Olympics Women's Road Race

**RoadRaven** · 08-13-2008, 01:35 AM

I didn't easily find a thread on this, so I apologise if you have discussed this.

Was anyone else disappointed in the way the women's race began?
It was great that eventually some attacks happened and that there was a breakaway and a chase... but for goodness sake, was anyone else as frustrated as me for the first hour plus watching them tootle along at 30kms or so as if they were on a Sunday recovery ride.

Had no-one told them they were riding for an Olympic GOLD??? - not a Sunday coffee.

When there were attacks, they didn't last... rider 1 attacks, then rider 2 attacks... and then rider 3... and then they turn around to see who will continue the attacks, who will help them break up the bunch... no-one.

I felt so frustrated... if I had been their age, with that opportunity, do you think I would have been sitting in hoping not to get dropped? Hell no! I would have been attacking, lifting the pace, stringing out that damn line. There were talented strong women there..... but nothing

If this is how it is usually (and since we rarely see womens cycling, who really knows?) then it is no wonder women's cycling gets so little sponsorship and media coverage.

Feeling ashamed and disillusioned...

**Blueberry** · 08-13-2008, 07:59 AM

We had about 10 minutes of TV coverage (the end of the race), so I didn't get to see the rest of it. That is most disheartening.

CA

**oxysback** · 08-13-2008, 08:15 AM

Originally Posted by CA_in_NC

We had about 10 minutes of TV coverage (the end of the race), so I didn't get to see the rest of it. That is most disheartening.

CA

You can watch it here...http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/pla...elcode=sportcy

There's still not very much coverage. Only about 30 minutes for a 78 mile race.

**dex** · 08-13-2008, 08:24 AM

I tried to watch the live streaming coverage online (that's really your best bet for seeing a variety of events). I got so bored watching them toodle along that I actually started working instead. By the time the racing got a little interesting, I'd already given up on it. Ah, well.

**Blueberry** · 08-13-2008, 09:01 AM

Originally Posted by oxysback

You can watch it here...http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/pla...elcode=sportcy

There's still not very much coverage. Only about 30 minutes for a 78 mile race.

Ah - good to know

Thanks!! Don't think I'll go back and watch this one (due to the lack of excitement), but I can search around for some of the stuff I've missed (or that wasn't covered on our network...

CA

**dachshund** · 08-13-2008, 09:22 AM

The men's race started at a leisurely pace, too. I was really disappointed that they had to ride in pouring rain. I kept thinking, don't crash, please don't crash.

But TV loves those crashes, so that was the next thing they showed. It looked like the Korean woman just suddenly went at a diagonal and took out people in her way. (I haven't watched the online footage yet.) What was she thinking??

I certainly don't race, but I imagine the rain squashed the attacks that we should have seen.

**oxysback** · 08-13-2008, 09:42 AM

Originally Posted by CA_in_NC

Ah - good to know

Thanks!! Don't think I'll go back and watch this one (due to the lack of excitement), but I can search around for some of the stuff I've missed (or that wasn't covered on our network...

CA

You're welcome! I've been watching the 3 day eventing. Our network isn't showing any of that at all.

**Trekhawk** · 08-13-2008, 07:24 PM

Oh don't be too hard on them.
I think that everyone was so worried about the conditions ( I think humidity was at about 97 percent at the start) that maybe that just wanted to minimize their chances of cracking. Lets face it plenty of blokes did towards the end of the course. Im sure the girls would have taken that into consideration.
The look of that smog was enough to freak me out.

**Trek420** · 08-13-2008, 10:24 PM

Originally Posted by dachshund

It looked like the Korean woman just suddenly went at a diagonal and took out people in her way. (I haven't watched the online footage yet.) What was she thinking??

That's what I was thinking. It was wet, pouring, slipping, I would think the racers would want to organize in the center and nobody would want to be at the edge ... then she went bowling across the pelaton she seemed to waver like one does when tired or trying to zig sag up a hill and then zipped right to the side. It was early in the race so I would not think she'd fade.

