Mendrisio elite road race

[Runitout]

yup, agreed... sometimes the best tactic is to put your head down and get it done.. and let the other x themselves out... which is precisely what Evans did.

for sure he had a little bit of luck on his side, but one thing i've learned over the years is that you have to first put yourself in a position where you can be lucky (or skillful or strong for that matter).. no amount of luck is going to teleport you 30 seconds down the road...

Agree with the last point.

Interesting little argument, but it ignores that the non-Spaniards DID try to chase. First Cunego. He was shot by halfway up the hill, though. Valverde was his designated marker, but Valverde was spent, and couldn't use him as a sprinboard for anything. I'm not even sure he caught his wheel again, but I'll have to look at the video.

Then Gilbert had a go or two. Breschel looked like he was leading Fabu out halfway up the hill - both put in surges.( It was Fabu who let Kolobnev's wheel go before the right hander that allowed the break - that's when Sanvhez should have gone. He could have sat up if he was dragging the others with him and pushed on if he'd got away.)

Anyhow - the others did have a crack - but it was too little, too late, and they were spent. Whether you think Sanchez could have gone is the question - because Valverde had nothing to give.

 

[mitsatbir]

Very cool, looking great so far. Keep going, I wanna see it finished!

 

[biker jk]

has their been much coverage of CE's win in the Aussie media today???

Cadel's win made the prime time TV news on all the stations last night. That's pretty impressive given it's rugby league grand final week.

 

[doggatas]

The only rider/team that didnt fcuk up was Cadel/Aussies!

Cadel Won and is the World Road Race Champion, he attacked and attacked at the right time!

Everyone else lost including 2nd/3rd as there can be only one winner..

Well done CE, you truely deserve it!

 

[doctorSpoc]

The only rider/team that didnt fcuk up was Cadel/Aussies!

Cadel Won and is the World Road Race Champion, he attacked and attacked at the right time!

Everyone else lost including 2nd/3rd as there can be only one winner..

Well done CE, you truely deserve it!

and Evans needs to buy Stuart O'Grady pint... maybe a Keg would be more appropriate given the Herculean amount of work he put in keeping the early break within striking distance...

 

[Jono L]

Yeah, an absolute tactical masterclass from the Spanish. Three men in a group of nine and they only end up with a bronze medal. They had the fastest and arguably the second fastest sprinter in the break and they send a bloke up the road who has been in breaks for 100km. What race were you watching? The Spanish completely botched it.

Ha. Pwned.

Doctor Spoc, you spanish or something?

 

[JAPANic]

I can imagine what Kolobnev & Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver were thinking when they were with Evans...

'Look there is Evans... he will come 2nd as usual....hmmm, that means either I or you are going to win this thing.... Let's just mark each other...and sprint it out at the end."

 

[steve]

I can imagine what Kolobnev & Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver were thinking when they were with Evans...

'Look there is Evans... he will come 2nd as usual....hmmm, that means either I or you are going to win this thing.... Let's just mark each other...and sprint it out at the end."

That is quite funny

 

[RHR38]

CE's move was logical as he was prolly slowest rider in that group. He almost got dropped when FC put hammer down on previous climb. Evans read well when Rodrigues cut through the traffic island and was at the front right away. As SS and AV had their markings on this kinda left DC, FG and MB to counter and SS/AV just waited their markings to reel them in for them. Did not happend and so three got off. 1 vs 2....that's much easier than 1 vs 8.

 

[thunder]

someone told me that Dave Sanders said Gerrans wanted 10 grand Australian, which is about 1 thousand pounds, or 1.5 thousand Euro, if Evans wanted Gerro to work for him.

I hope Evans does not pay anyone in the Aus team a bonus. They just did their job, and I reckon that Gerrans was the real team leader til he was dropped.

 

[doctorSpoc]

Ha. Pwned.

Doctor Spoc, you spanish or something?

