Tokyo Olympics 2020 - Cycling

[Patchelicious]

6 hours ago, Mountain Bru said:

The dude behind would 100% crash into the back of him, and I reckon would be justified in being pissed

But Jolanda didn’t crash

[100Tours]

16 hours ago, DieselnDust said:

argh you know its the same pooh every time we have a major tournament. Athletes deflecting from failure to deliver. Now we have a situation where the awol mchanic will be blamed for us not bringing home a medal. I'm so over excuses. 

We're just not good enough so participation itself is a blessing and a privilege. I don;t who falls for the following:

• my skinsuit was too short
• my mechanic wasn't here to tell me I can ride my bike
• my tyre lost 2psi so I couldn't ride faster
• my skinsuit only has 27 panels and I normally ride with a 27,5 panel skinsuit
• my helmet was twisted slightly to the left so it made turning right really hard
• my team manager doesn't like me so he gave me 0,5gr too much protein

At the end of the day winning and losing requires a team of aligned people and by posting pooh about your team and federation on social media but you cant go tell them face to face makes that oke a coward and therefore doesn't deserve the tax payers money that sent him there. They sound like they're at a Tryathlete convention

Why don't they just take up the issues internally and get aligned? Instead its like a bunch of school lighties bickering across Whatsapp without the people they should be bickering about, knowing. Stupid!

PS: Thanks Ashleigh and Nic for representing SA with exceptional grace and humility. <Huge Applause>

I can't buy into the idea that our athletes should make the most of whatever they're given and be happy with it - this isn't school sport. Professional sport is about preparation in so many ways, and part of being prepared is having the right kit, and if your national organisation isn't up to the task you're not going to perform at the same level as better prepared nations.

I also believe that frustration and dissatisfaction are often the route to making things better.

I don't think this is a cost issue - I mean we have flown(?) a couple of horses to Japan for the equestrian events, and it's not like we're coming home with those medals. What does a plant ticket cost for a horse. De Bod should have better equipment - he's beaten a lot of really big names without a level playing field, and he only has a few opportunities to do so in his life. Either that or perhaps he should also be packing his bags for a country that will better support him.

[100Tours]

34 minutes ago, Patchelicious said:

But Jolanda didn’t crash

There's a thing called a 'near miss'. In the safety industry we use them to make sure there are less real accidents.

[TNT1]

I can't believe you lot are still thrashing this non-event.

[TheoG]

8 hours ago, babse said:

JN almost messed up and it almost costed her gold... But it didn't. 

 

Move on ladies 

My sentiment exactly, she got the gold and pretty Pauline came nowhere, just let it go ffs ....

Edited July 29, 2021 by TheoG

[lechatnoir]

57 minutes ago, TNT1 said:

I can't believe you lot are still thrashing this non-event.

This is the bikehub. You must be new here. Welcome!

[NotSoBigBen]

35 minutes ago, TheoG said:

My sentiment exactly, she got the gold and pretty Pauline came nowhere, just let it go ffs ....

I'm sure the 2 of them have by now ????

[Pure Savage]

1 hour ago, TNT1 said:

I can't believe you lot are still thrashing this non-event.

Listen its only ever 4 years we have to put up with Olympics...

 

I know its a nice distraction before the Vuelta and WC though...

[Matt]

Moderator note

We’ve issued a handful of warnings in the last few days and some more this morning for inappropriate sexist comments made about female Olympic athletes. On the spectrum from lewd/creepy to just plain nasty.

We’ve been down this road before, threads were shut down and users suspended. If it continues those making such comments will find themselves suspended.

[TheoG]

21 minutes ago, Matt said:

Moderator note

We’ve issued a handful of warnings in the last few days and some more this morning for inappropriate sexist comments made about female Olympic athletes. On the spectrum from lewd/creepy to just plain nasty.

We’ve been down this road before, threads were shut down and users suspended. If it continues those making such comments will find themselves suspended.

Thanks Matt, either I missed those posts or I'm oblivious ... ????

[Shebeen]

2 hours ago, 100Tours said:

I can't buy into the idea that our athletes should make the most of whatever they're given and be happy with it - this isn't school sport. Professional sport is about preparation in so many ways, and part of being prepared is having the right kit, and if your national organisation isn't up to the task you're not going to perform at the same level as better prepared nations.

I also believe that frustration and dissatisfaction are often the route to making things better.

I don't think this is a cost issue - I mean we have flown(?) a couple of horses to Japan for the equestrian events, and it's not like we're coming home with those medals. What does a plant ticket cost for a horse. De Bod should have better equipment - he's beaten a lot of really big names without a level playing field, and he only has a few opportunities to do so in his life. Either that or perhaps he should also be packing his bags for a country that will better support him.

https://ewn.co.za/2021/07/21/devastating-blow-to-sa-s-equestrian-as-tanya-seymour-pulls-out-of-olympics

the one horsey got an owee so no games for him. ag foei tog!*

 

I don't really know that much about track cycling, but from what i've seen Jean Spies is the typicla Sa athlete journey. total privateer who hacks it in europe punching well above his weight. gets basically f'all support from CSA, and when it comes to the big stuff they step in and don't really assist him anyway. The athletes we have on the world stage are there DESPITE the support of the authorities, not because of it.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CRHCwhdj5Uk/

go boytjie go

 

If I've learnt one thing this week, it's probably Hanlon's razor at play here

 

 

*i do sailing, so should really be tjoepstil on this one

 

[DieselnDust]

1 hour ago, 100Tours said:

I can't buy into the idea that our athletes should make the most of whatever they're given and be happy with it - this isn't school sport. Professional sport is about preparation in so many ways, and part of being prepared is having the right kit, and if your national organisation isn't up to the task you're not going to perform at the same level as better prepared nations.

