Like a million other Britons, I made my way down to the Olympic road race on Saturday. I knew we might not see Mark Cavendish win on the Mall, but I did know that the British team would be on the front of the peleton giving it everything to give their man the best chance to show he is the fastest man on two wheels. The days of the British team hanging on the back, hoping not to get dropped seem as distant as black and white TV.
those sideburns look like Wiggins
There was something special about turning up on a road outside South Kensington and meeting a huge diversity of people lining the road. There was a great camaraderie and good humour. Many of the people around me were not cycling fans, just people wanting to have a taste of the Olympics and see a glimpse of Britain’s top cyclists.
In anticipation of the arriving cyclists, I tuned into the BBC commentary. Boardman and his partner were really good, only hampered by a frustrating lack of time splits. I think for any major road race, ongoing time splits have been a feature since the black and white era. Not to have this basic knowledge in the 2012 Olympics was a bit of an embarrassment.
After a Calvary of motorbikes and cars, pre-empting the race, the first riders to arrive were Vinokourov and Rigoberto Uran. I’ve never been a fan of the Kazakh since his largely unrepentant blood doping ban in 2009. I hoped if Britain couldn’t get the peleton back, Columbia would prevail.
Alas it was not to be. The GB team of Stannard, Millar, Wiggins, Cavendish and Froome really were the Dream team. But, a dream team of just five riders couldn’t control the bunch for 250Km.It was a heroic effort, and you can only be proud of their efforts. But, sometimes the Olympic script is not written for fairy tales. GB victims of their own success. At the end of the day, Cavendish was too good and all the other teams knew it.
History will record Cavendish won no medals in his first two Olympics. But, there was nothing more he could really have done. And, that’s road racing. It’s why it is exciting and unpredictable. From a neutral’s point of view, it must have made a pretty good race, with so many great riders jumping away trying to drop the top 2 from the Tour de France.
But, it’s a bit like Usain Bolt and the Jamaican dream team sprinters – going away from the Olympics empty handed because all the other nations rode against them.
In an ideal world there would be a flying 500 metre sprint time trial that Cavendish could enter. If it is a great spectacle seeing Bolt running away from the field in the 100m, it’s just as exciting to see the fastest man on two wheels.
I really sympathised with the disappointment of the British team. But, though the result may not have been to my preference, it was still a great Olympic experience. I was glad I went for those few seconds. If nothing else, the one million spectators on the road was also a tribute to the recent achievements of the British riders. Let us just hope the 2016 Olympics gives Cavendish one final chance for a gold medal.
Photos from Mens Olympic road race 2012
Fabian Cancellara fell off at critical moment.
Huge crowds lined the road
tejvan, i have no experiance of this kind of racing,however,i believe GB made a big mistake in letting the breakaway get so far infront and so big. When watching the tour sky were always intouch,never intouch in the olympic road.
Like many people I’m new to this sport, but having watched on TV on Saturday road racing seems strange to me.
You speak as if it’s obvious that the British Team are the best, but let’s be honest here. They didn’t miss gold by a narrow margin. Cavendish was 29th!
Of course I understand the dynamic of the groups and the peloton but for such an apparently amazing team could they really not have done anything differently? Were we really completely at the mercy of the Germans, depending on them to be more altruistic? At what point does the “breakaway group” become the “peloton”?
To my (very uneducated and rather disappointed) eye it seemed like they raced conservatively and missed the boat.
A one off road race like the Olympics is definitely difficult to win. The favourite often doesn’t win. I doubt few would have picked Vinokourov to have worked.
In hindsight, it’s easy to say they should have done it differently, and gone for a completely different strategy of getting people in breaks, like Froome, Wiggins, and Millar. If they had got in right break, they had a small chance of winning. But, that strategy is also a long shot. Many good riders got in the breaks like Gilbert, Boonen e.t.c. but they couldn’t win
Before the race, trying to hold it together for Cavendish to sprint did seem the best option. If the breakaway had been less organised or if the Germans had been more determined to set up sprint for Griepel – then GB tactics may well have worked.
I still think tactics GB went for – were best in given circumstances.
But, at next olympics Cavendish’s best chance for gold is to go back to track where there are less variables than on the road.
At what point does the “breakaway group” become the “peloton”?
I guess if the breakaway has more riders than the second group on the road, you may start to call it the peleton.
One factor is which group is favourite / stage race winner in.
It was a much bigger breakaway than you would see in the Tour de France.
Also very organised.
In the Tour de France, a breakaway with 55 seconds at 40Km to go – would be very unlikely to succeed.
It wouldn’t have been altruism for the Germans to work harder. If they had brought back the breakaway, you would expect Griepel (the 2nd best sprinter in race) to get a medal – either gold, silver or bronze. I think the Germans were hoping GB would tire out trying to bring back the race – and then they could lead out Griepel, but they left it too late – and so with no-one in the group, they had no chance of a medal.
It’s always interesting tactics in a road race!
Some points to think about here – thanks! I imagine one would really have to experience the benefit of the slipstream and the nature of the peloton to appreciate those tactics fully. Something not many of us will get to do. I’m sure you’ve mentioned slipstreaming in other posts, but as an everyday “utility cyclist” I would always prefer to give people more room!
I’ve enjoyed taking part in a couple of large-scale public long distance races – where even “fun” runners get to race alongside (or behind) Olympic heros – but running obviously has nothing like this tactical nature – just pacing really.
Seems like quite a study in game theory – maybe a big prisoners dilemma?
Sorry, “…public long distance races…” would have made more sense as “…public long distance running races…” given the context. Changed it from “runs” to “races” without thinking. Anyway, you know what I meant. I’ll shut up!
cheers Tim
Disappointing but an enjoyable visit to Fulham to see them zip past in a single second! The boys were overconfident to only have a plan A, especially as no Olympic road race has ever finished in a bunch sprint. It was quite the task to control such a long race with such a small team. Shame Vino won given his history, taints it somewhat for me, just as it does seeing Millar and Chambers in the Olympics. Great, great crowds more than made up for it. Go the girls today.
Well, good old Lizzie Armitstead did a great race to come second! Very nice to see after disappointment of Saturday.
The Silver medal winner in the Women’s Olympic Road Race was Lizzie Armitstead.
Armitage must have been in another race.