Olympic RR *SPOILERS*

emadden

Wasnt able to watch any of the race... The Asians are more interested in gymnastics... But from the comments on here I gather some nations left everything up to Team GB... Thats hardly unexpected is it? I mean to my mind it was a bit of a tactical blunder for Cav to go off and win the test race last year... He might have been smarter to feign repeated difficulty on box hill... After last year, Cav was always going to be the favourite and a marked man... I feel sorry for him though. It wouldve been great for him to win - but I kinda saw this coming months ago. Vino is a disgrace and its a pity he won.

mfin

Secteur wrote:

When will the medal ceremony be?

A little later than intended, they're having a special podium Vino can kneel on so they can push the medal up his ass.

IanLD

Bernie did what Sky wanted him to do and assist, but letting the gap grow so much early on was a big mistake. By the time he got involved, they could not chase them down. Didn't feel they ever put a full effort in either, but that was probably due to the Germans sitting on right up until the end.

Teddy Westside

mfin wrote:

Secteur wrote:

When will the medal ceremony be?

A little later than intended, they're having a special podium Vino can kneel on so they can push the medal up his ass.

He may have requested it to be presented intravenously.

symo

It's probably been made from a gold medal he bought during his preparation.

TMR

Carl_P wrote:

Not so sure about 'for ages'. After Box, it was only ever Wiggo on his own who would catch the break and that was when we needed everyone to push on.

I don't think Cav will be best pleased.

Yes, 'for ages' was a poor choice of words, typed in haste. I was trying to express my view that I felt he'd done enough work.

welshmessenger

iainf72 wrote:

Told you it was a chipper

Nice.

In a way you have to credit Belgium, Switzerland, Italy and Holland for frustrating GB. They knew they had to get rid of Cav and they managed it.

carl_p

Carl_P wrote:

The Mad Rapper wrote:

Carl_P wrote:

No he was shoot.

He was on the front on the Box Hill loops for ages.

Not so sure about 'for ages'. After Box, it was only ever Wiggo on his own who would catch the break and that was when we needed everyone to push on.

I don't think Cav will be best pleased.

Edit
Just seen the interview with Cav on BBC. Seems he's genuinely pleased with the from his team mates.

Teddy Westside

Utterly ridiculous having so many channel changes during the race. Not much good for anyone setting up a recording device to capture it unattended. Even the channels I had set to record it on ended up changing. Sure, it happens during the likes of Wimbledon and snooker, but with extra channels being made available for the Olympics it could surely have been avoided, especially on the first "proper" day of the tournament.

I don't think Huw Porter was exactly helped by the lack of information being provided but he did sound sadly out of touch today. A shame, because he has the pedigree and the enthusiasm.

jgsi

With no race radio, DS's in the cars having nothing to do apart from drink tea from their flasks, and seemingly no race info being passed from break to peloton and vice versa via boards... or not enough of it...
racing becomes like wot I do... out of sight = out of mind

the_cyclist_of_catan

Vino'sGhost wrote:

but if millar had won? glad youre an expert tactician but bit surprised you hadnt been called up by team GB.

Nowt wrong with Team GB's tactics; they could play it no other way (other than to call the other teams' bluff and not chase - which would have lead to the same end result, only more emphatically).

And I'm sure that you don't need me to spell out the differences between Millar and Vino. The way they went about things, the way they acted afterwards, and the way that one was working for personal glory today whereas the other was working for his teammate being amongst the more obvious ones. If Millar's not clean these days he's managed to sucker a LOT of people; if Vino is, I'd be surprised.

afx237vi

Teddy Westside wrote:

Utterly ridiculous having so many channel changes during the race. Not much good for anyone setting up a recording device to capture it unattended. Even the channels I had set to record it on ended up changing. Sure, it happens during the likes of Wimbledon and snooker, but with extra channels being made available for the Olympics it could surely have been avoided, especially on the first "proper" day of the tournament.

I don't think Huw Porter was exactly helped by the lack of information being provided but he did sound sadly out of touch today. A shame, because he has the pedigree and the enthusiasm.

Hugh Porter has been this bad for as long as I've been watching cycling.

Teddy Westside

Carl_P wrote:

Just seen the interview with Cav on BBC. Seems he's genuinely pleased with the from his team mates.

