Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 08/20/2014 10:17 AM |
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Nuthin'? |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Nick A
Posts:625
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| 08/20/2014 10:29 AM |
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| ***crickets*** |
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ChinookPass
Posts:809
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| 08/20/2014 11:58 AM |
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been off the grid for a few days. Just read the report about the neutralized stage. I could have told them that Kebler Pass was risky due to afternoon t-storms. We rode up there a few years ago under darkening skies and finally decided to turn around. By the time we got back to Crested Butte, it was pouring with tons of lightning and thunder.
The Colorado race would be way better off to run most of its stages in the morning.
By the way, Kebler pass is much more risky than Cottonwood for a pro race (they typically only race up Cottonwood, not down). In some places, it's more like double-track. Not smart to bring the whole peloton down that in the late afternoon. |
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zootracer
Posts:833
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| 08/20/2014 12:25 PM |
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Watched yesterday stage. Weather was bad and they did not show the portion where they were riding on dirt (mud). Next thing knew they stopped the whole peloton. They eventually let the leader proceed with the same time gap, but everyone else started together. Riders were pissed and I don't blame them.
Too many interviews and hype. Just show he damn race. Love the Colorado scenery. Man, they got some high mountains! |
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79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 08/20/2014 12:26 PM |
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The race officials don't want too much love.
Stopping a race mid-race when the riders have just finished a fast, cold descent in miserable conditions after a long hard climb 5miles from the finish (changing the outcome of the race and letting roughly 35 dropped riders get back on) is not how you earn love from anyone (except the dropped riders). And they did this in the name of rider safety. To do it, they sent a moto that was behind the first 20 riders up ahead to notify them. That moto passed them a on dirt road while they were flying downhill, having no idea the race was to be stopped, just that the race was on and there was a lone rider up the road and if they busted tail, they might catch him. Oh, and this moto is passing them in conditions of zero visibility. Moto succeeded in passing the 20 of the remains of the peloton and stopping them at the start of the tarmac of the rest of the course.
I found it interesting that no one crashed on the "dangerous" section. The riders went down single file, well spaced. But the restart? Send a rabbit up the road, then an 8 kilometer mass start race of 60 riders, starting downhill? In pouring rain with cold, wet riders? That is safe? To the rider's credit, they did pull that off with just one crash.
So, CK, I am kinda venting. But the challenge these pros are seeing shouldn't be the officiating.
Ben |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 08/20/2014 01:01 PM |
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Oh yeah....that restart was a massive cluster. HUGE props to Carpenter for actually pulling it off. In actuality, he probably woudl have been caught had they let it run to the line.
The fact that they stopped the riders after the dangerous sections is just mind-numbing to me. Further, the fact that they riders join back onto the main group after they had been dropped was unbelievable. They should have had officials stopping different groups as they came up to the stopping point and noting time gaps.
Pretty damn mickey mouse, IMO. |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 08/20/2014 02:22 PM |
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Oh, and the restart? Send a rabbit up the road, then an 8 kilometer mass start race of 60 riders They don't even do that on the velodrome in perfect, dry conditions with warm, fresh (and skilled) track riders!
Ben |
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longslowdistance
Posts:2881
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| 08/20/2014 02:25 PM |
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| They neutralized *during the downhill * and regrouped and restarted once they hit pavement rather than standing around I the mud. It made sense. My TV coverage had all that. The only fubar was that a lot of dropped riders got a free catch up to the main bunch, but some of them might have been descending extra slow on the muddy road, so in some cases it was fair. Tommy D was probably happy for the rest stop, he was gapped on the Keebler Pass climb. |
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79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 08/20/2014 02:42 PM |
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lsd, the riders had no idea the race was "neutralized" while they were flying down the dirt section. It was full on racing for the marbles. Stage win and leader's jersey all up for grabs. Passing those riders while that was happening in zero visibility with a moto made no sense if rider safety meant anything. Yeah, I can see actually stopping after they reached the pavement, but if they actually reached it safely, why stop them? If safety was really a concern, you lead the group of leaders slowly down the dangerous part, then continue after the pavement. But you do the race slowdown at the top! Not while the riders are blasting downhill in all-time hairy conditions!
Sometimes the best thing to do is nothing. I know that big egos are an inherent characteristic of officials, and big egos cringe at doing nothing, but it is still sometimes best. And often the next best thing is admitting you were wrong and changing your mind. When they saw that the moto was not going to be useful in slowing the race and actually making it safer, radio him and tell him to back off and not interfere with the riders; that neutralizing was off. Their radios did work, no?
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Ride On
Posts:537
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| 08/20/2014 06:13 PM |
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| Good stage today, just caught the last 5k on TV |
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roadbuzz
Posts:24
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| 08/20/2014 09:03 PM |
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Organizers neutralizing stages is not a bad thing. Racers with their heads down will do really stupid things. But, it's only good if they can make it work per intent. Good idea, poor implementation. In Colorado & Italy.
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longslowdistance
Posts:2881
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| 08/20/2014 09:41 PM |
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yeah, I was wrong to put a smiley face on the neutralization yesterday.
TJ kicked some derriere today. I've ridden up Monarch Pass a few times (slowly). Did my heart good to see the pro tour guys on the little ring :-)
Like the Tour of Utah, the TV coverage is also a love letter to the beautiful local scenery.
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jmdirt
Posts:775
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| 08/20/2014 09:57 PM |
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Sounds like a great race! I'll take Tejay for the GC win.
I've been crazy busy since my basement got flooded Thursday, in-laws in town for the weekend (planned since June), meetings everyday this week so I missed putting my pick up before the race. |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 08/21/2014 05:41 PM |
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***SPOILER ALERT***
***SPOILER ALERT***
Damn......so close for Jens today. Goes solo with ~40K to go and gets reeled in w/ 800m to go. Would have been a great farewell.
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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SideBySide
Posts:444
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| 08/21/2014 07:06 PM |
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| I'm stuck in an airport, but you knew Jens was going to go long. WWJD. |
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