Richmond World Championships 2015 pre-race
Comments
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It'll be 'Flemish-style' racing, but whether it's 'Ronde van Vlaanderen'-style, I'm not sure. The hills are just too short; 100m is nothing for pros, any sprinter will just fly up it. There'll be nice pictures of riders on cobbles, but not sure it'll affect the race enough. That final little climb up Governor Street will have more impact, but even that is short. I'm worried it'll be not much harder than Zolder, with a short climb just before the finish, which turned out like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kk5Rtb1FvJw .
Consensus seems to be that it will be attritional with a very reduced bunch likely left at the end. I've heard it described as Flanders-like.
From Cyclingnews:
The roads, to start with are wide, and flat before the first cobbled ascent of Libby Hill. Positioning will be crucial – think of the bergs of Flanders but with less severe cobbles – before a steep descent. The road then flattens before the 100-metre-long climb up 23rd Street, which pitches up at 19 per cent. Once again the road descends before the final ascent up Governor Street and the same false flat that concluded the team time trial. The men will race 259.2 kilometres, while their elite female counterparts will race 129.6 kilometres.
Certainly more Kristoff/Degenkolb/Greipel/Sagan than Vanmarcke/Stybar/Terpstra.0 -
Sacrilege!Makes sense.
They're a "pre season" sideshow in the grand scheme of things.
Traitor!
Seriously, it's just the Tour though, isn't it, not 'stage racing' in general. You can make the cynical argument that the monuments, Giro, Vuelta, and everything else, are all a sideshow to the Tour de France GC, and that in the grand scheme of things Boonen has made a career out of winning pre-season warm up races. Really?
As far as G is concerned, that argument is rubbish though - he's not goinhg to get team leadership at the Tour de France. And focusing on Paris-Nice, Tour de Suisse and perhaps the Giro or Vuelta is just as much 'sideshow' as De Ronde or Paris-Roubaix or LBL. I can understand he's excited by the idea of being on contention for a GT win at some point, but I just don't buy it's not compatible with riding the classics competitively.0 -
Didn't watch Zolder but at the time wasn't it considered to be a flat route that always favoured a bunch sprint? The impression I have was that the 'hill' was barely that, certainly with nothing approaching 19%.
It'll be 'Flemish-style' racing, but whether it's 'Ronde van Vlaanderen'-style, I'm not sure. The hills are just too short; 100m is nothing for pros, any sprinter will just fly up it. There'll be nice pictures of riders on cobbles, but not sure it'll affect the race enough. That final little climb up Governor Street will have more impact, but even that is short. I'm worried it'll be not much harder than Zolder, with a short climb just before the finish, which turned out like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kk5Rtb1FvJw .
Consensus seems to be that it will be attritional with a very reduced bunch likely left at the end. I've heard it described as Flanders-like.
From Cyclingnews:
The roads, to start with are wide, and flat before the first cobbled ascent of Libby Hill. Positioning will be crucial – think of the bergs of Flanders but with less severe cobbles – before a steep descent. The road then flattens before the 100-metre-long climb up 23rd Street, which pitches up at 19 per cent. Once again the road descends before the final ascent up Governor Street and the same false flat that concluded the team time trial. The men will race 259.2 kilometres, while their elite female counterparts will race 129.6 kilometres.
Certainly more Kristoff/Degenkolb/Greipel/Sagan than Vanmarcke/Stybar/Terpstra.
That said, I'd agree that the 2015 course should in theory suit Kristoff, Degenkolb, Sagan and conceivably Greipel if he's on a storming day but from what I've heard, it isn't going to suit the out and out sprinters. I'm also struggling to think of a team with both the strength and incentive to control the race the way the Italians did for Cipo that year.0 -
Anyone got any news on how selective or not the course is?
Am I alone in thinking the Worlds race always seems stupidly long? Any real outsiders are worn away by the shear distance.
No, I agree. 260km is long, and I know that's about normal for a one day classic, but I don't think it encourages great racing. It just ends up being really attritional.It's only a bit of sport, Mun. Relax and enjoy the racing.0 -
Team Sky have had a big setback after 3 riders crashes during a training ride, they hit a pothole at 60kph so cant have been nice0
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Anyone got any news on how selective or not the course is?
Am I alone in thinking the Worlds race always seems stupidly long? Any real outsiders are worn away by the shear distance.
No, I agree. 260km is long, and I know that's about normal for a one day classic, but I don't think it encourages great racing. It just ends up being really attritional.
No fan of any monument then?0 -
But the worlds isn't like any other race. Different riders, different teams (and team sizes). Maybe it's because it's one of the few I watch a big chunk of and it just feels too long.Anyone got any news on how selective or not the course is?
Am I alone in thinking the Worlds race always seems stupidly long? Any real outsiders are worn away by the shear distance.
No, I agree. 260km is long, and I know that's about normal for a one day classic, but I don't think it encourages great racing. It just ends up being really attritional.
No fan of any monument then?0 -
Anyone got any news on how selective or not the course is?
Am I alone in thinking the Worlds race always seems stupidly long? Any real outsiders are worn away by the shear distance.
No, I agree. 260km is long, and I know that's about normal for a one day classic, but I don't think it encourages great racing. It just ends up being really attritional.
No fan of any monument then?
No. I hate them all. :roll:
Monuments are attritional, of course they are. That's one of the reason they're monuments.
But the Worlds, doing the same route and climbs many times seems so much worse. The wildly different team strengths and numbers mean the racing is imbalanced, you get loads of riders climbing off each lap, it just seems to go on so much longer. Having a shorter course would make the racing better IMHO.It's only a bit of sport, Mun. Relax and enjoy the racing.0 -
I love the worlds, one of the highlights of the season. Yes it's a war of attrition, but that means the best riders in the world are left fighting it out for the win, as it should be.
