The Olympics bike events thread

[Rouleur]

Road, MTB and BMX - everything goes in here

First up is the road race. GB should be the favourites what with them working so well together and Cav having based his entire season around Saturday, but I can see some of the one-day specialists having a crack and somehow managing to sneak away a long way out. Tom Boonen would be the ideal man for this, although his prep has been affected by a broken rib.

The small team sizes will make it relatively hard for squads to chase down breaks so GB, Germany and others teams with sprinters who fancy their chances will have to work very hard to keep the pace high right from the start.

It's going to be messy with all sorts going on right from the gun but at the moment I'm hedging my bets by saying either Cav or Boonen will do it.

[Highway Star]

If Cav wins it will be a better win than the WC last year. Only 5 riders per team instead of 9 and every team will just sit back and let GB control/chase. Big ask, but if they come to the Mall together, I can't see anyone taking the sprint against Cav.

[ewenm]

Highway Star said:

If Cav wins it will be a better win than the WC last year. Only 5 riders per team instead of 9 and every team will just sit back and let GB control/chase. Big ask, but if they come to the Mall together, I can't see anyone taking the sprint against Cav.

Are there no other teams who have a sprinter as their main medal chance who will help TeamGB on the front? Germany or Australia perhaps?

[Manicminer]

Here's the schedule and the riders for Team GB

http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/gbcyclingteam/art...

Anyone found a good TV guide yet or is it just going to be 24/7 Olympics on the red button?

[Sway]

Germans, Aussies maybe the Americans too.

Cav has proven he doesn't need the strongest leadout team, and we have some serious power to chase, even if they can't give him their all on the Mall.

There will be a lot of fear regarding Cav's strength, so I can foresee the other sprinters teams will only help once it's confirmed GB have closed the gap enough.

Can't see that any other team has the same form going into the race though - it will take a seriously impressive display for someone who isn't racefit like Boonen to stay away.

The smoothness of the tarmac will work against a traditional classics specialist as well.

As you might be able to tell, i'm struggling to avoid being too partisan, but I think my logic is relatively sound. (I would say that though!)

[anonymous-user]

Road Race entry list by team. Australia look very strong and will be looking to set up Goss for the finish, likewise the Germans for Geipel. The Irish have four riders and Martin and Roche could feature strongly as could the Dutch (part of me really thinks this is a stage made for Lars Boom), the USA and the Spanish will also be big threats. Cant see Cancellera getting much support from Switzerland so I suspect he will hide near the front of the peloton and bide his time.

Suspect Team GB will have to do a laot of the pacing but I still think they can do it, that said, I really would not like to put money on this one..... will be interesting to see what the two Kiwis and Hesjedal do... Irrelevant fact, I have an Indian grandfather and they dont appear to have anyone competing

