National Champs ***SPOILERS***

13

Comments

  • inseine
    inseine Posts: 5,788
    Is the British course super hard? Seems short at 185km, the poor French did 253 and its bloody boiling
    http://cyclinganddesign.blogspot.fr/
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,908
    nicely done by Connor there
    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm
  • Vino'sGhost
    Vino'sGhost Posts: 4,129
    Interview with connor with a young boy in the background break dancing and playing air guitar :)

    Excellent stuff :)
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    So a question for those that pay attention to the domestic circuit, is Connor Swift one of the big talents who is destined to step up to the big(ger) leagues or is he just a decent rider who had his day of glory?
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 19,431
    Ireland

    Elite Men’s Road Race National Championships
    1Conor Dunne : Aqua Blue Sport
    2Darnell Moore : Caldwell Cycles Omagh
    3Mark Downey : Team Wiggins



    At 6'8" Conor Dunne becomes the tallest National Champion in cycling history*
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    TailWindHome wrote:
    At 6'8" Conor Dunne becomes the tallest National Champion in cycling history*
    Goliath, champion of the Philistines, was apparently 6'9".
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • m.r.m.
    m.r.m. Posts: 3,473
    Failed the hand sling however and crashed to his demise
    PTP Champion 2019, 2022 & 2023
  • dabber
    dabber Posts: 1,978
    Looks like there were only 38 finishers.... a very high numbers of DNFs.
    “You may think that; I couldn’t possibly comment!”

    Wilier Cento Uno SR/Wilier Mortirolo/Specialized Roubaix Comp/Kona Hei Hei/Calibre Bossnut
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,649
    M.R.M. wrote:
    Failed the hand sling however and crashed to his demise
    Nicely done.
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format
  • bm5
    bm5 Posts: 583
    Vino'sGhost wrote:
    Interview with connor with a young boy in the background break dancing and playing air guitar :)

    Excellent stuff :)

    It was great. He was Just in a world of his own.
    Thought they would have shown some of the time trial which we enjoyed on Thursday.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,435
    Prhymeate wrote:
    Why is it so difficult to show the distance remaining. It'd be like a football game not displaying the time.
    That was the biggest issue with the women's tour coverage. Made it essentially unwatchable.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,462
    Dabber wrote:
    Looks like there were only 38 finishers.... a very high numbers of DNFs.

    Pretty standard isn't it, especially if there was a fairly short finish circuit.
  • lyn1
    lyn1 Posts: 261
    RichN95 wrote:
    So a question for those that pay attention to the domestic circuit, is Connor Swift one of the big talents who is destined to step up to the big(ger) leagues or is he just a decent rider who had his day of glory?
    Credit to Connor, strongest on the day and he beat those who turned up. For me, the disappointment was the very weak field of WT riders. Froome, Thomas, Rowe,Thwaites, Cummings, Davies, both Yates, Carthy, McLay and Knox all missing (may be legitimate reasons?) plus a number who were present have been having poor/very poor seasons. They also have no team mates (other than the Sky guys), whereas the domestic teams are mob handed with up to 10-13 riders. The course also appears tailored to the domestic riders. Another 40-50k would make it more comparable with many of the European Nationals. Consequently, no surprise that a domestic rider deservedly takes it.
    As to moving up a level there are a number of domestic riders, like Connor, who deserve a crack at PC level, but without a UK team to step up to, the competition is tough.
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 19,431
    RichN95 wrote:
    TailWindHome wrote:
    At 6'8" Conor Dunne becomes the tallest National Champion in cycling history*
    Goliath, champion of the Philistines, was apparently 6'9".

    :lol:

    No no no.
    When I post a 'made up' stat you're supposed to go away and do my research for me
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • trek_dan
    trek_dan Posts: 1,366
    inseine wrote:
    Is the British course super hard? Seems short at 185km, the poor French did 253 and its bloody boiling
    The long circuit has a pretty decent climb, 4 times up it is enough.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    TailWindHome wrote:
    RichN95 wrote:
    TailWindHome wrote:
    At 6'8" Conor Dunne becomes the tallest National Champion in cycling history*
    Goliath, champion of the Philistines, was apparently 6'9".

