Road World Championships (Spoilers)

[Flying_Monkey]

This is the selection: Vos, Armistead, Borgini, Johannsen

Wasted it. Idiots.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

This is the selection: Vos, Armistead, Borgini, Johannsen

And they got deselected!

 

[Flying_Monkey]

What the hell were they thinking?

 

[jarlrmai]

WTF!

 

[Flying_Monkey]

And Prévot takes it!

 

[Flying_Monkey]

If I was the coach of any of the four who were away at the end, I'd be absolutely farking furious right now - except maybe of Johannsen because she got bronze, but she was almost guarranteed that anyway.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Looking at it from above, it really looks like Vos was actually collaborating with and leading out Prévot, even though they are supposed to be racing for nations today. Dubious. Her national coach is going to be even more annoyed now.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

That was great for Prévot, who has had a breakthrough season, but that finish really was not a good advertisement for World Cup racing.

 

[montage]

Nobody wanted to lead it out, good example of a gamble that lost.

Really negative race with everyone jumping on every attack, kind of what you'd expect to see at your local cat 3/4 crit. In fact, was there a break at all?

 

[Crackle]

That was a frustrating race. One of those ones were you're shouting at the telly.

 

[Flick of the Elbow]

Well that was dire.

 

[zizou]

Yeah very frustrating to watch. Disappointing too in terms of exposure for womens racing - the two races with best live worldwide TV coverage - La Course and this, have probably been their worst two races of the year.

The course doesnt seem to be helping much either - the age group races have been pretty unsatisfying too. I wonder if Cavendish is regretting his decision not to take part, because from what ive seen so far he could have been a contender.

 

[Flick of the Elbow]

Frankly I'd have done better watching the Ryder Cup, and I don't even follow golf.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

I thought it was a good race, yes the 4 should have kept going but for me Armistead or Borgini should have pushed on because they were never likely to get anything from the bunch sprint....sometimes Armisteads decisions confuse me, she said after the race the racing wasn't hard enough early on but then decided to wait for the bunch, they were sitting up for a time before the chasing group cought them,
anyway any womens racing on the TV is a good thing irrespective of how the race was raced....

The finish meant that it wasn't anything like a good race. As for Armistead should take a long hard look at herself after that. She's only got herself to blame. There wasn't that far to the finish, and you simply can't start playing games with a pack with at least a couple of decent sprinters in it bearing down on you. She should have burried herself and she would at the very least have got second out of that four and possibly gold because Vos was not quite on top form. I'm also almost totally convinced now that Vos was deliberately waiting for Prevot - Prevot didn't just latch onto Vos by some clever last minute thinking - that was clearly something that had been planned should they both be there at the end: Vos led her out and then pulled aside to let her go for the line as if they were both racing for Rabo-Liv not their own national teams. Watch the overhead replays if you don't believe me.

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

I thought my pro pundit choice of Borghini was going to be an inspired outside pick - only for nobbery to come into play.