Olympics 2012

[Gardian]

Right.  Just a thought:  we start a thread about the sport, rather than people like me whinging about all the preamble.

So here goes.

This afternoon was disappointing in the Road Race.  It was too big a breakaway to bring back and I just wonder whether the peloton was getting the info it needed to know how far back they were?  Sorry for Cancellara, because his crash x kms out did for his chances.

As for the coverage?  It just showed how good the TdF organisation is.  The BBC commentators were pleading for information on the gaps and weren't getting it. For once, not the fault of the BBC.  If they weren't getting the information, was it getting to the riders??

Anyway, it was nostalgic for me.  Boxhill and that neck of the woods was my late-teen stamping ground.  I've been in every one of the pubs that the riders passed.  Then Richmond Park, etc, etc. 

[Russethouse]

Afterwards Mark Cavendish said that no other country would help them and it just left the five of them to do all the work, they all dreaded being in a sprint with him...a great shame.

Disappointed that the Murrays are out of the tennis doubles, and that the swimming didn't go better.

As I said in the other thread, lovely to see Dorney Lake looking so splendid in the sunshine and some reasonable results in the heats

[HoneySuckleDreams]

I caught the end of the mens team archery, Italy v USA. I've never watched an archery event before. 70M!!! to hit a bullseye

Anyway it was rather exciting in as much that the Italians needed a bull to win it on the last arrow...and they did, by splitting the line...but a 10 none the less

I admit to letting lose a little whoop of delight.

It catches you up this Olympic malarky

[5-element]

[quote user="Gardian"]

Right.  Just a thought:  we start a thread about the sport, rather than people like me whinging about all the preamble.

So here goes.

This afternoon was disappointing in the Road Race.  It was too big a breakaway to bring back and I just wonder whether the peloton was getting the info it needed to know how far back they were?  Sorry for Cancellara, because his crash x kms out did for his chances.

As for the coverage?  It just showed how good the TdF organisation is.  The BBC commentators were pleading for information on the gaps and weren't getting it. For once, not the fault of the BBC.  If they weren't getting the information, was it getting to the riders??

Anyway, it was nostalgic for me.  Boxhill and that neck of the woods was my late-teen stamping ground.  I've been in every one of the pubs that the riders passed.  Then Richmond Park, etc, etc. 

[/quote]

Gardian, thank you. Like like like. (missing the like button).

Just thinking back on the TdF and the amazing exploits of the Sky team, helped not to feel too disappointed for Cavendish, but it was all a bit of a shock. As for Fabian's crash, I found it horrific (as for most crashes) and am always in awe at the way a rider will continue riding even with one arm hanging off... And yes, the contrast between the coverage of the road race and that of the TdF was interesting - but of course, when they prepare the TdF, it is completely focussed. Whereas the Olympics, one event amongst many, and the organisers must be running out of manpower???

I loved watching the swimming last night. As I am more interested in sport than in who wins how many medals (although naturally, I support foth France and GB) I find those swimmers totally awesome, men and woman) with their huge shoulders and back muscles. Just watching athletes of most kinds perform, is a joy in itself. 

[Salty Sam]

[quote user="Gardian"]

Right.  Just a thought:  we start a thread about the sport, rather than people like me whinging about all the preamble.

So here goes.

This afternoon was disappointing in the Road Race.  It was too big a breakaway to bring back and I just wonder whether the peloton was getting the info it needed to know how far back they were?  Sorry for Cancellara, because his crash x kms out did for his chances.

As for the coverage?  It just showed how good the TdF organisation is.  The BBC commentators were pleading for information on the gaps and weren't getting it. For once, not the fault of the BBC.  If they weren't getting the information, was it getting to the riders??

Anyway, it was nostalgic for me.  Boxhill and that neck of the woods was my late-teen stamping ground.  I've been in every one of the pubs that the riders passed.  Then Richmond Park, etc, etc. 

