Author Topic: Tokyo Olympic - cycling  (Read 14711 times)

Tokyo Olympic - cycling
« on: 25 July, 2021, 08:49:01 am »
Women's road race.  Quite a breakaway.  No radio comms, makes it interesting.
Cycle and recycle.   SS Wilson

quixoticgeek

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Re: Tokyo Olympic - cycling
« Reply #1 on: 25 July, 2021, 09:38:31 am »
Women's road race.  Quite a breakaway.  No radio comms, makes it interesting.

Absolutely fucking amazing ride.

Well done Anna Kiesenhofer, that was amazing!

J
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Re: Tokyo Olympic - cycling
« Reply #2 on: 25 July, 2021, 09:54:53 am »
What an amazing ride by Anna Kiesenhofer. She had the guts to go from the gun and again to drop the breakaway companions and just enough left in the tank at the end.  If it had been 1-2km longer, she would have been caught, but it wasn't and she judged it perfectly. Chapeau.

No race radios made for far more interesting racing, maybe peleton thought they were racing for gold. Surely team members (especially Dutch) should have been put at points on the course with chalkboards showing time gaps...

Re: Tokyo Olympic - cycling
« Reply #3 on: 25 July, 2021, 09:57:31 am »
Really enjoyed the men's race too- a real heavyweight slugfest where the smartest rider played his cards at exactly the right times.

The two road races show the beauty of cycling - there are so many ways to win.

quixoticgeek

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Re: Tokyo Olympic - cycling
« Reply #4 on: 25 July, 2021, 10:03:40 am »
What an amazing ride by Anna Kiesenhofer. She had the guts to go from the gun and again to drop the breakaway companions and just enough left in the tank at the end.  If it had been 1-2km longer, she would have been caught, but it wasn't and she judged it perfectly. Chapeau.

No race radios made for far more interesting racing, maybe peleton thought they were racing for gold. Surely team members (especially Dutch) should have been put at points on the course with chalkboards showing time gaps...

Van de Bregen crossed the line thinking she had got Gold. They had entirely lost count of how many riders in the break.

It's gonna be an interesting conversation between the Dutch team when the cameras are gone.

But, I wanna know who's going to be the first ride in the next women's pro race to turn to Anna and ask "How many riders in the breakaway?"

I really feel for Van Vlueten. She really thought she had crossed the line in first.

J
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Re: Tokyo Olympic - cycling
« Reply #5 on: 25 July, 2021, 10:19:01 am »
Don't blame Dutch riders, but management needed to position people on the course with chalkboards. They missed something there. Sad for Van Vleuten as well, seems really likeable and rode the van Aert type race (strongest rider,  demonstrated on multiple moves) but "only" got a silver. In late 30s, She'll be missing the RR on her palmares.

Has she got anything left for the TT. Van der Breggen didn't really fire a shot there, will she have more in reserve , or did she peak at the Giro ?

Re: Tokyo Olympic - cycling
« Reply #6 on: 25 July, 2021, 10:27:38 am »
Seeing interviews, it seems whole of silver medal group thought they were racing for gold. Big lesson is that you shouldn't rely on race officials for race situation.

quixoticgeek

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Re: Tokyo Olympic - cycling
« Reply #7 on: 25 July, 2021, 10:38:21 am »
Don't blame Dutch riders, but management needed to position people on the course with chalkboards. They missed something there. Sad for Van Vleuten as well, seems really likeable and rode the van Aert type race (strongest rider,  demonstrated on multiple moves) but "only" got a silver. In late 30s, She'll be missing the RR on her palmares.

Has she got anything left for the TT. Van der Breggen didn't really fire a shot there, will she have more in reserve , or did she peak at the Giro ?

Given covid, I don't think they had the personnel, or the permission for such things.

J
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Re: Tokyo Olympic - cycling
« Reply #8 on: 25 July, 2021, 10:40:27 am »
Disagree, who was handing them their food and water? Race position could be part of that.

Salvatore

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Re: Tokyo Olympic - cycling
« Reply #9 on: 25 July, 2021, 11:39:23 am »
I'm feeling a bit sorry for Anna Kieselhofer. All the discussion (here, twitter, cyclingnews.com) seems to be about the Dutch excuses for being robbed of a gold medal.

Anna Kieselhofer won fair and square with an amazing ride.
Quote
et avec John, excellent lecteur de road-book, on s'en est sortis sans erreur

quixoticgeek

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Re: Tokyo Olympic - cycling
« Reply #10 on: 25 July, 2021, 11:41:26 am »
I'm feeling a bit sorry for Anna Kieselhofer. All the discussion (here, twitter, cyclingnews.com) seems to be about the Dutch excuses for being robbed of a gold medal.

Anna Kieselhofer won fair and square with an amazing ride.

I'm in awe of her ride (and have tweeted about this a few times too). She did a 137 solo TT, when everyone else turned up for a road race. It's a truly impressive ride.

