A clatter of the metal grate rolling up signals another opening of the Velominati Bookmaker’s Office. The gaggle of skinny (and not so skinny, you know who you are) jabbering cycling addicts rush the door, each with their dream of a bumper sticker dancing in their heads. Before the office opened the bookies have consulted the oracle; a garbled audio of Sean Kelly’s predictions where he maybe tipped the little known Gullaume Van Keirsbulck, or did he say Phillip Gilbert. Bettini likes Cavendish’s chances while Cavendish likes Thor’s chances and Thor likes Keirsbulck’s chances or did he say Roelandts?
Since Geelong everyone has been saying this was a sprinters course, so a sprinter won’t win. It is only 266km with no serious grades and a total of 1785m of climbing. I could finish this course, if I could ride 266km and there was no time cut. For the professional road championship it does not sound long or grueling enough but the weather could be cold, windy and wet, if so the Spanish will suffer and the Italians will have to race with neck gaiters.
Looking back this year Cancellara should have won the 2010 world title so his less-than-spectacular season could be blamed on the curse of the rainbow jersey. Gilbert cannot have another season as good as this one so he better not win on Sunday or the jersey will be blamed in 2012. I started to feel bad for Thor when the yellow jersey came off his back and went to Voeckler during the Tour de France until I remembered he had the rainbow jersey underneath it! Who needs that trashy yellow one when you are already have the rainbow? I stopped feeling bad for Thor.
It’s late in the season, many have packed it in for the year, others have ridden the Vuelta to gain form. Are they good or cooked? Will the British team work together to bring Cav to the line or go down in flames like the Italians used to? The thought of Cavendish wearing the rainbow hoops for the next year has caused some anxiety in the office. His propensity for white tube socks with black shoes would diminish the aura the rainbow jersey brings to any worthy rider. The Aussi team looks unbeatable and yet…The bottom line on bookmaking is this will be another impossible race to pick the winner, unless you choose Gilbert.
Here is a link to the start list. As always, if you are inclined to enter, simply post your predictions for the top five placings in the form below. Make your picks by 5am Pacific Sunday morning, regular VSP Rules apply.
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Thor is such a douche. Sorry folks but I can't stand him. http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/9907/Thor-Hushovd-critical-of-Norwegian-teams-two-captains-policy.aspx
@ChrisO
If Twitter is anything to go by, they do seem like a cute couple. My response had more to do with Marko's question about her profession...
@Steampunk
Steampunk, my point is that we all want to achieve the perfect balance of efficiency and aesthetics. While ugly, I don't doubt for a second that the skinsuit and helmet may have helped Cav mentally and physically. If only he could fully reconcile the two!
The GB team were amazing. They put huge pressure on themselves to get this result on a course they knew suited their plan and star rider. The WCRR often sees mixed loyalties, but in this case the team rode as one. If they adopt a similar strategy for the Olympic race, and advance word is that this is what they're planning, things could be different as I guess there's a real hill in that one. I wouldn't bet against him though. Olympic medals mean a LOT in the UK. Two examples: Chris Hoy - knighted. Sebastian Coe - ennobled to the House of Lords. Cav is torn, I think, between his desire for a good Olympics ( I think he is still bitter that he was one of the few (the only?) British track rider to leave the 08 Olympics without a medal, and more Tour wins. The problem is, he gets one chance every four years at the former and in 2016 who knows what his sprinting prowess will be by them. On the other hand, he gets several chances every year at the tour.
@wiscot
I've not really seen what he was wearing, only from some low res you tube footage but I do think that the GB kit serves a purpose, it stands out from the bunch pretty well which must be fairly important for the team when they are trying to keep it together in the faster more fluid sections of a race. The Aussie kit seems to be the opposite, mainly with a few green and yellow stripes. A move to out and out skin suits might not be on the cards for stage racing or one day events but skin suit/race kit hybrids like the Castelli Speed Suit are bound to become commonplace (isn't that what Frank is proposing for the V-Kit?). I would agree though that 3/4 length sleeves have no place on a bike!
This had to be part of the plan for the Olympics, it's what the whole Team GB thing is about at the moment. Even if it's not Cav, which I can't imagine it wouldn't be, they're honing the ability to place their best sprinter at the right place to go for medals. The Olympic course has got a hill but Cav has already won the test event on it although that race may have had fewer laps.
@wiscot
Good points, all. And I wasn't disagreeing. On the positive side of the Olympics, I suspect Wiggo just showed that you can have your cake and eat it, too. A good Vuelta put him in terrific form for this past week.
@wiscot
Agree 100%. To be fair, I found Cuddles to be a whiney second-rater until he pulled on the bands, and it transformed him into a very decisive and aggressive rider who is quite awesome. Maybe the same thing will happen to Cav.
@scaler911
Great footage, the different camera angles are quite refreshing. Great to see a breakaway win but I'm not sure that it's as entertaining as everyone arriving on the last straight for mass sprint if the chasing groups have spent too much time looking over their shoulders and covering each other for the first and second loser spots when mounting a coordinated attack might have given them the chance to go for the real prize.
@frank
Frank, from what I've read Cav is quite a student of the sport and wants to end his career with his name up there amongst the greats. Barring accidents, I think he'll do this and I'm sure he's well aware of the need to do the rainbow jersey proud.
While much is spoken of his arrogant attitude (something I've never really understood as he 1) backs up words with wins, 2)always thanks his teammates profusely and 3) is/was still young when he started winning). Also, if he was a whiny bitch, I doubt the team would have buried themselves the way they did. He's obviously patched things up with Wiggo (teammate next year?) If it wasn't for these three factors then he would be an arrogant, whiny bitch. But he's not.
@Chris
Chris,
I'm sure Team GB have the same plan for the Olympic RR, but to be fair, even with the scheduling factor of a week between the end of the Tour and the Olympic RR, the field in the latter will be of a significantly higher caliber than the warm-up event. Like I said before, the Olympics are very special in the UK. Maybe not so much in the rest of the world. For example, ask Phil Gilbert if he's rather win Flanders or the Olympics. Hushovd and Hincapie and Paris-Roubaix.
@wiscot
Good point about the quality of the field although the fact that other nations place less importance on the Olympics may be beneficial to Team GB. Either way, I'm looking forward to finding a spot on the route with the kids.