Why are women’s races run concurrently with men’s races? I would get it if it was the women’s Tour de France, but I don’t get it when it is the women’s Giro in July. Since the Tour de Swiss there has been a lack of stage racing (in my TV watching schedule) and seemingly a perfect time to present a women’s stage race. What do I know? Evidently, not enough, but it is here and we should appreciate it, if it is properly covered, which it won’t be, because of the TOUR de FRANCE, FFS.
The 25th Giro Rosa includes 953 km of racing from Caserta to Santuario Madonna del Ghisallo with starts around noon, every stage, how civilized. American Mara Abbott will be defending her 2013 victory. It was gained on her climbing ability, a skill Ms. Vos has but somehow could not match last year. To be racing in Italy in summer; everyone will be lining up their bikes for this stage race. I imagine the women will be enjoying La Dolce Vita more than the men of the Giro in May. My impression is the women race just as hard but have more fun throughout the days of a stage race.
Podium Café always has some good lead-in coverage for women’s racing here. A provisional start list complete with rider’s twitter and instagram accounts is here, the kids. As we all know, points scored for women’s VSP races count equally for the overall 2014 prizes. Prizes you ask?
To be clear on the Delgado issue, the time clock on the VSP banner is it, not the actual start in Italy. Refresh your browser to make sure you are still in pre-delgado status.
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It wasn't pretty, and it may not adhere to the highest Corinthian ideals of sport, but I don't think it was wrong to the extent that it was against the rules or could be called cheating.
Boxing riders in is a valid tactic - the only problem would be if it was putting anybody in danger but there was no physical contact and Abbot wasn't looking like she was going to fall or be pushed.
A really strong, fast attack would have got past them. If she couldn't do that then tough. But I think that's why you don't see it in the men's racing. First because a GC contender can attack fast enough to get side by side before they can be blocked and second because in men's racing you would never have a situation on a crucial stage where one team had three riders in a break of four, and all of them aiming for the podium. If you did I would expect they'd try the same.
@Mikael Liddy
@Barracuda
@ChrisO
Looking at the footage, it appears that Rabo-Liv are sailing pretty close to the wind with regard to the rules.
They are utterly fucked in the sportsmanship stakes. I've lost all respect for those 3 athletes, including M Vos. She is better than that. They all should be ashamed of themselves.
Not buying your argument @ChrisO. You don't see it in men's racing and you sure as hell should never see it in women's racing ever again.
@mouse +1. I can't believe Vos had a part in this. What the fuck was she thinking. Not that it excuses the other two, but she should be well above this sort of thing. She was on a pedestal for me, but she just fell off it.
@Geraint
Agreed. Within the rules or not, for a sport struggling to gain viewership, exposure and respect, this is pure shit.
I don't think the boxing in is so terrible as some are making it out to be. Certainly not the cleanest way to win a race, but is it really worse than the guy who sits on all day then jumps for a stage win?
To me the bigger problem here is that one team could be in that situation - 3 riders up the road and top 3 on GC. It seems like Rabo is funded on a level that most of these other teams can only dream of. If women's cycling is going to progress there needs to be more competition.
@ChrisO
I have to agree with @ChrisO on this one. Abbott finished the Giro less than 2 minutes down on Vos, and just 22 seconds of the podium. Last year, she beat Vos in the mountains to win. It was within the best interest of Rabo-Liv to keep Abbott in check. If Abbott could have attacked and gotten away, she would have.
There was no contact, no pushing, no danger to any of the riders. Sprinters get boxed out all the time, I don't hear any complaining about that. Fuck, Cav tried to headbutt Gerrans out of the way in the 1st stage of the Tdf precisely because he was boxed out. I think that's worse. I didn't hear anyone say they'd lost all respect for Cav.
I've said it before: it's a race, not a fucking picnic ride.
@KW
Oh shit, going down the rabbit hole here. Oh well, where are the pills, Alice?
"Within the rules" and "doing what is right and honourable" are two different things. I have raced bikes, skis, running races, and fought martial art tournaments all over the world. These are obviously all just sport. In sport one would hope that there is somthing akin to trying to do the right thing, not just winning at the limits of the rules. This is a great example of something that I will show my kids and say, "See this, that is how you might win the day but lose your integrity and self respect in the process. This is what you should not do."
I have also been in firefights and our montra was "If you ever find yourself in a fair firefight, you have done something wrong." To quote the great Vizzini, it is a different story when death is on the line.
That is why sport is great, in the end it is only sport, but it is also a chance where one can try to show their true self in the sporting process. I would prefer to lose gracefully than win without honour. One would hope that this example of unsport(wo)manship would rub one wrong, within the rules or not. At least, I hope it would anyone that I have raised.
Now where's that pill to make me smaller.
@Buck Rogers
I appreciate your point of view. We see the situation differently. That's another thing that makes sport great. The ability to compete and have differing opinions without having to hate your opponent (not that we're opponents here).
And if I could be a pedant for just a moment, the Vizzini quote is : "Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line!"
@ChrisO
Agreed. It's aggressive and it's hard racing. We don't know what was being said at the moment from either rider. Not a problem.
@Fins
Totally.