Olympic RR **spoilers**

[smutchin]

It does seem slightly odd that you would switch bikes though.

A couple of reasons spring to mind...

1. They don't own their race bikes, they ride what they're given. Therefore, unless their trade team has the same supplier as their national team, they'll ride a different bike depending on who they're riding for.

2. Presumably the Olympics aren't bound by the same rules regarding commercial availability of equipment as Pro Tour events, hence they can get specialist non-commercial framebuilders to knock them up something more exotic.

Do they actually ride Pinarellos all the time while riding for Sky anyway? I'm reading the Reg Harris biog at the moment and it mentions that he had sponsorship deals with Raleigh but actually rode rebadged Claud Butler frames. Does that kind of thing not still go on in the pro peloton?

d.

 

[VamP]

A couple of reasons spring to mind...

1. They don't own their race bikes, they ride what they're given. Therefore, unless their trade team has the same supplier as their national team, they'll ride a different bike depending on who they're riding for.

2. Presumably the Olympics aren't bound by the same rules regarding commercial availability of equipment as Pro Tour events, hence they can get specialist non-commercial framebuilders to knock them up something more exotic.

Do they actually ride Pinarellos all the time while riding for Sky anyway? I'm reading the Reg Harris biog at the moment and it mentions that he had sponsorship deals with Raleigh but actually rode rebadged Claud Butler frames. Does that kind of thing not still go on in the pro peloton?

d.

Apparently it's development of a frame that Wiggins used to ride on track, and he really likes it... maybe another reason why they're on them. Developing the frame to road form will not have been cheap I am sure. The frames alone are rumoured to be worth £10 000.

 

[fimm]

A couple of (slightly contradictory, in my view) articles on the British team for the women's road race from the BBC here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/18968367
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/wales/18861508
Women's cycling seems to me to have a similar profile to women's football - i.e. a bad one. And there are a lot fewer women racing, from what I gather (I don't race as a cyclist myself). I was talking to someone who did a lot of timetrialling and she said that basically there were 3 or 4 women who were likely to turn up to local events who were good, and if they didn't turn up she had a good chance of a podium.

 

[VamP]

A couple of (slightly contradictory, in my view) articles on the British team for the women's road race from the BBC here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/18968367
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/wales/18861508
Women's cycling seems to me to have a similar profile to women's football - i.e. a bad one. And there are a lot fewer women racing, from what I gather (I don't race as a cyclist myself). I was talking to someone who did a lot of timetrialling and she said that basically there were 3 or 4 women who were likely to turn up to local events who were good, and if they didn't turn up she had a good chance of a podium.

I would agree that the gap at grass roots level racing between men's and women's cycling is enormous. It seems to have far more to do with participant numbers than differences in physiology.

 

[ColinJ]

This just about sums it up, really...

Cycling News

July 29, Olympic Women's Road Race: London 140km

There's nothing to see here.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/2012-olympic-games/olympic-womens-road-race

That's a little bit unfair because the previous page for the men's RR says exactly the same thing!

 

[smutchin]

Never let the facts get in the way of a good story.

 

[Farky]

I'm just getting my clobber ready...;o)

 

[Paul_L]

BBC Olympics 3 is on Sky channel 452 to save anyone else taking 10mins to find it! The other Olympics channels are in the same place.

 

[Strathlubnaig]

I find it hard to keep up with the arithmetic, but the Olympic cycling RR will never be a fair contest, the set up grossly favours certain nations such as GB, Bel, USA and others by allowing them large teams, such as the 5 in team GB, while other nations get to field 1 single rider, eg Canada and the Slovaks. Not sure how this can ever be a level playing field with that going on. Would be a lot better if the Olympic folks just said, "send 3 riders each" and leave it at that.
It sucks.

 

[srw]

Read the UCI website - like all sports riders and nations have to qualify, and the best nations get more riders.

 

[Strathlubnaig]

Read the UCI website - like all sports riders and nations have to qualify, and the best nations get more riders.

I cannot find the link now but there was something that came out just before the end of the Giro going through it all, Canada qualifies for 3 spots but the IOC in their infinite and unflinchingly fair way of doing things decided that Canada only deserved 1 and they took 2 to use to dole out to other nations "that deserved more spots".
I mean, Morocco has 3 riders.....name a Moroccan cyclist, quick....

 

[ColinJ]

So... Given that the men's road race starts at 10:00, which implies getting up no later than 07:00(ish), do the team skip the opening ceremony and get an early night?

 

[Flying_Monkey]

I mean, Morocco has 3 riders.....name a Moroccan cyclist, quick....

So hang on, weren't you were demanding more fairness and a greater range of cyclists from more countries a few posts back but now you don't like it if you haven't heard of the riders from a particular country...?

 

[Keith Oates]

So... Given that the men's road race starts at 10:00, which implies getting up no later than 07:00(ish), do the team skip the opening ceremony and get an early night?

Yes, it was reported recently that the cycling RR team would not be included in the opening ceremony. I suppose BW went straight to bed after ringing the opening bell!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Strathlubnaig]

So hang on, weren't you were demanding more fairness and a greater range of cyclists from more countries a few posts back but now you don't like it if you haven't heard of the riders from a particular country...?

No, you are taking my words out of context, the point is, nations with little or no UCI presence are being given 2 slots, whereas a nation like Canada has lost 2 slots and been given only 1. Fairness would be everyone gets the same number of slots regardless of their pro team presence.
Buddy further up stated that 'the best countries get the most riders' which to my mind seems a little unfair and kind of unolympic, it immediately puts certain nations at a huge disadvantage.