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Olympic Cycling - Road Race

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  • Not sute I'd want a kraut in team Sky in future.

    Yeah, but it's not 1948 anymore.
  • I was disgusted by Cavendish's reaction to a very simple question i.e. did the Tour de France have anything to do with his failure to win. I'm afraid he has done nothing to sway my view that a lot of cyclists are very arrogant. I wanted him to win but I don't like his attitude.

    I live quite near Pilgrim's Way in Kent and we have a lot of cyclists riding along the road. Most will not let a car pass if they are going slowly and they are always littering the road with their plastic bottles and other rubbish. It might be okay on a major road race when there are people to pick up their rubbish but it isn't acceptable on country roads.

    A large majority of cyclists think the rules of the road don't apply to them, such as stopping at red lights and giving way on pedestrian crossings. Many also seem to ride on the pavement where it is allowed, but where the pavement is designated for cyclists , they seem to take great delight in riding on the road and holding up other traffic.

    I'll wave when I'm doing hill reps on Fackeden Lane, Old Terry's Lodge, Rowdow and Exedown then.
    So sorry if I hold you up. Next time, give me a toot and shout some abuse at me, that'll help. Its seem to help everyone else on Pigrim's Way. One of them left a cyclist for dead down there last week. Took them out and never stopped.

    Most cyclists use proper water bottles so they wont be guilty of throwing bottles away. All rubbish gets stored in our jersey pockets until we stop.

    Oh and as for cycle lanes, have you actually seen anywhich arent littered with broken glass? I havent.

    I'll give you the red lights. That winds me up mentally when I stop on the bike and then someone overtakes me. I usually give them a mouthful when I catch up with them. No need for it.

    At the end of the day, we share the road so we may as well try and get on.

    Back to topic, well done Lizzie, great ride.


  • I know nothing about cycling so this may be a really naive question, but why shouldn't Cavendish have been instructed simply to go with any breakaway so that he would be in the right place at the end no matter what else happened? I am really surprised that the British team, who knew exactly what to expect from the other riders and must have gone over and over tactics in minute detail before the race, were caught out so easily.

    Cavendish has one great asset - his ability to sprint a finish and he's the best in the world at this so if he'd been in the breakaway there would have been constant attacks to either lose him or drag the last iota of strength out of his legs so when it got to a sprint finish he'd have nothing left. Also he needs to sit on the back of a rider, slipsteam and no member of a non-British team would allow that.

    They weren't caught out easily - they had raced at high speed for well over five hours and for well over 200 km and didn't have much left, they fended off two breakaways that got away and dragged them back successfully as well as numerous other attempts that failed after a couple of hundred metres. The other four riders in the team did a very good job but in that last breakaway they needed help from other teams unless you think they are supermen. The breakaway had several good riders in it who simply weren't going to be caught easily.

  • WSS said:

    Is Usain Bolt running in the slipstream of all of the Jamaican marathon runners for 26 miles and then just sprinting off in the last 100m to win? :-)

    They were exactly the tactic's me and AFKA used in the RTTB mini marathon. ; )

  • Fair enough - but sticking a microphone under someone's nose moments after finishing and expecting a replay as literate as Shakespeare and as diplomatic as Ban Ki-Moon is perhaps expecting a bit much as well.

    A simple 'No' would have done!
  • It was t just cavendish that said it commentators and ex pros said it so there maybe justification in what was said

    However it does not detract from the fact the team got it wrong and that they had no 2 plan to work from which at best is naive but what I really think it is , is arrogance beyond that of the Actual ability of the team

    Someone should have grabbed the nettle and just said cav you can't win this if we don't move now

    And If you don't then see ya pal I am going to gun it and see what happens not just keep sticking to a plan that was flawed with a lap to go on boxhill and 30kms to go
  • It was t just cavendish that said it commentators and ex pros said it so there maybe justification in what was said

    However it does not detract from the fact the team got it wrong and that they had no 2 plan to work from which at best is naive but what I really think it is , is arrogance beyond that of the Actual ability of the team

    Someone should have grabbed the nettle and just said cav you can't win this if we don't move now

    And If you don't then see ya pal I am going to gun it and see what happens not just keep sticking to a plan that was flawed with a lap to go on boxhill and 30kms to go
    Love you, bro !
  • Love u to sis
  • Saw Lizzie Armistead interviewed and she was lovely. Very thrilled to get silver. She seems a very nice young girl and was refreshing to hear her. This is what the olympics is all about. She only took up cycling at age 16 and was given a bike by scouts from British Olympic cycling. Well done!
  • I thought the whole manner in which she performed was a credit and what the Olympics is all about

    I found her extremely attractive also
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  • Well done to Armistead today, great ride.

