Terrible sportsmanship from Team GB road race team

[Greavesy]

Im pretty sure Team GB only complained about other teams who had sprinters not doing anywork, I dont remember anyone complaining about the break or the teams who had people in the break.
I think they should complain about the other sprint teams because it was in those teams interest to help the peleton but they realised in doing so they would also bring team gb back into contention.

Fair play to the riders that won because in the end their plan worked.

 

[tdream]

I don't know anything about cycling but the way the media portrayed the race you would think it was a done deal. Now that they haven't won it time to complain and point the fingers. Complete opposite of the olympic spirit. Fact is they weren't good enough, it's on home turf so that's one advantage the local team always have. Did that count for nothing?

Also agree that the woman interviewing the winner asked a lot of stupid questions. Do you think the winner gives a damn about team GB when he just won the race. This is his moment! Once in a lifetime, for petes sake.

 

[Vonhelmet]

Have just seen the interview with Cavendish where he was asked if the efforts of the team during the tour de France had an influence on the road race. His reply; "Do you know even anything about cycling? stop asking stupid questions."

Again, what a terrible attitude and such a bad loser! Based on this its a farce he won SPOTY last year despite his achievements

He's hardly the first person to get cross with an inept interviewer...

 

[VeNT]

Have just seen the interview with Cavendish where he was asked if the efforts of the team during the tour de France had an influence on the road race. His reply; "Do you know even anything about cycling? stop asking stupid questions."

Again, what a terrible attitude and such a bad loser! Based on this its a farce he won SPOTY last year despite his achievements

because she's an idiot?

 

[Edinho]

Have just seen the interview with Cavendish where he was asked if the efforts of the team during the tour de France had an influence on the road race. His reply; "Do you know even anything about cycling? stop asking stupid questions."

Again, what a terrible attitude and such a bad loser! Based on this its a farce he won SPOTY last year despite his achievements

Might be because THAT reporter is a complete '****** moron. TBH the whole BBC cycling reporting is dreadful. If I'd have had eurosport I would have been watching that. If it wasn't for Chris Boardman the whole thing would have been a joke.

That question was a stupid question along with his other questions, demonstrating he knows nothing about the dynamics of cycling. All he's bothered about is trying to look good to the majority who know sod all about how cycling works.

The question was akin to asking Rooney about missing a penalty and asking if he'd used the other foot he probably would have scored. ridiculous.

 

[Caseh]

I'm glad Cavendish reacted like that, too many interviewers don't have a clue what they are talking about. Maybe they should spend more time learning about the sport they are reporting on, and less time asking ridiculous questions?

 

[regulus]

They got beaten, fair and square. The way our ignorant stupid media harped on again made everyone believe this was a done deal. He only had to turn up and collect his medal.

Not blaming him for his outburst either, even though it's not in the spirit of things, but these idiotic interviewers need to be told from time to time.

 

[Shimmyhill]

Have just seen the interview with Cavendish where he was asked if the efforts of the team during the tour de France had an influence on the road race. His reply; "Do you know even anything about cycling? stop asking stupid questions."

Again, what a terrible attitude and such a bad loser! Based on this its a farce he won SPOTY last year despite his achievements

That BBC 'interviewer' was an idiot and the BBC commentary was painfully bad, even Boardman seemed embarrassed to be there and he is no shakes as a commentator really.

It was a stupid question and about as relevant as asking the swimmer who missed out on a medal if that bath she had the day before affected her swimming.

I think it was good to see Cav show some emotion about not winning at his home olympics in the year he is World Champion, it shows how far our athletes have come on in recent years when they are gutted not to win.

 

[Gribs]

Yeah well, why couldn't they just keep up with the leading group, over confident IMO mind you I know very little about it.

I thought the Scottish bird was very rude to the winner after he had ridden a fantastic race.

She didn't even appear to know who he was. It could have been interesting if she did as he's an unrepentant druggie cheat.

 

[ince]

Their tactics failed shame but that's the way it goes sometimes

 

[King Damager]

Road cycling seems a curious exercise in game theory. If everyone takes their share of the load, then everyone has a better chance of winning. If everyone lets one team bear the load, for whatever reason, then none of them will win. The peloton left the hard work to team GB and so none of them won, because they were beaten by the breakaway group. If the peloton had shared the work then they might have had a better chance of catching the breakaway group.

