Women's Olympics Road Race

pelevin

Hopefully with the news that she's ok - relatively anyway - imagine the emotional meltdown if that was Carlton Kirby commentating. He'd have been in absolute bits.

Boardman was saying he was angry at the inclusion of the descent knowing from beforehand how dangerous it was. And I'd say there was a lot more anger & emotion below the surface than he was letting out, especially obviously with the tragedy of his mum a few weeks back, & it being very raw how serious cycling incidents can be.

Mycroft H

Someone would have had to have signed off that it was safe. Which is nonsence

Leroy42

After watching that, and other womens races, I fail to see why womens cycling is not more watched.

It is one of the few sports where outright strength or technique doesn't come into it (I'm not looking to starting a debate about the skills in cycling ) but speed is relative so its kinda irrelevant how fast they actually go.

Given the problems over the last few years in the mens cycling just wondering why womens cycling isn't seen in a better light

P_1

Some serious questions need to be asked about the route for the road race. Does the TT use the same hill?

Inquitus

pelevin wrote: »

Hopefully with the news that she's ok - relatively anyway - imagine the emotional meltdown if that was Carlton Kirby commentating. He'd have been in absolute bits.

Boardman was saying he was angry at the inclusion of the descent knowing from beforehand how dangerous it was. And I'd say there was a lot more anger & emotion below the surface than he was letting out, especially obviously with the tragedy of his mum a few weeks back, & it being very raw how serious cycling incidents can be.

The descent itself was no more dangerous than others, it was the insane off camber into the storm drains with a foot high curbs that were lethal, given the money they have thrown at the games a few hay bales or similar doesn't seem too much to have asked for here.

Inquitus

And she seems ok in hospital

Edit: Apparently it's an old photo being mis-reported.

pelevin

Leroy42 wrote: »

Given the problems over the last few years in the mens cycling just wondering why womens cycling isn't seen in a better light

TV coverage, lack of, might be the simple answer.

swiwi_

On a side note, the American slowed down to make sure she didn't fall. It just about paid off, if the race had only been 500m shorter. Must have been gutting to watch yourself be overtaken at the last bit.

I'll make sure to watch the mountain biking cross country, that was edge of the seat viewing last olympics too.

ednwireland

the descent was re-tarmaced by the looks of it always thought fresh tarmac was slippy but the crashes seemed to be form over cooking corners,

Annemiek van Vleuten (Netherlands) is reportedly conscious and being transported to hospital after a devastating crash on the descent of the Vista Chinesa in the final 12km of the Olympic Games women's road race on Sunday, according to the Dutch cycling federation.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/van-vleuten-conscious-after-dramatic-crash-in-olympic-games-road-race/

Kaisr Sose

It was a bad one. Thought her neck was gone. Glad they are saying she is ok. Dangerous descent with the storm drains and shadows from foilage. I only seen it live and thought she went into the bend a bit tight and was always going to come out wide. Realising it, she tried to adjust line/ slow mid apex. I won't be watching it again to verify though.

One moment that changed the outcome. Van Vlueten would not have been caught. Terrible end to a great race.

Kaisr Sose

Kaisr Sose wrote: »

It was a bad one. Thought her neck was gone. Glad they are saying she is ok. Dangerous descent with the storm drains and shadows from foilage. I only seen it live and thought she went into the bend a bit tight and was always going to come out wide. Realising it, she tried to adjust line/ slow mid apex. I won't be watching it again to verify though.

One moment that changed the outcome. Van Vlueten would not have been caught. Terrible end to a great race.

Yeah, she was going off a fair bit before she neared the kerb, the bike was skidding and almost parallel with the kerb.

Stheno

Latest update is She breathing and communicating, I'm starting to think she has suffered a bad physical injury

Stheno

Stheno wrote: »

Latest update is She breathing and communicating, I'm starting to think she has suffered a bad physical injury

1st thing I thought when she landed was that it was her lower back that hit the kerb and took the brunt of the impact I really hope it wasn't but I don't want to watch it again now

fryup

its a strange one, if you watch it again she doesn't seem to clip the kerb..it looks like she skidded and her front wheel locked up, greasy road??

siblers

I have a horrendous feeling she may be paralyzed, was watching it live when it happened. Never seen anything like it before.

She definitely skidded or else her back wheel locked.