I also believe that frustration and dissatisfaction are often the route to making things better.

I don't think this is a cost issue - I mean we have flown(?) a couple of horses to Japan for the equestrian events, and it's not like we're coming home with those medals. What does a plant ticket cost for a horse. De Bod should have better equipment - he's beaten a lot of really big names without a level playing field, and he only has a few opportunities to do so in his life. Either that or perhaps he should also be packing his bags for a country that will better support him.

You do realise that Stefan was only called up to participate in the Olympics a month before the road race and that Darryl Impey's kit did likely not fit Stefan very well. So did they have to make do with extra they ordered or was a problem with getting his sizing? Was Stefan always the back up or was he a last minute decision? They're similar height but quite different in build. Could this have something to do with using his road race kit for the TT?

Frustration and dissatisfaction channeled to the right places makes a difference. Posting crap on social media just makes you look ungrateful, entitled and arrogant and Stefan is none of that. I suspect Stefan's tweet about his speedo was more tongue in cheek and that was was then raised to a different level by the trackie. Sorting problems out internally and directly delivers far more effective results than social media bashing.

 

Is CSA up to the task of delivering? That's an interesting question because it really does speak to the financial liquidity of the organisation and the people now in place. We know there are new people in the upper management structures. After 2 decades of mismanagement the new org has been in place for just under a year and we expect that this organisation must perform as well as Britch Cycling, KNWU, Cycling USA or any other highly funded and well established org? Well that right there is the root of the Saffa problem.  We live in an alternate reality. We think we are better than we are. In reality we don't operate at the same level as other Federations around the globe. We're decidedly third world as far as cycling goes.

CSA is in a rebuilding phase that is going to take at least 5 years of stability to get the ship sailing well and on course and here we are hammers inhand to break it down again because a few cyclists feel they were short changed because their bib was a cm too short and my mechanic was late. What a freakin joke.

 

[justinafrika]

13 minutes ago, DieselnDust said:

my mechanic was late. What a freakin joke.

How many mechs are in the federation's team? With events and training in several cycling disciplines occurring simultaneously it may be advised to have a mech present for each discipline.  I know I'd do this if I was organising. If we're operating on a limited budget, a mech for each discipline is still essential in my (admittedly inexperienced) opinion.

Edited July 29, 2021 by justinafrika

[Patchelicious]

39 minutes ago, Matt said:

Moderator note

We’ve issued a handful of warnings in the last few days and some more this morning for inappropriate sexist comments made about female Olympic athletes. On the spectrum from lewd/creepy to just plain nasty.

We’ve been down this road before, threads were shut down and users suspended. If it continues those making such comments will find themselves suspended.

Good, we need to work on improving.

As a point of interest and calibration, what comments were considered inappropriate?

[DieselnDust]

12 minutes ago, justinafrika said:

How many mechs are in the federation's team? With events and training in several cycling disciplines occurring simultaneously it may be advised to have a mech present for each discipline.  I know I'd do this if I was organising. If we're operating on a limited budget, a mech for each discipline is still essential in my (admittedly inexperienced) opinion.

Track

Bmx

Mtb

Road /TT

1 each

There has been cross pollenation with mechs helping each other out at the events. Like at TT yesterday. One in the car but who helped Stefan get set up while Ashleigh was out looking for a medal?

[Underachiever]

1 hour ago, DieselnDust said:

You do realise that Stefan was only called up to participate in the Olympics a month before the road race and that Darryl Impey's kit did likely not fit Stefan very well. So did they have to make do with extra they ordered or was a problem with getting his sizing? Was Stefan always the back up or was he a last minute decision? They're similar height but quite different in build. Could this have something to do with using his road race kit for the TT?

Frustration and dissatisfaction channeled to the right places makes a difference. Posting crap on social media just makes you look ungrateful, entitled and arrogant and Stefan is none of that. I suspect Stefan's tweet about his speedo was more tongue in cheek and that was was then raised to a different level by the trackie. Sorting problems out internally and directly delivers far more effective results than social media bashing.

 

Is CSA up to the task of delivering? That's an interesting question because it really does speak to the financial liquidity of the organisation and the people now in place. We know there are new people in the upper management structures. After 2 decades of mismanagement the new org has been in place for just under a year and we expect that this organisation must perform as well as Britch Cycling, KNWU, Cycling USA or any other highly funded and well established org? Well that right there is the root of the Saffa problem.  We live in an alternate reality. We think we are better than we are. In reality we don't operate at the same level as other Federations around the globe. We're decidedly third world as far as cycling goes.

CSA is in a rebuilding phase that is going to take at least 5 years of stability to get the ship sailing well and on course and here we are hammers inhand to break it down again because a few cyclists feel they were short changed because their bib was a cm too short and my mechanic was late. What a freakin joke.

 

Who's doing the funding for the Olympics?  SASCOC or the individual federations? Or a bit of both?