Classic1 is brain dead... and there is no argument in there.. were is his arguement? where is his alternate stategy that WOULD have worked out? you can't base your strategy on people (i.e. Cancellara) doing stupid things, that were not in there interest.

the Spanish tactics were sound.. if Cancellara was thinking right he should have realized that give the situation, his best probable outcome was silver and gone on the attack from the bottom of the hill when it was still possible to get to Evans. sure this would have likely resulted in Sanchez or Valverde winning but at least he had a chance for something.. instead he got nothing.. and the Spanish at least got bronze..

notice that Classic1 and the other arm chair quarter backs give no alternate tactics because i think the realized at some point in the discussion that any other tactics also have risks and the fact that Valverde was not on good legs meant that on paper at least that Cunego was the best sprinter in the bunch.. a field sprint with Cunego there was not good odds. the startegy they went with was a good one.. put Rodriguez in the break forcing Cancellara and the others the chase weakening them and giving them two chances for success in the finale.. the others in the group didn't play ball and ended up getting nothing for their efforts.. see Cancellara crying like a baby at the end.. he only has himself to blame... you cannot win from 30 seconds back.. it's impossible.. his only chance for success was to chase.. he didn't and he ended up empty handed..

that's the deal.. don't listen to these armchair quarterbacks judging the spanish after the fact when they have the benefit of knowing that Cancellara and the others would act irrationally.. who would count on that and form a strategy around that? that's stupid. the spanish strategy was sound.. 9 times out of 10 it would have worked and almost assured them the win, but because of the unforeseeable situation as it unfolded on the road it didn't work out.. sh!t happens sometimes.. at least they got the bronze (and their goal was to win a medal after last time being in a similarly good position and getting 6th.. again with Rodriguez actually) which is more than can be said of the other "power house" the italians (who got nothing!)... what did the Swiss get, the belgians, the danes...?

i'm not spanish.. i've just thought it out, but Classic1 and Vader, you and the other idiots on here haven't..

 

[doctorSpoc]

CE's move was logical as he was prolly slowest rider in that group. He almost got dropped when FC put hammer down on previous climb. Evans read well when Rodrigues cut through the traffic island and was at the front right away. As SS and AV had their markings on this kinda left DC, FG and MB to counter and SS/AV just waited their markings to reel them in for them. Did not happend and so three got off. 1 vs 2....that's much easier than 1 vs 8.

this is true.. CE had to go early whether it worked or not.. it was his only shot at success.. if he waited he had absolutely no chance in a sprint or even if an attack went at the top of the last climb he would have almost 100% been dropped.. he absolutely played his cards correctly... to be truthful it shouldn't have worked given the firepower behind, but as the x'ed themselves out (as often happens) it worked..

i can't say the same for Cancellara.. Cancellara's only chance for success was to attack at the bottom of the climb.. not the top as he did (it was already too late by then).. he would likely have carried SS and must have thought Valverde as well (we now know it would have likely only been SS). SS and AV couldn't work because of Rodriguez.. which was good for them since it ensured that they would be in better shape after any bridging effort.. to my eyes the real f!ck up was Cancellara.. he simply didn't act in his own self interest and that ended up f'ing up everyone else as well (except CE).. but the spanish had a plan "b" and still ended up with bronze..

i can't for the life of me see how anyone can fault the spanish strategy.. it was sound and should have worked if everyone acted in their self interest as you would expect..

 

[doctorSpoc]

Yeah, an absolute tactical masterclass from the Spanish. Three men in a group of nine and they only end up with a bronze medal. They had the fastest and arguably the second fastest sprinter in the break and they send a bloke up the road who has been in breaks for 100km. What race were you watching? The Spanish completely botched it.

this is the perfect explanation of just how incredibly stupid this post is, based on nothing more than the flawed logic of it's contents... classic1 is basically saying because a strategy didn't work, it was wrong... which doesn't follow... it's simply wrong/flawed logic... sometimes you are presented with a zero-sum game as it was in this case..

e.g. the strategy of Cadel Evans, who won the world championships, was simple. he has no sprint in comparison to the others, would likely get dropped on the final climb had he stayed in the group (as he had the previous time up it).. so his only remote chance at success was to go early and pray to god that the riders behind mess it up.. and they did... and he won. it was basically his only option, staying in the group meant that he had an almost 100% chance of failure... no medal.. no nothing. so classic1.. if the riders behind had chased in time and caught Evans.. using your logic his strategy was wrong.. but it clearly wasn't, in his case it was basically his only option and he acted on it.. and he was correct in doing so... win or lose it was the correct strategy...

similarly the spanish implemented a strategy that 9 times out of ten should have worked, but because of how it worked out it didn't work exactly to plan.. does that mean the strategy was wrong? NO.. your logic is seriously flawed classic1, vader et al... contrary to what vader had to say.. he "is not a smart man"... pretty obvious he can't argue or think his way out of a wet paper bag...

