Olympic track cycling, BBC2 @ 2pm today

flickerx

BBC2 today (Sunday) at 2pm.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00nq82m

Jill Douglas is at the Manchester Velodrome where the first round of the 2009/2010 UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics is taking place.

It's the first major international track event of the new season and all eyes will be on triple Olympic champion Sir Chris Hoy, who is back competing after badly injuring his hip in a crash during a race in Copenhagen.

Germany were crowned World Cup champions last season ahead of the Netherlands and Great Britain. Hoy and his fellow British riders will be looking to get back to the top of the podium - especially as after the gold rush of 2008's Beijing Olympics, Team GB won just two titles at the World Track Championships in March.

Commentary comes from Hugh Porter, Rob Hayles and Craig McLean.

Caroline_ie

Might set up the turbo in front of it ( sad i know)

flickerx

Caroline_ie wrote: »

Might set up the turbo in front of it ( sad i know)

what one have you got? this poxy weather is making me consider it.

RobFowl

Heather Wilson did well

won her heat of the points race and 14th in the final

This fecking weather is a bit soul destroying all right. Got out with the club yesterday (60k in 2 hours) in damp but warm conditions.
Xcross race today in Lisburn canceled as well due to the rain :(:(

Caroline_ie

flickerx wrote: »

what one have you got? this poxy weather is making me consider it.

tacx cycleforce swing ... Jens Voigt was on the box when that's why I got it

flickerx

How much/where did you get it from?
Does it come with one of those little holders for your front wheel to sit into?

ednwireland

completely forgot about this last night was reading boards when spotted the thread just manage watched

lizzie armistead trash the opposition in the womens points race

grand prix and cycling for the afternoon (and rugby league yesterday after been out on the bike)

Caroline_ie

flickerx wrote: »

How much/where did you get it from?
Does it come with one of those little holders for your front wheel to sit into?

I think it's discontinued. I got it in 2006 for 140euro off bike24.net and it did not come with that front wheel thingy, i use Bono's biography to elevate the front wheel.

ednwireland

Caroline_ie wrote: »

i use Bono's biography to elevate the front wheel.

probably the only good use i've heard for that (surely one of those plastic things would be cheaper - or did you get the book in a bargain bin )

RobFowl

Caroline_ie wrote: »

I think it's discontinued. I got it in 2006 for 140euro off bike24.net and it did not come with that front wheel thingy, i use Bono's biography to elevate the front wheel.

I use the phone book, great for mopping up all the sweat as well :rolleyes:

Caroline_ie

ednwireland wrote: »

probably the only good use i've heard for that (surely one of those plastic things would be cheaper - or did you get the book in a bargain bin )

xmas present and cheaper than this

Harrybelafonte

Just caught the end last night. Am set up to watch later. It's on Press Red menu thing isn't it?

Beasty

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

Just caught the end last night. Am set up to watch later. It's on Press Red menu thing isn't it?

Yesterday's coverage was on the red button. Today's on regular BBC 2, and includes live coverage from today, and highlights from the first 2 days

Harrybelafonte

Thanks just switched it on there

ednwireland

can someone fast forward the grand prix

Caroline_ie

interesting handlebars on the UK Team

flickerx

The Brits are pretty impressive, no? Obviously they're on home turf which will give them an edge, but they really dominated in all the events.

niceonetom

Given the way the UK has been able to execute a 10 year plan to build a world-beating track team, and now looks like it could be able to continue that dominance for an entire olympic cycle, I'm really looking forward to what a similar regime might achieve on the road.... team sky for the tour within 5 years. You heard it here first.

@flickerx - starting threads about macho competitive racing? Making enquiries about turbos? Didn't you start a forum to escape from that kind of thing? We're changing you.

About turbos though, you're still don't own a road bike right? Well a lot of turbos won't reach the narrower rear spacing of a track bike and they require the rear wheel use a special quick-release skewer so using a fixie is difficult, if possible at all.

You want rollers. Well, I do anyway.

Caroline_ie wrote: »

interesting handlebars on the UK Team

want!

Beasty

flickerx wrote: »

The Brits are pretty impressive, no? Obviously they're on home turf which will give them an edge, but they really dominated in all the events.

They are effectivey running 2 teams (Team Sky and GB), and got both into the team sprint final

Both team pursuit finals were pretty impressive

Beasty

niceonetom wrote: »

want!

What would you do with them, given there is no-where to attach brake/gear levers?

emtroche

Matt Brammeier is riding for ireland now!

Anyone know how this came about?

niceonetom

Beasty wrote: »

What would you do with them, given there is no-where to attach brake/gear levers?

I'd put them on my fixie. Brakes are for losers.

niceonetom

Actually, this is what I'd do:

Dura Ace

emtroche wrote: »

Matt Brammeier is riding for ireland now!

Anyone know how this came about?

He has Irish grandparents, and I suppose it's difficult to break into the British track team. He's also on the An Post team.

flickerx

niceonetom wrote: »

@flickerx - starting threads about macho competitive racing? Making enquiries about turbos? Didn't you start a forum to escape from that kind of thing? We're changing you.

About turbos though, you're still don't own a road bike right? Well a lot of turbos won't reach the narrower rear spacing of a track bike and they require the rear wheel use a special quick-release skewer so using a fixie is difficult, if possible at all.

You want rollers. Well, I do anyway.

Hmm, maybe you're right, my constant exposure to threads about lycra, going up the mountains, the latest 11-speed whatever, and so on, must be seeping into my consciousness. A friend said to me that I was probably getting more interested in "proper" cycling because its full of drugs. Ha ha, very funny.

