World Road Race - Men ***Spoilers***

Drumlin

TailWindHome wrote:

Great race. All the favourites + 2 Irishmen there for the finale.

Gilbert does what he does best.

GB rode well for a team with no chance.

JTL looked grand in big company.

Ditto.

The only disappointment for me was the early retirement of Wiggins. Its a shame he wasn't there at the finish to help JTL.

Yellow Peril

Drumlin wrote:

TailWindHome wrote:

Great race. All the favourites + 2 Irishmen there for the finale.

Gilbert does what he does best.

GB rode well for a team with no chance.

JTL looked grand in big company.

Ditto.

The only disappointment for me was the early retirement of Wiggins. Its a shame he wasn't there at the finish to help JTL.

Agreed. I never thought I'd be congratulating Cav for doing a bigger turn than both Wiggo and Froome put together. I think Froome can be excused because he has ridden himself into the ground. Wiggo has hit the pub and I guess you haved to accept that side to him because it isn't going to change but nevertheless he shouldn't have been there just to make up the numbers. This is the Worlds not the ToB.

I would have taken some of the younger riders. Little Pete should have been there instead of Froome who was completely spent poor bloke.

frenchfighter

frenchfighter

Check out EBH : )
http://www.nieuwsblad.be/sportwereld/cn ... id=1981070

powerbookboy

Yellow Peril wrote:

Drumlin wrote:

TailWindHome wrote:

Great race. All the favourites + 2 Irishmen there for the finale.

Gilbert does what he does best.

GB rode well for a team with no chance.

JTL looked grand in big company.

Ditto.

The only disappointment for me was the early retirement of Wiggins. Its a shame he wasn't there at the finish to help JTL.

Agreed. I never thought I'd be congratulating Cav for doing a bigger turn than both Wiggo and Froome put together. I think Froome can be excused because he has ridden himself into the ground. Wiggo has hit the pub and I guess you haved to accept that side to him because it isn't going to change but nevertheless he shouldn't have been there just to make up the numbers. This is the Worlds not the ToB.

I would have taken some of the younger riders. Little Pete should have been there instead of Froome who was completely spent poor bloke.

I've found it slightly difficult to warm to Cav in the past, but he's displayed real humility this year riding for others, respecting the jersey, etc. Wiggins and Frome realistically were always going to be making up the numbers and fulfilling sponsorship obligation in the Worlds, rather than being movers and shakers. I don't know enough about the talents of the other riders that were available to be selected - but putting young riders into 270km of that sort of speed doesn't seem that wise. Might make them question their own talents, think of turning to the dark side.

If the teams going to have make-weights, it might as well be people who aren't going to be scarred by the experience.

Good ride by Stannard - somone's gotta look at him and think Roubaix podium surely?

Richmond Racer

Powerbookboy's right. Wiggins and Froome had to be there for all kinds of reasons other than to launch JTL up the final climb of the Cauberg. As another poster's already said, G and Millar ruled themselves out, as did Jez Hunt. 'Little Pete' as well - the guy's done many less miles on the road than even G this year, and he's only just back on the bike in the last week since the Olympics.

I think that Blythe and Fenn might be in a stronger position for contention next year with another season under their belts - though like OPQS and the Belgian team, I think you have to make yourself impossible to leave out if you're not on the Sky squad like Cummings, Millar do.

Yellow Peril

powerbookboy wrote:

Yellow Peril wrote:

Drumlin wrote:

TailWindHome wrote:

Great race. All the favourites + 2 Irishmen there for the finale.

Gilbert does what he does best.

GB rode well for a team with no chance.

JTL looked grand in big company.

Ditto.

The only disappointment for me was the early retirement of Wiggins. Its a shame he wasn't there at the finish to help JTL.

Agreed. I never thought I'd be congratulating Cav for doing a bigger turn than both Wiggo and Froome put together. I think Froome can be excused because he has ridden himself into the ground. Wiggo has hit the pub and I guess you haved to accept that side to him because it isn't going to change but nevertheless he shouldn't have been there just to make up the numbers. This is the Worlds not the ToB.

