Well it is an Under 23 team so a lot of the proper team is not eligible to play as you're only allowed to field 3 overage players.

The rest is mostly political, as the other countries felt that by joining a team GB their status as an independent nation in future world cups and euro championships would be harmed, only a few athletes from those countries came forward to play.

They also agreed not to field players that have played in the Euro championship as they need a break before they go back to their Club teams in a couple of weeks to start the new season so they have been given a rest. After all the European Championships and World Cup are bigger events in a footballers career than the Olympics.



Oh yeah it was fairly busy but not too mental, was really cool to see, amazing how close you're allowed to get to it all! They have some serious speed at times too!

Yeah, that does make sense. It's just a shame-the players they're fielding are all very good, but as a team they don't have the same experience of playing with each other as England, so they're not quite so cohesive. That said, England can be awful at times-usually most times, with a few rays of brilliance that win the match!

Yeah, someone near me in the crowd actually got hit by one of the cyclists empty water bottles as they threw it away-they were fine, but it was very unexpected! Where I was there were no barriers, although most sane people stayed on the pavement... we were right on a bend.

And we have a picture of one of the riders, not sure which, eating a piece of brioche as they went along. When you think about it, it makes sense that they have to eat at some point, but it's a wierd picture

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"reach for the sky and aim for the moon, for if you miss you will end up among the stars"

Zoom MS50G
72 tele dlx RI
2011 standard strat
Blackstar HT-5R
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http://www.youtube.com/user/Almungo/videos?flow=grid&view=0

Yep, Beckham carried it beautifully:



Can't help myself, though: I did like this bit too. Brilliant silliness - and kudos to both of them for being up for it:





Eating brioche while competing in a cycle race? Brioche?! Surely that can only be a Frenchman? Tres cool. You HAVE to post that picture!

Anyway. Been watching some judo - man, that can be a confusing sport...

Cheers - C

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Kinda looks like penguins, first words going through a young penguins head immediatly after it's first jump into mid air " I thought you said we were birds...aaaaaaaarrrrrhhhhh",
Only drawback would be the climb back up, I remember as a kid watching a prog years ago "Tomorrows World" with some guy demonstrating a jet pack and thinking we'll all soon be going to the shops in one of those, technology just hasn't progressed as far as I had hoped

That man's foot is on fire.

Cheers - C

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No jet packs on these guys, Basejumping evolved into this. Yes they do climb back up, though it's probably one or two flights at most per day. there are no mistakes allowed and fatigue can be fatal but were I back in my 20's ski-racing and cycling, I would be all over this without a second thought...

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"C'est parti mon Kiki "

The race was 5 hours 45 minutes, at that length and distance plus the speed you have to continuously monitor your energy expenditure and replenish glycogen or you crash ( energy wise not literally )...The British team failed to read the race as it developed, due to the course not being as flat as it seemed, the speeds were very high but Box Hill did impact more than a few of the teams were expecting it too.....If you look at the top five results none of the finishers were sprinters, actually none in the top ten, Cavendish finished 15th, the other British team members were not even in the top 25....Basically they blew themselves up, it really was their race to lose, but to be fair, the Germans adopted the same strategy of trying to control the race instead of waiting and watching..let the break go, keep them in check ( meaning within a certain time gap )
In a Road Race I've been in breaks were we had over 4 minutes on the field and have been reeled in within a few miles of the finish....The Pro's are even more efficient at doing that when they want to. I'm not certain but I'd be willing to bet that the locker room scenario between British Team and Coach was not a pleasant post race recap.....
They really screwed up....Taylor Phinney in 4th for the US, that is a plus ( Taylor is Davis Phinney and Connie Carpenters son ) two former US cyclists, both medal winners at the games, both champions in multi races, Davis was the premier sprinter in the US for quite some time team 7-Eleven and Connie was also the premier woman, quite a lineage of talent. )
But if you see the names of the top 57 finishers they are all rounders, very capable of winning a sprint, but Vinokourov was the most dangerous in that 32 man final break, he's had a history of being able to escape from the field and put time on the field within a few miles of the finish....
It's too bad for Britain, they didn't formulate a very good strategy, especially in light of the fact that Cavendish is the top sprinter, but when the road course has a climb of attrition which must be climbed multiple times then he is at a disadvantage, he is very much like top former sprinter Mario Cipollini, one or two climbs...look out....repeated climbs...those will drain you very quickly so that in the final hour of the race you cannot respond to attacks and as you do or attempt to....You drain yourself even further thus you are done and out of contention....Hence why he finished over a minute down, which is a long way's off in a road race.

Cycling is really primitive in that at it's most simplistic, you have to pedal, but you only have so much energy to burn during a race......Yes.. you eat so that your body doesn't go into your reserves for as long as possible but, in a 5 hour 45 minute race, eventually attrition takes it's toll.

