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

knedlicky

Turfle wrote:

Favourite for Lombardy again then.

Don't count on it - Lombardy is sometimes the revenge race for what didn't come about at the WCs.

ContrelaMontre

knedlicky wrote:

Turfle wrote:

Favourite for Lombardy again then.

Don't count on it - Lombardy is sometimes the revenge race for what didn't come about at the WCs.

So numbersixvalverde's favourite then?

frenchfighter

knedlicky wrote:

Turfle wrote:

Favourite for Lombardy again then.

Don't count on it - Lombardy is sometimes the revenge race for what didn't come about at the WCs.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/gilbert ... bardia-win

Turfle

The Muro di Sormano is going to make it harder for him, but can never write Gilbert off. If maybe a group of say Contador, Henao, Nibali, Valverde could get away on it that would make it interesting.

nweststeyn

frenchfighter wrote:

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

I wonder what happened to his hair?

knedlicky

Pross wrote:

The Mad Rapper wrote:

I don't think the jersey is about money though, it's almost about something money can't buy.

Not really - you can buy Chinese replicas of the jersey very cheap on a well known internet auction site

Tony Martin’s original rainbow jersey (signed by him) for his win in the World Championship TT last year is currently available to buy – he donated it to a charity for auction and the money it sells for will go to a hospice for terminally-ill children.

The auction started 2 weeks ago and lasts until 2 October. The current leading bid is 350 Euro. The jersey is valued at 400 Euro but the reserve was less and has alreaady been met. Size M for those interested.

frenchfighter

The full six hours, but not with UK commentary.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IuSwYs7 ... r_embedded

frenchfighter

VN: What was the GB game plan?

JTL: We only discussed that at 9:00 pm the night before the race.

It wasn’t like Copenhagen where Cav’s win was discussed and planned for two years before.

Cav and Alex Dowsett would cover the early moves; Steve Cummings was to go with any moves and Ian Stannard – who was very strong - was to keep me up front.

LOL

inkyfingers

Considering they didn't really have a winning card to play I think team GB did well actually.

rick_chasey

inkyfingers wrote:

Considering they didn't really have a winning card to play I think team GB did well actually.

Still have no idea why they took it upon themselves to control anything.

I bet the Belgians were pleased.

inkyfingers

Rick Chasey wrote:

inkyfingers wrote:

Considering they didn't really have a winning card to play I think team GB did well actually.

Still have no idea why they took it upon themselves to control anything.

I bet the Belgians were pleased.

Yeah, that was a bit odd. Maybe just habit!

andyp

Lottery funding is based on performances at World Championships and the Olympics, so it's better for BC to be able to say "our team was very active in controlling the race, placed riders in important breakaways and had two men in the small group that contested the final" than "we hid in the wheels and our best rider came 19th".

Turfle

Belgium didn't care if the gap wasn't closed util the final ascent of the Cauberg. GB wanted the gap close enough by the time they reached the circuit so that more attacks would happen. Their only chance of winning was to make it a race of attacks by the 2nd and 3rd favourites. Same plan Spain had.

andyp

The Spanish had a plan? :shock:

knedlicky

andyp wrote:

Lottery funding is based on performances at World Championships and the Olympics, so it's better for BC to be able to say "our team was very active in controlling the race, placed riders in important breakaways and had two men in the small group that contested the final" than "we hid in the wheels and our best rider came 19th".

I wonder how FDJ racing team's funding is exactly decided - it comes from the French lottery. I suspect not based on World Championships and Olympics performances alone, but maybe the same justification is required - our team was very active in controlling the race, placed riders in important breakaways and had two men in the small group that contested the final.
Thus Sandy Casar's presence in various breakaways are as important as Pinot and Fedrigo's TdF stage victories, and more than Bouhanni's various Europe tour wins? I think probably so.

FDJ have it easer than BC, because I believe in France available lottery money goes to only sport, meaning FDJ get 12% of the profit (although this isn't just for the profi cycling team, but also to support a whole host of other FDJ sports down to grassroots level), whereas I believe in the UK, it is less regulated and of the about 12% profit which is made available, it's split between heritage, ''good causes', and sport.

Pross

andyp wrote:

Lottery funding is based on performances at World Championships and the Olympics, so it's better for BC to be able to say "our team was very active in controlling the race, placed riders in important breakaways and had two men in the small group that contested the final" than "we hid in the wheels and our best rider came 19th".

I thought it was based purely on Olympics hence why the GB track team don't tend to go all out at Worlds?

hammerite

knedlicky wrote:

andyp wrote:

Lottery funding is based on performances at World Championships and the Olympics, so it's better for BC to be able to say "our team was very active in controlling the race, placed riders in important breakaways and had two men in the small group that contested the final" than "we hid in the wheels and our best rider came 19th".

I wonder how FDJ racing team's funding is exactly decided - it comes from the French lottery. I suspect not based on World Championships and Olympics performances alone, but maybe the same justification is required - our team was very active in controlling the race, placed riders in important breakaways and had two men in the small group that contested the final.
Thus Sandy Casar's presence in various breakaways are as important as Pinot and Fedrigo's TdF stage victories, and more than Bouhanni's various Europe tour wins? I think probably so.

