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  • 2016 Olympic Cycling (Spoilers likely!)
  • CaptainFlashheart
    Free Member

    In the hope of leaving doping and general anti-Olympic feeling in other threads, how about one that’s actually about the sport?

    http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/salzwedel-wiggins-and-the-team-are-breaking-world-records-in-training-for-olympics/
    Looks like a fast track, then!

    Also, for the MTB, who’s going to challenge Nino? Looking very good for gold right now.

    njee20
    Free Member

    Sagan?! 😉

    everyone
    Free Member

    When is all the cycling being shown?

    I think the xc will be a great race, I reckon the podium will be Kulhavy, Absalon, Nino although maybe not in that order. I’ve absolutely no idea how Sagan will perform, there’s absolutely no question of whether he’s strong or not but whether he can handle the explosive/bursty nature of xc racing is another question entirely.

    mikewsmith
    Free Member

    http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/australian-team-ready-for-olympic-road-race/
    And just over 12 months ago I was chatting to Scotty Bowden about how to live cheap. In Europe for the summer. Come on Australia

    fifeandy
    Free Member

    Really hoping the MTB will be a great event and we’ll get some good camera positions to really highlight the technical rock features on the course. (and watch the back markers bounce down them on their heads obviously!)

    Can’t see past Schurter in the mens. With Neff having a habit of melting when it gets hot and PFP being off form all season, Langvad may well romp away with the womens.

    mrblobby
    Free Member

    I reckon the podium will be Kulhavy, Absalon, Nino

    Almost certainly. Can’t see Sagan troubling the top XC riders. The women’s race will be good too, Neff not been as dominant recently. Could be Langvad, Rissveds, Spitz, Pendrel, Gunn-Rita, Nash, PFP… a few of those have had a hard season in the World Cup, and a few have had a quiet season planning to peak for the Olympics, it will be a good race.

    The mens road race is an interesting one. A one day race on a course that no-one really knows (as in it’s not been raced much before so there isn’t a familiar pattern to the racing). Some think it’s good for the one day racers, some for the GC riders, it’s going to be fascinating to see how it develops. It’ll be a hard race to control too with small teams often lacking in cohesion. I really have no idea but have a feeling about Nibali if they can drop many of the faster finishers.

    shermer75
    Free Member

    Chris Froome is competing on Saturday, right?

    mrblobby
    Free Member

    Chris Froome is competing on Saturday, right?

    Yes. Lots of options for the GB team though depending on how it pans out.

    matts
    Free Member

    Can’t wait to see what random stunt Froome pulls in the RR after all his attacking downhill, running uphill, echelon splits madness in the Tour.

    Mad Tony Martin style break from Km 0? Unicycle?

    ¯\_(?)_/¯

    crazy-legs
    Full Member

    Yes. Lots of options for the GB team though depending on how it pans out.

    That’s what screwed it for them last time. Everyone knew that they had one plan, it was called Cav. So as soon as the break went, no-one else would work since it would come to a bunch sprint and Cav would win.

    At least this time, no-one actually knows what their plan is, they’ve got a number of possible options and can hopefully go into it with a bit of free rein to improvise. The only problem I can see is that Sky don’t do improvisation, they’re generally quite bad at reading a race and reacting to it – that’s why it took them all this time to win a Classic.

    That and the fact that they’ll be heavily marked.

    mrblobby
    Free Member

    The only problem I can see is that Sky don’t do improvisation, they’re generally quite bad at reading a race and reacting to it

    Froome looked pretty good at improvising in the Tour. G and Stannard both looked pretty good at improvising in the classics this year. Yates looked good at improvising riding pretty much solo to a white jersey at the Tour. And as for Cummings… 🙂

    crazy-legs
    Full Member

    Yeah, they’ve learnt a lot – certainly in the early days they went in with a Plan A and never deviated from that, no matter what the race itself was doing. They didn’t have a Plan B or C…

    That was their downfall at the Olympics in 2012 as well.
    Although to be fair, that was their one tactic at the Worlds and Cav won that one as planned so it can work occasionally.

    This time, at least they’ve got Yates and Cummings in there as non-Sky riders.

    beej
    Full Member

    Looks like a fast track, then!

    “They’re breaking the world record in training. That’s no secret and a couple of people have seen it. How much faster, I don’t want to elaborate,” Salzwedel told Cyclingnews just before leaving for Rio on Wednesday.

    The records were either in Manchester or Newport.

    I do wonder if the Aussies are also breaking records, but just not talking about it.