Not at all surprising, he's matured a lot from the dummy-spitting baby who originally burst on the scene.

patchy

afx237vi wrote:

Teddy Westside wrote:

Utterly ridiculous having so many channel changes during the race. Not much good for anyone setting up a recording device to capture it unattended. Even the channels I had set to record it on ended up changing. Sure, it happens during the likes of Wimbledon and snooker, but with extra channels being made available for the Olympics it could surely have been avoided, especially on the first "proper" day of the tournament.

I don't think Huw Porter was exactly helped by the lack of information being provided but he did sound sadly out of touch today. A shame, because he has the pedigree and the enthusiasm.

Hugh Porter has been this bad for as long as I've been watching cycling.

He's a great track commentator... Just sucks on the road.

I'd love to pair him and Liggett up for a race. Just one. Just for giggles.

carl_p

Teddy Westside wrote:

Utterly ridiculous having so many channel changes during the race. Not much good for anyone setting up a recording device to capture it unattended. Even the channels I had set to record it on ended up changing. Sure, it happens during the likes of Wimbledon and snooker, but with extra channels being made available for the Olympics it could surely have been avoided, especially on the first "proper" day of the tournament.

I don't think Huw Porter was exactly helped by the lack of information being provided but he did sound sadly out of touch today. A shame, because he has the pedigree and the enthusiasm.

To be fair he was saying all along that the gap shouldn't be allowed to get too big. Ultimately he was proved right, it's just the bumbling way he goes about it.

Teddy Westside

afx237vi wrote:

Teddy Westside wrote:

Utterly ridiculous having so many channel changes during the race. Not much good for anyone setting up a recording device to capture it unattended. Even the channels I had set to record it on ended up changing. Sure, it happens during the likes of Wimbledon and snooker, but with extra channels being made available for the Olympics it could surely have been avoided, especially on the first "proper" day of the tournament.

I don't think Huw Porter was exactly helped by the lack of information being provided but he did sound sadly out of touch today. A shame, because he has the pedigree and the enthusiasm.

Hugh Porter has been this bad for as long as I've been watching cycling.

"Believe you me" (© Hugh Porter*) I think he was better but always a little mistake-ridden in a sort of Murray Walker style even if his errors weren't so charming. He did a more than competent job of commentating on-site at the Edinburgh Nocturne a couple years back.


* Not sure why I was thinking it was "Huw" :?

woody1545

Any update on Cancellera?
Has he bust his collarbone?
Have Martin and Canc been taking bike handling tips from Robert Gesink?

Gazzetta67

Belgium,Australia,Italians,Swiss ALL had riders in the break so where was a british rider ?? did they really think they would all sit on the front for 250kms and then have a lead out train going ? - The race was great prob cos there was NO race radio's and thats what probably cost TEAMGB/Sky the race as they are used to being "Radio Controlled" from the team car by yates,brailsford etc.

iainf72

Gazzetta67 wrote:

Belgium,Australia,Italians,Swiss ALL had riders in the break so where was a british rider ?? did they really think they would all sit on the front for 250kms and then have a lead out train going ? - The race was great prob cos there was NO race radio's and thats what probably cost TEAMGB/Sky the race as they are used to being "Radio Controlled" from the team car by yates,brailsford etc.

Nope. The GB guys saw who went up the road and let too big a group get ahead. And ten couldn't bring them back.

If they can't work without radios how did they win worlds? There is no way anyone would let a GB rider into the break either

Teddy Westside

Gazzetta67 wrote:

Belgium,Australia,Italians,Swiss ALL had riders in the break so where was a british rider ?? did they really think they would all sit on the front for 250kms and then have a lead out train going ? - The race was great prob cos there was NO race radio's and thats what probably cost TEAMGB/Sky the race as they are used to being "Radio Controlled" from the team car by yates,brailsford etc.

I suspect GB weren't as fresh as they'd hoped following le Tour. I can imagine that had they been (or if they were allowed one or two more riders) David would have been away in the break as it's been a specialty of his for one or two stages in France over the years.

iainf72

Both Horner and Rogers have said it was one of the most dangerous races they've ridden

fluff.

Teddy Westside wrote:

"Believe you me" (© Hugh Porter*) I think he was better but always a little mistake-ridden in a sort of Murray Walker style even if his errors weren't so charming. He did a more than competent job of commentating on-site at the Edinburgh Nocturne a couple years back.

