oldroadman
Veteran
- Location
- Ubique
Let's just say this. For a rider P-R is a hellish chaos a lot of the time, and a fight for position and survival. The cars are often a long way back, the dust on a dry day leaves you gasping and dry, the mud on a wet day will make you crash (everyone does), you will get punctures at the wrong moment and wait minutes for a wheel, trying to ride a flat tub over pave is no fun. There are lunatic - often drunk - fans, who leap out of the way at the last minute and show no respect. In among that lot, your team is trying to win the bike race! Just to finish is something, it's almost a rite of passage, as getting round a GT is to stage race riders. I thought Sunday's race was brilliant, it simply was not possible to work out the likely outcome, except that OPQS should have got the win because of their numbers in the final, which they did. The Wiggins/Thomas rides were out of the top drawer. I'll bet the chat inside the last 20km was "I'm knackered, how about you?" "Me too". "One more go if we can manage and to cover OPQS?" "OK". Then Mr T went and spoiled the party, great move, and nobody was willing to leave it all on the road just before the stadium. Chess on the road, we all lose, T wins. For Sky, two in the top ten is a good result considering that EBH had some bad luck and it played out that probably the two strongest rouleurs were in the group. They could not afford to chance a sprint, as evidenced by places 7 and 9. The option was an attack from G, chased down, attack at 5km to go by Brad, and see what happens. BUT you have to have good legs at that point and that was perhaps not the case. Nobody else wanted to ride in that last 5km either. There is some interesting analysis on here, the one thing sure is that when you have been on your backside a couple of times, are covered in dust/mud (take your pick), knackered, then it takes a very clear head to be a potential winner, which is something that can be a challenge. A bit of the "draining the swamp/up to the neck in alligators" proverb describes it best.
It's often very quiet in the showers afterwards, everyone is more or less empty. I've even seen experienced motos staring into space having survived one.
Just to be clear, there is NEVER such a thing as a dull P-R, just like there is never a dull L-B-L, or RVV. Not for those involved, anyway, in any capacity.
It's often very quiet in the showers afterwards, everyone is more or less empty. I've even seen experienced motos staring into space having survived one.
Just to be clear, there is NEVER such a thing as a dull P-R, just like there is never a dull L-B-L, or RVV. Not for those involved, anyway, in any capacity.
This was almost material for the greatest ever "What Happens Next?" round in A Question of Sport.
