Olympics All Format Spoiler Thread
Comments
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Need a graph with Asgreen on it!0
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so sometimes you see different configerations and that's usually to make sure the balance is right. Nearer you are to the front or the back the bigger the impact on the steering - you tend to want to put your most powerful rowers in the middle and your most technical at either end, prioritising the back as the most technical as they set the standard the rest of the boat follows (hence the seat at the back being called stroke)Ben6899 said:rick_chasey said:
nah you just steer against it, which also slows you down...Ben6899 said:rick_chasey said:
Likeliest reason is one of the rowers totally collapses and so the strength on the other side of the boat pulls it around.Ben6899 said:I suppose my crazy take on life has at least caused some conversation.
I just watched the rowing and the GB steering problems. How does that happen?
Have seen it happen in a coxed 4 I steered - it can be quite dramatic if they really blow up. You shouldn't see that at Olympic final level though.
Ah right, so in a coxless boat, it's kept straight by port and starboard rowing forces being (roughly) equal. And in a coxed boat, even with the additional steering input, an imbalance in rowing forces is still enough to take the boat off course?
Interesting.
Right. Yeh that makes sense.
You also need to balance that with rower priorities - in sweepore you train only on one side so you can't have 4 stroke-side rowers!1 -
Love it. Learning stuff here!Ben
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Should also add how important technique is, both generally but also how it fares under pressure - it makes a huge difference. Massive opportunity to waste a lot of energy - the window for fast rowing technique is super narrow.0
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To a certain degree I agree with Ben6899's position but only with regards to the Olympics. If I got to the final like in the Taekwondo and lost I'd be mighty pissed off with a silver. Especially like a couple of our fighters who were ahead with seconds to go and threw it away.0
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Also worth adding that a coxless four does have a rudder connected to the footplate of either stroke or the rower at bow (almost always bow in club boats, because they have most vested interest in not hitting anything, in the Olympics I suspect it's stroke as they can see back down the course to align their course). It's incredibly hard to recentre your foot once you've moved it though, especially if you're putting power through your legs at the same time, and it's really easy to overcorrect.Ben6899 said:rick_chasey said:
nah you just steer against it, which also slows you down...Ben6899 said:rick_chasey said:
Likeliest reason is one of the rowers totally collapses and so the strength on the other side of the boat pulls it around.Ben6899 said:I suppose my crazy take on life has at least caused some conversation.
I just watched the rowing and the GB steering problems. How does that happen?
Have seen it happen in a coxed 4 I steered - it can be quite dramatic if they really blow up. You shouldn't see that at Olympic final level though.
Ah right, so in a coxless boat, it's kept straight by port and starboard rowing forces being (roughly) equal. And in a coxed boat, even with the additional steering input, an imbalance in rowing forces is still enough to take the boat off course?
Interesting.
Right. Yeh that makes sense.
They also probably do most of their training on fairly open water where there's not much need to practice steering too precisely, and certainly not in circumstances as dramatic as that that need a hefty input.
I rowed in a pair over one summer with a mate who was in his college first eight, and trying to keep it pointing at the wet stuff was hilariously difficult. Also he weighed a lot more than I did, so the bows were at a ridiculous angle to the water - that probably didn't help.1 -
Coxes love watching rowers try to steer with a rudder hahaha.Lanterne_Rogue said:
Also worth adding that a coxless four does have a rudder connected to the footplate of either stroke or the rower at bow (almost always bow in club boats, because they have most vested interest in not hitting anything, in the Olympics I suspect it's stroke as they can see back down the course to align their course). It's incredibly hard to recentre your foot once you've moved it though, especially if you're putting power through your legs at the same time, and it's really easy to overcorrect.Ben6899 said:rick_chasey said:
nah you just steer against it, which also slows you down...Ben6899 said:rick_chasey said:
Likeliest reason is one of the rowers totally collapses and so the strength on the other side of the boat pulls it around.Ben6899 said:I suppose my crazy take on life has at least caused some conversation.
I just watched the rowing and the GB steering problems. How does that happen?
Have seen it happen in a coxed 4 I steered - it can be quite dramatic if they really blow up. You shouldn't see that at Olympic final level though.
Ah right, so in a coxless boat, it's kept straight by port and starboard rowing forces being (roughly) equal. And in a coxed boat, even with the additional steering input, an imbalance in rowing forces is still enough to take the boat off course?
Interesting.
Right. Yeh that makes sense.
They also probably do most of their training on fairly open water where there's not much need to practice steering too precisely, and certainly not in circumstances as dramatic as that that need a hefty input.
I rowed in a pair over one summer with a mate who was in his college first eight, and trying to keep it pointing at the wet stuff was hilariously difficult. Also he weighed a lot more than I did, so the bows were at a ridiculous angle to the water - that probably didn't help.
Not as easy as it looks!!
Especially as they start to try to tap steer...
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In kayak racing you steer with a rudder but, of course, you're facing the direction you're going....much better.“You may think that; I couldn’t possibly comment!”
Wilier Cento Uno SR/Wilier Mortirolo/Specialized Roubaix Comp/Kona Hei Hei/Calibre Bossnut0 -
Wiggins alluded to unrest in the Ineos camp at the tour in one of his podcasts.
I’d imagine contract renegotiations aren’t easy right now for GT, and constant incidents for him must be very wearing at this point in his career.
2020/2021/2022 Metric Century Challenge Winner0 -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BXxL9gztO8
I want to see hydrofoil rowing boat compete in short distances.0 -
No because the cash cow would be cross.RichN95. said:Have Dumoulin and Van Aert complained about how Roglic winning by such a margin is unbelievable like they did with Pogacar last year?