He clearly didn't know who half the riders were:
'Menchov has been dropped!' (Kolobnev attacking)
'Im not sure who this is, hes got a white jersey on so could be Russian or Italian.. ummmmm'. Boardman had to intervene with 'it's Kolobnev'
Pronouncing Gesink like it's the first time he's seen the name in his life (Geese-ink).

TMR

iainf72 wrote:

There is no way anyone would let a GB rider into the break either

That's a good way to make sure there were no (significant) breaks then.

carl_p

Gazzetta67 wrote:

Belgium,Australia,Italians,Swiss ALL had riders in the break so where was a british rider ?? did they really think they would all sit on the front for 250kms and then have a lead out train going ? - The race was great prob cos there was NO race radio's and thats what probably cost TEAMGB/Sky the race as they are used to being "Radio Controlled" from the team car by yates,brailsford etc.

Unless I'm mistaken a Kazak won the race, and a Columbian 2nd, so I can't see where the above did particularly well. Seems the majority of the break were content to stop GB winning rather than winning themselves. Clearly they didn't know what to do no more than the chasing pack. The riders who only needed to think for themselves had the advantage today.

Yellow Peril

Lol, HP was all over the place. I have to say he was tight with the "now then's" and I thought he might say Gilbert was starting to "buckle" but he didn't.

Although the result was disappointing (I watched the last couple of hours in a pub in Douglas, it was fairly wrist splitting at the end) The race itself was quite good. GB stuck to their game plan and worked like Trojans. If the Germans had done more earlier it could have been different. It cost both Cav and Griepel a medal. Any other option for GB would have rquired a different team member i.e Ben Swift which would have given them options in the break.

I'm very curious about the TT on Weds. I definitely think Wiggo toasted himself more than Froome. Perhaps Froome is in his room now practising his evil laugh...mwah ha ha hah!

Outsider art by Loan

Teddy Westside wrote:

A couple of Vinokourov fans choosing to be totally blind to his cheating (and unrepentant) past.

I know what you do - see all you do - and yet I am still happy that Vino won. :P

There could hardly be a less-worthy winner out of that peloton.

I don't see how, at least insofar as, uh, anyone but you and those who agree with you are concerned. That's because, quite crucially, the people who make the rules apparently aren't represented there. That is, the relevant criteria by which riders' 'worthiness' is assessed is set by people who don't so dwell on expired sanctions. They just don't really care, and it seems to me that by that criteria all riders who began the race did so on equal standing, each as capable of becoming a worthy winner, a valid victor, as the next. And no further distinction is made. Perhaps, though, you could petition the UCI for the introduction of post-sanction sanctions, or something, whereby riders may race but not win; or race and win but only on a 20kg bike, the weight of their sins against which they must struggle; or race and win but only as second tier winners. If the latter, their medals could be chocolate, just to fuck with and fatten them, to casually nudge them out of the sport. :!:

ms_tree

I spent all day watching that on BBC Olympics 3 (dreadful) except for last bit on Eurosport for decent commentary then it goes straight off to shooting. Nipped back to BBC and see that dreadful Douglas woman interviewing Vinokourov but there's no sound. Then camera stays far too long on Cancellara in tears. Then it goes to some studio rubbish. Sigh!
Why did Porter and Boardman keep saying the wrong riders were in the break? I thought that meant the rest of the team doesn't have to chase. Sean would have known that!
Bernie - you're a disgrace! Dragging your young team mate into disrepute!
Why didn't the other Swiss riders in the break ride on when Cancellara go down? Albasini could have been in with a chance.
Had to laugh when Vino got into that break!
Rider of the day for me - Castroviejo.

Still, got a lot of knitting done!

knedlicky

Really pleased for Vino.
And well done to Kristoff too – he was in the break from the very beginning.

In the end the ones who got it wrong on the day weren’t so much GB but the Spanish who still had the numbers in the break after the Cancellara crash.
The Italians and Americans seemed to lose people in the break about then, presumably some of their riders being those who crashed or dismounted right behind Cancellara. Felt sorry for the Swiss after all the work they put in the break.

