greenjersey

Nice one Cadel

It is now official greenjersey policy: no more taking the piss out of Cadel Evans. But before it starts what about that crazy “victory salute”? It was sort of like the wave that the Queen gives to her subjects. What’s wrong with the time honoured both hands high in the air? Then there was the obsessive kissing of something on his neck chain, it looked like a ring.

But as I said forget all that stuff and concentrate on a good ride. Not amazing, after all you wouldn’t have known he was in the race until the last ten minutes but he was there when it counted. All credit to the Aussie Director Neil Stephens who put his team on the front when nobody else was interested.

At first it seemed like a typical Worlds with the usual lost cause break but when the Italians split the bunch, I think it was Scarponi who did the damage, taking a big group away it all became complicated. There was plenty of good men in the move including Boonen and Ballan but nobody that you would call a favourite and fortunately just when it seemed that the bunch was out of it the Aussies decided they couldn’t rely on Michael Rogers,their only rider up front, and started pulling the bunch along.

Honourable mention must be made of Gorazd Stangelj of Slovenia who was in the break all race and was still charging off the front on the penultimate lap.

Finally an amazing fact; The rainbow jersey was Evans’s first and only one day win as a pro!

This is what Wiggo had to say about Gustav Larsson’s second place in the time trial:

“The same for Larsson, I don’t think he is a worthy silver medallist. I think Tony Martin is for me the silver medallist.”   It is certainly true that Larsson was drawn out once he was caught by Cancellara but he didn’t appear, to me, to receive any actual physical assistance. The split times tend to provide mixed evidence and can be argued either way.

At the second 16.6km split Larsson was nine seconds down on Tony Martin. At this point the Swede had not been caught by Cancellara but at the third, 25km split Larsson was thirteen second up on Martin. at that point he was four seconds, or about 55 metres, behind Cancellara on the road. Is that pacing? At this stage it looks as if Larsson was getting a big advantage from being caught bt the Swiss.

Later in the race a different picture appears. Larsson went through the fourth split fourteen seconds or 200 metres behind Cancellara. Surely that cannot constitute pacing yet in the next nine kms he lost just two seconds to Cancellara while Tony Martin lost half a minute.

At the last split before he suffered his mechanical Wiggo was just three seconds down on Martin and may well have been heading for the bronze medal. He was clearly pissed off but why take it out on Larsson who did a great ride and deserved second place.

Wiggo, it would seem, was largely to blame for his own misfortune. Apparently he unshipped his chain and this caused the back brake, located behind the bottom bracket, to rub on the wheel. Now anyone who has ever suffered a rubbing brake knows how annoying it can be, it feels as you are being held back by a giant hand. But you don’t, if you have any sense, dismount and sling your bike down and set off on foot. You carry on riding until your team car comes alongside. Then you change bikes.

An interesting point, assuming Wiggins has not yet signed a contract with Sky will his TT ride have increased or reduced his value? My guess is that he should have signed before he threw his toys out of the pram.