J
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cygnet

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Re: Tokyo Olympic - cycling
« Reply #11 on: 25 July, 2021, 11:52:59 am »
I noticed that the "team" cars seemed to operate more as neutral service, for the breakaway riders. Odd.
I Said, I've Got A Big Stick

Re: Tokyo Olympic - cycling
« Reply #12 on: 25 July, 2021, 12:00:58 pm »
 I read somewhere that Anna rode with Lotto in Belgium back in 2017 but didn't like professional cycling and riding in a peloton. Problem solved ... Do it solo. Obviously a talented lady... Underestimated by the rest.
Regards,

Alan

Re: Tokyo Olympic - cycling
« Reply #13 on: 25 July, 2021, 12:07:36 pm »
No one can take away from the winner’s ride.

It does seem odd that no one in the next group on the road knew she was away. Van Vleuten is not happy with the Netherlands manager.

I didn’t spot any motos with chalk boards. I also suspect that the lead car wasn’t where it should have been.

Re: Tokyo Olympic - cycling
« Reply #14 on: 25 July, 2021, 12:20:05 pm »
As Austria's national time-trial champion I assume Anna is due to ride again in the TT event. Well she has a solid excuse for that event (unlike the Dutch for today's). Worst was the 4 Dutch riders standing just a few feet from her after the finish and not one offering any congratulations. Their coaches were there and surely knew the real result.

Still, splendid ride. When the commentators mentioned her TT title with 30k to go it suddenly became very possible and very exciting.

Re: Tokyo Olympic - cycling
« Reply #15 on: 25 July, 2021, 12:24:55 pm »
Good point about lack of congratulations,  was not a good look. I think Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig was the only one I saw congratulate Kiesenhofer. Not surpriaed that Uttrup Ludwig did, as she is a good egg, but disppointed in all the others.

Re: Tokyo Olympic - cycling
« Reply #16 on: 25 July, 2021, 12:41:16 pm »
You could see in the race tactics that the group hadn't realised. The commentators mentioned it as a possibility, but I was surprised that they didn't pick up on it more. I had to go out just after the finish, so haven't seen the interviews yet. Good race though. How about getting rid of radios again everywhere? It comes up from time to time. They were accused of ruining the racing when they first came in of course.

Re: Tokyo Olympic - cycling
« Reply #17 on: 25 July, 2021, 01:02:01 pm »
Don't blame Dutch riders, but management needed to position people on the course with chalkboards. They missed something there. Sad for Van Vleuten as well, seems really likeable and rode the van Aert type race (strongest rider,  demonstrated on multiple moves) but "only" got a silver. In late 30s, She'll be missing the RR on her palmares.

Has she got anything left for the TT. Van der Breggen didn't really fire a shot there, will she have more in reserve , or did she peak at the Giro ?

Given covid, I don't think they had the personnel, or the permission for such things.

J

They bloody well had. Of yesterday's 5 male riders, 3 won't be riding at the Olympic's anymore. That's already 3 people with athlete's accreditations. Then an unknown amount of staff of the men's team with nothing at hand today. An absolute organisational blunder.

Salvatore

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Re: Tokyo Olympic - cycling
« Reply #18 on: 25 July, 2021, 01:23:07 pm »
It does seem odd that no one in the next group on the road knew she was away.
I've seen quotes from Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig , Elisa Longo Borghini, Lotte Kopecky and Marianne Vos saying they knew there was still someone up the road and they were riding for silver.

Even odder that some knew and some didn't.
Quote
et avec John, excellent lecteur de road-book, on s'en est sortis sans erreur

Re: Tokyo Olympic - cycling
« Reply #19 on: 25 July, 2021, 01:39:26 pm »
I noticed that the "team" cars seemed to operate more as neutral service, for the breakaway riders. Odd.

With only one car for each country, it's in everyone's interest to be generous with handing out bottles to any rider who asks, hoping that other cars are doing the same for your riders.

quixoticgeek

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Re: Tokyo Olympic - cycling
« Reply #20 on: 25 July, 2021, 02:06:31 pm »
They bloody well had. Of yesterday's 5 male riders, 3 won't be riding at the Olympic's anymore. That's already 3 people with athlete's accreditations. Then an unknown amount of staff of the men's team with nothing at hand today. An absolute organisational blunder.

I've a suspicion that there's going to be* a very angry meeting back at the team village/camp/office/what ever it's called at the olympics.

Lots of people pointing at lots of people about who fucked up what.

J

*Given the time elapsed, probably has been.
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Karla

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Re: Tokyo Olympic - cycling
« Reply #21 on: 25 July, 2021, 04:00:33 pm »
Oops!

I was busy sleeping off a wedding hangover this morning but it sounds like a great race - the Olympic road cycling has really delivered the goods this year.  Congratulations to the winner!

Re: Tokyo Olympic - cycling
« Reply #22 on: 25 July, 2021, 04:43:49 pm »
Just rewatched the start and the finish. Anna was sitting off the back of the peleton for the 10k neutral section, then moved through and attacked right from the flag drop. Clearly she had a plan and brilliantly it worked.

Given her current research subject, it's as likely a lot of teams may be seeking her as a 'heat' coach rather than rider as she clearly mastered that. Chris Boardman kept worrying in his commentary about how little she appeared to be drinking.

Karla

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Re: Tokyo Olympic - cycling
« Reply #23 on: 26 July, 2021, 08:30:33 am »
Pidders has added to the British tally  :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Re: Tokyo Olympic - cycling
« Reply #24 on: 26 July, 2021, 11:33:07 am »
That was a ridiculously hard course! But what fantastic riding and bike handling from Pidcock.