UKC

1) Is the starting announcement pre-recorded ?
2) What is random about the start ?
3) Is there a tactical reason for the whip during the jump, or is it just showboating?
4) Why are adults riding kid's bikes ?

In reply to Chris the Tall:
5) Why such a low gear?

In reply to Chris the Tall:

(6) What the f*** is it doing in the Olympics?

In reply to Robert Durran:

The outcome just seems so random due to the number of falls..... the best rider doesn't often win but the luckiest good enough to get to the final..... i makes ski-X look sedate

In reply to Robert Durran:

Seems to have been one of the few venues with a big crowd, but I'd prefer to see downhill mountain biking

In reply to Chris the Tall:

There must be some mountain biking, judging by Sagan's Twitter feed.

Chris Hoy has been answering people's questions on bmx on Twitter, although I think even he would struggle with number 4.

In reply to Chris the Tall:
4) yes it really helps to rebalance you if you get your take off trajectory a bit wrong


There is MTB, but alas just the cross country discipline

In reply to Yanis Nayu:

Yep, Sagan going in the MTB, but it's XC, rather than DH. XC has the advantage of being a proper race, as opposed to a time trial, but the difficulty of overtaking is a real problem. And unlike BMX there are no seeding runs, it's down to rankings to get a place on the front row. So whilst Sagan may be the best physically, and shouldn't have a problem with the technicality, he'll be at such a disadvantage from the start that the odds are stacked against him. Not that I write him off completely - he's Sagan after all. But after GVA won the road race I bet he's kicking himself.

In reply to Chris the Tall:

1) usually yes
2) the timing of how long it takes for the gate to drop making it harder for riders to jump the gate
3)no just style usually. though staying low and scrubbing jumps can be faster sometimes
4) cos its BMX they have 20 Inch wheels makes for good acceleration/responsiveness and maneuverability
by all accounts the course made for poor racing and too many big crashes

In reply to Palmer:



By contrast today you had tiny women like Batty on 29ers ! Has to be said this looked an excellent course, much better than London. Interesting that the winner rode a full-suss, whereas most were on hardtails. Not sure if that was crucial, but it's what I'd want on a course that rocky.

Apparently Sagan is the lowest ranked rider tomorrow and will be on his own in the back row. But Prendrel showed it is possible to work your self through the race, so who knows.

In reply to Chris the Tall:

Why would Sagan be the best physically? Grand tour/classic fit and xc race are different specialisations.
youtube.com/watch?v=xW-nWnl5hYk& worth a watch

In reply to Herdwickmatt:


Regrettably the disparity in money on offer means the best talent will always be lured to the road - Cadel Evans is another example, and it's even more the case in cyclocross.

Sagan proved me wrong by getting up to 3rd at the start, but you wonder how much that took out of him, although he kept up on the first lap. Do you reckon the punctures were just bad luck or at least partly down to inferior technique. Obviously waiting for the neutral service car didn't help Apparently he was back up to 11th before his 2nd puncture, so who knows what could have happened.


Juggling on a Swiss ball - I do that! Hasn't stopped me crashing on easy bits. I think with the punctures it could have been an interesting test between "simple" fitness and "specific" fitness, with a technical course favouring the latter. In contrast you have the Leadville 100, more fire roads and has been "won" by Armstrong and Leipheimer, and this year Jo Dombrowski was second. And of course any MTB race of less than 100 miles is merely a trivial sprint!

In reply to Herdwickmatt:

I am still dead from 45 min of hard circuit training last Wednesday! These guys are insanely fit!

CB