You guys don't seem that excited...

[Jacob]

..... From 30 km out even I could see that they had little chance of catching the leaders and as a layman I couldn't understand the "wingeing" of the commentators who kept refering to the other teams "failing" to help out the GB team.

I thought the whole point of the Olympics was to pit nation against nation / individual v individual :? in which case why on earth should any of the others help out? Surely their only interest should be their own team result!.......

Bob

The peloton working together coud have picked up the breakaways from 30km from the finish. When they get it together they go like a train. It's common for breakaways to be caught within 100 yards of the finish even. That's what makes it exciting - lots of tactics going on all the time and chancers going for a break - this time they made it!
Normally other teams work together to give themselves each a better chance at the line but this time they must have thought it pointless to help GB as then Cav would nip in at the end and win anyway.
GB had no plan B - which might have been to discretely drop Cav, mingle with the peloton to confuse the opposition*, and then get it together nearer the end. Without GB in front the peloton would have been trying a lot harder and the result would have been very different.

*PS or cross the gap to the next group.

 

[RogerP]

Just to lighten it up a bit. There's an illuminating bit here http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/olympic-road-race-spectacle-or-disaster on the problems faced because in the UK we drive on the "wrong" side of the road. Apart from that Andrè Greipel's complaint was "It was the most amazing thing I've ever seen. There was not a single spot to pee."

 

[RogerP]

..... From 30 km out even I could see that they had little chance of catching the leaders and as a layman I couldn't understand the "wingeing" of the commentators who kept refering to the other teams "failing" to help out the GB team.

I thought the whole point of the Olympics was to pit nation against nation / individual v individual :? in which case why on earth should any of the others help out? Surely their only interest should be their own team result!.......

Bob

The peloton working together coud have picked up the breakaways from 30km from the finish. When they get it together they go like a train. It's common for breakaways to be caught within 100 yards of the finish even. That's what makes it exciting - lots of tactics going on all the time and chancers going for a break - this time they made it!
Normally other teams work together to give themselves each a better chance at the line but this time they must have thought it pointless to help GB as then Cav would nip in at the end and win anyway.
GB had no plan B - which might have been to discretely drop Cav, mingle with the peloton to confuse the opposition, and then get it together nearer the end. Without GB in front the peloton would have been trying a lot harder and the result would have been very different.

Well put. It boils down to the other teams choosing to lose the chance for their sprinters rather than risk GB winning with theirs.

 

[kirkpoore1]

I did get to watch some swimming and some highlights last night, including part of the bike race. Holy cr*p, no wonder that bike complaint thread went on so long--some of those roads were narrower than my driveway, and no shoulder to keep you out of the ditch, either.

Kirk

 

[RogerS]

...Given that THE OLYMPICS(1) ARE STARTING AND OMG IT'S THE BEST THING SINCE SLICED BREAD, or so I've been told if I watch certain TV channels. I mean, given that it's in your front yard, on your sidewalk, and probably flowing out of the kitchen faucet, are any of you really interested or are you all hunkering down in your shops trying to avoid the whole event?

Kirk
safely 4,000 miles away, but hunkering down in the shop anyway...

(1) also hoping I don't get arrested by the copyright police for using the "O" word...

Remember we are British - we don't get excited by anything much, except rum, sodomy and the lash.

You really are a miserable old git, Butler. Here we have a thread where everyone is expressing how much they enjoyed the opening ceremony and then along you have to come and make some supposedly 'funny' comment. How many bottles of vino did it take to come up with those 'bon mots'? You just don't know when to button it, do you.

 

[RogerM]

Great to see the girls show us how it's done in the Women's Road Race. What a fabulous race. Congrats to Lizzie Armitstead on her silver.

 

[Jacob]

..... From 30 km out even I could see that they had little chance of catching the leaders and as a layman I couldn't understand the "wingeing" of the commentators who kept refering to the other teams "failing" to help out the GB team.

I thought the whole point of the Olympics was to pit nation against nation / individual v individual :? in which case why on earth should any of the others help out? Surely their only interest should be their own team result!.......

