World Cycling Championship Florence 22 - 29 September 2013

[thom]

Of course! I was trying to think who they might have picked who would have improved the team's chances and there's the answer right there. Millar would have thrived in those conditions yesterday.

Why was Pete Kennaugh not in the team either? He's a thoroughbred Trojan.

Aye, they seem to have replaced him with Josh Edmondson instead - the Guardian article I think had Kennaugh down as someone for later in the race so something must have happened to prevent him taking a place. I wonder whether Adam Blythe was ever in contention for the team. Cummings ought to have been hard enough as well - he was just unlucky to puncture.

 

[smutchin]

Based on form, you have to question the inclusion of Rowe and Edmondson, and not forgetting that Rowe came into the squad to replace JTL, which was a baffling selection even before the issues around his blood passport came out.

Having said that, Kennaugh has only entered two races since the TdF and finished neither, so I suspect there's something wrong with him. Which answers that question at least.

The more I think about it, the more confused I am about Millar being left out - he was in Tuscany with Garmin for the team time trial so it's not as if he was unavailable or injured.

 

[thom]

I think Millar had decided the Olympics would be his last hurrah for GB, which is one reason why he didn't ride the worlds last year.
GB just don't target the worlds like Sky target the Tour yet. Given the successes I'm not going to complain on that one - hopefully there is something gained in the experience for the young riders of the future - GB ought to be good enough to learn whatever needs to be learned.

 

[ayceejay]

This race panned out exactly the same as the recent GP de Quebec in Montreal with similar results Sky/GB tactics don't seem to work in one day events ans superior tacticians (Sagan in Montreal) win the day. Froome rode the same race in both cases proving that he is not suited to one day events. Wiggins resembles a petulant teenager who should return his knighthood. Personally I am glad that such miserable tactics have been found out as it is the likes of the four leaders in the Worlds that make the game exciting rather than the Sky yawn fest where nobody takes a risk.

 

[Bollo]

.....

Regarding Wiggins, the criticism is definitely a black mark against him that he won't like. I think he will want to show he can ride for Froome in the future.

Can't see it myself, and I thought Wiggins was already muttering about henching up for a return to the track.

 

[rich p]

FWIW, I think he was probably willing to do a few pulls on the front for Froome but it was the descents in the weather that spooked him again. He was maybe thinking that busting a collar bone, pelvis etc wasn't worth the risk for in a futile cause.

 

[thom]

Can't see it myself, and I thought Wiggins was already muttering about henching up for a return to the track.

I think the track is scheduled for when his Sky contract runs out, which is the year after next. I would not be surprised to see Sky prepare him as an assistant to Froome for the TdF next year.

 

[thom]

William Fotheringham - he makes a good few points here about the GB effort, only one or two that we have mentioned.

 

[sleaver]

Rain, what rain?

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOl2OPjewOE

 

[Pedrosanchezo]

It has been pointed out before, mainly Sky but also GB, that once plan A has gone wayward then there is no leader on the road who can make big decisions and do what is needed through instinct. Nibali said, publicly, recently that he thought team Sky need a DS to call the shots from the team car. That they are incapable of making decisions in a split second. I would say this is somewhat harsh to tar Sky and GB with this brush but there is a point to be made here. A good example would be when Froome lost a minute to Contador for not reacting quickly enough to a situation in real time. Within a few seconds he could be seen reaching for his radio. Cav on the other hand reads a race amazingly well and in this same instance he reacted and went on to win the race!

What team GB showed on Sunday was how not to ride on instinct. Once the plan flopped so did any chances GB may have had.

 

[thom]

A write up from Geraint Thomas - an excerpt:

"Early on I had to tell Cav to slow down every now and again because he was getting super-excited and wanted to chase the riders who had gone off in a break.

And I did speak to Sir Bradley Wiggins after the descent down San Baronto (after 58km of the 272km race) because he went from the front to pretty much the back of the bunch.

Mentally he has got a bit of an issue about riding in the rain aftercrashing in this year's Giro d'Italia.

So I told him that, if he wanted to, he could do his work early on. Riding on the front of a race is easier than trying to fight in the wheels of a big bunch of riders when you have to deal with wet roads and tight corners.

He was about to do that, but then we hit some corners and nobody saw him again. I am still not sure what happened to him, because I did not see him afterwards."

 

[raindog]

A write up from Geraint Thomas - an excerpt:
"Early on I had to tell Cav to slow down every now and again because he was getting super-excited and wanted to chase the riders who had gone off in a break.

love that bit