Think about energy consumption in this race.....They averaged 50kph to 60kph for 250 kilometers, that is about 30-35mph over 156 miles.
Yesterday on my training ride I averaged 26.1 KPH over 2.5 hours ( 65km ) last Sunday I averaged 22.1kph over 4.5 hours (100km) over a very hilly route..( Uconn-Williston-Woodstock-Pomfret )....
Just illustrating the difference in my average as a Cat III/Masters versus the Pro's. As I become more fit, about around 3000 km riding in my legs by October, my average speed will increase but it must be pointed out that a peloton of 100 plus riders will travel much faster than a small group of 5 or less....and by yourself there is nowhere to draft and recuperate....
I raced in the US Pro-I-III fields years ago as well as in France in regional amateur races which were always filled with national team riders....Lets just say my best placing ever was a 13th in a regional Road Race in Provence...That result came at a very high price, I was totally shot for the next day's race and had to pull out midway....Needless to say my team was not happy...Nor was I...

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"C'est parti mon Kiki "

53... Well done with the first race, unlucky for the next.

I would love to get into pro cycling, but havent got the time. I tend to go cycling at the weekends on a short route, but some of it is offroad-I ride a Specialized hybrid, great bike but not as fast as a road bike on road.

I think, because the topography after box hill was fairly flat and not difficult for the riders, it was difficult for GB to make up the time. This could be another contributing factor to their failure to achieve a good position. Most time seems to be gained uphill, but on box hill they didn't gain much.

Good luck with the Olympics for the USA. Is it looking likely that you will come 2nd or 1st? You have such a large population- so many people to choose from. Watching the diving now, the us pair seems to be fantastic.

Ceri - as for judo... I, too, just don't understand it...

_________________
"reach for the sky and aim for the moon, for if you miss you will end up among the stars"

Zoom MS50G
72 tele dlx RI
2011 standard strat
Blackstar HT-5R
Taylor Big Baby

http://www.youtube.com/user/Almungo/videos?flow=grid&view=0

Thanks guys

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1984 Squier Contemporary Stratocaster
1986 Peavey Envoy 110
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Thanks but that was not my 1st race I had raced for quite some years and this was not my first race in France....
I'll tell you what, to be competitive as a Cat II in today's field, you will have to ride about 300 to 400 miles a week and I'm not including weekend races most weeks....
It's a very big commitment to get in the amateur Category and you will have to become a Cat I to become eligible for any US Pro team to consider you.
Not trying to dissuade you but this is not a hobby and is most certainly not a weekend warrior type of activity.. You are in racing as a Cat III-II and above or you are not, there is no hanging out at the door hoping for a free pass in....If you want to race seriously then everything else in your life must be to that aim or you will not reach your potential...
I have been there...I coached Juniors, some have gone on to better international programs and there really is no room for half commitments.....
If you are really interested, PM me and tell me what region or city state, no need for address just the city/state is enough and I will send you some coordinates as to where and whom you should contact to get going....Are you even part of a USA Cycling/USCF recognized club where some of the members are Cat III's and II's even one or two Cat I's... That is your first step to get into the serious part of cycling....
I say this because you said Hybrid Bike, not as a criticism of it's not possible for you...
By the way your age will have a lot to do as to what you can realistically expect to achieve..

Here check out this documentary series by Cervelo, this will give you an idea of the pinnacle of Pro Racing... As you scroll down the page, start at season I then go thru the episodes, it illustrates pretty well a top team with deep support and it is not easy even with that kind of organization behind the riders....

http://www.cervelo.com/en_us/team-garmi ... o_headline

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"C'est parti mon Kiki "

not watched so much today. saw Italy win the archery yesterday, that was good, very close at the end needing a bullseye to win and they got it. saw GB womens footy team beat cameroon with some great football, i think its going to be between GB and US for the womens football. and i see Andy Murray has won his first tennis match.

some sports are surprising me how complicated they are. i was watching fencing earlier, and it was much more than just 'stabbing' eachother like i thought. the commentator kept mentioning being on the attack or the defence, and it seemed like if you missed your first strike you forfeited a point or something, i dunno confused me.

i watched an interview with Bradley Wiggins, and he said he dropped back to the support car to pick up food and drinks for everybody. not something i realised they done, as said earlier they must eat, just never really thought about how.

check out the link I posted in the previous post to yours, those short documentaries on Cervelo will give you an idea of the behind the scenes of a cycling team.

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"C'est parti mon Kiki "

I've, as of yet, not sync'd with the times and channels. Hopefully, I'll get to watch Olympic something before it is over

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you can save the world with your guitar one love song at a time it's just better, more fun, easier with a fender solid body electric guitar or electric bass guitar.

Yeah ok dude. "On that note Zachary, I am out!"

Hee-hee! I was watching some judo yesterday: the final was between a Russian and a Japanese. They began, both fell over... and apparently the Russian had won, in about ten seconds flat. I believe he had scored a ding dong, which it seems beats a nigiri sushi, a kawasaki or even a manga tsunami.

...I may have got some of that very slightly wrong.

Cheers - C

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