Bob

The peloton working together coud have picked up the breakaways from 30km from the finish. When they get it together they go like a train. It's common for breakaways to be caught within 100 yards of the finish even. That's what makes it exciting - lots of tactics going on all the time and chancers going for a break - this time they made it!
Normally other teams work together to give themselves each a better chance at the line but this time they must have thought it pointless to help GB as then Cav would nip in at the end and win anyway.
GB had no plan B - which might have been to discretely drop Cav, mingle with the peloton to confuse the opposition, and then get it together nearer the end. Without GB in front the peloton would have been trying a lot harder and the result would have been very different.

Well put. It boils down to the other teams choosing to lose the chance for their sprinters rather than risk GB winning with theirs.

Except for the teams having riders in the breakaways, including Cancellara who was obviously a contender. No GB in the breakaways!

 

[RogerP]

Except for the teams having riders in the breakaways, including Cancellara who was obviously a contender. No GB in the breakaways!

Strange crash from Cancellare, don't know what happened there, but fortunately no broken bones.

 

[flying haggis]

I got pulled over by the police and fined for driving in one of the Olympic lanes.

I tried to argue that it wasn't clearly marked or signposted, but they weren't having any of it.

They said that I should've noticed something was wrong when I started knocking down the hurdles.

 

[Lons]

The peloton working together coud have picked up the breakaways from 30km from the finish

As I said, I know nowt but even the commentators expressed concern that the gap of over a minute wasjust too much to claw back.

I watched the closing stages of the womens race and that was pretty good, apart from all the punctures (why can't they put gunge in the tubes to stop the flats?)

Bob

 

[Jacob]

The peloton working together coud have picked up the breakaways from 30km from the finish

As I said, I know nowt but even the commentators expressed concern that the gap of over a minute wasjust too much to claw back.

....

Well they got it down from 5 to less than 1. That was GB team more or less on it's own at the front of the peloton. Team co-operation would have done it - not that the other teams should have helped - especially not if they had riders in the breakaways, their only chance of not giving it to Cav.

 

[woodbloke]

..some of those roads were narrower than my driveway, and no shoulder to keep you out of the ditch, either.

Kirk

..which is why you'll find that many cars (automobiles to them from the US of A) in the UK are small. That, and the price of bloody fuel :evil: - Rob

 

[bugbear]

Well put. It boils down to the other teams choosing to lose the chance for their sprinters rather than risk GB winning with theirs.

Most of the other teams had a man in the (rather large) break - and teams don't chase down their own man.

But I have no idea what Germany were doing; they didn't have a man in the break, did have Greipel, and didn't help chase.

BugBear

 

[RogerP]

Well put. It boils down to the other teams choosing to lose the chance for their sprinters rather than risk GB winning with theirs.

Most of the other teams had a man in the (rather large) break - and teams don't chase down their own man.
But I have no idea what Germany were doing; they didn't have a man in the break, did have Greipel, and didn't help chase.
BugBear

Maybe not have radio made the difference? Anyway it's all over and the best man on the day won. We'll be back to normal come the 18th Aug. (Vuelta a Espana)

 

[studders]

I see the Beeb have managed to get the Olympics on three out of four channels. Well done them but, I'm sure if they try a bit harder they can do better.

 

[RogerP]

I see the Beeb have managed to get the Olympics on three out of four channels. Well done them but, I'm sure if they try a bit harder they can do better.

... don't forget their other 23 on Freesat/Sky/Virgin

 

[Wildman]

Excited about damn sport taking over every blooming channel on the TV. Chuffed to bits me, when is it all over

 

[studders]

Ah yes, forgot those as I was looking on iPlayer for something to watch, fool that I am.


Lets not forget ITV though. With a Golden opportunity to round up viewers not wanting to watch the Olympics what do they offer?

On the Buses.

So, big well done for them too.

 

[kirkpoore1]

Here's why I haven't been watching:

I've been working on these every night and on the weekends for the last two weeks. Two are sold already, and I go out of town to sell the others (plus other stuff, plus camping, etc) tomorrow. Also I gave one to a friend who helped me, and one more is in parts and will be assembled as a demonstration project next week.

Kirk
who still has to load the truck & trailer tonight...

 

[condeesteso]

Yes Kirkpoore, excited:
If Yorkshire was a country it would be 11th in the medal table.
(source, Twitter... the fount of all knowledge).
I gather the Scots have brought more than their fair share too.

from a half-Scots Yorkshireman