    I really don't know anything about cycling. I do know however that if I trained my whole life for a few races and they meant the world to me and then went wrong (no matter who's fault), that when I finished I would be pretty bloody dissapointed and if someone chucked a microphone under my face I may well say the wrong thing. Good to see Cav cares, may not have been PC, but he comes across as something Britain are short of - a person not happy when he does not win...seems arrogant but the Yanks and Aussies have plenty of these people and it's no urprise they sweep up so many sporting champs.
  • Was at The Mall today to see Lizzie get her silver. Great atmosphere, the noise when she hit the final strip put hairs on the back of your neck. Loving the Olympics.
  • I agree it was bad timing but as a seasoned pro he should expect it

    As a sportsman and an athlete he should show more respect and humility to his fellow competitors
  • John Boy, I live further down in Kent than the parts of Pilgrims Way you mention and I certainly don't hoot cyclists, but do expect them to let me pass if they are cycling slowly and there are places that I can pass them. I have seen cyclists throwing down plastic bottles and rubbish so it does happen and ruins the countryside.

    Back to the thread and congratulations to Lizzie Armitstead, she did brilliantly.
  • John Boy, I live further down in Kent than the parts of Pilgrims Way you mention and I certainly don't hoot cyclists, but do expect them to let me pass if they are cycling slowly and there are places that I can pass them. I have seen cyclists throwing down plastic bottles and rubbish so it does happen and ruins the countryside.

    Back to the thread and congratulations to Lizzie Armitstead, she did brilliantly.

    Let's be honest, it's not as if car drivers don't throw litter out the window...

    I find it slightly unfair that cyclists get singled out for being 'bad' road users, when realistically you get just as many, probably many more, idiots driving cars too quickly, cutting people up etc.

    I don't really cycle by the way, and also find some of them very irritating (especially when they run red lights) but just find it a little silly how they get such bad press when there are just as many idiots driving cars

  • Well done Lizzie, two really great road races on consequetive nights.....worth staying up until the wee small hours. I enjoyed both.
  • Firstly big congratulations to Lizzie Armitstead who raced brilliantly and looked genuinely thrilled she also behaved with great grace and sportsmanship but Mark Cavendish….oh dear what a brat! I don’t pretend for one second to be any kind of aficionado of cycling but like the majority of people due to the success of the British cycling team I have become a watcher on TV (and would have loved tickets to the Velodrome for the Olympics) and was absolutely transfixed by The Tour de France.

    Now I do understand that teams ride together to get the best result for the rider who has the best chance of winning what I couldn’t get my head around was the statement from Mark Cavendish that “They all ganged up on me so I wouldn’t win” isn’t that a bit like complaining that CAFC failed to win a match because the other team didn’t score an own goal? Surely when you start a 200K race you have a tactic but if that is failing you have a plan B and whilst we are at it if the race is over 200K why are the team relying on the bloke whose specialty is the last 1K seems a bit odd somehow. I thought that particular outburst was graceless and lacking in respect for his fellow competitors.

    Regarding the interview I thought the question was a reasonable one “Do you think the effort expended in The Tour de France affected your performance?” (or some such words) was met with a petulant outburst which showed that some sportsman, and Cavendish may well be one of them, can only smile and be pleasant when winning. Please don’t give me the guff about interviewing him at the wrong time he can always say “Sorry but I just can’t give interviews right now” everyone who has played sport understands the immediate disappointment of a loss. So in conclusion I say two things Mark Cavendish has gone a long way down in my estimation and secondly it is tragic that The Olympic road race was won by a convicted drugs cheat!
  • Firstly big congratulations to Lizzie Armitstead who raced brilliantly and looked genuinely thrilled she also behaved with great grace and sportsmanship but Mark Cavendish….oh dear what a brat! I don’t pretend for one second to be any kind of aficionado of cycling but like the majority of people due to the success of the British cycling team I have become a watcher on TV (and would have loved tickets to the Velodrome for the Olympics) and was absolutely transfixed by The Tour de France.

    Now I do understand that teams ride together to get the best result for the rider who has the best chance of winning what I couldn’t get my head around was the statement from Mark Cavendish that “They all ganged up on me so I wouldn’t win” isn’t that a bit like complaining that CAFC failed to win a match because the other team didn’t score an own goal? Surely when you start a 200K race you have a tactic but if that is failing you have a plan B and whilst we are at it if the race is over 200K why are the team relying on the bloke whose specialty is the last 1K seems a bit odd somehow. I thought that particular outburst was graceless and lacking in respect for his fellow competitors.

    Regarding the interview I thought the question was a reasonable one “Do you think the effort expended in The Tour de France affected your performance?” (or some such words) was met with a petulant outburst which showed that some sportsman, and Cavendish may well be one of them, can only smile and be pleasant when winning. Please don’t give me the guff about interviewing him at the wrong time he can always say “Sorry but I just can’t give interviews right now” everyone who has played sport understands the immediate disappointment of a loss. So in conclusion I say two things Mark Cavendish has gone a long way down in my estimation and secondly it is tragic that The Olympic road race was won by a convicted drugs cheat!

