Thu 24 May 2012 | 
Don't bounce Buninyong
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Enlarge textIf it's OK for a Leopard to change its spots, then perhaps it's fine for this hard-headed TV guy to change his mind.
The start of the men's elite road race (Image: Mark Gunter)
- 37 Comments | Join the discussion
The
nature of the course for the Men's Elite Road Race at the National
Championships has been a bone of contetion for some riders in recent
years.
But after witnessing what I regard as the best one-day
race ever held on Australian soil at Buninyong at the weekend, I feel
the issue should be laid to rest - for the time being at least.
What
television viewers across the nation saw during SBS's inaugural live
coverage of domestic cycling's showpiece event was a classic showdown of
road racing at its most intense and aggressive best.
Taking the
titles to Buninyong each year since 2002 (apart from two years when
they were held in South Australia) doesn't seem to sit well with
supporters outside Victoria.
Some view the nationals as being
too Victoria-centric - they argue the festival must be spread across all
states and raced over different parcours to suit a variety of riders.
It
might be a valid argument, but I wonder whether the crowds that were
thrilled by the Battle of Buninyong would have been lured if the
Championships were held in any other regional centre let alone major
capital city?
An estimated crowd of 25,000 people lined the 10.2 km course.
It
was the largest gathering for a men's road race - challenged only by
the numbers that turned out on the final day of the 2010 UCI Road World
Championships in Geelong.
Why would Cycling Australia move the
titles when there is so much commitment and enthusiasm to keep them in
Ballarat by the local city council and naming rights sponsor, Mars
Chocolates?
I agree negotiating the climb to the Mount Buninyong
summit on 16 occasions may not suit a pure sprinter, but the traditional
fast men of the peloton have come close to jagging the gold medal and
green-and-gold jersey.
Last year Matt Goss missed out by a
whisker on clinching the national jersey, losing only to Jack Bobridge
for a place on the top podium.
This year sprinters such as Chris
Sutton and Steel von Hoff were in the mix until the final climb, only
to be shaken with a final surge by eventual place-getters of Simon
Gerrans, Matthew Lloyd and Richie Porte.
I understand Cycling
Australia is being pressured to bow to the request of some riders by
making next year's Men's Elite Road Race "easier", Mark Renshaw among
them.
Yesterday the new Rabobank recruit again reiterated his calls from last year to give the sprinters a real chance at the title.
So I still stand by my comments. Cycling Aus and John Craven change the bloody course! With the riders Aus have now we deserve variation?
β Mark Renshaw (@Mark_Renshaw) January 8, 2012
That would potentially mean keeping the racing at it's traditional home but reducing the summit climbs to half. But wouldn't that take away from the tremendous spectacle we saw on Sunday?
I once called for change, but I admit the buzz of the men's race has forced me to re-evaluate my original thoughts.
To use a tired old cliche - if it ain't broke why fix it?
The crowds love it, the TV viewing audience adored it and apart from a small handful who claim "it's too hard", so do the riders.
Ballarat is a cycling city filled with a knowledgable and appreciative cycling community - one that is blessed with a natural course that would be hard to replace.
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Comments (37)
Previous 10 |
20 Mar 2012 19:24 AEST
From: Liverpool
What chemistry in this team !!! keep the ball rolling lads.
11 Jan 2012 13:18 AEST
From: Melbourne
It wasn't just the course that led to the small number of finishers, it was the extremely aggressive nature of the race. The "wrong" break went early , and so the peloton chased - hard. Hence, the club riders and weaker NRS-level riders who would normally survive at least until the closing stages got spat out the back and withdrew much earlier than they normally would.
10 Jan 2012 17:39 AEST
From: Brisbane
Lets forget about the other 18 million people, who are lucky enough not to live in Sydney
10 Jan 2012 17:11 AEST
From: brisbane
It's the Australian title not the Victorian title. If c/a want to grow the sport in Australia then they have to take the sport to the people. Granted Ballarat has give great support, but I'm certain every other community in Australia would give as much support to the national titles, if they were given the chance. Maybe a future yellow jersey winner will be inspired, to hop on a bicycle, when the Peloton pass there front door in Tamworth or Townsville.
10 Jan 2012 15:18 AEST
From: Bathurst
The race was always going to be a good one this year because of the stress around greenedge taking the jersey. Seriously you could race around Ballarat CBD & still have a great race this year. John Craven, Ballarat & co have done an amazing job with the infrastructure around the race, it is the best cycling event for spectators in Aus. But now itβs time to conform to normal convention and have some variation. Even if it is too simply have a 2 or 3 bigger TT laps till the live broadcast starts.
10 Jan 2012 9:22 AEST
From: Horsham
Sprinters get a pretty good shot at winning the majority of races world wide, without having to put their noses in the wind until the last couple of hundred metres. I was at the event it was brilliant and thrilling! If the sprinters want it softer then the course will have to be longer! Start in Ballarat, go halfway to Geelong and finish with 6 laps. Or as an alternative rotate the race every alternate year and keep the course as is.
10 Jan 2012 9:03 AEST
From: Melb
Tommo, you are right leave it in Ballarat. Renshaw should do his talking behind closed doors and not via the media. Most of the great bikes races develop a tradition over time by staying in the same place, not changing every yr. Everyone knows the course, so surely it is up to the riders to train accordingly, thats one of the great things, you can go and train on the course anytime. And how close was CJ Sutton and Von Hoff to being in the winning break anyway.
10 Jan 2012 7:21 AEST
From: Brisbane Qld
AGree with changing the course every few years maybe 2012 it will. Possible much easier to maintain this course for organisers, but what chance would a pure sprinter have? Lloyd has reputation as climber and gets second. For mine I enjoyed race this year too much to change though.
09 Jan 2012 23:05 AEST
From: Wyndham Vale
You want it? Earn it. Someone is going to have to put forward a very strong case to take it away from Buninyong. The idea of rotating between all six states is a joke...you don't get gifted an event like this without serious commitment and investment. As for the couple of people who said that 16 laps was boring or the course was boring....it's sad to hear that you obviously didn't get a chance to watch on Sunday. I'd keep it exactly the same next year, then varied course in same area.
09 Jan 2012 22:46 AEST
From:
This year: 150 odd starters, 21 finishers. Next year: 21 starters? Why should anyone but the climbers and super-domestiques turn up? The course should change annually, just like the world champs do. Showcase other parts of this great nation, while exposing others parts of the nation to this great sport. There are cycling enthusiasts outside of Victoria too.
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