Mr_T
Challenge Tour Pro
Really shocked about the result, what happened? Maybe the tour se France took more out of them than we though or did they just get complacent?
What happened to the Manx missile?!
- Thread starter Mr_T
- Start date
fundy
Ryder Cup Winner
Neither, at the end of the day the breakaway was a strong group and the Brits were left doing all the work on their own in the peloton and couldn't pull them back to set up the sprint. Actually very rare these sort of road races set up for a bunch sprint.
Also the lack of team radios and hence accurate information made it much harder for the chasing group, and let the breakaway get a bit more rope than they may have done otherwise.
Shame the winner is a "former" drug cheat
Also the lack of team radios and hence accurate information made it much harder for the chasing group, and let the breakaway get a bit more rope than they may have done otherwise.
Shame the winner is a "former" drug cheat
pokerjoke
Money List Winner
I believe the Tour de france did take it out of the brits.
Chris Froome was not his normal self.
Stannard was asked to do too much.
And im sure Wiggins,once the game was up,didnt want to
spend too much energy,due to the time trial next week.
The winner was a drug cheat,but so was David Millar,so Fundy if Cav won would you have said he was helped by a drug cheat?
Chris Froome was not his normal self.
Stannard was asked to do too much.
And im sure Wiggins,once the game was up,didnt want to
spend too much energy,due to the time trial next week.
The winner was a drug cheat,but so was David Millar,so Fundy if Cav won would you have said he was helped by a drug cheat?
fundy
Ryder Cup Winner
Yep, am not selective at all mate, I hate all drug cheats and think they should all be banned for life
Scottjd1
Tour Rookie
How bad was the coverage, no updates on time splits, no coverage on the key riders/groups at crucial times.
Even the commentators were saying, sorry we dont know how far back they are.. sort it out BBC!
Felt a bit for the GB team, they were all trying to stop them winning.
Even the commentators were saying, sorry we dont know how far back they are.. sort it out BBC!
Felt a bit for the GB team, they were all trying to stop them winning.
pokerjoke
Money List Winner
Definately agree with that mate.
I see already a weightlifter has failed a drugs test,cant think what goes through an atheletes mind,or is it the coaches,pure madness.
fundy
Ryder Cup Winner
I guess they get to a point where they cant win without so they see it as the only chance to win (assuming the dont get caught).
Watched a documentary on Ben Johnson the other night, the other thing that became really clear form that was in those days there was a huge suspicion about all the competitors and some got to the stage where they felt the only way to be on a level field was to take them as the feeling was 80-90% were taking them.
MegaSteve
Tour Winner
Beginning to look like the Beeb may have spread themselves a little too thin...
Early days yet... Hopefully they'll get it sorted...
Minhoca
Assistant Pro
He got tucked up by everyone else's will for him to lose being greater than the will to win themselves!
fundy
Ryder Cup Winner
Eurosport coverage was as bad and theyre usually good for cycling. Seems both channels were relying on the race organisers for information which ultimately then got blocked, and they werent prepared to capture the information themselves
Neddy
Challenge Tour Pro
Surely all the Olympic cameras/timing screens/graphics etc is provided by the IOC and sold on to the BBC to show.
Much like the timing screen in Formula 1.
I doubt they are allowed to do any of their own information gathering/camerawork.
Much like the timing screen in Formula 1.
I doubt they are allowed to do any of their own information gathering/camerawork.
pokerjoke
Money List Winner
Got to agree the coverage was poor,no time checks at the end was very frustrating.
Massive crowds on the roads.
Would love to be there for the triathlon,anyone going?
I think a 1 2 looks good for the Brownlees
Massive crowds on the roads.
Would love to be there for the triathlon,anyone going?
I think a 1 2 looks good for the Brownlees
MegaSteve
Tour Winner
Yes, you are 100% correct... That being the case I am happy to retract my criticism of the Beeb...
B
birdieman
Guest
IMO Cavendish should have been a little more gracious in defeat, blaming everyone else for this and that is poor. Winning the world champs last year with 8 riders doesn't make you special for the Olympics with only 4 riders, they needed to go with the breakaway and couldn't do it......simple as that.
Hope Wiggins fares better in the time trial.
Hope Wiggins fares better in the time trial.
To be fair I think it was still raw emotion and I do think the GB team were left to do too much of the work. On the other hand I do think someone in the peloton should have realised a lot earlier that the group in front weren't coming back
agreed, he even had an aggressive pop at the interviewer for 'daring' to ask if the tour de France had any bearing on the performance.
this is where I dont get cycling, its up to you to cycle faster than the others, yes? but they were moaning that no-one helped them.......eh?
who helped the 2 out front who got Gold and silver?
ScottishDave
Medal Winner
I think Cavs point here is that there were approx 40 cyclists in the peleton that never bothered to do anything the whole race. They just sat there and accepted that they weren't going to win a medal.
Why did these cyclists bother going to the Olympics?
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still dont get it, So why didn't team GB just cycle ahead of them like the other 2 did?
Paul_Stewart
Tour Rookie
Wiggins, Millar or Froome could have crossed the gap to the breakaway but none of them have the sprint to win. The team tactic was to keep the race together for a full sprint finish in which Cavendish would be the favourite. This is what happened in the World Championships last year.
The tactic was sound when there were 8-10 in the breakaway before the final lap of Box Hill. The gap was a minute and a peloton at full speed can pull that back with ease.
On that final ascent, another series of breaks went and the breakaway ended up at over 20 riders. The British team had to keep Cav in their group as he cannot breakaway like that. Once the break went to over 20, their speed would equal that of the peloton which is why the gap stayed at a minute.
Once a team/country has someone in the break, they will have no interest in chasing it down. Hence it was left to the Brits alone to try and do it. The Germans did for a while to set up their sprinter Grypel but the rest didn't bother at all.
The British/Sky team have been so successful that everyone else wants to see anyone else win except them. Hence they were left on their own. They did everything they could but circumstances were against them.
In a single day road race like this, it is a lot harder to keep a race together. Tour stages are easier because there are more of them. teams have their own General Classification team leaders to protect and will help chase down threatening breaks, as will teams with good sprinters such as Sky, Garmin.
The tactic was sound when there were 8-10 in the breakaway before the final lap of Box Hill. The gap was a minute and a peloton at full speed can pull that back with ease.
On that final ascent, another series of breaks went and the breakaway ended up at over 20 riders. The British team had to keep Cav in their group as he cannot breakaway like that. Once the break went to over 20, their speed would equal that of the peloton which is why the gap stayed at a minute.
Once a team/country has someone in the break, they will have no interest in chasing it down. Hence it was left to the Brits alone to try and do it. The Germans did for a while to set up their sprinter Grypel but the rest didn't bother at all.
The British/Sky team have been so successful that everyone else wants to see anyone else win except them. Hence they were left on their own. They did everything they could but circumstances were against them.
In a single day road race like this, it is a lot harder to keep a race together. Tour stages are easier because there are more of them. teams have their own General Classification team leaders to protect and will help chase down threatening breaks, as will teams with good sprinters such as Sky, Garmin.
MegaSteve
Tour Winner
Conduct an interview with a sportsman post event at your own peril... Particularly if they are feeling aggrieved... Don't think its a good idea either asking 'sound byte' questions when the competitive 'juices' are still flowing...