    I’m looking forward to the road races and time trials too, then getting in as much track cycling viewing as possible.

    big_n_daft
    Free Member

    Froome is a diversion, Cummings up the road with the team working for Thomas would be my tactics

    CaptainFlashheart
    Free Member

    Froome is a diversion, Cummings up the road with the team working for Thomas would be my tactics

    Watching the preview on the Beeb now, and was thinking exactly this! Looked for the thread, and there you are!

    Reckon you’re spot on there. However, would add Stannard to the “up the road” options. Put either Cummings or Stannard in the break (Assuming there is one!) then use Froome as the decoy, keep everyone looking at him, while working for G. Then, if G gets away, glory. If not, hope that Stannard or Cummings can hold on for a win.

    Lots of options!

    mrblobby
    Free Member

    Stannard won’t make it up the hills so won’t be seen as a serious threat in a break, but could do a lot of work for Cummings in a break. Doubt they’d both be allowed to get away.

    beej
    Full Member

    Agree, Froome is the diversion.

    CaptainFlashheart
    Free Member

    The “hills” come late in the race, so yes, I agree, he could get away and cause trouble before then.

    I doubt they’ll get two away in the break (as Sky did in the RL race the other day), but just think that having two who are good to get in to a breakway gives the team more options. Wouldn’t matter too much which one gets in, I suppose.

    aracer
    Free Member

    Good going to have spoilers already. Came here looking for the results and feeling disappointed 🙁

    lunge
    Full Member

    G is who is work for, he can climb, he’s a clever rider and he’s got 1 day experience. Saying that, you’d not bet against Cummings either. Froome? No, not sure I can see him.

    shermer75
    Free Member

    Getting very excited about this! 🙂

    eddiebaby
    Free Member

    Should be interesting, as long as it doesn’t clash too much with the DH qualifying.

    mrtickle
    Free Member

    Eddiebaby, DH quali was yesterday. Race is today – just so you don’t miss out!

    Looking forward to the road race. GB team have the talent to win as long as they get their tactics correct

    Kryton57
    Full Member

    When is the XC on telly?

    theotherjonv
    Full Member

    big descent and flat after the last climb makes me think that there could be a fairly significant selection of riders before the finish. I’d hope Thomas and Froome should be able to make that selection particularly if Thomas doesn’t have to put much in before it, as opposed to his TdF role working for Froome.

    Stannard or Cummings up the road early on, let the other countries chase it back and tow T&F to the last climb, then fight it from there.

    TheDoctor
    Free Member

    Hoping to see Dan Martin or one of the Colombians take the road race, would settle for Rodriguez or Valverde though!

    big_n_daft
    Free Member

    valverde winning would be like a Vinakorov win, everyone politely looks embarrassed and starts to discuss the weather, the price of fish and Sagan in the XCO event

    teamhurtmore
    Free Member

    In the hope of leaving doping…in other threads, how about one that’s actually about the sport?

    What a quaint idea 😉

    That aside, looking forward to it and fingers crossed for Cav. Just have to fit a quick ride in for myself first but glued to cricket!!!

    tails
    Free Member

    Just thinking about those short sharp hills in Rio, I struggled to walk up some of them! The level of fitness is unreal, I struggle to cycle commute 5 days a week. Hope froome wins, he deserves his success

    chakaping
    Free Member

    Road races and xc both quite tantalising.

    Agree Sagan is an outside bet, but we can hope.

    Road race is so hard to predict, 3x 500m climbs then 24km downhill and flat to finish.

    Nibali is a good call, maybe Jarlinson Pantano, Valverde.

    But I can imagine froome wanting to have a go by attacking on the final climb, and if he gets a decent gap…

    eddiebaby
    Free Member

    Thanks for the heads up mrtickle. I’m in London all day so I’ll just have to ignore this place and any spoilers and watch it at midnight.

    reggiegasket
    Free Member

    is there a live stream for this?

    chakaping
    Free Member

    iPlayer?

    mikey74
    Free Member

    When is the XC on telly?

    20th and 21st August.

    aracer
    Free Member

    The difference is the size of the teams – with 9 at the worlds they could sit on the front from a long way out and control it, with only 5 at the Olympics they couldn’t do that. The Olympics is set up to be less controlled and more random with smaller teams – suits those with an eye for an opportunity, fortunately we have a few of those, but so do plenty of other countries.

    mrblobby
    Free Member

    GB at the front already apparently 😕

    legend
    Free Member

    Panzerwagen ftw 🙂

    phil40
    Free Member

    Looks like a fairly strong breakaway forming! I can feel echoes of 2012! I thought Steve Cummings was there to get into breaks!

    MrWoppit
    Free Member

    “Comfort break”? I always assumed they just let go in the saddle…

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