British Road race Champs

[sg37409]

I wasnt aware they were in glasgow city centre ! 

http://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/events/NRRC/Documents/NRRC%20-%20Road%20Race%20course%20map%20120423.pdf

[eck]

Well spotted sg. 

[David Martin]

Don't expect it to be a flat crit.. It is quite a good circuit with some vicious climbs.

[mr magnolia]

I'm just waiting for the family to recover from last nights lateness, and then we shall hopefully be heading across to Glasgow, which, strangely, seems to be going to be drier than Embra today.

[mr magnolia]

Cav still in the lead group of 6, 1.17 minutes ahead, as we depart the dear green place to head back to edibburgh. Don't know how many laps down, but about an hour to go, by the official schedule.
You don't get much more 'city centre' than that course! Hilly and then some, seemed to split the field in lap 1 of the men's. We were able to shuffle between front and back halves of the course just by walking a block up and down west Nile street, and so see the riders twice on each lap.
Good trip.(apart from the £190 I had to fork out for various girls shoes..)

[Veloman]

And Cavendish gets to ride the National Championship jersey until next year!

Should make it easier for us to spot him in the bunch.

[TheLurker]

TV highlights, inc. time trials, Monday 24th of June, ITV4 (Freeview 24 - I think)

[mr magnolia]

TV highlights, inc. time trials, Monday 24th of June, ITV4 (Freeview 24 - I think)

7pm

[padbeat]

It was flipping awesome! I saw the 2nd half of the women's and the whole of the men's race from various bits of the circuit - the last 4 laps from directly opposite the podium. Cav seemed quite pleased ...
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/cNMWfFps2YQ&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/cNMWfFps2YQ&rel=1</a>

BBC Scotland on the other hand, clearly didn't know what the hell they were talking about.

Mark Cavendish won a sprint finish to claim his first National Road Race Championship in Glasgow.

Really? I saw him bridging (for about 5 laps) to chase down a break with David Millar, put in a solo attack on the last climb, and then pull the legs off the last 2 other riders who had managed to stay with him. He's not a Classics rider, but he might have the potential to be!

Oh, and ...

Many roads in the city centre were closed and there was widespread disruption to traffic.

I note that there was no such comment following the Great Scottish Run!

[noggy]

I was marshalling at 100m from start/finish line- what a great day and the crowds were fantastic

My best line of the day was (I thought)

"make way please for Mr Cavendish, let him through please"- he'd just signed on and was trying to get to his team bus while ignoring the monster truck that was the Sky behemoth

[Biff]

Congrats to Cav for some smart riding but for me ride of the day was by Stannard. Epic effort to defend his title.

[RJ]

Presumably they'll use the same course for the Commie Games next year?

[David Martin]

Spoke to a few people who went down to watch. The commie games will be awesome. With a field of 15 or so who can make the distance, some real rivalries between UK nations and the colonies, it will be an absolute humdinger of a race. All the naysayers were proved wrong and the course is just the right length of circuit and much more selective than many realised.

[RJ]

One or two of those little hills are quite vicious.

[David Martin]

Was talking today to a commissaire from the ladies race. Scottish Cycling were absolutely over the moon with how it went. The course was absolutely spot on - the major difference in the field being between those who are full time pros and those who have to work for a living. Almost exactly the same distinction between the pro-tour and continental teams in the men's race.

The commonwealth games will be a humdinger.