    Out of interest did you watch, or hear about the world championships in Copenhagen last year? That was over a 266km course and the Brits used exactly the same tactics as we did on Saturday, and it worked perfectly ensuring that Cav won, so to say we were wrong to choose those tactics for the Olympics is not correct, as they had been tried and tested in delivering success. Wasn't to be this time, but we'll learn from the mistakes we did make and hopefully just carry on improving.
  • edited July 2012
    JohnBoyUK said:

    I was disgusted by Cavendish's reaction to a very simple question i.e. did the Tour de France have anything to do with his failure to win. I'm afraid he has done nothing to sway my view that a lot of cyclists are very arrogant. I wanted him to win but I don't like his attitude.

    I live quite near Pilgrim's Way in Kent and we have a lot of cyclists riding along the road. Most will not let a car pass if they are going slowly and they are always littering the road with their plastic bottles and other rubbish. It might be okay on a major road race when there are people to pick up their rubbish but it isn't acceptable on country roads.

    A large majority of cyclists think the rules of the road don't apply to them, such as stopping at red lights and giving way on pedestrian crossings. Many also seem to ride on the pavement where it is allowed, but where the pavement is designated for cyclists , they seem to take great delight in riding on the road and holding up other traffic.

    I'll wave when I'm doing hill reps on Fackeden Lane, Old Terry's Lodge, Rowdow and Exedown then.
    So sorry if I hold you up. Next time, give me a toot and shout some abuse at me, that'll help. Its seem to help everyone else on Pigrim's Way. One of them left a cyclist for dead down there last week. Took them out and never stopped.

    Most cyclists use proper water bottles so they wont be guilty of throwing bottles away. All rubbish gets stored in our jersey pockets until we stop.

    Oh and as for cycle lanes, have you actually seen anywhich arent littered with broken glass? I havent.

    I'll give you the red lights. That winds me up mentally when I stop on the bike and then someone overtakes me. I usually give them a mouthful when I catch up with them. No need for it.

    At the end of the day, we share the road so we may as well try and get on.

    Back to topic, well done Lizzie, great ride.


    cyclists are an absolute menace to pedestrians in London. crossing a road, even at lights, is a danger when Johnny Lycra thinks he's Lance Armstrong.

    Well done to the girl yesterday on her silver medal tho!
  • Firstly big congratulations to Lizzie Armitstead who raced brilliantly and looked genuinely thrilled she also behaved with great grace and sportsmanship but Mark Cavendish….oh dear what a brat! I don’t pretend for one second to be any kind of aficionado of cycling but like the majority of people due to the success of the British cycling team I have become a watcher on TV (and would have loved tickets to the Velodrome for the Olympics) and was absolutely transfixed by The Tour de France.

    Now I do understand that teams ride together to get the best result for the rider who has the best chance of winning what I couldn’t get my head around was the statement from Mark Cavendish that “They all ganged up on me so I wouldn’t win” isn’t that a bit like complaining that CAFC failed to win a match because the other team didn’t score an own goal? Surely when you start a 200K race you have a tactic but if that is failing you have a plan B and whilst we are at it if the race is over 200K why are the team relying on the bloke whose specialty is the last 1K seems a bit odd somehow. I thought that particular outburst was graceless and lacking in respect for his fellow competitors.

    Regarding the interview I thought the question was a reasonable one “Do you think the effort expended in The Tour de France affected your performance?” (or some such words) was met with a petulant outburst which showed that some sportsman, and Cavendish may well be one of them, can only smile and be pleasant when winning. Please don’t give me the guff about interviewing him at the wrong time he can always say “Sorry but I just can’t give interviews right now” everyone who has played sport understands the immediate disappointment of a loss. So in conclusion I say two things Mark Cavendish has gone a long way down in my estimation and secondly it is tragic that The Olympic road race was won by a convicted drugs cheat!

    Out of interest did you watch, or hear about the world championships in Copenhagen last year? That was over a 266km course and the Brits used exactly the same tactics as we did on Saturday, and it worked perfectly ensuring that Cav won, so to say we were wrong to choose those tactics for the Olympics is not correct, as they had been tried and tested in delivering success. Wasn't to be this time, but we'll learn from the mistakes we did make and hopefully just carry on improving.
    Something that hasnt been picked up on is the whole British Cycling / Team Sky set up. Dave Brailsford, the boss of both, has the job of keeping Wiggo and Cav happy. Cav always knew that he wouldnt have a lead out train in the TdF as the team objective was to win the yellow jersey and the team was set up to protect Wiggo at all costs. There may have been some agreement that if Cav worked for Wiggo then the payback would be that they do their utmost to get Cav the gold in the road race. Had Wiggo not won the TdF, or had they not set him up to win the TdF, then Wiggo would have been out best chance of any of the riders along with Froome to sit on one of the breakaways. Bit different for the ladies as they dont have an outstanding sprinter in their ranks, so making one of the breakaways was the best chance they had of winning a medal.