[/quote]

It would now seem the BBC is copping the blame for things out of their control!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/cycling/9435417/London-2012-Olympics-BBC-complain-over-Cycling-road-race-statistics-from-the-Olympic-Broadcasting-Service.html

[quote]A BBC spokesman said: “To clarify with regards to today’s coverage of the

Men’s Road Race: the pictures are provided by the host broadcaster OBS to

all global rights holders, these are not BBC produced pictures. [/quote]

[Gardian]

I'll stand being corrected, but I'm not even sure that it was OBS's fault.

The broadcaster has to rely on information being provided by the race or event organiser.  I don't think that that is OBS.

I watched the whole 5 hours of yesterday's race and I don't recall either Cancellara or Vinourkourov being mentioned as being in the leading group until very close to the end.  Vino turned up out of knowhere !!!

Anyway, hope that the race today goes better in terms of the coverage and the result.

[Gardengirl]

I watched most of the bike race yesterday, and thought what a pity the commentators didn't have the info they needed. Poor result for GB, but a thrilling finish, I thought.

Just listened to local radio with some of the rowing on at Dorney; the GB pair did unexpectedly well. They mentioned a torrential downpour; we're not so far away and it's been bright sunshine so far today, although with  fluffy clouds. Maybe we're in for it later. Dressage I've heard about has been good.

[powerdesal]

[quote user="Russethouse"]Afterwards Mark Cavendish said that no other country would help them and it just left the five of them to do all the work, they all dreaded being in a sprint with him...a great shame.

Disappointed that the Murrays are out of the tennis doubles, and that the swimming didn't go better.

As I said in the other thread, lovely to see Dorney Lake looking so splendid in the sunshine and some reasonable results in the heats[/quote]

Maybe I don't know enough about cycle racing but.......Why would Cavendish expect any help from other countries ?????????

[Russethouse]

Isn't it to do with pacemaking ? They seemed to all do it in the T de F.......

[HoneySuckleDreams]

[quote user="powerdesal"]Why would Cavendish expect any help from other countries ?????????[/quote]

Normally in the races you have a team trying to get their "main" rider in a position to compete in the closing stages. Riding at the front of the pelaton is extremely tiring as you have to punch a hole through the air, the riders behind you get a free ride in the slip stream. Normally, [Tdf etc] this front lead is taken up by other riders from other teams to help. Yesterday, nobody else wanted to take up the front and help out, they knew that Cav was favorite so they wanted the GB riders to knacker themselves out trying to keep the pelaton moving (and the teams aren't as big as you would get in the Tdf). Also, where you have a break away group (like yesterday) the pelaton team members would want to try and slow the pelaton down so that their team colleagues up ahead have a better chance to get away. I think the GB riders made a mistake yesterday, they misjudged the breakaway riders and expected (in hindsight a bad move) that the pelaton would help them catch up. It's all a bit strange as though its an individual race, it still relies on team work.

thats my opinion anyway...hope it helps.

[Alan Zoff]

I think Team GB were a little naive to expect the other countries to help them get Cav to the sprint finish and a Gold Medal. This wasn't a tour stage. I'm not even sure they would have helped that much as there were so many in the breakaway group at the end that they were getting a lot of the benefit achieved by a peloton. Wiggins and co should not have allowed that many riders to get away and should have gone with them.

I wonder how much of that was down to the reliance these days on getting up-to-the second instructions via headsets from a man in a car with a computer. Unlike tour races, they don't have that luxury in the Olympic road race.

As it is, much as I admire the bloke's brilliance as a racer and sympathise with his losing out through no fault of his own, Cav blaming the Aussies just provides ammo to those down under who enjoy giving Brits the "Whingeing Pom" tag.

[Gardengirl]

I really enjoyed the thrilling women's cycle race; glad to see plenty out to cheer everyone on, despite it pouring with rain.

[Gardian]

You're right GG - the Women's race was much better and not just because one of ours podiumed. [6]

I do remember the thing about Colemanballs - verbal faux pas by David Coleman.  Hugh Porter must be close to taking on the mantle.  He came out with something along the lines of "The way this race is going is meat and gravy to (whatever-her-name-was)". [blink]  

The French will be pleased tonight after the Swimming: one sort-of expected and the other against the odds.

