat wrote:

verylonglegs wrote:

TheStone wrote:

Radio 5 sports news order:
1) 20-20 cricket
2) premiership football
3) championship football
4) women's golf
5) rugby
6) CAV
7) formula one

that's shocking!

agreed, women's golf before the rugby is quite disgraceful.

I caught the 6 music sports bulletin this evening. One story only, and it was Cav!
Managed to catch the last 5 minutes of the race on Eurosport live streaming to my HTC as I sat on a train, first time I've got that to work and I was very chuffed!

Why has football got two mentions at 2) and 3)? It's all the same innit? The BBC hates cycling so it is never going to be a main or lead sports story or presented in a good light as a means of travelling.

iainf72

82 people finished in the main group. Previous record was 46, which I suppose illustrates how unselective the course was.

calvjones

NervexProf wrote:

Tusher,

I salute your wonderful tribute to Cav - a most engaging and meaningful tribute to your man Cav.

May your Raleigh ~Wisp serve you well in your trundle to the organ console!

Long, Yes. Boring. Nah.

alanp23

Listening to Radio5 breakfast this morning from 6.30.

It was at the top of the sports stories (even above the footie) and has been getting lots of discussion on the way that the rest of the team buried themselves for Cav with little personal reward - "Is this unique in sport?" they ask