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Am I missing something, how can the whole team pull out :?
And why did they, surely I can be down to the weather :?
And why did they, surely I can be down to the weather :?
GB pulling out of World Championship
- Thread starter widowmaker
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minor_LEGEND
Senior Retro Guru
It seemed a very defeatist thing to do in my eyes, sure the weather looked attrocious early on & I did turn off the TV as it looked awfull, but when I tuned in for the final hour, conditions were far nicer & upon watching the finish I couldnt help but think it could have suited Froome & Wiggo.
Chris Froome could have gone away on that last climb & held off until the line I reckon.
Rodriguez deserved it imo. Great tactics by the lazy Costa however.
Chris Froome could have gone away on that last climb & held off until the line I reckon.
Rodriguez deserved it imo. Great tactics by the lazy Costa however.
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I wasn't sure if I was being a little hard on them, its like being behind in a football match and not coming out after half time :?
suburbanreuben
Old School Grand Master
Nancyboys!
A great final half hour though. Rodriguez was riding so aggressively; like watching Joe Pesci going to get the papers.
A great final half hour though. Rodriguez was riding so aggressively; like watching Joe Pesci going to get the papers.
It's a one day race and once a break like that has gone, in those sort of conditions, chances of closing a gap of more than a minute or so, without a full team, working together is effectively zero.
No prizes for 95th place.
Most countries lost a good number of riders before they even started on the finishing circuit, so without any strong/complete teams left, the race was over for anyone who hadn't made the selection.
You should see the finishing lists for some of the classics if the weather is bad. Some of them don't even get through all the point scoring places. No point half killing yourself to score 3 points. Even less so in an event you aren't getting paid for.
No prizes for 95th place.
Most countries lost a good number of riders before they even started on the finishing circuit, so without any strong/complete teams left, the race was over for anyone who hadn't made the selection.
You should see the finishing lists for some of the classics if the weather is bad. Some of them don't even get through all the point scoring places. No point half killing yourself to score 3 points. Even less so in an event you aren't getting paid for.
rosstheboss
Retrobike Rider
I thought it a bit of a strange decision too - although 170 miles through that shite weather and seeing everyone crashing would certainly make most people wince.
Would have loved to see Nibali winning after his crash and comeback, fair play to anyone finishing though, that was tough!
Would have loved to see Nibali winning after his crash and comeback, fair play to anyone finishing though, that was tough!
It was a great race. I watched it from the start on the BBC i Player, then at 12.30 it went to the red button on bbc, then at 2.30 it went to BBC2. Weather was rubbish up here in the morning so got some stuff done in the first half and then went for a nice ride when it finished as the weather cleared up and was great.
Now for the race, it was of course hard, especially in that weather, 279KLm with really only the last half hour on dryish roads. It was a real polar opposite of the womens race on Saturday that was hot and dry.
The race had lost half of the riders by halfway through, due to crashes mainly, in the middle section there were crashes every couple of minutes as things started to string out. People would lose a bit of ground on the climbs and then overdo it on the descents trying to get back on. The Brits looked to be going well, up near the front in the early stages, then got fragmented long before there was any credible break. Wiggins was at the back of the peleton from before it even reached the circuit and I dont think anyone thought he would stay in it with his dislike of rainy descents, even Geraint Thomas hinted when interviewed that Brad was never going to help anyone in those conditions. I think it just wore them down like so many others with only one or two being spared the wrath of Ellingsworth afterward. He was mightily annoyed that the whole team was on the bus at least an hour before the finish.
It was a great finish but like many I really felt for Nibali, a great ride after crashing at speed, standing round for what seemed like ages while he got himself sorted and then rode back on. That final split only really came on the last lap with around 13klm or so to go and Rodriguez rode a great race but Costa was obviously fresher. Personally I wanted Gilbert to do it, he was looking good until that final split.
I think anyone who finished was a real hardman anyway, it was a brilliant course that turned brutal due to the weather.
These are of course just my observations and the way I seen it, I dont think the Brits were too bad in the conditions but there was one or two who I thought maybe jacked it in a bit to easily. I also dont agree with that if you have missed a break, not that I thought that was a factor for them pulling out, that you just pull out. This is a world championship race and they are representing their home nations, fair enough if you have given your all and your done in, but I dont agree with the
'I cant win so I'm pulling out' prima donna's.
Jamie
Now for the race, it was of course hard, especially in that weather, 279KLm with really only the last half hour on dryish roads. It was a real polar opposite of the womens race on Saturday that was hot and dry.
The race had lost half of the riders by halfway through, due to crashes mainly, in the middle section there were crashes every couple of minutes as things started to string out. People would lose a bit of ground on the climbs and then overdo it on the descents trying to get back on. The Brits looked to be going well, up near the front in the early stages, then got fragmented long before there was any credible break. Wiggins was at the back of the peleton from before it even reached the circuit and I dont think anyone thought he would stay in it with his dislike of rainy descents, even Geraint Thomas hinted when interviewed that Brad was never going to help anyone in those conditions. I think it just wore them down like so many others with only one or two being spared the wrath of Ellingsworth afterward. He was mightily annoyed that the whole team was on the bus at least an hour before the finish.
It was a great finish but like many I really felt for Nibali, a great ride after crashing at speed, standing round for what seemed like ages while he got himself sorted and then rode back on. That final split only really came on the last lap with around 13klm or so to go and Rodriguez rode a great race but Costa was obviously fresher. Personally I wanted Gilbert to do it, he was looking good until that final split.
I think anyone who finished was a real hardman anyway, it was a brilliant course that turned brutal due to the weather.
These are of course just my observations and the way I seen it, I dont think the Brits were too bad in the conditions but there was one or two who I thought maybe jacked it in a bit to easily. I also dont agree with that if you have missed a break, not that I thought that was a factor for them pulling out, that you just pull out. This is a world championship race and they are representing their home nations, fair enough if you have given your all and your done in, but I dont agree with the
'I cant win so I'm pulling out' prima donna's.
Jamie
minor_LEGEND":2ennj5fw said:
The finish suit wiggo,and lazy costa.....really.wiggo was never going to do anything and as for costa he is a class rider , but no team against a strong italian and spanish team .he rode a smart race and it was funny how valverde did not chase his pro team mate. I am not so sure that costa won or spain cocked it up
Costa rode a very tactically smart race. Portugal only had three riders in the race so he kept himself up there but not doing any of work. Spain cocked it up at the end a bit but once Rodriguez went Valverde wasn't going to do anything to help those chasing. He should maybe have gone after Costa but that would have meant dragging Nibali with him. Didn't see much of the race but did read that Nibali got a bit of a tow along from the team car after his crash. Did that happen or not? Uran's crash looked pretty spectacular.
Nibali did get a bit of a tow and a few seconds of the magic spanner fixing the rear brake on the move, but nothing of note. I dont think it was enough to make any difference. I agree, Urans crash was a real shocker, lucky it was into the bank but the way the bike bounced down the round after him certainly showed how quick he was going.
A great race and a worthy outcome. While I had others who I was hoping would win, Costa did ride a very smart race.
I read that the Spanish coach was well annoyed with Valverde for not chasing down Costa or anyone for that matter, he reckoned Valverde should have protected Rodriguez and so should have chased down anything that moved ' even the TV motorbike'
Jamie
A great race and a worthy outcome. While I had others who I was hoping would win, Costa did ride a very smart race.
I read that the Spanish coach was well annoyed with Valverde for not chasing down Costa or anyone for that matter, he reckoned Valverde should have protected Rodriguez and so should have chased down anything that moved ' even the TV motorbike'
Jamie