[Gardian]

You're right GG - the Women's race was much better and not just because one of ours podiumed. [6]

I do remember the thing about Colemanballs - verbal faux pas by David Coleman.  Hugh Porter must be close to taking on the mantle.  He came out with something along the lines of "The way this race is going is meat and gravy to (whatever-her-name-was)". [blink]  

The French will be pleased tonight after the Swimming: one sort-of expected and the other against the odds.

[Gardian]

Sorry - double hit.

[5-element]

Women's race was brill - in spite of that dreadful weather towards the end.

As for the swimming, such a cliffhanger - very interesting to be zapping back and forth between BBC1 and Fr2 - same races, but different emphasis - Team GB, or les francais -  it's much easier if one roots for both!

Amongst the swimmers, I do find Sun Yang a bit odd in a vaguely scary way though, I don't know if it's the name, but the water doesn't seem to tone down his testosterone outbursts. I hate to raise the doping issue, but given that out of all disciplines, it is always the cyclists who are tested constantly and systematically,  one can wonder about possibilities in other sports. I seem to remember there had been a scandal about "turtle soup" or "ginseng" some years back. Nevertheless, doping or not doping, at the end of the day, the sportsperson still has to pedal or jump, or throw, or swim - the performance might be enhanced but they still have to do the work and go through the gruelling training. 

[mint]

Didn't see Rebecca Adlington's race though I saw the presentation of the medals.

But, the men's relay was something else...so exciting and the French team were incroyable!

I was proud as punch when they played the marseillaise twice at the presentation; even tempted to join in the chorus!  Such a wonderfully rousing tune (if you discount the words, that is [:P])

[Gardian]

I've been particularly interested in the fitness of the competitors.

The British Womens hockey team look pretty fit to me, together with the Czech Double Sculls team (they came knowhere).  

[Russethouse]

Very Happy at the womens rowing result particularly as both of them live in my area [:D]

[Gardengirl]

Excellent rowing result! Also enjoyed the cycling this afternoon; Wiggins and Froome were splendid, and gold & silver in that race was great. But I really felt for Cancellara, who was a real hero.

[Rabbie]

[quote user="gardengirl "]Excellent rowing result! Also enjoyed the cycling this afternoon; Wiggins and Froome were splendid, and gold & silver in that race was great. But I really felt for Cancellara, who was a real hero.
[/quote]Quite agree about the rowing result. Just a pity that BBC radio has gone so Wiggins-crazy that they have been largely ignoring the girls acheivement once the cycle race was finished. BTW Froome didn't get silver but got the bronze. An excellent allround performance for both rowers and cyclists

[Gardengirl]

[quote user="Rabbie"][quote user="gardengirl "]Excellent rowing result! Also enjoyed the cycling this afternoon; Wiggins and Froome were splendid, and gold & silver in that race was great. But I really felt for Cancellara, who was a real hero.

[/quote]Quite agree about the rowing result. Just a pity that BBC radio has gone so Wiggins-crazy that they have been largely ignoring the girls acheivement once the cycle race was finished. BTW Froome didn't get silver but got the bronze. An excellent allround performance for both rowers and cyclists[/quote]

You're quite right - slip of the brain!  - or wishful thinking!  [:D]

[Gardian]

Pleased to see that those 4 pairs have been turfed out of the Badminton.  For once, the IOC (presumably them?) came to a rapid and decisive conclusion.

Let's hope that any appeal is unsuccessful (what possible grounds?)  They should be banned from international competition for two years-ish, together with their team management. 

I'm not naive enough to believe that this sort of thing has never happened before, but was it ever so blatant?  What on earth possessed them to think that what they did in front of the world's cameras could possibly be ignored?

[Gardian]

Not a bad few days eh?

[Russethouse]

Brilliant - I particularly enjoyed the rowing, but the cycling and the athletics were great too......

I'm just keeping my fingers crossed for Andy Murray tomorrow !