Very much this

Was quite intriguing to see how it developed...

They didn't seem anywhere near as bad as OP suggests though (in my mind), the media kind of said "were everyone all against you?" putting the words in their mouths rather than them actively coming out and saying it...

kd

 

[shawsy109]

Road cycling seems a curious exercise in game theory. If everyone takes their share of the load, then everyone has a better chance of winning. If everyone lets one team bear the load, for whatever reason, then none of them will win. The peloton left the hard work to team GB and so none of them won, because they were beaten by the breakaway group. If the peloton had shared the work then they might have had a better chance of catching the breakaway group.

This is exactly it, peeps moaning about gb riders attitudes after the race, i think there well within their rights to be ****ed off, i would be. A team of 4-5 guys cant share the load for a full race and win, they got shafted by the rest of the peleton and none of them had a chance. I think most of them were happy not to help so that gb wouldnt win. Everyone climbing on Cavs back cos he was a little emo after a race, honestly go support another country, I for one love to see sports men/woman get riled up, it means they care. Id say no doubt if Cav had been all blasé after the race he would get called out for not caring. Cant please some people can ya.

 

[touch]

they got shafted by the rest of the peleton and none of them had a chance. I think most of them were happy not to help so that gb wouldnt win.

I disagree with that.
Germany could/should have chased, but thats it IMO.
Who else did you want to help chase? Poland? Morocco? Venezuela?

 

[SKILL]

I didn't see any of the reactions from the british team but blaming the rest of the peloton is a bit silly, the only ones to point at, and frankly laugh, are Germany, their plan was obviously to let Team GB bring back the breakaway and ruin their chances of the sprint finish, great plan right up until it was obvious they needed help or the breakaway would stay away...

So all Germany managed to prove was that they were too focused on not letting team GB won that they ensured they didn't win, at least GB tried.

The coverage was dire though, not just the commentary but seemingly the information given to the commentators and on-screen to the viewers, there where about 3 timechecks in the entire 5+ hour show, that's just stupidly bad, truly a farce from whoever was in charge of the timing/broadcast feed (don't believe it was the BBC?)

 

[Greavesy]

I also thought the aussies were a sprint team and I never saw any of them nere the front of the peleton.

 

[touch]

I also thought the aussies were a sprint team and I never saw any of them nere the front of the peleton.

They had a guy in the break. Nobody is going to chase down their own teammates.

 

[Shimmyhill]

They had a guy in the break. Nobody is going to chase down their own teammates.

They had the wrong guy in the break tho and they did have another making a break.

The womens race was much more like it, countries helping in the peleton even if they didn't quite close the lead 3 down - mind the best 3 riders arguably were in the lead 3.

 

[oli collett]

I think Germany and Australia made a mess of it though. Had it finished in a bunch sprint, they would have had a really, really good chance to get a medal. But in a bunch of 30, their chances of getting a medal shrunk, whilst the chance of getting gold probably stayed roughly the same.

I did feel sorry for Cancellara - not sure what happened at that corner but if anyone deserved to win from that break it was him, and if he's out of the time trial that'll be a real blow.

It's the kind of tactics we've come to expect but I think it's a bit odd. I'm not surprised Cav was gutted at the end, he realises he's never going to get an olympic gold medal (especially now there's no chance on the track either anymore). That said, I don't think anyone who is interested in cycling cares given what he's already achieved so far in cycling!

 

[touch]

They had the wrong guy in the break tho and they did have another making a break.

Clearly not, otherwise they would have chased.
OGrady is a very good sprinter and has finished 2nd in the green jersey comp at the TdF 4 times. He had a much better chance of winning a sprint from the breakaway than Goss did from the peleton.

 

[oli collett]

Clearly not, otherwise they would have chased.
OGrady is a very good sprinter and has finished 2nd in the green jersey comp at the TdF 4 times. He had a much better chance of winning a sprint from the breakaway than Goss did from the peleton.

I was thinking they should have had Simon Gerrans, given he won the milan-san remo this year!