Tokyo Olympics 2020 - Cycling

[MORNE]

2 minutes ago, MORNE said:

 

Pay to play, go bankrupt to win.????

 

now that i think about it...isnt that Fortnite's model too??

someone with a teenager please confirm.  haha

[FootballingCyclist]

20 hours ago, Jewbacca said:

The billions are made by the Organisers brothers cousins.......

No wonder they can buy their cousins expensive bikes as surprises when they work offshore, because they get all this money coming in.

[Stretch]

21 hours ago, Jewbacca said:

The event also COSTS billions. I'm talking about 120 million pound contracts for carpets that just go on wheelchair ramps at 150 pound a square meter.... Or 4 pound a loo roll moving thousands of loo rolls a week. Just the TIP of the ice berg. Lets not go into the small local businesses that get offered 'great' contracts, do the work then never get paid and go bust and never get paid....

I could go on.

They sell a dream, they sell glory, but really it's a deep dark hole of corruption, bribery, crooked ethics and money. 

I'd be more ok with it if they didn't sell it on the back of 'The Olympic Spirit'. Like F1. We know it's crooked. We know it's about money. So the dodgy contracts affected me less.

FIFA is worse...... But again, not sold on the back of a lie.

Anyway, the Olympics is my trigger. I'm sorry for ranting. I shall refrain and say I hope they pick someone who does us proud.

I do actually agree with you here.

I do also like the spectacle of the actual sport thought. I guess from an athletics perspective, the olympics is the pinnacle of the sport. It is more important than the world championships. I do agree that some sports should not be part of it. Reducing the number of sports would eliminate a lot of unnecessary costs of building single purpose stadiums etc.

One of the biggest waste of money is the opening and closing ceremonies. I wish someone who was hosting had no ceremonies and instead used the money to build houses for the homeless in their country.  

Of course, we are farting against the wind because we represent a very small percentage of the population who actually thinks like this

[splat]

Surely this comes as no surprise:

 

Spectators barred from Olympic events in Tokyo

Tokyo Olympic Games: Spectators barred as state of emergency announced 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-57760883

 https://edition.cnn.com/asia/live-news/tokyo-summer-olympics-07-08-21/index.html

[DieselnDust]

1 hour ago, splat said:

Surely this comes as no surprise:

 

Spectators barred from Olympic events in Tokyo

Tokyo Olympic Games: Spectators barred as state of emergency announced 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-57760883

 https://edition.cnn.com/asia/live-news/tokyo-summer-olympics-07-08-21/index.html

On TV we don't really see the spectators anyway. 

"But stadiums in the regions of Fukushima, Miyagi and Shizuoka will be permitted to have spectators up to 50% of capacity and up to 10,000 people."

 

So the Mtb can have 50% spectator capacity to max 10,000 people since it more Shizuoka than Tokyo. Shouldn't be too bad

[eddy]

On 6/14/2021 at 7:20 PM, Jewbacca said:

The billions are made by the Organisers brothers cousins.......

And of course the IOC bigwigs and their lackeys in the Olympic organisations in each country. 

But a mate of mine has two sons who won have medals. A gold at London and a silver at Rio, unfortunately in a sport where the hard work is not convertible into a fortune..... so I at least can support them as one of them is  going back.

Edited July 8, 2021 by eddy

[Sid the Sloth]

8 minutes ago, eddy said:

And of course the IOC bigwigs and their lackeys in the Olympic organisations in each country. 

But a mate of mine has two sons who won have medals. A gold at London and a silver at Rio, unfortunately in a sport where the hard work is not convertible into a fortune..... so I at least can support them as one is going back.

Must be the Brittain brothers… As a former rower I am really looking forward to seeing how they do! 

[Benjamin]

On 6/15/2021 at 5:20 PM, Stretch said:

I do actually agree with you here.

I do also like the spectacle of the actual sport thought. I guess from an athletics perspective, the olympics is the pinnacle of the sport. It is more important than the world championships. I do agree that some sports should not be part of it. Reducing the number of sports would eliminate a lot of unnecessary costs of building single purpose stadiums etc.

One of the biggest waste of money is the opening and closing ceremonies. I wish someone who was hosting had no ceremonies and instead used the money to build houses for the homeless in their country.  

Of course, we are farting against the wind because we represent a very small percentage of the population who actually thinks like this

Like you Stretch , I love watching the actual sport competition. Agree wrt sports like Athletics and swimming and cycling  , mostly because we identify with them .

But how do you even begin to argue which other sports needs to be cut ? I don’t take any notice of the equestrian events for example , mostly cos I’m seriously scared of horses .  But the equestrian athletes work as hard as Wayde or Chad and the equestrian supporters see it as vital to their lives as we do the bike racing.

So cutting sports is hectic 

[Jewbacca]

So as I hadn't seen this being discussed, I thought I would drop this here....

With the last 3 Olympic winners being shrouded in doping bans and accusations, I hope the winner of the road race is deserving.

 

[fanievb]

 

[DieselnDust]

38 minutes ago, Jewbacca said:

So as I hadn't seen this being discussed, I thought I would drop this here....

With the last 3 Olympic winners being shrouded in doping bans and accusations, I hope the winner of the road race is deserving.

 

?

"In April 2015 the Royal Belgian Cycling League requested a two-year ban for Van Avermaet, the disqualification of all his results during the 2012 season and a €262,500 fine following an investigation into suspected anti-doping offences. It was reported in the Belgian media that their accusations focused on allegations of Van Avermaet's use of the corticoid Diprophos, and Vaminolact, a fortified baby food which is banned from being injected.^[136][137] On 7 May 2015, it was announced that Van Avermaet was cleared of all allegations

If we want to find a rider not accused by someone then maybe we should go down the road to Little Acorns Creche  LOL.

The nature of sports media is to accuse. Accusations sell products ( we click on the link read the articles and received loads of adverts for stuff someone has profiled against our click history. Stay in the sport long enough and an athlete will be accused. That is part of the territory

[TNT1]

On current form, it's hard to see anyone other than Wout van Aert winning the road race, and maybe going double in the TT.

[DieselnDust]

4 minutes ago, TNT1 said:

On current form, it's hard to see anyone other than Wout van Aert winning the road race, and maybe going double in the TT.

 

The 3rd climb of the course will be his major hurdle due to its gradient. Mikuni Pass will make the race unless there's a break. If he can get into a break away, survive the  Mikuni, he stands a solid chance

[TNT1]

Just now, DieselnDust said:

 

The 3rd climb of the course will be his major hurdle due to its gradient. Mikuni Pass will make the race unless there's a break. If he can get into a break away, survive the  Mikuni, he stands a solid chance

World's last year had even more climbing than this course does. And even there, Wout was simply marked out of contention and still managed a second.

 

I sure don't see the olympic RR going to a pure or specialist climber. 

 

Although:

Quote

 the Mikuni Pass section. The 6.8km climb averages at 10.2 per cent, with sections at 12.6 per cent

it is still 35 km from the top to the finish, mostly flat and lumpy. You'd need a couple of minutes at the top to hold off someone like Wout in TT mode.

[TheoG]

1 hour ago, TNT1 said:

On current form, it's hard to see anyone other than Wout van Aert winning the road race, and maybe going double in the TT.

What about MvP, anyone know if he will be in the race or is his focus entirely on the XCO?

[TNT1]

1 minute ago, TheoG said:

What about MvP, anyone know if he will be in the race or is his focus entirely on the XCO?

Only in the Dutch MTB squad, so no road race for him.