Cav’s post-race criticism of the other teams was off the mark (and also Carl_P’s comment above). Cav said something like they did nothing to win just tried to prevent GB winning. If he was right, what were the Swiss and Americans doing with 4 riders in the break, the Colombians, Spanish and Italians each with 3 riders, and the Norwegians, Belgians and Russians each with 2 riders?
In fact the whole Colombian team was in the break (as was the whole Uzbekistan team, admittedly just one rider). That’s hardly doing nothing to win.

GB dismally just got it wrong from the off, considering they knew what tactics the other teams would take. The Mad Rapper is right to say GB should have tried to have someone join the break but the GB team seemed to have a rigidity about their tactics which didn't allow such ideas. Although I suppose that fits a bit with the whole Sky concept and approach.

A lot of bad feeling being expressed here about Vino, rather than celebrating his victory, a nice end to his career, and his (as-often the case) overall astute behaviour during today’s race – there must be many posters here who feel anyone committing a crime should be put away for life.
The repentance argument is meaningless – in reality showing repentance might mean some sentences given are less severe, but it’s not a requirement of normal civil or religious law, never mind required by the rules of any sport.

frenchfighter

My thoughts on this race are as follows:

Although I think Vino was an amazing rider, and although his calves are nutcracker good, I am not happy he won. This is mainly as he is retiring this year so for the next four years there will be no Olympic champion in the peloton like Samu. He is an old-timer but like Jens, abviously has the legs. Congratulations on the win.

Uran, nice move to breakaway there and create the initial gap. He got caught dozing but I don't think he would have won the sprint anyway, even if he has a kick.



Gilbert had amazing legs, I just wished he had saved them for the last 20km. I would have thought Chavanel would have gone for it to. Nibali, always wants to say he is going to fight, and he does and he attacks, but he went way too early.

Biggest shame is Cancellara going into the barriers. I have no idea how he could crash like that. I also think that he would have won the race. If Vino/Uran could stay away for 10km or so then 150% sure Fabu would have been with them and even tried and succeeded to gap them with 1/2km to go so he didn't have Vino sit on his wheel and jump.

Wiggins rode well today and I think he looked super strong. Strong enough to bridge solo to that move then go with Vino. That would have been amazing but of course Corporate Boring BC have a plan. And they stick to that even if it will fail. This isn't a race with three sprinters teams of 9riders chasing down a 5man break at 1min/10km, this is four guys against 20 - it most certainly isnt going to work.

And in anycase (no one has mentioned this), but Cav came third in the sprint. Greipel came 1st - I bet he is rueing being an idiot (or whoever was shot calling for Ger) and having no one ride. You could argue that Cav wouldn't sprint his hardest for a place of honour, but I wouldn't be so sure.



I read through the last 15 pages but they weren't very good for anyone trying to follow the race.

2012 London Olympics Mens Road Race
1 Alexandr Vinokurov (Kazakhstan) 5:45:57
2 Rigoberto Uran Uran (Colombia)
3 Alexander Kristoff (Norway) + 8
4 Taylor Phinney (United States of America)
5 Sergey Lagutin (Uzbekistan)
6 Stuart O'grady (Australia)
7 Jurgen Roelandts (Belgium)
8 Gregory Rast (Switzerland)
9 Luca Paolini (Italy)
10 Jack Bauer (New Zealand)
11 Lars Boom (Netherlands)
12 Jakob Fuglsang (Denmark)
13 Rui Alberto Faria Costa (Portugal)
14 Luis Leon Sanchez Gil (Spain)
15 Roman Kreuziger (Czech Republic)
16 Sergio Luis Henao Montoya (Colombia)
17 Andriy Grivko (Ukraine)
18 Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spain)
19 Philippe Gilbert (Belgium)
20 Sylvain Chavanel (France)
21 Janez Brajkovic (Slovenia)
22 Fumiyuki Beppu (Japan)
23 Robert Gesink (Netherlands)
24 Alexandr Kolobnev (Russian Federation)
25 Lars Petter Nordhaug (Norway)
26 Jonathan Castroviejo Nicolas (Spain) + 16
27 Andre Greipel (Germany) + 40
28 Tom Boonen (Belgium)
29 Mark Cavendish (Great Britain)
30 Arnaud Demare (France)

Fail for these bikes


Did you know he was riding? Aus were a major fail this race, not that I am upset.

OffTheBackAdam

One of my clubmates is down there, here's Wiggo taking a bow as he passes The Palace!
Man's a complete star!