The world championship road race stands out among all other one-day races as the one where the winner is awarded both a curse and a jersey to carry for the next 12 months. It also inspires way too many riders to wear white bibs, which is an alarming trend in itself and one which I hope Brian Cookston, the new UCI President, prioritizes over the doping problem – let’s face facts: white shorts on rainy days does more damage to Cycling’s image than any doping scandal ever could.
Be that as it may, I often find myself wondering if its easier to win a Grand Tour or a one-day race. Certainly, winning a Grand Tour requires focus, discipline, and performance across a wide range of terrain and over a long period of time, but it also offers the opportunity to recover from a bad moment and to take advantage of the days where the terrain or discipline suits the qualities of the rider. A one-day race, on the other hand, is shorter but also less controllable. All in, no net; a moment’s inattention could be disastrous and in an instant your chances could disappear up the road.
The World Championships are also the only race which has brought Mary V to tears after narrowly losing the title. The Dutch don’t cry easily, especially not the ones who bleed pure V.
The Worlds are always a live wire of a race; the national teams mean the riders are riding for and against their usual teammates. Team unity is always a question, and loyalties are hard to predict. All for one and one for all, until a mate goes up the road and suddenly things start looking blurry. Throw in a circuit race, a big climb you ride 17 times, a steep ramp about V km from finish, and you’ve got yourself a race Nostradamus would have a chore predicting.
The Men set out in what is predicted to be horrendous weather on Sunday, September 29. Check the start list, rattle the bones, and put your picks in by the time the clock goes to zero. Good luck.
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@Buck Rogers
I would like to pose an alternative theory, not to diminish a great ride by Rui, BUT
He got lucky. The Spanish and Italians did not give him the credit he deserved and chose to largely ignore the threat. They let him ride out of the wind all the way round the circuit a couple of times. Granted he did a great job bridging the gap but ultimately the other teams let him have an easy ride and he was therefore able to capitalise at the end when he had more left than others.
Having said that, you make your own luck and could not have benefitted and won if he had not had the nouce to play a clever "grey man" tactic whilst the rest worried about each other.
My chapeau goes to JRod who (Nibbles a close second for sheer guts) went again and again in the final few Kms to try and break the front 4 only to be tipped out by a fraction of a wheel on the line...he definitely has class!
Completely Delgado'd the World Champs - luckily, based on the picks I was going to make I wouldn't have scored any points even if I hadn't.
The moment that J-Rod turned round and asked Costa to pass he lost the race. Costa would've known at that point that he'd be able to attack at the line and win. Good racing.
I had Costa as first on my VSP but I was let down with my 2-5 picks.
He is riding for Lampre in 2014, lets all pray he doesn't wear the stripes with those awful flouro pink shorts.
@Deakus
Lexicon or not, that is word of the day! Top marks.
When JRod waved the white flag with his little tea time talk all I could think of was what the greats would have done in that situation. Thinking of the Badger, Kelly, guys who when I think of an image they are in some shit weather that made yesterday look like a picnic and on the line they are still going 210%. The tactics leading up to that image does not include time out for a chat.
Uran's crash on the final descent to the finish was heartbreaking. Didn't enter the VSP, but I was hoping for him... Happy that at least two big races this year have gone to the underdog: Ciolek at MSR and now Costa!
@Rob
I suspect the "chat" was an excuse to look in to the whites of his eyes and see how he looked when trying to speak/respond. It is a risky tactic because it also gives away your own condition but the fact that they were both neck and neck on the line tells me they did not leave much in the tank...
@efguerrero
He was limping quite badly when he got up. Do we know if he was injured? (i.e. not just road rash..)
@Deakus
This!
@Deakus
I did hear that he got back on and finished but that was quite some crash.