I would have taken some of the younger riders. Little Pete should have been there instead of Froome who was completely spent poor bloke.

I've found it slightly difficult to warm to Cav in the past, but he's displayed real humility this year riding for others, respecting the jersey, etc. Wiggins and Frome realistically were always going to be making up the numbers and fulfilling sponsorship obligation in the Worlds, rather than being movers and shakers. I don't know enough about the talents of the other riders that were available to be selected - but putting young riders into 270km of that sort of speed doesn't seem that wise. Might make them question their own talents, think of turning to the dark side.

If the teams going to have make-weights, it might as well be people who aren't going to be scarred by the experience.

Good ride by Stannard - somone's gotta look at him and think Roubaix podium surely?[/quote]

Little Pete Kennaugh has GT experience and could have handled this. But you make a good point I guess most Brits wanted to see Wiggo and Froome being two of our big stars. I wonder now if Cav took charge on the road because of the condition of Froome and Wiggo? A huge huge turn by him and he called it well kept JTL protected and didn't waste Stannard early doors. It was a shame Swift didn't have the legs for a foray but watching Talansky fall off Stannard's wheel on the Cauberg was awesome. TBH it all ended brilliantly with Pip taking the Jersey, Hollywood couldn't have done it better.

I think you are right about Stannard as well but watching Boonen single handedly drop him and a chasing group over the cobbles this year was a bit of a reminder of the gulf between being good and being great.

Yellow Peril

Take your points RR, didn't see them before posting.

Chapeau to Cummings as well, good ride.

Richmond Racer

Interesting one about Cav taking charge...everyone close to him says he's a born leader, which I can believe, but he's very rarely going to be the road captain on a team as they're usually riding for him.

As for Stannard, he's only 25 - time on his side for further improvement. Just want to see him given the chance to be a protected rider, not just the massive engine that shreds others for the cause. Pretty confident he's going to get the chance next season - he's been really impressive this year, and his climbing seems to have come on a lot.

frenchfighter

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/no-regr ... valkenburg

"I didn't do the last climb full on so that I could try and save my effort for the false flat afterwards," Voeckler told reporters outside the French team bus. "I had good legs, but I knew that my only small chance on this course was to jump away after the effort was made on the Cauberg with 1.5km to go, when the leaders would have no teammates left."

"Gilbert is the only person able to do that, and if he hadn't done that, there wouldn't have been a little group off the front chasing him either,"

"I tried to sprint for one of the places of honour, but really, who cares whether you come 4th or 7th?" Voeckler said baldly.

ddraver

Richmond Racer wrote:

Interesting one about Cav taking charge...everyone close to him says he's a born leader, which I can believe, but he's very rarely going to be the road captain on a team as they're usually riding for him.

As for Stannard, he's only 25 - time on his side for further improvement. Just want to see him given the chance to be a protected rider, not just the massive engine that shreds others for the cause. Pretty confident he's going to get the chance next season - he's been really impressive this year, and his climbing seems to have come on a lot.

Seriously 25?!?! I thought he was an old boy (older than me anyway!!)

Man, I'm even more impressed!

Tom Butcher

Personally I don't think Froome and Wiggins should have been there - it's the worlds - I don't buy that we pick riders just to show them off after the year they've had. Of course you don't know if they felt they could do a job and then just didn't have the legs on the day - but if their heads or legs weren't right before the event then someone else should have come in - only them and the management know which it is.

That said I don't think there is much they could have done to help JTL that other riders didn't do.

Richmond Racer

ddraver wrote:

Richmond Racer wrote:

Interesting one about Cav taking charge...everyone close to him says he's a born leader, which I can believe, but he's very rarely going to be the road captain on a team as they're usually riding for him.

As for Stannard, he's only 25 - time on his side for further improvement. Just want to see him given the chance to be a protected rider, not just the massive engine that shreds others for the cause. Pretty confident he's going to get the chance next season - he's been really impressive this year, and his climbing seems to have come on a lot.

Seriously 25?!?! I thought he was an old boy (older than me anyway!!)

