US Pro Misc Follow-up
by cg. on Sep 1, 2008 12:17 PM EDT
31 comments
Some admittedly random things from the US Pro races in Greenville the last few days:
- At the TT on Sat, the announcer was trying to work up the crowd about the will-they-won't-they question as to whether Greenville would have the race next year. On the podium, he had a few words with David Z and threw him what with anyone else would have been a softball - i.e., Dave, where would you like to see this race next year since Greenville's been so good to you? David's answer: Salt Lake City.
- At the RR on Sunday, during sign in Danny Pate was on stage (CVV was just signing in, too). Announcer asks what's the plan for today? Danny: I think the other guys are working for someone else, but I'm out there for myself today. (He than playfully wacks CVV and exits.) Good chuckle but then when Pate's in the later breaks, the announcers are seriously bringing this back up. Seriously? Wow.
- I know there were some complaints here at PdC about the quality of the video coverage... FYI, closed circuit tv at the road race itself wasn't any better. We didn't really have pictures until the last circuits.
- Interesting thing - Floyd was at the TT. (He may have been at the road race, but I didn't see him.) He didn't seem to be attached to anyone and he wasn't selling books or hip replacement parts but was hanging near the teams during the race. (Call me crazy, but I still want to believe!) He was, as ever, gracious to the few fans that noticed and approached him.
As mentioned in the comments for Sunday, Greenville gets the race for at least one more year. As suspected, the set up was not nearly as friendly for the road race this year, but it was still a blast. (I heard there was construction near the usual start/finish and I think someone here mentioned the same.) If anyone from USA Cycling is reading this - please put it back to the old location next year! But in all Greenville throws a nice party and I'd add my encouragement to itswell from a few days ago - if you're in driving distance, it's worth the trip next year.
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And if gas prices keep going up, or you'd rather have a snooze than a long drive...
Here’s the Amtrak timetable for the crescent line. NY by way of NJ, Philly, Baltimore, DC, various in VA, NC, SC [greenville] and then GA, AL, MS, on to New Orleans.
by JFS_PGH on Sep 1, 2008 1:19 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Greenville!
Let US Cycling build some roots, someplace. Ain’t broke, so…
"If writing too much about the Classics is wrong, I don't want to be right."
by Chris... on Sep 1, 2008 5:01 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Hey...just made it back to VA.
from Greenville a couple of hours ago.
I’ll try to summarize some stuff within a couple of days.
+1 for the Greenville roots comment. That whole community seems to be really into the cycling, triathlon, health thing. I chatted with a couple of locals and specifically asked if that was the norm (vice just cyclists taking advantage of the weekend), they confirmed it was.
Beautiful weekend.
by itswells on Sep 1, 2008 6:01 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
glad to hear that there's
something good in South Carolina.
by Sui Juris on Sep 1, 2008 7:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Lord
I really hope that Floyd isn’t making a practice run at being on Rock Racing. But I bet that’s who brought him there.
by Sui Juris on Sep 1, 2008 6:59 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Just Jonesing for that race atmosphere?
by JFS_PGH on Sep 1, 2008 7:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Didn't See Him...
…but Ball was quoted last week as saying Floyd is out of his price range.
by Chief Commissaire on Sep 1, 2008 8:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
sounds like a negotiation
to me. I don’t begrudge Ball for going after him. I do think that Landis could probably do better (tho’ I’m entirely unclear as to how he should handle the whole doping thing, in the first place).
by Sui Juris on Sep 1, 2008 9:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Why was the race so short?
Does anyone know why they made the race 110 miles? Wasn’t it, like, 2 million K’s when it was in Philly?
Hincappie said on CN that there would have been a much better selection if they’d gone one more lap.
I’m a little torn. It sounds like the race was really exciting, but that’s a very short distance for this type of race.
Never, ever, work with a sprinter.
by Put 'Em in the Gutter on Sep 1, 2008 11:19 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
maybe they wanted to make it less punishing after all the olympic travel, which messes with training???
If so, guess it didn’t work that way. Love your signature cobbles / belgian block picture, BTW.
by JFS_PGH on Sep 2, 2008 12:43 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I don't know if you
can tell, but it’s the Muur—and thanks for noticing. I still can’t believe I got the chance to spend that day walking in Geraardsbergen. When you make the turn onto that section, you are absolutely stunned at how steep it is.
I remember asking a local guy at the gas station, "Ou est le mur de Gramont? Oh, did I get a Vlandrian fired up!! He had a big smile on his face, but he made sure that I knew I was standing in Geraardsbergen and not Gramont!!
What a day? They can have le Tour, I’ll take the Ronde.