 

[Brenno]

so his only remote chance at success was to go early and pray to god that the riders behind mess it up.. and they did... and he won. .

Yeah, like even god didn't think Evans was going to bugger it up....

 

[limerickman]

Cadel's win made the prime time TV news on all the stations last night. That's pretty impressive given it's rugby league grand final week.

Glad to read that.
Good to see the win getting some coverage in his country

 

[limerickman]

I liked the show of emotion on the podium by CE : it was clear the win meant a huge amount to him.
The applause of the knowledgeable crowd was really good too.


An odd comment was made on Eurosport : one panellist said it was only CE's third road win.
Is that right?




And did anyone hear David Harmon shout "that's a load of bollox"
at someone in the Eurosport backroom at the race finish!

 

[steve]

An odd comment was made on Eurosport : one panellist said it was only CE's third road win.
Is that right?
D

Here are his results as listed on his website;

2001
1st Overall, Tour of Austria

2002
1st Road Time Trial, Commonwealth Games
1st Stage 5, Tour Down Under
1st Stage 1, Settimana Ciclistica Internazionale
1st Stage 4, International UNIQA Classic

2004
1st Overall and Stage 2, Tour of Austria

2005
1st stage Tour of Germany

2006
1st Overall and Stage 5, Tour de Romandie

2007
Champion, UCI ProTour
1st Stage 2, Test Event Beijing 2008 (ITT)
1st Overall Test Event Beijing 2008
1st Tour de France Stage 13 (Vinokourov out for doping?)

2008
3rd Overall, Ruta del Sol
1st Stage 2
1st Stage 4, Paris-Nice
1st Overall and Stage 3, Settimana Internazionale Coppi-Bartali

2009
1st Stage 1 - Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré 2009
1st Points Competition Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré 2009
1st Stage 5 Coppi-Bartali

 

[limerickman]

Here are his results as listed on his website;

2001
1st Overall, Tour of Austria

2002
1st Road Time Trial, Commonwealth Games
1st Stage 5, Tour Down Under
1st Stage 1, Settimana Ciclistica Internazionale
1st Stage 4, International UNIQA Classic

2004
1st Overall and Stage 2, Tour of Austria

2005
1st stage Tour of Germany

2006
1st Overall and Stage 5, Tour de Romandie

2007
Champion, UCI ProTour
1st Stage 2, Test Event Beijing 2008 (ITT)
1st Overall Test Event Beijing 2008
1st Tour de France Stage 13 (Vinokourov out for doping?)

2008
3rd Overall, Ruta del Sol
1st Stage 2
1st Stage 4, Paris-Nice
1st Overall and Stage 3, Settimana Internazionale Coppi-Bartali

2009
1st Stage 1 - Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré 2009
1st Points Competition Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré 2009
1st Stage 5 Coppi-Bartali

Thanks Steve : I knew CE had won some stages in races.

Those dolts over at Eurosport need a good kicking

 

[steve]

Thanks Steve : I knew CE had won some stages in races.

Those dolts over at Eurosport need a good kicking

Same, i'm surprised he has so many wins, his second placings are far more memorable

regards

 

[Jono L]

i'm not spanish.. i've just thought it out, but Classic1 and Vader, you and the other idiots on here haven't..

You picked the wrong man spoctor.

I've watched the last lap 4 times now.

1) Firstly, Rodriguez does the sacrificial attack on the downhill to draw some sting but ends up away with colobnev and evans. Now from here, I agree with you, being sanchez or valverde I would not chase, but it owuld be playing in my mind that a bunch sprint would be favourable.

2)When they swing around the big sweeper on the downhill that goes under the underpass they all come back together. gruppo compatto. At that stage all sanchez has to do is roll over canc and grab 4th wheel to hold it together. but he lets the 3 slip away and there goes the race.

Now, if, as you say they fear cunego in the kick they surely would still be backing valverde for a silver, and honestly they should be backing him for the win, it's his job he does it all the effin time.

Rodriguez was obviously rooted, in the break all day then sits on kolobnev and can't roll him for second. not even close.

When it came back they should have held it together for valverde, but no, they messed up. Comprende?

3 out of 9 and a bronze medal=fail in ANYONES books.