Man, I'm even more impressed!

Yeah, think he was part of the GB Academy intake couple of years afer Cav and G's first year. He and Swifty are just 6 months apart in age - hard to believe...must be all those hours on the front in the wind....

hammerite

I spent the weekend on the Cauberg having a great time watching the races.

I know GB didn't have any great hopes of pulling off a win, but I had to wonder why we seemed to be on the front an awful lot. Certainly going by the commentary we could hear roadside - which I know might not give a full picture of the race like when watching on TV.

Fair enough Cav putting in an effort as outgoing World Champ (he got a huge ovation as he rolled past after going off the back), but GB pulling everyone along seemed to give an easy ride for Belgium and Netherlands until the closing stages.

Yes it was good to see Steve Cummings getting up there, JTL never far from the action, even Wiggo was in a very small group off the front first time up the Cauberg.... but it wasn't going anywhere. Gilbert seemed pretty anonymous to most of us (and I was next to a load from his fan club!) until he attacked.

And a note on JTL. We were stood right on the Amstel Gold finishing line, the penultimate time past he looked very easy holding about 5th place when I think it was Contador put in a dig, while everyone else seemed to be blowing hard. Very impressive.

Yellow Peril

hammerite wrote:

I spent the weekend on the Cauberg having a great time watching the races.

I know GB didn't have any great hopes of pulling off a win, but I had to wonder why we seemed to be on the front an awful lot. Certainly going by the commentary we could hear roadside - which I know might not give a full picture of the race like when watching on TV.

Fair enough Cav putting in an effort as outgoing World Champ (he got a huge ovation as he rolled past after going off the back), but GB pulling everyone along seemed to give an easy ride for Belgium and Netherlands until the closing stages.

Yes it was good to see Steve Cummings getting up there, JTL never far from the action, even Wiggo was in a very small group off the front first time up the Cauberg.... but it wasn't going anywhere. Gilbert seemed pretty anonymous to most of us (and I was next to a load from his fan club!) until he attacked.

And a note on JTL. We were stood right on the Amstel Gold finishing line, the penultimate time past he looked very easy holding about 5th place when I think it was Contador put in a dig, while everyone else seemed to be blowing hard. Very impressive.

It was a difficlut call. Perhaps GB were worried that Pip or TB might clip off the front at some point if the race wasn't pegged. The Belgians didn't rush to the front en mass to peg the break and we know how TB can crank it up and disappear ala RVV and PB.

Retrospectively it was good to see our boys on the front. How many times other than this year and last year have you wondered where they are for most of the race only to see them jack having done nothing? They led well, got Cummings in the break, had JTL shoulder to shoulder with Bertie, had Stannard create a gravitational black hole into which Talansky collapsed with still enough gas to put JTL in a decent position on that final left turn.

Great days for GB great win for Pip.

hammerite

Yellow Peril wrote:

It was a difficlut call. Perhaps GB were worried that Pip or TB might clip off the front at some point if the race wasn't pegged. The Belgians didn't rush to the front en mass to peg the break and we know how TB can crank it up and disappear ala RVV and PB.

Retrospectively it was good to see our boys on the front. How many times other than this year and last year have you wondered where they are for most of the race only to see them jack having done nothing? They led well, got Cummings in the break, had JTL shoulder to shoulder with Bertie, had Stannard create a gravitational black hole into which Talansky collapsed with still enough gas to put JTL in a decent position on that final left turn.

Great days for GB great win for Pip.

Agree, they have to try things and better to be seen to be in with a shout than not be seen at all. Also good to see some other riders come to the fore. A good few years ahead for Brits I think.

I suppose if I'm playing master tactician I'd have got a rider in the break (Rowe?) and let other nations do the work to pull it back. Especially given Wiggo and Froome not having the legs. Then play the Cummings/JTL counter, once other teams had worked to pull the break back.

Still dream world, I doubt any of them could've done much to stop Gilbert.

I had a great time regardless. I got the impression that it was going to be Gilbert all along, the number of Belgians supporting was huge, not so many Dutch. They were out the day before for Vos though!