Correlation is not causation.0 -
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The really horrible thing about it is half wondering if 'it's the head injury talking'.
To be honest, when I'm watching sports that I'm not interested in outside the Olympics makes me realise why Olympic cycling commentary is as it is...We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
- @ddraver1 -
On the comments about taking part when you're not winning, this from the Guardian seems pretty relevant:Wednesday’s race will also live long in the memory for Masomah Ali Zada, despite finishing last, 24 places and almost 15 minutes behind Van Vleuten.
The Afghan athlete, who is competing for the refugee Olympic team, was smiling as soon as she set off in the first time trial race of her career, after only a month of intensive training at the UCI World Cycling Centre in Switzerland.
Simply by riding a bicycle unaccompanied – something she and other female cyclists had never dared to attempt in Afghanistan – Ali Zada realised her dream of inspiring other women who have been forced to abandon their homes and their sporting ambitions.
“I feel alive. I can go where I like. Like the birds, I can fly. I am free,” she said recently of her love of cycling. “With the bike, I can go in the mountains, on the plains, discover new places.”9 -
Let's also not forget that the Olympics is/was supposed to be for amateurs and to even qualify is a major success.
Loads of athletes on social media make a big thing of it when they get selected, even those who have (multiple) world titles.0 -
In the UK, just being an Olympic athlete trumps nearly all cycling achievements, in terms of public awareness.elbowloh said:
Loads of athletes on social media make a big thing of it when they get selected, even those who have (multiple) world titles.1 -
Few other things to note when you're watching the rowing.
The more rowers in the boat, the closer the race. The speed differences between "normal" and "push" in an 8 are fairly small as it's just *really fast* regardless, so half a length matters much more than say in a pair, where they can really yo-yo.
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Lanterne_Rogue said:
On the comments about taking part when you're not winning, this from the Guardian seems pretty relevant:
Wednesday’s race will also live long in the memory for Masomah Ali Zada, despite finishing last, 24 places and almost 15 minutes behind Van Vleuten.
The Afghan athlete, who is competing for the refugee Olympic team, was smiling as soon as she set off in the first time trial race of her career, after only a month of intensive training at the UCI World Cycling Centre in Switzerland.
Simply by riding a bicycle unaccompanied – something she and other female cyclists had never dared to attempt in Afghanistan – Ali Zada realised her dream of inspiring other women who have been forced to abandon their homes and their sporting ambitions.
“I feel alive. I can go where I like. Like the birds, I can fly. I am free,” she said recently of her love of cycling. “With the bike, I can go in the mountains, on the plains, discover new places.”
This puts my bad attitude right into perspective!Ben
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Indeed. MIL doesn't watch any sport whatsoever apart from a bit of Wimbledon, but is all over the Olympics.bobmcstuff said:
In the UK, just being an Olympic athlete trumps nearly all cycling achievements, in terms of public awareness.elbowloh said:
Loads of athletes on social media make a big thing of it when they get selected, even those who have (multiple) world titles.0 -
Here's my entirely subjective "UK public" ranking of cycling achievements:
- Tour win
- Olympic medal (any colour)
- World Champion
- Olympic selection
- Tour stage wins (think Cav broke through a bit...)
- Giro or Vuelta win
1 - Tour win
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I've got to disagree with that. Olympic selection would be last and a GC win at the Vuelta or Giro up with an Olympic gold.
An Olympic bronze would barely get recognition the day after unless there was a real story behind it like the Taekwondo bronze the other day - GB just wins too many medals these days.[Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]0 -
That's what you want to think...
Olympic Gold massively trumps a stage in the 'tour de Italy...thing' with most of the public. Silver probably too. Bronze...?
My only question with Bob is Where does "34 Stage wins" count..? Probably 3.5?We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
- @ddraver0 -
You can sort of judge it by the honour's systemDeVlaeminck said:I've got to disagree with that. Olympic selection would be last and a GC win at the Vuelta or Giro up with an Olympic gold.
Sir - Wiggins, Hoy
CBE - Both Kennys
OBE - Froome, Thomas, Clancy
MBE - Cavendish, Doull, Kennaugh, Cooke (in fact all gold medallists)
Nothing - Yates, TGH, Deignan
Twitter: @RichN951 -
I don't really understand why MBE Chris Boardman hasn't been knighted, especially what he does for cycling in general.2
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I'd hazard a guess that the stuff he's doing now (which I think is great by the way) is quite err, political (in that putting anything ahead of motorists is a political issue)focuszing723 said:I don't really understand why MBE Chris Boardman hasn't been knighted, especially what he does for cycling in general.
Totally off topic now but the local traffic calming scheme round my way shut off a rail bridge to cars for one of the main restaurant/coffee shop roads in Cambridge and it became a lightning rod for a lot of local nastiness - anyway, the f*ckers managed to get it repealed today. Really gutted actually - it was idyllic.
Anyway, that stuff is what Boardman is getting stuck into, and good on him.1 -
Yep, fair point about not going down well with some.0
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Yeah what raver says. Most of the British public probably doesn't know TGH won the Giro. Rich's Honours list is quite telling.DeVlaeminck said:I've got to disagree with that. Olympic selection would be last and a GC win at the Vuelta or Giro up with an Olympic gold.
An Olympic bronze would barely get recognition the day after unless there was a real story behind it like the Taekwondo bronze the other day - GB just wins too many medals these days.
Any Olympic medal has currency, and even just being able to say you competed at the Olympics is more meaningful to most people than a stage win at the Vuelta.
Amateur cyclists in this country get asked if they have done the Tour de France......... I think some people assume it's like the London Marathon where anyone can do it.0
