Best man won - Word Champs 2017

Now we have something / quite-a-lot to discuss and celebrate.
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thirdcrank
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Best man won - Word Champs 2017

Post by thirdcrank »

In case anybody hasn't seen the result of the Elite men's road race, I'll not spoil it except to say the best man won. He may have been pretty much invisible until the last few hundred metres but that's partly because the rest hadn't the sense or perhaps strength to isolate him and make him work.

In spite of the absence of several of our top riders, I thought it was a very respectable result for GB.

I'll put in a word for commentator Simon Brotherton: at one point just before the kilometre to go marker he was doing a Duffers of the "Will it be X? Will it be Y? Will it be Z?" type, but in his defence, it was only because the TV pictures of the action had failed so we were just looking at the kilometre to go marker. :roll: Usual succinct analysis of tactics etc from Chris Boardman.

Finally, gone are the days when the BBC couldn't be bothered to cover this event.
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Si
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Re: Best man won - Word Champs 2017

Post by Si »

Twas a good race despite the tv issues. And Bergen(sp?) looks a beautiful place.

Do we think he was trying to sell them a pup with his comments before the race? Or was he not seen until the end because of them?

And taking the thread immediately off topic.....Rochelle Gilmore, seems to know her stuff and has ample ability when commentating. Is it my imagination or do the other commentators start talking over her if she tries to say more than five words in one go?
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Redvee
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Re: Best man won - Word Champs 2017

Post by Redvee »

Si wrote:Rochelle Gilmore, seems to know her stuff and has ample ability when commentating.


She is the owner of Wiggle Honda Ladies race team so does have a good knowledge of the race scene and looking at the images she posts on social media is easy on the eye too.
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Re: Best man won - Word Champs 2017

Post by Vorpal »

All the coverage here was about Edvald Boasson Hagen and Alexander Kristoff. You'd never have known who won :lol: :lol:
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Brucey
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Re: Best man won - Word Champs 2017

Post by Brucey »

It is a funny race, the World's; it is won from a breakaway on some courses (if they are hard enough) but is more often won from a bunch sprint if it isn't. One can take it from the result that the course probably wasn't quite hard enough. The winner used the same tactics as several of the other riders, but arguably just did it better than they did.

The folks in Bergen must be heaving a sigh of relief; it didn't rain too much, which is a real possibility in that neck of the woods....

cheers
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Paulatic
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Re: Best man won - Word Champs 2017

Post by Paulatic »

Great result. Good and interesting commentary from CB and RG. At least CB apologised when he came in over the top of RG.
Sadly I suppose she's used to being talked over and feeling her opinion belittled at times. There was one incidence, when discussing something, I'd already seen it in her Twitter feed, noticably she used Cav's name to give her opinion some validity.
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thirdcrank
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Re: Best man won - Word Champs 2017

Post by thirdcrank »

Vorpal wrote:All the coverage here was about Edvald Boasson Hagen and Alexander Kristoff. You'd never have known who won :lol: :lol:


No different from any other commentators highlighting their "own" riders. The BBC coverage did focus on GB riders. (And on Australians, too, come to think of it. :wink: )

It's arguably odd that a sport like road cycling should have such a range of different events but crown its world champion on the result of a one-day race. It's a well-tried system and it won't change but between the genuine world champions, we've occasionally had some not really up to the name. Peter Sagan is IMO a true all-round champion. :D
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