Yellow Peril

hammerite wrote:

Yellow Peril wrote:

It was a difficlut call. Perhaps GB were worried that Pip or TB might clip off the front at some point if the race wasn't pegged. The Belgians didn't rush to the front en mass to peg the break and we know how TB can crank it up and disappear ala RVV and PB.

Retrospectively it was good to see our boys on the front. How many times other than this year and last year have you wondered where they are for most of the race only to see them jack having done nothing? They led well, got Cummings in the break, had JTL shoulder to shoulder with Bertie, had Stannard create a gravitational black hole into which Talansky collapsed with still enough gas to put JTL in a decent position on that final left turn.

Great days for GB great win for Pip.

Agree, they have to try things and better to be seen to be in with a shout than not be seen at all. Also good to see some other riders come to the fore. A good few years ahead for Brits I think.

I suppose if I'm playing master tactician I'd have got a rider in the break (Rowe?) and let other nations do the work to pull it back. Especially given Wiggo and Froome not having the legs. Then play the Cummings/JTL counter, once other teams had worked to pull the break back.

Still dream world, I doubt any of them could've done much to stop Gilbert.

I had a great time regardless. I got the impression that it was going to be Gilbert all along, the number of Belgians supporting was huge, not so many Dutch. They were out the day before for Vos though!

Sounds like you had a great time, The Dutch can hold their heads up thanks to Vos ( a bit like GB a few years back when Cooke was more successful than GB men).

Very exciting times for GB racing. Hopefully we'll get some Spring classics joy next season.

I'm off to Gent in a few weeks time for a bi-annual trip to the 6 dayer. Mmmh the smell of beer and frites!

Pross

I was surprised how many people were still in contention on the final lap given all the talk about this being such a testing course. There were quite a few sprinters in the lead group and chase group until the final climb of the Cauberg. Fantastic by Stannard and he really does deserve the chance to have a crack at the spring classics with a team working for him and EBH. JTL for the Ardennes with Henao and Uran as well.

graeme_s-2

I caught up with the last 10km on Sky+ when I got home yesterday. Father-in-law came in and saw the last 5km, and ended up leaping off the sofa and yelling at the TV when Gilbert went. To my knowledge he's never watched a bike race in his life, but he really enjoyed himself, which was nice .

Really pleased for Gilbert. Thought GB did very well considering they were basically viewed as having no chance. Having their rider who was most suited to the final climb in the front group, supported and reasonably well positioned when they got to the foot of the climb was pretty much all we could have asked of them. No great surprised that JTL couldn't match Gilbert, Valverde and EBH up that sort of climb with that sort of distance in his legs. Give it a couple of years and then we'll see.

I watched the early part of the race, and then saw Stannard bringing JTL to the front at the end, but didn't see 100-250km, so what else did he do that has everybody singing his praises so?

Turfle

Graeme_S wrote:

I caught up with the last 10km on Sky+ when I got home yesterday. Father-in-law came in and saw the last 5km, and ended up leaping off the sofa and yelling at the TV when Gilbert went. To my knowledge he's never watched a bike race in his life, but he really enjoyed himself, which was nice .

Really pleased for Gilbert. Thought GB did very well considering they were basically viewed as having no chance. Having their rider who was most suited to the final climb in the front group, supported and reasonably well positioned when they got to the foot of the climb was pretty much all we could have asked of them. No great surprised that JTL couldn't match Gilbert, Valverde and EBH up that sort of climb with that sort of distance in his legs. Give it a couple of years and then we'll see.

I watched the early part of the race, and then saw Stannard bringing JTL to the front at the end, but didn't see 100-250km, so what else did he do that has everybody singing his praises so?

Stannard or JTL?

JTL followed, with apparent ease, a Contador attack up the Cauberg, and found himself in a very nice group off the front with Contador, Voeckler and others. Prior to that group being caught the Spaniards and French in the group tried drilling it up the Cauberg, and again JTL followed the Contador and Voeckler attacks with ease.

