Skip to main content

ELITE WOMEN WORLD ROAD RACE 2012

This felt like one of those iconic races which will be remembered for a long time.
It was an incredible display of grit and strength.

It all started to unfold with a break from a small group. Commentators doubted they would be able to stay away, and that might have been the case but as they reached around 37" gap from the main peloton and only a few laps left, Dutch super rider Marianne Vos attacked, closely followed by Longo Borghini of Italy. 
Once they bridged the gap the Dutch and the Italians had two riders in the break. At that point it felt like game over for the riders chasing the group.

Vos was possessed, she had the look you only see in true champions. There was no doubt and no faltering at any time.
Vos attacked on the Cauberg and was only followed initially by Longo Borghini, shedding a couple of riders.
The established final group of 5, Vos (NED) Longo Borghini (ITA) Neylan (AUS) Neben (USA) Van der Breggen (NED) rode away. The fear was Vos had done too much too soon.
But as the final climb approached Vos attacked and then accelerated even more to dampen any hope Neylan had to follow too close. Longo Borghini's legs finally gave up to collect a very respectable bronze. In the final straight Vos had time to veer to the right and grab a Dutch flag.

Rachel Neylan was impressive in her tactics. Vos and Longo Borghini had the advantage of a team mate in the group early on but the Australian had to work hard as did the American Neben, even though the latter never showed too much strength on the climbs. In Van der Breggen, Vos had the perfect domestique, controlling the group, attacking when needed.

The Germans, Belgians and the Brits comprehensively failed to make any impression. Not sending a rider in the break is what failed the GB team at the Olympics Men Race and like for them, they had to do the chasing because of it, thus wearing down a strong Pooley.

Marianne Vos won the World Championships back in 2006 and since then she has always come 2nd.
This year she adds the Worlds title to the Olympic title, a feat only matched by Nicole Cooke.

Tv coverage of the Elite Women races has to increase. Twitter was alive in reporting and commenting of the race, the crowds at the race were massive. In tactics and spectacle they match their male counterparts. Even in the crashes! It wasn't the first time women racing has been good...it has always been this good. I've watched Giro coverage, some classics, Worlds, Olympics, track and it has never failed to impress. Sponsors need to realise that soon as money is needed for teams to exist and for tv coverage to happen. They're missing out on a very profitable (and most of all enjoyable) sport.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

REACH OUT, TALK TO PEOPLE

I wanted to share what we did at the weekend in the hope to inspire other people to try what my partner and I ended up doing. A few days ago we were walking the dogs late in the afternoon and on the way back, in this big field, we noticed an elderly woman walking slowly leaning on her stick. We asked if she was ok as she seemed tentative and a little confused. The very first thing she said, almost without realising that's what she was going to say was: "You are the first people I've spoken to all day". Neither of us expected that so we stayed with her, chatting away for about 40 minutes. We ended up walking her back to her house, exchange numbers and invite her for a Sunday roast. She was going to be 89 a few days later and it seemed a nice thing to do. She was really touched as she didn't have it in her to cook a roast for herself (and she admitted she hated cooking).
Post a Comment
Read more

LA CLASSICISSIMA, A PREVIEW

As classics go, Milano-Sanremo is the longest of them all (almost 300km) and one of the oldest (1907). Eddy Merckx has won it a record 7 times. It has been marred by late snow at times and its route has been modified here and there, but at its core is the length and flatness, so one for the sprinters traditionally but not so much of late. There are a few lumps, but although short and not very steep, they usually come at the end of a long day on the saddle and have been decisive in the outcome of the race. In recent times, the climbs of Cipressa (added in 1982) and Poggio (added in 1960) have been the theatres of all-out attacks. The breakneck and twisty descent from the Poggio especially, induced some of the most entertaining racing... and some awful crashes too. The finish in the town of Sanremo has moved posts a few times but whether it was in the false flat of Via Roma or on the pan flat promenade by the sea, many a time it has ended in a bunch sprint.
Post a Comment
Read more

AN OLYMPIC EFFORT

When the Olympic cycling road race and TT race routes were announced I was extremely excited. I live bang in the middle of both. One of the most important races in cycling was going to be ridden near my house. Television screens would be filled with images of roads I'm familiar with, the pros will be riding my commute to work AND some of my cycling club runs' routes (Kingston Wheelers).
4 comments
Read more