Olympics Road Race Question
Discussion
What he said.
The breakaway also broke very strongly.
We only had 5 riders to get the break back ( noone else was bothered as they knew if the break was clawed back Cav would win anyway ), whereas in the Tour each person in the pelaton puts a good shift in and each team has 9 riders.
Only slight differences but the workload more than doubles which isn't practicle.
The breakaway also broke very strongly.
We only had 5 riders to get the break back ( noone else was bothered as they knew if the break was clawed back Cav would win anyway ), whereas in the Tour each person in the pelaton puts a good shift in and each team has 9 riders.
Only slight differences but the workload more than doubles which isn't practicle.
To be fair, other countries did have men at the front on occasions but just not in the same numbers or with the same vigour as GB. That said, they were Sky riders... Knees, Eisel and EBH....
The breakaway was strong as others have suggested and kept attacking, GB were set up solely for a Cav sprint finish. As we stood on Box Hill we were commenting that not having someone in the break was a foolish move but that just wasnt "the plan" and to have jsut four in the peloton would have reduced the chances of getting Cav where he needed to be. A lot of sprinters were frustrated, It was also just a week after le tour too so I imagine there were some very tired legs out there given the likes of Sagan and Rojas did nothing all race.
Australia had Stuey O'Grady in the break so had another option hence why they were reluctant to go to the front. I seem to remember Gripel was as critical as Cav of the other Nations too.
There are some teams that do nothing all in a grand tour and just get dragged along, not every team puts a man in a breakaway or even does a turn at the front. Its usually pretty obvious which team has to put in the effort to ensure their GC rider is given an advantage and thats never going to be Lampre or Milram....
The breakaway was strong as others have suggested and kept attacking, GB were set up solely for a Cav sprint finish. As we stood on Box Hill we were commenting that not having someone in the break was a foolish move but that just wasnt "the plan" and to have jsut four in the peloton would have reduced the chances of getting Cav where he needed to be. A lot of sprinters were frustrated, It was also just a week after le tour too so I imagine there were some very tired legs out there given the likes of Sagan and Rojas did nothing all race.
Australia had Stuey O'Grady in the break so had another option hence why they were reluctant to go to the front. I seem to remember Gripel was as critical as Cav of the other Nations too.
There are some teams that do nothing all in a grand tour and just get dragged along, not every team puts a man in a breakaway or even does a turn at the front. Its usually pretty obvious which team has to put in the effort to ensure their GC rider is given an advantage and thats never going to be Lampre or Milram....
Edited by anonymous-user on Tuesday 18th December 22:29
GaryGlitter said:
Team radios, or lack of.
Discuss.
Definitely no discuses involved, that was later on in the stadium. Discuss.
It's possible that the very careful, painstaking planning and execution by Team Sky over the past few years has blunted the natural instincts of the riders so that they rely more on team radios and team instructions than they should, but I think the problem in the Olympic Road Race was down to not having anyone in the break. Once that was established, then it was always going to be incredibly difficult to chase down for the reasons mentioned above.
I think there needs to be an element of spontaneity in responding to what happens in the event. Many of our Olympians have said something along the lines of "I/we had a plan but it went out the window and I/we just reacted to the competition". Interestingly in the women's road race we did have someone in the break that eventually went on to decide the medals.
It's a good point but like I've said above. Ask Sky/GB whether they would sacrifice their previous success ( down to the planning and execuation ) whether they would swap that with and Olympic Road Race win and the answer would be no.
They had an unbelievable year doing what they done and to lose a race because of it won't upset them enough to change their tactics.
They had an unbelievable year doing what they done and to lose a race because of it won't upset them enough to change their tactics.
McFsC said:
Junior, that's how Team Sky/GB work... They have a plan and stick to it and they are very good at it. It just happens that they lost a race. Look at their overall record and it's not too bad.
It just wasn't to be the way it worked out.
I agree with you entirely. But I think there was a degree of arrogance going into the RR. For months in advance it would seem that no one need bother showing up as GB would control the race and Cav would be delivered to the line to win and nothing less. In fairness they did a good job controlling the race but unfortunately the 'other' race was away up the road earlier that dayIt just wasn't to be the way it worked out.
McFsC said:
It's a good point but like I've said above. Ask Sky/GB whether they would sacrifice their previous success ( down to the planning and execuation ) whether they would swap that with and Olympic Road Race win and the answer would be no.
They had an unbelievable year doing what they done and to lose a race because of it won't upset them enough to change their tactics.
Absolutely, although "marginal gains" (i.e. perfectionism everywhere) would suggest they need to work on adapting to abnormal circumstances. Isn't there a rumour that team radios are going to be banned from Grand Tours too? Would certainly make it trickier to control everything They had an unbelievable year doing what they done and to lose a race because of it won't upset them enough to change their tactics.
ewenm said:
Absolutely, although "marginal gains" (i.e. perfectionism everywhere) would suggest they need to work on adapting to abnormal circumstances. Isn't there a rumour that team radios are going to be banned from Grand Tours too? Would certainly make it trickier to control everything
Good point about the marginal gains, David Brailsford needs to get his finger out. 
: 
If team radios were to go it would make cycling a very different sport really.
the last time they passed us I remember timing the break as ahead by less than two minutes having been over six at various points....so given the same plan worked in the 2011 Worlds, it was fair to assume that they could drag that back but Millar and Wiggo in particular were absolutely broken and Wiggo will surely have had an eye on the time trial. I still thought they would do it though.
As I said, GB made their agenda clear long before the race, other teams exploited this and took advantage of the break. With only five in a team, and excluding Cav who was being saved for the sprint made a team of four, it was always going to be a big ask.
As I said, GB made their agenda clear long before the race, other teams exploited this and took advantage of the break. With only five in a team, and excluding Cav who was being saved for the sprint made a team of four, it was always going to be a big ask.
I wrote up this the day after the race as an attempt to explain in layman's terms:
http://adrianspender.com/blog/2012/07/29/a-basic-g...
http://adrianspender.com/blog/2012/07/29/a-basic-g...
contango said:
I felt it was almost as if Team Sky/GB, felt they were on the last stages of the T de France and would be helped out by the peloton a bit more. Amongst the other failings mentioned above.
Thankfully the women's road race was better to watch...much to my surprise.
It was more exciting to watch, but there was nothing to dissect in terms of tactics. It's almost as if intelligent racing and tactics are completely missing from the women's race.Thankfully the women's road race was better to watch...much to my surprise.
In the men's race, they built a plan, which on the face of it was sound, carried it out perfectly, but it wasn't the right plan for the day in retrospect.
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