Azzedine Laggab (Algeria)
Maximiliano Richeze (Argentina)
Cadel Evans (Australia)
Simon Gerrans (Australia)
Matt Goss (Australia)
Stuart O'Grady (Australia)
Michael Rogers (Australia)
Bernhard Eisel (Austria)
Daniel Schorn (Austria)
Yauheni Hutarovich (Belarus)
Vasil Kiryienka (Belarus)
Branislau Samoilau (Belarus)
Tom Boonen (Belgium)
Philippe Gilbert (Belgium)
Jurgen Roelandts (Belgium)
Stijn Vandenbergh (Belgium)
Greg Van Avermaet (Belgium)
Juan Cotumba (Bolivia)
Murilo Fischer (Brazil)
Magno Nazaret (Brazil)
Gregolry Panizo (Brazil)
Danail Andonov (Bulgaria)
Spas Gyurov (Bulgaria)
Ryder Hesjedal (Canada)
Gonzalo Garrido (Chile)
Fabio Duarte (Colombia)
Sergio Henao (Colombia)
Rigoberto Uran (Colombia)
Andrey Amador (Costa Rica)
Kristijan Durasek (Croatia)
Radoslav Rogina (Croatia)
Arnold Alcolea (Cuba)
Jan Barta (Czech Republic)
Roman Kreuziger (Czech Republic)
Lars Bak (Denmark)
Matti Breschel (Denmark)
Jakob Fuglsang (Denmark)
Nicki Sorensen (Denmark)
Bayron Guama (Ecuador)
Daniel Girmazion (Eritrea)
Rene Mandri (Estonia)
Jussi Veikkanen (Finland)
Mikael Bourgain (France)
Sylvain Chavanel (France)
Arnaud Demare (France)
Tony Gallopin (France)
Giorgi Nadiradze (Georgia)
John Degenkolb (Germany)
Bert Grabsch (Germany)
Andre Greipel (Germany)
Tony Martin (Germany)
Marcel Sieberg (Germany)
Mark Cavendish (Great Britain)
Christopher Froome (Great Britain)
David Millar (Great Britain)
Ian Stannard (Great Britain)
Bradley Wiggins (Great Britain)
Ioannis Tamouridis (Greece)
Manuel Rodas (Guatemala)
Kam-Po Wong (Hong Kong)
Krisztian Lovassy (Hungary)
Pablo (India)
Alireza Haghi (Iran)
Mehdi Sohrabi (Iran)
Amir Zargari (Iran)
Daniel Martin (Ireland)
David McCann (Ireland)
Nicolas Roche (Ireland)
Sacha Modolo (Italy)
Vincenzo Nibali (Italy)
Luca Paolini (Italy)
Marco Pinotti (Italy)
Matteo Trentin (Italy)
Yukiya Arashiro (Japan)
Fumiyuki Beppu (Japan)
Assan Bazayev (Kazakhstan)
Alexandre Vinkourov (Kazakhstan)
Aleksejs Saramotins (Latvia)
Gediminias Bagdonas (Lithuania)
Ramunas Navardauskas (Lithuania)
Laurent Didier (Luxembourg)
Muhamad Othman (Malaysia)
Amir Rusli (Malaysia)
Hector Zamarron (Mexico)
Soufiane Haddi (Morocco)
Adil Jelloul (Morocco)
Mouhcine Lahsaini (Morocco)
Dan Craven (Namibia)
Lars Boom (Netherlands)
Robet Gesink (Netherlands)
Sebastian Langeveld (Netherlands)
Niki Terpstra (Netherlands)
Lieuwe Westra (Netherlands)
Jack Bauer (New Zealand)
Greg Henderson (New Zealand)
Alexander Kristoff (Norway)
Vegard Laengen (Norway)
Edvald Boasson Hagen (Norway)
Lars Petter Nordhaug (Norway)
Maciej Bodnar (Poland)
Michal Golas (Poland)
Michal Kwiatkowski (Poland)
Manuel Cardoso (Portugal)
Rui Costa (Portugal)
Nelson Santos (Portugal)
Oleg Berdos (Republic of Moldova)
Sung Park (Republic of Korea)
Andrei Nachita (Romania)
Daryl Impey (RSA)
Vladimir Isaichev (Russia)
Alexandr Kolobnev (Russia)
Denis Menchov (Russia)
Gabor Kasa (Serbia)
Ivan Stetvic (Serbia)
Peter Sagan (Slovakia)
Grega Bole (Slovenia)
Borut Bozic (Slovenia)
Janez Brajkovic (Slovenia)
Jonathan Castroviejo (Spain)
Jose Rojas (Spain)
Luis Leon Sanchez (Spain)
Alejandro Valverde (Spain)
Francisco Ventoso (Spain)
Gustav Larsson (Sweden)
Michael Albasini (Switzerland)
Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland)
Martin Elmiger (Switzerland)
Gregory Rast (Switzerland)
Michael Schar (Switzerland)
Omar Hasanin (Syria)
Ahmet Akdylek (Turkey)
Mirac Kal (Turkey)
Kemal Kucukbay (Turkey)
Andriy Grivko (Ukraine)
Dmytro Krivtsov (Ukraine)
Jorge Soto (Uruguay)
Timothy Duggan (USA)
Tyler Farrar (USA)
Christopher Horner (USA)
Taylor Phinney (USA)
Tejay Van Garderen (USA)
Muradjan Halmuratov (Uzbekistan)
Sergey Lagutin (Uzbekistan)
Tomas Gil (Venezuela)
Jackson Rodriguez (Venezuela)
Miguel Ubeto (Venezuela)

[Highway Star]

ewenm said:

Are there no other teams who have a sprinter as their main medal chance who will help TeamGB on the front? Germany or Australia perhaps?

IMO they might help in the final if the break is coming back and a sprint is inevitable, but I would suspect they will leave much of the early work to GB as they are so scared of Cav, they know if they take him to the line, GB train or no GB train, then he'll jump them. That will give the other countries perhaps more a chance of a breakaway staying away than it would otherwise if there were two or three very evenly matched sprinters.

That Belgian team has puncheur-breakaway written all over it.

I wonder if any alliances will be done out on the road? Wonder if you might see Bernie Eisel 'just happening' to pop up in the GB train coming onto the Mall?

[Sway]

I thought that, considering how close Bernie and Cav are, throwing up in unison up all the mountains!

Agree the Belgian squad looks strong, but this could play into the hands of someone like Millar if he joined them and then played silly buggers to throw off their rhythm...

I also can't see the French or Italians being too happy letting a punchy Belgian breakaway happen, nor can I see the Germans, Aussies and Americans not wanting to even try to win through fear of Cav. Anything can happen in a bunch sprint, and it's not in a sprinter like Greipel or Goss' makeup to give in without trying.

There's noone more cocksure than a sprinter...

