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- yeah you’re so right MOBK. this is the dumbest conversation. if PFP wants to lose weight, it is her right. besides, every single athlete, every single sport, changes their body. bigger or smaller.
beyond that, she avoided crashes, she had teammates in the right place. she reconned stages no one else did. none of that is mentioned. she rode up and down madeleine with her parents in tow to learn every inch of the road and know where to attack and have teammates. this is how one wins a race.
the formula is watts/kg. everyone is focused on the kg only, but in spite of her loss, she kept up the watts. and there are smaller riders at a lower kg. if it is all about weight, why didn’t they win??? Kasia herself is at a lower kg. she is class and said “the level has risen, I need to do better”.
and the # 1 instigator of all this is the worlds biggest cry baby racer, Demi. the person that complains that everyone else wants to be where she is, like its her right. the person that calls her teammate a bitch at the end of a race because some how that race isn’t gifted to Queen Demi. the crybaby that doesn’t congratulate a winner but instead says “I lost because if is my time of the month”.
PFP is not a bad ass woman cyclist, she is the best cyclist ever regardless of gender. I am a huge mountain biker, what she did, how she won races, the multiple world championships across multiple disciplines at the same time is staggering. now she wins this year 1 of her return. insane.
I have 2 daughters. I’d rather have them look up to a beautiful, charming woman that knows how to drill it when needed then a cry baby sore loser.
- m
- She seems to have a close relationship with her parents. I'm guessing they had many conversations around the topic of her plan to lose weight for the Tour.Regardless, it's sad that this discussion is taking away some enjoyment from her amazing accomplishment. Having had a daughter in gymnastics I understand the pressure and physical and mental dangers of long term weight suppression.
- It's just weird that suddenly so many people are relying on traditional family values to advise parents to talk firmly to their kids and kids to obey their parents. Ironically, this seems to be Pauline's influence on us all, as her advice was for parents to sit their children down and explain her logic to them. Pauline is a lovely person, but in this maybe a bit inexperienced.
- Too true!
- Best news of the day!
- Pauline has also never won a race “JUST because of a big weight loss”. It’s insulting to suggest that.
- Amazing I thought, until I read the 1200m detail. Remember Bob Beamon’s 8.90 ;-)
- Oh, almost forgot, can you be more specific about the responsibility that carrying rider will feel, coz I don’t really get it. Is it like, oh my, this is important I mustn’t crash now, or is it more, hmm I’ll have to make sure I don’t hold onto any sticky bottles.
How many grams does responsibility weigh, 21g, the amount you might lose in case of a fatal accident if you liked the film. Looking at things differently, a DS with a more positive or salesman’s attitude could cause competition amongst riders vying to get selected, so girls, with this device, if you have a bad crash downhill in a bend with no spectators in the rain into a forest or off a cliff, rescue workers will find you in no time and be better prepared for you 63g, a small price to pay for a little extra peace of mind, it may even release some inhibitions to ride closer to your limit so don’t fight over this unique prototype, you’ll all be getting one soon.
- It’s very temporary until they all have to wear it for designated races, probably just 1, 2 max 3 races.
The argument is false, assuming a DS is smart enough and gives it to his domestique and not leader, this is an “expendable” person and each team would have the same disadvantage, this person already often carries far heavier extra loads and by their own admission, the refusing teams already disadvantaged their riders (all I suppose) by integrating their own system of weigh so far unknown, maybe only 62g but maybe actually more than 63 they’re not revealing. I find it strange that they feel their own system doesn’t disadvantage performance during the race, it’s not like a power meter that provides useful pacing feedback. I’m also pretty sure that every DS was well aware this was coming at some point long before the first try was designated, maybe we will hear more juicy bits as the spat evolves. Also, why is no-one asking why none of the other teams seem to have a problem with it?
For me, the more interesting point in all this is, did the UCI decide to test with women for a specific reason or did that play out through pure coincidence? Just offer them a 63g credit on the 6.8kg bike limit. Jeez, no, please don’t suggest that, we’ll spark a multitude of new subdebates on wether that limit is fair, why should women’s bikes be as heavy as men’s, why should smaller lighter riders have to push bikes as heavy as tall heavier sprinters, shouldn’t bike be proportional to body weight, on the day, shouldn’t Pauline then get to ride a lighter bike if she loses 7.5% body weight, or on the contrary, shouldn’t she then get handicapped by having to ride a bike that’s half of that heavier again? Jeez, how do I make it completely fair to everyone, all the time? Acem82 got me thinking maybe I should go do something courageous and offer an alternative to the UCI but after 2mins of serious superficial thoughts about a viable alternative, I’ve binned it, imagine the hate mail from all the vicious fans who see each decision as a specific way to punish or disadvantage their hero, no wonder the UCI choose a neutral country full of nuclear bunkers to hide in. I think I’ll just go out and enjoy a relaxing 36 degree ride to remind myself we still have a relatively good life and far more important things to worry about.