I don't draft at all but know you are supposed to stay steady.

Did she have a mechanical? Armstrong got caught up in that I think, great job of getting back in.

I wish Longo had placed in the TT.

So close.

**RoadRaven** · 08-14-2008, 02:15 AM

I beg to disagree with those of you saying that the conditions were a reason for not racing. The first hour which TVNZ covered and I got to see was on the flat.

Thats pretty safe even in those conditions. And those conditions, everyone is worried about a slippery road and that is precisely WHY we should have seen attacks going in. Wind or rain make ideal conditions to make a break away, and then attempt to hold it.

Trek, you are right. You absolutely do not want to be in the bunch or at the back in those conditions. And that is why it is such a good reason to break it up, get away from the main group... ride safe and fast with just a handful of other women. That would be the safe thing to do.

I think you are too generous and kind Hawk... someone needs to be hard on them... these gals were supposed to be the best of the best... they didn't ride like it most of the time... and many of didn't even race at all.

If any of you who have replied or even just read this thread... wouldn't you, if you had the chance to be there, wouldn't you want to ride for gold? Wouldn't you want to maximise opportunity? Would you really sit in and think about how you don't want to crash, or would you notice that everyone else was so worried that you could seize the opportunity to take advantage of their fear and ride hard, ride your heart out, ride to WIN the gold?

How sad to say "I rode in an Olympic race" rather than I RACED in the Olympics.

**tulip** · 08-14-2008, 04:30 AM

I'd be happy to say I raced in the Olympics

**Trekhawk** · 08-14-2008, 04:39 AM

Originally Posted by RoadRaven

I beg to disagree with those of you saying that the conditions were a reason for not racing. The first hour which TVNZ covered and I got to see was on the flat.

Thats pretty safe even in those conditions. And those conditions, everyone is worried about a slippery road and that is precisely WHY we should have seen attacks going in. Wind or rain make ideal conditions to make a break away, and then attempt to hold it.

Trek, you are right. You absolutely do not want to be in the bunch or at the back in those conditions. And that is why it is such a good reason to break it up, get away from the main group... ride safe and fast with just a handful of other women. That would be the safe thing to do.

I think you are too generous and kind Hawk... someone needs to be hard on them... these gals were supposed to be the best of the best... they didn't ride like it most of the time... and many of didn't even race at all.

If any of you who have replied or even just read this thread... wouldn't you, if you had the chance to be there, wouldn't you want to ride for gold? Wouldn't you want to maximise opportunity? Would you really sit in and think about how you don't want to crash, or would you notice that everyone else was so worried that you could seize the opportunity to take advantage of their fear and ride hard, ride your heart out, ride to WIN the gold?

How sad to say "I rode in an Olympic race" rather than I RACED in the Olympics.

I was not talking about the conditions in regard to the rain I was talking about the fact that a lot of these riders would not be use to the humidity and the bad air quality. When I watched the men a lot of great riders suffered because of the humidity. The girls were perhaps being cautious incase the humidity etc took the same toll on them.
I don't race so I guess I don't really have much of a clue but listening to the commentators here it sure sounded like they thought the humidity etc could be an issue for the women too.

**maillotpois** · 08-14-2008, 07:59 AM

Yeah, I could see wanting to go out as slowly as possible and spend as little time in the red zone with that smog and humidity. More of a tactical race than one of riding peoples' wheels off. Of course the TT Was completely the opposite.

Good to know about the 3 day eventing, etc. That would be fun to watch and NONE of it is getting shown here.

Too many women in bikinis to show...

**SadieKate** · 08-14-2008, 08:45 AM

There was a lot of coverage on 3 Day Eventing. It was on one of the "other" channels. Oxygen? USA? Something. I saw a lot. Gina Miles, the silver medalist, is from Davis.

I saw a lot of dressage yesterday.

**arielmoon** · 08-14-2008, 08:52 AM

I just watched the team final for dressage on the streaming feed. About the only way I was going to be able to see it.

I love that Equestrian sports are co-ed.

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