[DJRC]

The road race will be epic. In some ways it isnt the finishing of Cav that will outright be worrying others, but Cav launching off the fastest train around. Off the highly organised and quick HTC train he was untouchable, but he was vulnerable off an unorganised SKY train. Once SKY set the train up properly and it looks every bit like they are even quicker than the HTC train!

Froome and BW in full time trial mode are quicker than anybody else bar Spartacus and Tommy in full attack mode, so see what speed Stannard has after that to do the final delivery, but you are looking at something like 70kph and that launches Cav.

They nail that highspeed train and Sagan/Greipel/Goss are not going to see him for dust.

[Mutley]

I'm backing Team GB for the road race, Cav to win, but I would watch for Griepel, Sagan (proved himself on the Tour) Goss and Eisel as his big contenders for a bunch sprint. Team Sky showed the last few weeks that they can lead out, add in Millar as road captain and Ian Stannard (winning in Poland) and I think we have a strong team.

Cav has shown time and again that if his lead out isn't working he'll sit on another’s, and thinking back to TdF stage 18, he came from way back to win. The best place for an attack on TeamGB will be on Box Hill, Nibali chancing on escaping, though there isn't a proper descent for hime to gain a real advantage.

I see Tony Martin on the list of riders, will he be back to strength for this/ the TT? as I think he's the one who'll take the ITT to Bradley.

I'll be on Box Hill Saturday, can't bloody wait

[Rouleur]

Speaking of Sagan, I can't help thinking that he'll try something as he seems to have a do-or-die attitude. If he does attack it probably won't work, but it could be fun to watch.

[anonymous-user]

Rouleur said:

Speaking of Sagan, I can't help thinking that he'll try something as he seems to have a do-or-die attitude. If he does attack it probably won't work, but it could be fun to watch.

I cant see Sagan doing anything, he will be isolated and have no support, no one will join him on a break because if they stay away he will beat them in a sprint, and he is too dangerous to get away so any break will be chased. anyone going with him is wasting energy either way!

I still think Australia are a big threat, Evans, O'Grady, Rogers, Goss..... thats a pretty good team to form a lead out train and they will want this one to boost the track team morale....

[Rouleur]

Based on his riding over the last three weeks I don't think Sagan will give a toss, he'll just want to have a play! You're probably right though...

I'm not keen on the GB team's special bikes:

[Highway Star]

Germany's lead out of Sieberg, Grabsch (former world TT champ), Martin (current world TT champ and ace lead out man for Cav at HTC), Degenkolb and Griepel looks pretty formidable. Saw the French have picked Mikael Bourgain (sp?) in their squad, isn't he a track sprinter?

[groomi]

Highway Star said:

Saw the French have picked Mikael Bourgain (sp?) in their squad, isn't he a track sprinter?

Weren't most of the GB squad previously?

[Highway Star]

No, I mean, isn't he also riding the track at the Olympics? I think he's part of the current French team pursuit team.

[samwilliams]

Highway Star said:

No, I mean, isn't he also riding the track at the Olympics? I think he's part of the current French team pursuit team.

It's to get round some of the rules regarding the track events. He's not really going to be riding the road race (he may start it, but will stop very early on), but it means he's in the squad and can participate in the track events.

I don't get it exactly, but it's a case of getting around the rules rather than him actually racing in the road race.

[elster]

Manicminer said:

Here's the schedule and the riders for Team GB

http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/gbcyclingteam/art...

Anyone found a good TV guide yet or is it just going to be 24/7 Olympics on the red button?

If you have a look on the TV channels.

The Olympics TV channels run 450-497 (Sky) http://tv.sky.com/tv-guide Select BBC Olympics on drop down menu
Virgin 550-597 http://tv.virginmedia.com/vtvapp/epg.do

Not sure on freeview, but they are adding extra HD channels for it.

Here is the guide to all the scheduling. Think nearly everything will have a live feed. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/2012/schedule-...

Edited by elster on Tuesday 24th July 17:37

[anonymous-user]

Highway Star said:

No, I mean, isn't he also riding the track at the Olympics? I think he's part of the current French team pursuit team.

its a cunning ruse to get four riders into the team sprint by naming him in the road race team thus the fastest guy gets to save a bit of energy by not competing in the qualifying rounds. I think its unlikely he will ride the road race, he has just been named in the team as you can only name three in the team sprint. he has also raced at a UCI track event before so is eligible, they obvioulsy saw this loophole a while ago. I think Germany have done the same thing.

[Saddle bum]

The World Championship and in this case, the Olympic Road race, is always full of spilt loyaties. I would expect Bosen Hagen and Eisel to ride for Cavendish, they are paid by Sky and (I think) will be with them next year.

In the late '70s, a Brit who rode for an Italian team openly rode for his Italian Trade Team leader, it caused a bit of a row.