Aussie coaches are why we won

[oldroadman]

Who gives a monkeys what they say? Winners just win and other have to envy and wonder what they are doing wrong. GB have demonstrated the way to win, work, looking for tiny gains, finding more, adding them all up, more (b... hard work), lomg periods dedicated to, er, work. Planned breaks and programming what happens when, proper suppport so riders just have to ride.
Not hard to say, hard to do, requires commitment - and a good talent spotting programme.
Simple, really, if you want to do the work and keep at it for 10 years then the results happen...

 

[raindog]

They do have some completely chauvinistic plonqueurs though.

oh absolutely - if there was an olympic medal for chauvinism France would win it every time.
But imagine this from the point of view of someone outside GB - the cycling medals haul really is starting to look a bit weird.

 

[asterix]

Fair point. They do have some completely chauvinistic plonqueurs though.

'just shows that plonkership is global!

 

[raindog]

I don't usually use l'Equipe for cycling - just for rugby - but I had a quick look and the first comment after the interview with Baugé's coach is....

"Kenny was triple junior world champ at 18 in '06 and only beaten by the great Hoy in Peking in '08 at 20 years old! Baugé won his first title at 24.....and who was it caused problems with his whereabouts? Ask yourselves the right questons. Kenny completely dominated him THAT'S ALL!!!

"Kenny fut triple chpt du monde junior a 18 ans en 06 et battu seulement par le grand Hoy a Pékin en 08 a 20 ans! Bauge lui a gagne son premier titre a 24 ans en individuel! De plus qui a connu des problèmes de localisation? Posez-vous les bonnes questions. Kenny l'a domine nettement BASTA!!!"

 

[dellzeqq]

well, 73% of respondents to a survey in L'Equipe think the British are tainted by cheating.

The Fridays tour of Normandy next year is going to be a humdinger. We're taking our magic wheels.

 

[Aperitif]

23% non-partisan then - excellent! The Baugé article is morose, too.
In Normandy there will be another secret weapon.
0 Brie.

 

[Bollo]

I've mentioned before that l'Equipe isn't a cycling mag, it's a general sports newspaper, so in the comments you get fans of all sports spamming who know FA about cycling. On the Grauniad cycle pages you get the same kind of comments from Brits too - about doping and cheating I mean, so it's not just the French.

I don't usually use l'Equipe for cycling - just for rugby - but I had a quick look and the first comment after the interview with Baugé's coach is...
"Kenny was triple junior world champ at 18 in '06 and........

I think what genuinely surprised me was the proportion of comments that regarded doping across Team GB and Sky as an absolute given - the only thing missing is to discover how we're covering it up. I wouldn't judge any country's national mood by the gobsh1tes who populate newspapers' comments sections, but you at least see a spread of (often wacko) opinions, whatever the subject. I've no particular axe to grind against French cycling - in the words of Mo Syzslak, "I'm a well-wisher in that I mean them no specific harm" - but they seem to be determined to find the problem elsewhere. I looks like they're on the same learning curve that we've suffered for the past x years with the football - 'inventing the game' doesn't grant you a free pass to everlasting success. Although the Aussies are not best pleased with their overall Olympic performance, with special ire reserved for the swimmers, they already seem to "be asking the right questions".

 

[stephenb]

Australia's performance reflects a deeper malaise within Australian sport. They (we, I'm one of "them") haven't seen the writing on the wall. In cricket it goes back to the 2005 ashes. Team in terminal decline but nothing was done and so now we're miles behind England, SA, SL etc etc. Tennis? One bloke in the top 50 (at 49), one woman in the top 10 but the next one is 99. Swimming? The same faces from years gone by in a young persons sport. No idea what it's all down to but the Aussie team doesn't reflect the Australia you see on any high street, unlike team GB, and school sport in Australia is even more elitist than it is here.
We're not good losers maybe because we haven't had a lot of practice, but I fear that's about to change.
Shame about Meares btw - if there were golds for all round unpleasantness she'd be top of the table

 

[dellzeqq]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/aug/08/australia-sports-minister-loses-bet

 

[Crankarm]

Autralian sport is currently starved of investment which is where we used to be before lottery funding and various Tory (nasty party) governments. They are set to dismantle Team GBs run of sucess by imposing swinging cuts as they did in the 80s and 90s. It's all cyclical. The Aussies will soon be in the ascendency as their coaches return to Oz and the French will be beating us again.

 

[dellzeqq]

In the mean time, Michael Gove is not available to answer C4News' questions about school playing fields. Which, I am afraid, is my cue for another Gove picture. If you're of a nervous disposition, look away now...

 

[rich p]

I remember reading quite a few years ago that Australia was on a slippery slope in that too many of their youth were happy to watch their successful athletes in cricket, tennis rugby and the like with a beer in the hand, rather than participate themselves.

 

[Bollo]

More Aussie fun.....

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/aug/08/london-2012-north-korea-naughty

 

[raindog]

haha - signed up at l'Equioe and posted that their poll is shameful. It's up there too, after hanging about with the moderators for an hour or so.
Also the "yes" vote is coming down and the "no" vote is going up. Plenty of posts reflect what I said in my own - in fact, very few are really anti GB.

 

[Strathlubnaig]

When london got the nod back in '05 then heavy investment followed for many sports, now that the olympics are nearly over i think investment will return to pre 2000 levels. Sydney had the games in 2000 and obviously put the money in to ensure a good home show, like london, and now the post home games hangover is visible, team gb will be in similar position come rio