Never, ever, work with a sprinter.
by Put 'Em in the Gutter on Sep 2, 2008 12:58 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
In the Ronde cyclosportif
the exact point that you are in the picture is where all the cocky , but not so experienced, amateurs came to grief this year.
I was standing for a long time watching down from the next turn. It was raining and the cobbles were slick. When the tough guys came round the bend and saw the section you were on, they all thought “ooh, this is a tough bit, this is where I get out of the saddle and put the hanmmer down and leave the weenies behind”. ….. Immidiately followed by them all falling down.
Meanwhile the geezers, the kids and all the ones who actually knew what they were doing kept seated, bent over and kept even pressure on the pedals. It was so much fun. You could easily see beforehand who was going to (deservedly) eat cobbles.
Carlos Sastre - Tour de France winner - Born From Jets
by Jens on Sep 2, 2008 3:56 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Welcome, Put 'Em In, and may I just say that April 6th this year was
wildly celebrated here. If you’d like a quick look at the Podium Cafe’s live race threads of that day, see links below…
Here
Here
And Here
Ooooh, was that a GREAT race, great memories, what I can remember of it….. :-)
by Ruthann on Sep 2, 2008 11:48 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Man, I am jealous at how quickly and how well you can pull that stuff.
"The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed."
by nikki on Sep 2, 2008 1:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I don't know if thats Ruthanns secret
but the search function in 2.0 works really great.
Carlos Sastre - Tour de France winner - Born From Jets
by Jens on Sep 2, 2008 2:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I've used it a few times.
And it really was a nice upgrade. :-) Ruthann’s just so quick with the help though. LOL!
"The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed."
by nikki on Sep 2, 2008 2:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Thanks for posting that...
… I just read through all of them again and was just curious how long it is until April again… I mean… Vuelta and World’s and Olympics, Ok… but man…
De Ronde…
Makes me want to post this pic from Pez….
I know, it said "als" instead of "ist"... don't give me any crap...
by crashdan on Sep 2, 2008 6:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I absolutely
LOVE that photo; it’s my wallpaper at work. It makes me happy.
Funny (and also totally not funny) to read the awful c.tv problems we (you and others) had that morning. But, ooh: what a great race day that was!
by Ruthann on Sep 2, 2008 7:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think you...
can see that brother in the red coat standing in that same spot for the past five years. He’s an animal. I even forgive him for wearing those stupid euro-male-capri-pants when there is good weather in Flanders.
And Stijn is so hard…
Never, ever, work with a sprinter.
by Put 'Em in the Gutter on Sep 3, 2008 1:17 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
The First Year...
…the race featured an extra lap of Paris Mountain and there were only 12 official finishers. So USA Cycling scaled it back a lap last year (and this year).
In my opinion, a nearly 10-minute climb should not necessarily be a part of a national championship road race. Rather, I would like to see something about half as long that is done twice as many times. You’re right – the distance is too short for such a prestigious race.
by Chief Commissaire on Sep 2, 2008 10:37 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Actually, I think it was 6 laps the first year.
Just like everything else, my guess is “they” wanted to scale it down to keep it competitive = more casually interested fans sticking around to watch.
by itswells on Sep 2, 2008 12:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
No, it was definitely five. Here's the story...
GREENVILLE, S.C. (September 3, 2006) – Greenville resident and Tour de France stage winner George Hincapie (Discovery Channel Professional Cycling Team) outlasted a 102-rider field and outsprinted his future teammate Levi Leipheimer (Team Gerolsteiner) to capture his second Stars and Stripes jersey in his career. Hincapie, who won the national road race title in 1998, won today’s USA Cycling Professional Road Race Championships, presented by Charter Communications, in a time of 4 hour 47 minutes and 15 seconds. Leipheimer followed only 16 seconds behind in a final time of 4.47’31", and Danny Pate (Team TIAA-CREF) finished third in 4.48’35", one minute and 20 seconds back.
The challenging 120.5-mile course included five long circuits of 21.85 miles each and a climb up Paris Mountain, a prominent ridge reaching an elevation of 1,872 feet in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The fourth climb up Paris Mountain became the decisive Break when nine riders broke away and became the only riders who would finish the final three downtown circuits. A field of 102 American professionals started the race, and 31 completed the challenging event.
by Chief Commissaire on Sep 2, 2008 2:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I Should Add...
…that although there were 31 racers who “completed” the event, only 12 were allowed to cross the finish line that year.
Sunday, I’m not sure how many of the 44 finishers were allowed onto the circuit. I believe it was only the first 24 because several riders who are listed as finishing 11 minutes after the leaders were actually watching the finish of the race from the crowd.
by Chief Commissaire on Sep 2, 2008 2:14 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
As the Toto Turns
tackles the issue of the new road champion in this week’s strip
by Katiek on Sep 2, 2008 5:09 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
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