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  • Now I do understand that teams ride together to get the best result for the rider who has the best chance of winning what I couldn’t get my head around was the statement from Mark Cavendish that “They all ganged up on me so I wouldn’t win” isn’t that a bit like complaining that CAFC failed to win a match because the other team didn’t score an own goal?

    No nothing like it because football teams do what they do to get the best result they can for themselves. In this case certain cycling teams did nothing to get a result for themselves, even though they had a very good chance of a medal. That's why it can be interpreted that they were more concerned with us not winning over themselves winning.
    In an olympic event with individual medals I find that very odd.



  • Addickforlife said:

    » show previous quotes
    daveaddick said:Firstly big congratulations to Lizzie Armitstead who raced brilliantly and looked genuinely thrilled she also behaved with great grace and sportsmanship but Mark Cavendish….oh dear what a brat! I don’t pretend for one second to be any kind of aficionado of cycling but like the majority of people due to the success of the British cycling team I have become a watcher on TV (and would have loved tickets to the Velodrome for the Olympics) and was absolutely transfixed by The Tour de France.

    No did't watch it but it qwas referred to a lot on Saturday but my point is this time it wasn't working so why didn't they have another plan?
  • Out of interest did you watch, or hear about the world championships in Copenhagen last year? That was over a 266km course and the Brits used exactly the same tactics as we did on Saturday, and it worked perfectly ensuring that Cav won, so to say we were wrong to choose those tactics for the Olympics is not correct, as they had been tried and tested in delivering success. Wasn't to be this time, but we'll learn from the mistakes we did make and hopefully just carry on improving.

    No did't watch it but it qwas referred to a lot on Saturday but my point is this time it wasn't working so why didn't they have another plan?

    ignore the post above this bloody site drives me nuts at time
  • Out of interest did you watch, or hear about the world championships in Copenhagen last year? That was over a 266km course and the Brits used exactly the same tactics as we did on Saturday, and it worked perfectly ensuring that Cav won, so to say we were wrong to choose those tactics for the Olympics is not correct, as they had been tried and tested in delivering success. Wasn't to be this time, but we'll learn from the mistakes we did make and hopefully just carry on improving.

    No did't watch it but it qwas referred to a lot on Saturday but my point is this time it wasn't working so why didn't they have another plan?

    ignore the post above this bloody site drives me nuts at time

    Completely agree that we do need another option, a plan b if you like. In this case though it was a simple error of judgement from the peloton thinking they would be able to catch the breakway further down the road, so they thought plan a was still going to work. Obviously in the end the breakaway weren't to be caught and in hindsight we needed to chase down that breakaway as soon as it happened.

  • . I thought that particular outburst was graceless and lacking in respect for his fellow competitors.

    Regarding the interview I thought the question was a reasonable one “Do you think the effort expended in The Tour de France affected your performance?” (or some such words) was met with a petulant outburst which showed that some sportsman, and Cavendish may well be one of them, can only smile and be pleasant when winning. Please don’t give me the guff about interviewing him at the wrong time he can always say “Sorry but I just can’t give interviews right now” everyone who has played sport understands the immediate disappointment of a loss. So in conclusion I say two things Mark Cavendish has gone a long way down in my estimation and secondly it is tragic that The Olympic road race was won by a convicted drugs cheat!

    Agreed - luckily we would never have one of them in our team....
  • I think the plan B option would have been a break from Wiggins/Frome but unlikely the peleton would have let them get away on a not too taxing course, so would have been a gamble - so plan A was really the only relistic option.
  • So then how did that make the BG team red hot favourites it their tactics could be unravelled so easily?
  • So then how did that make the BG team red hot favourites it their tactics could be unravelled so easily?

    No-one could have forseen that teams without a representative in the breakaway(s) would be so gutless as to make no effort to give their sprinter a chance of a medal by working within the peleton.

  • well harvey you are obviously more knowledgable than I am but I can't get my head around the fact that if we were so hot to win why we failed so miserably and I don't say that as a criticism it just completely baffles me.
  • Agreed - luckily we would never have one of them in our team....

    Difference is that David Millar admitted his guilt, he cooperated with the police and the cycling authorities, took the punishment and has since campaigned against doping in sport and cycling. After he won a stage in this year's Tour de France he patiently answered questions about it and so has in my opinion redeemed himself, because we are all perfect right?

    Vinokourov on the other hand refused to accept that he had been caught doping and denied that he was doping even though the evidence was totally conclusive, subsequently he has refused to answer questions about it and effectively acts like it didn't happen.
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