I was really getting into watching cycling particularly after Bradley Wiggins won the tour de France with proper mod sideburns. But the men's road race was a perfect example of cycling's up their backsides, know it all, you would not understand, mentality. We have three cyclists at work, who also happen to be the three most unpopular people in the office. They ride to work, they are smelly, leave their gear all over the radiators, park their dirty greasy bikes in the hall causing multiple accidents, and just bore you to death over their exploits cycling from Danson Park to Greenwich observertory every weekend. All last week they were saying how Mark Cavendish was going to win the road race. This morning I asked what went wrong. They collectively spent all morning explaining that he was prevented from winning for what I regarded as the most spurious and unconvincing of reasons. This one guy who rides a fold away bike and the closest he has ever been to a peloton is in a zoo, said I would never understand the nuances and intricacies of a bike race and I was incapable of understanding why Cav never won. They say explaining it all is like the offside rule but for intellectuals. To me. It's simple he lost cos he was not fast enough or had inferior drugs. These are the gits that ride side by side through country lanes and slow you up. They ride in bus lanes and scream at any pedestrian that dare step onto a zebra crossing, they put their stupid bikes in stand up areas on trains taking valuable space, they are the most hideous group of people on earth.
I am also not a fan of cyclelists T (sorry Tweaks) They seem to think that they have a god given right to the road when in fact they pay no road tax for their cycle! I had one last week who came up to a red light and slowed down BUT then carried on through it and then shouted at a car driver who almost hit him while going through a GREEN light?? (the car driver wasn't me). Today I had a cyclelist tell me that the reason why Cavendish didn't win was because the racers from ALL the other countries worked against the GB team to ensure a British racer didn't win? I mean..is he being serious??... weren't the other racers trying to win gold for themselves rather than trying to stop Cavendish?
I have a cyclist in my lab (who from whats being on here seems to buck the trend, he is a lovely guy) and he explained that the road race is more a sprint than a marathon. The whole of team GB were working on getting cavendish to a sprint position as he is the best sprinter in the world, and was our best chance of winning. So they let him cycle in their slip stream, put pressure on other riders etc, to get him close to the front for a sprint finish. The other teams knew this of course and tried there best to prevent our team from doing it. So while I don't think it was a conspiracy agaisnt team GB, I think most of the other teams identified cavendish as the main threat and rode agains him. I wouldn't feel too sorry for him though he was a d*ck in an interview after when he was asked whether there might be a bit of tiredness from tour de france he ranted at the interviewer saying the guy didnt understand racing (I am paraphrasing politely) If anyone saaw the womens race though, it was much better than the mens!
If you get it wrong or are not good enough be man enough to admit it. Don't go all Tottenham and blame everyone else-that is what Cavendish did. It is very unbritish and makes you sound all bitter and twisted. The Olympic ethos can not be carried into the road race comfortably with the atitude of the cyclists and I believe it is an event outside the spirit of the olympics. Basically toss about for 200km and race for 200 yards. Just because Ali G won the race outside the British plans,everone that owns a trycycle is getting all expert and getting all cross. The fact remains the quickest man to the line on the day won. end off. The chicks race was a delight and showed the men up for being classless, clueless, and arrogant.
Cycling is a brilliant way of getting about, especially if like me you have a freedom pass and can take your bike on the train and travel free this way. The fact that cyclists are smelly also helps ensure that you get plenty of space to yourself.