Eamonnator

fryup wrote: »

its a strange one, if you watch it again she doesn't seem to clip the kerb..it looks like she skidded and her front wheel locked up, greasy road??

Thats what I thought as well.
Looking at it again, I wonder did she skid on the yellow line on the road.

Here's hoping her injuries are not too bad, and wishing her a speedy recovery.

fryup

Eamonnator wrote: »

Looking at it again, I wonder did she skid on the yellow line on the road.

kinda like Froome a few weeks back in the TDF

secman

It was a horrible crash to watch, she seems to have misjudged the line through, braked hard on rear wheel, which locked up and skidded. Then it appears that front brakes were applied hard, it locked and she goes over handlebars ,landing on her back on the high kerb. please god she is okay and suffers no permanent damage.
Regarding the course..most of the riders in both races managed it on every lap, it was only on final lap in each race when medals were real prospect that the descenders pushed the limit and it didn't pay off.

gaffmaster

secman wrote: »

It was a horrible crash to watch, she seems to have misjudged the line through, braked hard on rear wheel, which locked up and skidded. Then it appears that front brakes were applied hard, it locked and she goes over handlebars ,landing on her back on the high kerb. please god she is okay and suffers no permanent damage.
Regarding the course..most of the riders in both races managed it on every lap, it was only on final lap in each race when medals were real prospect that the descenders pushed the limit and it didn't pay off.

Yeah. The key problem was having that descent so late in the race, where bigger risks are taken. Really hope she's okay.

terrydel

Dreadful crash and hope she is alright, however looked like rider error to me.

pajor

http://nos.nl/rio2016/artikel/2123843-van-vleuten-bij-bewustzijn-praat-en-is-helder.html

Annemiek van Vleuten...has a severe concussion and three small fractures in her lumbar spine. She must stay in intensive care for 24 hours.

Kom op meid.

Tigerandahalf

Looks like she was a lucky lady.

Can't understand how the corners weren't protected better. It was only 1 or 2 corners that needed to de done.
That concrete drain at the side of the road is a liability with its narrow concrete ridge.

Looks like the bit of rain caught her out. With oil fumes from motorbikes a small bit of rain would make it very greasy.

Beasty

terrydel wrote: »

Dreadful crash and hope she is alright, however looked like rider error to me.

Only rider error in the sense the circuit "encouraged" riders to go at speeds that ultimately proved unsafe. Given the number of serious accidents on that descent over the past 2 days I think "blame" can be laid squarely with the organisers

Beasty

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

Looks like she was a lucky lady.

Any concussion is a brain injury - I'm not sure we should be saying she's lucky yet

morana

think she is okhttps://twitter.com/UCIWomenCycling/status/762404140794388480

trihead

fryup wrote: »

its a strange one, if you watch it again she doesn't seem to clip the kerb..it looks like she skidded and her front wheel locked up, greasy road??

taken from http://www.bbc.com/sport/olympics/37005595

Amazing race to watch but horrific crash to see
I hope she is not seriously injured.

fryup

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

Looks like she was a lucky lady.

well we don't know yet

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

That concrete drain at the side of the road is a liability with its narrow concrete ridge.

yes agree, and thats what she seemed to land her back on

pelevin

Beasty wrote: »

Only rider error in the sense the circuit "encouraged" riders to go at speeds that ultimately proved unsafe. Given the number of serious accidents on that descent over the past 2 days I think "blame" can be laid squarely with the organisers

Yeah, you can't set a course with such a descent so late in the race, especially such a prestigious race (though the prestige is a bit irrelevant) & then say that that well if they rode conservatively & safely things would be fine. Of course they're racing hard, that's what they're there for. It's a given that they're trying to give everything at such a stage in proceedings. Those kerbs, or whatever the proper word is, were a shocking sight in truth. I was thinking much earlier how the accidents yday involving Nibali & others had bad consequences but with such kerbs could have been much more tragic again. You mentioned earlier today about the perhaps unacceptable level of danger invovled, & it's no coincidence that I began this thread with the line, "Don't know if they'll be using that by now infamous descent that claimed the scalps of the likes of Henao, Nibali & Porte yesterday."

pedigree 6

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more-sports/dutch-cyclist-falls-face-ugly-crash-olympic-race-article-1.2741997

Beasty

morana wrote: »

think she is okhttps://twitter.com/UCIWomenCycling/status/762404140794388480

There's no way they can assess a brain injury like that so quickly. AFAIK she is still in intensive care