The fact that riders are racing for their national team rather than their trade team adds to the race, as you see nominal team-mates racing each other and alliances between riders based on their trade team.0 -
I love the worlds, one of the highlights of the season. Yes it's a war of attrition, but that means the best riders in the world are left fighting it out for the win, as it should be.
The fact that riders are racing for their national team rather than their trade team adds to the race, as you see nominal team-mates racing each other and alliances between riders based on their trade team.
+10 -
I love the worlds, one of the highlights of the season. Yes it's a war of attrition, but that means the best riders in the world are left fighting it out for the win, as it should be.
The fact that riders are racing for their national team rather than their trade team adds to the race, as you see nominal team-mates racing each other and alliances between riders based on their trade team.
+1
Agree with all that. Still too long
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In a sport full of quirks (individual honour going to a rider backed by a team?) the worlds has an extra layer of quirkiness. The teams aren't balanced, as team size depends on national performance, and alliances are made across national teams based on trade team affiliation, with riders working against their actual national team.
This plays out on monument length courses with repeated loops.
It's utterly, magnificently nuts. Don't change a thing!Warning No formatter is installed for the format0 -
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Anyone interested in the TTT?
I was planning on watching it via Youtube, but it appears it is not available to watch in the UK
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Anyone interested in the TTT?
I was planning on watching it via Youtube, but it appears it is not available to watch in the UK
It's on Eurosport.0 -
Anyone interested in the TTT?
I was planning on watching it via Youtube, but it appears it is not available to watch in the UK
It's on Eurosport.
Don't have Eurosport! Found a link on Steephill so will just have to watch it on the laptop instead.0 -
Anyone interested in the TTT?
I was planning on watching it via Youtube, but it appears it is not available to watch in the UK
It's on Eurosport.
Don't have Eurosport! Found a link on Steephill so will just have to watch it on the laptop instead.
Eurosport shows the vast majority of international level cycle races.
If you're a fan it's really worth getting it.
I don't think eurosport player is too expensive either.0 -
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How come TTT's are ridden in pro teams rather than national ones?Napoleon, don't be jealous that I've been chatting online with babes all day. Besides, we both know that I'm training to be a cage fighter.0
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How come TTT's are ridden in pro teams rather than national ones?
Possibly something to do with numbers. You'd end up with so few countries competing as they would struggle to muster up 6 decent riders worth flying half way around the world to compete. Possibly not so bad in Europe, but in the US or Geelong I'd imagine it would be a pain.
The other thing I think is due to organisation. A trade team has a better chance of training/drilling their riders. It would be difficult for a national team to get riders together...
Finally the Rainbow jersey. At what point in the year would a national team get the opportunity to race a TTT in a rainbow jersey? Trade teams will get a few opportunities, plus I think they usually carry a little badge on their jerseys for the rest of the year on non TTT races.0 -
Thanks. That all makes sense.Napoleon, don't be jealous that I've been chatting online with babes all day. Besides, we both know that I'm training to be a cage fighter.0
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Can't remember who the first team to finish was, but they were only 13 seconds faster than the fastest ladies team (Velocio SRAM I think).0
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Tinkoff Saxo on the deck.0
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Are you sure about that?Can't remember who the first team to finish was, but they were only 13 seconds faster than the fastest ladies team (Velocio SRAM I think).0 -
How come TTT's are ridden in pro teams rather than national ones?
Possibly something to do with numbers. You'd end up with so few countries competing as they would struggle to muster up 6 decent riders worth flying half way around the world to compete. Possibly not so bad in Europe, but in the US or Geelong I'd imagine it would be a pain.
The other thing I think is due to organisation. A trade team has a better chance of training/drilling their riders. It would be difficult for a national team to get riders together...
Finally the Rainbow jersey. At what point in the year would a national team get the opportunity to race a TTT in a rainbow jersey? Trade teams will get a few opportunities, plus I think they usually carry a little badge on their jerseys for the rest of the year on non TTT races.
They don't get TTT rainbow jersey do they? and if they did imagine it would only be for riders who competed in it, like in TP on track0 -
Are you sure about that?Can't remember who the first team to finish was, but they were only 13 seconds faster than the fastest ladies team (Velocio SRAM I think).
No! I think Rob Hatch said it though during the commentary.
Edit: actually yes! They'd have beaten 2 of the men's teams and were 13 secs behind Champion Systems.0 -
How come TTT's are ridden in pro teams rather than national ones?
Possibly something to do with numbers. You'd end up with so few countries competing as they would struggle to muster up 6 decent riders worth flying half way around the world to compete. Possibly not so bad in Europe, but in the US or Geelong I'd imagine it would be a pain.
The other thing I think is due to organisation. A trade team has a better chance of training/drilling their riders. It would be difficult for a national team to get riders together...
Finally the Rainbow jersey. At what point in the year would a national team get the opportunity to race a TTT in a rainbow jersey? Trade teams will get a few opportunities, plus I think they usually carry a little badge on their jerseys for the rest of the year on non TTT races.
They don't get TTT rainbow jersey do they? and if they did imagine it would only be for riders who competed in it, like in TP on track
No, they get a rainbow logo thing for their jerseys. http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/six-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-world-championships-team-time-trial-1917860 -
Taylor Phinney's comeback is going pretty well!
Pleased to see it.0 -
Surprised to see Movistar turn over Orica for a podium spot.0