FDJ have it easer than BC, because I believe in France available lottery money goes to only sport, meaning FDJ get 12% of the profit (although this isn't just for the profi cycling team, but also to support a whole host of other FDJ sports down to grassroots level), whereas I believe in the UK, it is less regulated and of the about 12% profit which is made available, it's split between heritage, ''good causes', and sport.

I'm guessing it's more like a traditional sponsorship arrangement of a team as opposed to the money going to the national federation. i.e. FDJ pay €x million to run the team. Maybe some additional clauses in there, you must have x number of French riders in the squad and x % of the team for each race must be French.

jawooga

Why are people are pleased for Pip Gilbert to have won the worlds? That's not supposed to be a trolling comment; I'm sure he's a really nice bloke (comes across that as such anyway) and I'm interested if there's a concise answer here rather than me starting a thread for my ignorance! Cheers.

iainf72

jawooga wrote:

Why are people are pleased for Pip Gilbert to have won the worlds? That's not supposed to be a trolling comment; I'm sure he's a really nice bloke (comes across that as such anyway) and I'm interested if there's a concise answer here rather than me starting a thread for my ignorance! Cheers.

He's generally considered to be someone who's not a skanky doper.

And he's a fairly exciting rider.

And his wife has an inspirational haircut

jawooga

jawooga wrote:

Why are people are pleased for Pip Gilbert to have won the worlds? That's not supposed to be a trolling comment; I'm sure he's a really nice bloke (comes across that as such anyway) and I'm interested if there's a concise answer here rather than me starting a thread for my ignorance! Cheers.

iainf72 wrote:

He's generally considered to be someone who's not a skanky doper.

And he's a fairly exciting rider.

And his wife has an inspirational haircut

Thanks Iain, that'll do. Ms Gilbert is quite the fitty as well, j'agree.

andyp

He's also the most versatile one day rider of his generation, so it's fitting that he wins the Worlds.

ocdupalais

jawooga wrote:

jawooga wrote:

Why are people are pleased for Pip Gilbert to have won the worlds? That's not supposed to be a trolling comment; I'm sure he's a really nice bloke (comes across that as such anyway) and I'm interested if there's a concise answer here rather than me starting a thread for my ignorance! Cheers.

iainf72 wrote:

He's generally considered to be someone who's not a skanky doper.

And he's a fairly exciting rider.

And his wife has an inspirational haircut

Thanks Iain, that'll do. Ms Gilbert is quite the fitty as well, j'agree.

jawooga - are you actually Jonathon Tiernan-Locke?

It's just that I imagine him/you asking that question about Gilbert (what with being in front of him for most of the World Champs; and after dropping him, and everybody else horribly - including Quintana, Voeckler, Thibaut Pinot, Dan Martin, Kessiakoff, etc - way back in February at the Haut Var), genuinely curious to know what all the fuss is about that guy that you'll probably be in lots of head-to-heads with next season, and who seems to have the fit World Championship podium girl coming up to him way before the presentations...


But more than that: it's your Devon location and the fact the your avatar is exactly what I'd imagine JTL's self-portrait to look like.
Actual size, too...

RichN95.

jawooga wrote:

Why are people are pleased for Pip Gilbert to have won the worlds? That's not supposed to be a trolling comment; I'm sure he's a really nice bloke (comes across that as such anyway) and I'm interested if there's a concise answer here rather than me starting a thread for my ignorance! Cheers.

He's shown over the last few years that he's the best rider at that sort of course. Just as Cavendish was last year. So he's a 'worthy' champion.

It's good when the World Champion is one of the undisputed top names of the sport. Boonen, Bettini, Cavendish, Evans, Gilbert, Museeuw, Cipollini - these are big stars - we want the likes of them in the jersey. Ballan, Astarloa not so much. (You can decide for yourself where Hushovd fits in).

(I personally didn't want him to win, mind)

ocdupalais

jawooga wrote:

Why are people are pleased for Pip Gilbert to have won the worlds?

....also, if I disregard your true identity for a moment and answer the question, I think there's a sigh of relief for a lot of people with Gilbert becoming World Champ: after his amazing season last year and his subsequent largely duff one this year, folk were in danger of being left in a state of limbo not really knowing what to think (about him, about how to "read" massively inconsistent seasons, etc - after all the scandals people want things they can have faith in and can understand)... His victory means that cycling fans can go into the Winter knowing (albeit subconsciously for many, perhaps) that one of the iconic symbols of cycling rests with a true legend of the sport until this time next year...
Unless something dreadful and unmentionable happens...

jawooga

OCD. Thanks, interesting theory. Also I guess the rainbow jersey is a continual visual statement. I can imagine a world champ parading around in the colours for a year, who had a tainted history with doping would stick in the throat with anyone who gave a monkeys about the sport. So it's a relief when a good egg wins.

rick_chasey

He's not very popular with journos.

Has a propensity to be a real primadonna.

Yellow Peril

Rick Chasey wrote:

He's not very popular with journos.Has a propensity to be a real primadonna.

...or small kids with dogs...