When they were eventually brought back, Stannard followed an attack by Talansky, and dropped him on the penultimate ascent of the Cauberg. That someone the size of Stannard was there at that point, let alone still responding to attacks, was quite impressive.

graeme_s-2

Turfle wrote:

Graeme_S wrote:

I watched the early part of the race, and then saw Stannard bringing JTL to the front at the end, but didn't see 100-250km, so what else did he do that has everybody singing his praises so?

Stannard or JTL?

JTL followed, with apparent ease, a Contador attack up the Cauberg, and found himself in a very nice group off the front with Contador, Voeckler and others. Prior to that group being caught the Spaniards and French in the group tried drilling it up the Cauberg, and again JTL followed the Contador and Voeckler attacks with ease.

When they were eventually brought back, Stannard followed an attack by Talansky, and dropped him on the penultimate ascent of the Cauberg. That someone the size of Stannard was there at that point, let alone still responding to attacks, was quite impressive.

Sorry for the ambiguity. I meant Stannard, but the JTL summary was nice as well, thank you

hammerite

I don't expect FF to use any of my blurry photos from this weekend (I need to learn how to use my camera properly!)

Look at the facial expressions of Contador and others compared to how calm JTL looks.....

frenchfighter

Yeah, didn't look like he was breathing. Seen a few riders like that...

Teddy Westside

RichN95 wrote:

greasedscotsman wrote:

Brasserie Amadeus in Maastrict

Cyclists should boycott it! Totally irresponsible getting lackys to hold such long banners over the route. :roll:

If it was any other one day race which Cav didn't expect to win, he maybe would have stopped to "have a word". :twisted:

dougzz

frenchfighter wrote:

Yeah, didn't look like he was breathing. Seen a few riders like that...

LOL, nice one

Richmond Racer

Teddy Westside wrote:

RichN95 wrote:

greasedscotsman wrote:

Brasserie Amadeus in Maastrict

Cyclists should boycott it! Totally irresponsible getting lackys to hold such long banners over the route. :roll:

If it was any other one day race which Cav didn't expect to win, he maybe would have stopped to "have a word". :twisted:

He said in interview back at the bus that he had his water bottle 'ready' for the eejit on the next circuit but the camera was on him

pottssteve

Teddy Westside wrote:

RichN95 wrote:

greasedscotsman wrote:

Brasserie Amadeus in Maastrict

Cyclists should boycott it! Totally irresponsible getting lackys to hold such long banners over the route. :roll:

If it was any other one day race which Cav didn't expect to win, he maybe would have stopped to "have a word". :twisted:

I've been there. It was described (after my visit) as one of the worst restaurants in Maastricht by one of my colleagues. It appears I was lucky to get out without a concussion...

A couple of my blurry photos (from the whole week) can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/31218589@N ... 604620006/

Steve

cal_stewart

Hello Mrs Gilbert the 80's called it wants its haircut back. lol

Was Blythe selectable because didn't pip take him to BMC for him to ride for him in these types of races?

rick_chasey

Cal_Stewart wrote:

Hello Mrs Gilbert the 80's called it wants its haircut back. lol

Was Blythe selectable because didn't pip take him to BMC for him to ride for him in these types of races?

Yeah. For during the beginning phase while you're still waking up and eating the breakfast.

knedlicky

RichN95 wrote:

knedlicky wrote:

I'm surprised posters aren't critical of the GB team selection of Wiggins and Froome.

Who would you include instead? Thomas and Millar excused themselves, Blythe and Fenn are inexperienced youngsters and Kennaugh has barely ridden road all year. We're not a nation with many options.

I think Fenn has done enough to have warranted a place, especially if from the start Wiggins and Froome weren't really interested. And he's older than for example Moser who was up front almost to the end.

The argument about including Wiggins and Froome for sponsorship reasons I don't think really carries weight, because the outfits of all riders only discretely showed their major sponsor.
But I think it a bad thing that Brailsford is working for both British Cycling and Sky - in his Britsh Cycling capacity he is bound to have mixed interests and a degree of favouritism.