Today was the first time I ever watched track racing. I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of jock-mentality from the riders. They all seemed like normal people in the interviews afterwards, and even the runners up exhibited very good "sporting" gestures at the end when they acknowledged the better rider. Very nice.
I generally hate team sports and the morons that participate in them. A couch psychiatrist would probably trace it back to the violence encountered in secondary school while playing football (soccer). I wasnt particulary good at football, but I wasnt bad either. But there were some complete tossers who just took it way too seriously. I remember one time I rounded a good player, who subsequently became a successful GAA captain, but shall remain nameless. Ah, who cares, it was Anthony Moyles, he was captain of the Meath team for a while, still might be. Anyway I got around him with the ball, and next thing he elbowed me in the face as I passed by him, knocking me out for about five seconds. He was prepared to physically injure someone just because his ego had been knocked back a bit. My brother had his leg broken in two places while playing for Verona, same thing - he got around someone who couldnt handle it, so they stamped on his shin and tore it apart, requiring him to wear a thigh to toe cast for nearly six months, ending his football playing forever.
I just hate blokes who are into sports like football and rugby, I think they're a slightly lower form of life, hovering somewhere very close to nose-picking motorists on the intelligence scale. I know cycling isnt the same but if people take it so seriously that they are taking drugs to win then I'd also start to wonder if the same mentality is in there as well.

It was TinyExplosions who started that forum, not me! But I'm sure there's probably competitive streaks in the fixie scene - who has the tightest jeans, who has the most expensive bike, who has the most crap tattoos (I think I win that one), etc.

I'm still holding off on the road bike until I have a job, or if I emigrate, no point in buying one here and then having to haul it abroad somewhere. What rollers would you recommend for a fixie? I have fixies both with track ends and a road bike conversion. I think I would just prefer back rollers like the goldsprints, not sure I could deal with the full rollers, ever since I watched that youtube video of the guy's first spin on the rollers.

I'd better get into training for Dec 5th. I've challenged Tiny to a duel. Maybe I am turning into a jock after all! But I wont care when I lose, I think thats the difference.

Harrybelafonte

flickerx wrote: »

Hmm, maybe you're right, my constant exposure to threads about lycra, going up the mountains, the latest 11-speed whatever, and so on, must be seeping into my consciousness. A friend said to me that I was probably getting more interested in "proper" cycling because its full of drugs. Ha ha, very funny.

Today was the first time I ever watched track racing. I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of jock-mentality from the riders. They all seemed like normal people in the interviews afterwards, and even the runners up exhibited very good "sporting" gestures at the end when they acknowledged the better rider. Very nice.
I generally hate team sports and the morons that participate in them. A couch psychiatrist would probably trace it back to the violence encountered in secondary school while playing football (soccer). I wasnt particulary good at football, but I wasnt bad either. But there were some complete tossers who just took it way too seriously. I remember one time I rounded a good player, who subsequently became a successful GAA captain, but shall remain nameless. Ah, who cares, it was Anthony Moyles, he was captain of the Meath team for a while, still might be. Anyway I got around him with the ball, and next thing he elbowed me in the face as I passed by him, knocking me out for about five seconds. He was prepared to physically injure someone just because his ego had been knocked back a bit. My brother had his leg broken in two places while playing for Verona, same thing - he got around someone who couldnt handle it, so they stamped on his shin and tore it apart, requiring him to wear a thigh to toe cast for nearly six months, ending his football playing forever.
I just hate blokes who are into sports like football and rugby, I think they're a slightly lower form of life, hovering somewhere very close to nose-picking motorists on the intelligence scale. I know cycling isnt the same but if people take it so seriously that they are taking drugs to win then I'd also start to wonder if the same mentality is in there as well.

It was TinyExplosions who started that forum, not me! But I'm sure there's probably competitive streaks in the fixie scene - who has the tightest jeans, who has the most expensive bike, who has the most crap tattoos (I think I win that one), etc.

I'm still holding off on the road bike until I have a job, or if I emigrate, no point in buying one here and then having to haul it abroad somewhere. What rollers would you recommend for a fixie? I have fixies both with track ends and a road bike conversion. I think I would just prefer back rollers like the goldsprints, not sure I could deal with the full rollers, ever since I watched that youtube video of the guy's first spin on the rollers.

I'd better get into training for Dec 5th. I've challenged Tiny to a duel. Maybe I am turning into a jock after all! But I wont care when I lose, I think thats the difference.

Dude, you seriously never watched it before? It's great isn't it. Mind you I don't remember it being as accessible before the UK started doing well. I'd still love to try it out, but just can't make it over to Sundrive on the right days

Are BBC showing Melbourne too?

ednwireland

i used to go and watch the uk national champs at saffron lane in leicester (outdoor wood track) tandem sprint was always the best event (the speed those guys track go at and doing trackstands on a tandem), should be in the olympics

Harrybelafonte

Pendleton seemed way off tactics-wise, but all the GB competitors seemed really strong. I kept wondering if pysciatrist they interviewed had a large part to play in it? The Keirin had my heart racing, though that might just be the gambler in me

Beasty

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

Pendleton seemed way off tactics-wise, but all the GB competitors seemed really strong. I kept wondering if pysciatrist they interviewed had a large part to play in it? The Keirin had my heart racing, though that might just be the gambler in me

If you read Wiggins' autobiography and the book on Hoy from last year, you will see that Steve Peters has been a massive influence on the whole team for a number of years

Beasty

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

I'd still love to try it out,

Are BBC showing Melbourne too?

Heading off to Manchester (for United match) in the morning, and will get an hour on the track at lunchtime:P

Not sure if the BBC are showing the Melbourne meet (may be on the red button again), but Eurosport had highlights of Manchester on yesterday evening, and will, I suspect, do the same with all these events

jwshooter

also on sky euro sport 410 at 7.30