    :lol:

    No no no.
    When I post a 'made up' stat you're supposed to go away and do my research for me
    Ondrej Sosenka (two time Czech champion and one time hour record holder) runs him close at 6'7"
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • timoid.
    timoid. Posts: 3,133
    TailWindHome wrote:
    RichN95 wrote:
    TailWindHome wrote:
    At 6'8" Conor Dunne becomes the tallest National Champion in cycling history*
    Goliath, champion of the Philistines, was apparently 6'9".

    :lol:

    No no no.
    When I post a 'made up' stat you're supposed to go away and do my research for me


    He is actually nearly 6'8.5". Crikey.
    It's a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don't quit when you're tired. You quit when the gorilla is tired.
  • dinyull
    dinyull Posts: 2,979
    inseine wrote:
    Is the British course super hard? Seems short at 185km, the poor French did 253 and its bloody boiling

    Being on my local roads, nope. The Ryals are a test for us mere mortals, but the speed the pro's go over make them mere speed bumps.

    Was warm mind.
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 19,431
    Timoid. wrote:
    TailWindHome wrote:
    RichN95 wrote:
    TailWindHome wrote:
    At 6'8" Conor Dunne becomes the tallest National Champion in cycling history*
    Goliath, champion of the Philistines, was apparently 6'9".

    :lol:

    No no no.
    When I post a 'made up' stat you're supposed to go away and do my research for me


    He is actually nearly 6'8.5". Crikey.

    Tallest man ever to finish a grand tour on a Ridley bike

    :wink:
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 19,431
    Like

    https://twitter.com/procycletrumps/stat ... 6129816578
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    TailWindHome wrote:
    Like

    https://twitter.com/procycletrumps/stat ... 6129816578
    A genuine laugh out loud moment near the end (no spoilers!)
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • dolan_driver
    dolan_driver Posts: 831
    Ondřej Sosenka at 6 ft 7 in is the next tallest pro rider I can find.

    There was another Irish rider, Stephen Maher, who finished 2nd in the national championships on three different occasions back in the 1990's, was also remarkably tall but I think he wasn't as tall as Conor Dunne. He was tall enough though that his bike caught the underside of a bridge during a transfer during the 1992 Nissan Classic and broke the frame. TVM's Eddy Schurer lent him his spare bike so that he could complete the race!

    DD.
  • bm5
    bm5 Posts: 583
    lyn1 wrote:
    RichN95 wrote:
    So a question for those that pay attention to the domestic circuit, is Connor Swift one of the big talents who is destined to step up to the big(ger) leagues or is he just a decent rider who had his day of glory?
    Credit to Connor, strongest on the day and he beat those who turned up. For me, the disappointment was the very weak field of WT riders. Froome, Thomas, Rowe,Thwaites, Cummings, Davies, both Yates, Carthy, McLay and Knox all missing (may be legitimate reasons?) plus a number who were present have been having poor/very poor seasons. They also have no team mates (other than the Sky guys), whereas the domestic teams are mob handed with up to 10-13 riders. The course also appears tailored to the domestic riders. Another 40-50k would make it more comparable with many of the European Nationals. Consequently, no surprise that a domestic rider deservedly takes it.
    As to moving up a level there are a number of domestic riders, like Connor, who deserve a crack at PC level, but without a UK team to step up to, the competition is tough.
    It was disappointing that there were not more WT riders.
    Alex Dowsett deserves credit for his determination and work across the 2 events.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    BM5 wrote:
    It was disappointing that there were not more WT riders.
    I think I was there to see, in retrospect, the greatest British championships in 2009 in Abergavenny - every major British pro from Malcolm Elliott to Luke Rowe. The breakaway on the Tumble was low key - a track rider and someone else - Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome. Cavendish leading the chase, Millar dropping out early to pose for photos. If Kristian House isn't still telling the story of his win - with exaggerations - when he's 80 he has no soul
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • awavey
    awavey Posts: 2,368
    lyn1 wrote:
    RichN95 wrote:
    So a question for those that pay attention to the domestic circuit, is Connor Swift one of the big talents who is destined to step up to the big(ger) leagues or is he just a decent rider who had his day of glory?
    Credit to Connor, strongest on the day and he beat those who turned up. For me, the disappointment was the very weak field of WT riders. Froome, Thomas, Rowe,Thwaites, Cummings, Davies, both Yates, Carthy, McLay and Knox all missing (may be legitimate reasons?) plus a number who were present have been having poor/very poor seasons. They also have no team mates (other than the Sky guys), whereas the domestic teams are mob handed with up to 10-13 riders. The course also appears tailored to the domestic riders. Another 40-50k would make it more comparable with many of the European Nationals. Consequently, no surprise that a domestic rider deservedly takes it.
    As to moving up a level there are a number of domestic riders, like Connor, who deserve a crack at PC level, but without a UK team to step up to, the competition is tough.


