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.
I know as well as any of you that I've been checked out lately, kind…
Peter Sagan has undergone quite the transformation over the years; starting as a brash and…
The Women's road race has to be my favorite one-day road race after Paris-Roubaix and…
Holy fuckballs. I've never been this late ever on a VSP. I mean, I've missed…
This week we are currently in is the most boring week of the year. After…
I have memories of my life before Cycling, but as the years wear slowly on…
View Comments
@Oli
Late to the party, and ready to kick up a dust storm. I for one have not heard a single person say Cav's win was undeserved or that Team GB wan't impressive, or that Cav didn't do an incredible sprint from way back, showing amazing skill to navigate a tight bunch (safely) to take the win. Good on him; the course was decided by others, and he and his team used it to their advantage.
Personally, I wanted Goss to win Sunday and Vos to win Saturday. The fact that they were beaten fairly by other riders who made less mistakes and rode better races does nothing to lessen the fact that I'm disappointed. Same goes for the bulk of the other races this year; and I love the sport all the more for the fact that it doesn't give me what I want all the time - when my favorites win, its all the more exciting.
On the larger point, to criticize (or, more accurately, to borderline insult) people for begrudgingly congratulating Cav on his win is to completely miss the point of this community. Fans, by definition, are emotional, otherwise they would be called analysts. To admire an athlete for their accomplishment is one thing. To become a fan of them means you on some level connect with them. If, for you, that means just their performance, then great. If, on the other hand, you only like riders who wear purple fuzzy polkadot trousers, then good on you for that. We connect with people for our own reasons, and none of those reasons are subject to judgement by anyone else.
We take what we see, we color it with our emotion, and we come here to talk about it and spin theories. That is the beauty of fandom and the beauty of this site. I doubt there is anyone who is more proud of this community that I am, but come on: this is an online community for cycling fans. While there is a lot of great (and credible) insight going on here, quite frankly, if you are looking for unbiased analysis, you're in the wrong place. You can go read CyclingNews or some other of the many excellent cycling sites around; don't come looking for it here. Here we have opinions, we're right, we're wrong, we disagree and we have fun doing it; don't try to turn this into something it's not.
@Oli
Despite how far off your initial comment was, this observation is just completely spot on. Excellent stuff and a great point.
@frank, @Oli
+1 Not my cup of tea as a parcours, and Cav's kit was an abomination before Merckx. Hope he looks better in the bands. Bring on Lombardia!
@oli I never wrote Cav off. I just thought that there would be a final push from the breakaway heavy hitters and he would win the bunch sprint just bike lengths behind.
Fun WC race, everyone, don't you think?
As a Canuck who was disappointed to see Barry on the ground after the crash (I was at Hamilton in 2003 when he finished 8th), I have to say that was an awesome race and an awesome display of teamwork and class by the GB team.
Anyone who says anything else is just a sore loser. The course for Worlds changes every year and is suited to the grimpeurs and climbers more often than not. The sprinters should have their chance as well. 260k at 45kph is no walk in the fucking park, even if you are sitting on the wheel.
The Vuelta this year was poorer in my opinion because there were not enough opportunities for the sprinters.
@G'phant
I plan to stay in the drops all the way to the line, with the likes of you and Marcus chasing me. Hopefully Ron isn't lurking in the crowd with a frame pump.
"The team all rode out of their skins today. It's a shame they can't wear the world champion's jersey as well. I've won the jersey, but I just put the finishing touches to the mission." Mark Cavendish
Rather late to the party here, I'm afraid, but may I just say 'jolly good show' to the British Team, and especially to Mr. Cavendish. It looked a little dicy towards the end, but that man can certainly sprint.
I don't think there's enough concern at the impact of Team GB's skinsuit wearing. In the past year or so my regular weekend jaunt around the Surrey Hills has seen a massive increase in the incidence of Sky team jerseys. The last thing I need is for skin suits to become popular. Fat, middle aged men (I am one of these but it's not fat) are bad enough in bibshorts and a jersey, but in a skin suit? Please. No. I think they should be banned in mass starts, like Spinaci.
@Nof Landrien
Do you mean you are merely BELLY BREATHING?
@frank
By the way, I don't mean to in any way suggest we should NOT be informed...go to CyclingNews, go to The Inner Ring, go anywhere you can and soak up all the facts and information you can manage to sponge up.
Then come here and spin wild theories.
@frank
It needed to be said.