World's Road Race Spoiler

[Uncle Jam's Army]

Gotta say that race was everything I had hoped it would be. I woke up early Pacific time to watch the Universal Sports live feed at my buddy's home (my cable carrier doesn't carry Universal). I had hoped it would come down to a shoot-out on the final climb of the Cauberg and it did. Lot's of in-race intrigue, too, with Contador and Voeckler leading breaks off the front. Best guy won, even though I was pulling for Boasson Hagen. Awesome move from Gilbert. Well-earned win and well-deserving champion.

[Llewellyn]

It was great wasn't it. It had everything a good race should have in my opinion. And for me it's a real vindication of having to race without radios. Riders having to make their own decisions instead of having a DS make the decisions for them from the front seat of the team car.

And it was a good course with just enough hilly terrain to mix things up a bit.

There was more excitement in that one race than there was in the whole TDF.

[victoryfactory]

race radios allow directors to apply order to the efforts of
their riders. They smooth out the communications and
make the sport very different.
No radios is a different sport for better or worse. You can
see it in the body language of the riders. Instead of listening
to some eye in the sky they are forced to work harder and
gage their efforts without help.
Is it better? more exciting? more traditional?
It's a different sport. It seems to benefit the riders who are
the strongest and have the courage to stay up front.
I wonder what football would look like with no radios or
coaches signaling in every play? Like soccer probably.
VF

[thinpin]

He looked fresh as a daisy crossing that finish line.

[bluesea]

race radios allow directors to apply order to the efforts of
their riders. They smooth out the communications and
make the sport very different.
No radios is a different sport for better or worse. You can
see it in the body language of the riders. Instead of listening
to some eye in the sky they are forced to work harder and
gage their efforts without help.
Is it better? more exciting? more traditional?
It's a different sport. It seems to benefit the riders who are
the strongest and have the courage to stay up front.
I wonder what football would look like with no radios or
coaches signaling in every play? Like soccer probably.
VF


Like Len Dawson putting down Joe Capp.

[Fixed]

Some countries know how to put on a great world champs .the Netherlands is one .imho
I watched every race and everyone was great fan fest for sure
Cheers

[laupsi]

He looked fresh as a daisy crossing that finish line.

great win by Gilbert, I will debate however that he was "as fresh as a daisy". Gilbert's final blow made his victory all that more impressive. When he went on the final climb he was suffering, Gilbert kept at it knowing if he went full on he would drop the rest. This type of courage is what it takes to be a great finisher!

[Fixed]

great win by Gilbert, I will debate however that he was "as fresh as a daisy" however. Gilbert's final blow made his victory all that more impressive. When he went on the final climb he was suffering, Gilbert kept at it knowing if he went full on he would drop the rest. This type of courage is what it takes to be a great finisher!

Nicely said
Cheers :)

[Grant McLean]

best description of the final moment:

"Everyone knew where Gilbert would launch his signature attack but there was nothing anybody could do about it..."

http://www.cyclingtips.com.au/2012/09/2012-mens-elite-road-race-uci-world-championships/

-g

[54ny77]

did i read the results correctly in that there was not one u.s. finisher?

[MattTuck]

Fun race to watch. Though I would have liked a visual of the finishing circuit, as there were two (I think) climbs on it, and I never really had a good sense of when the next one was going to start, or the gaps between the groups.

By the end, it was sort of a non-issue, but still, I'm not from Holland, and would have liked a little bit more info about that circuit. The only map I saw before the race showed the profile of the course up until the finishing circuit, but no specifics about the circuit itself.

Glad to see Gilbert in the rainbow 'hoops' as the Eurosport guys call them... Pretty fun to see the diversity of riders winning the World Championships the past few years. Thor, Evans, Cavendish, Gilbert... nice diversity of rider types, think it says a lot about good diversity of course selection and how much parity there is in the one day races.