    I didnt think you were allowed to use team mates as such in the nationals, though practically its near impossible to stop unless its blatantly obvious what they are doing, but I thought it was every man or woman for themselves so the size of teams represented shouldnt matter.

    but what was with the intermediate sprints for points and QoM/KoMs though ?
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    awavey wrote:
    I didnt think you were allowed to use team mates as such in the nationals, though practically its near impossible to stop unless its blatantly obvious what they are doing, but I thought it was every man or woman for themselves so the size of teams represented shouldnt matter.
    I think Nicole Cooke once naively complained about that there were three Cervelo riders riding against her. In the real world I once watched FdJ take the French champs with what looked like a 15 man lead out train.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • trek_dan
    trek_dan Posts: 1,366
    A question posed by a friend that I have absolutely no idea about - has anyone else ever taken a national championship with their first professional win?
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    trek_dan wrote:
    A question posed by a friend that I have absolutely no idea about - has anyone else ever taken a national championship with their first professional win?
    Almost certainly. I was thinking Ian Stannard, but it was his second win. The same with Juraj Sagan.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 19,431
    Seems Ryan Mullen's only road wins are National Titles

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_Mullen
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • awavey
    awavey Posts: 2,368
    RichN95 wrote:
    awavey wrote:
    I didnt think you were allowed to use team mates as such in the nationals, though practically its near impossible to stop unless its blatantly obvious what they are doing, but I thought it was every man or woman for themselves so the size of teams represented shouldnt matter.
    I think Nicole Cooke once naively complained about that there were three Cervelo riders riding against her. In the real world I once watched FdJ take the French champs with what looked like a 15 man lead out train.

    yes it was when Lizzie won in 2011, was the instance I was thinking of actually,and tbf she had a point, Lizzie had been quoted in the cycling press ahead of that race as saying the Cervelo team (inc Sharon Laws & Emma Pooley) had to work together as a team to beat Nicole, which did seem to push the accepted boundaries of the rules, but Nicoles main issue was when she broke away with Emma, the Cervelo team car hopped in the gap and pulled Lizzie and Sharon back up to them, which the commissaire of the race should have stopped, but that then of course led to all the friction leading into 2012 selections.

    it was just frustrating watching this years coverage with Ned, and gawd bless him normally he's alot better than most commentators, but I think clearly focussed on the upcoming TdF duties and normal team bike racing, as he continually kept saying oh the teams will mass on the front and drill this breakaway gap back, and Lucy Martin patientally explaining no they wont because its an individuals race, and no Alice and Hannah werent going to be working together just because they were sisters riding for the same team they both wanted to win, and so on.

    but as you say in the real word...so its an interesting point if no-one actually bothers enforcing it

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