12 Things That Nobody Is Talking About in Olympic Cycling

[@Rufus_Pufus]

For Taylor Knibb’s name pronunciation; I’ve heard from the triathlon events it pronounced “Nib” with a silent ‘K’. Granted, I don’t follow triathlon as closely anymore (Gwen Jorgensen was who I followed because I know her.)

[@fanda6122]

it's german so it's k-nibb, to what level her family personally anglicizes it is another matter

[@Charles-wz9sd]

@@fanda6122 I know her personally, she pronounces it “nib”.

[@beefeekeefee]

Pidcock's pass was fine. He got his wheel in front and took the line away, made a little contact but neither rider went down. I loved that the French fans booing him was his favorite part. And Koretsky eventually owned up to making a bad racing decision by leaving the inside line unprotected. It was a great race.

[@GregBecker]

Allowing a coach to select the team and ignore national champs and results led to Tadej Pogacar sitting out these races... with him probably being the favorite in both the ITT and road races and it would be hard to find someone who would not think he would have got a medal somewhere... On the other hand, he has shown everyone that he has his priorities in the right order - his partner comes first.

[@ShawnIsBatman]

USAC huge mistake to give both a Road Race and a TT olympics spot to the person who wins the TT. The TT champ should get a TT spot, the Road Race winner(s) should get the road spots.

[@worstretirementever]

History has proven that correct. I think one automatic from TT and one chosen by USAC would work. Usually we qualify more spots and all three could have gone

[@SCMatt33]

The problem with this is the IOC. In order to squeeze as many medals as possible, they have put strict total athlete limits on sports. Cities don’t get bigger to host a bigger Olympic village just because you add sports. Cycling is hardly the only sport affected, but they were one of the most noticeable this year. The big thing was that there were not separate athlete allocations for TT and road. That meant if a country got 4 road spots and two TT spots (the max for both), they could only send 4 total athletes. The US set up their criteria with this caveat in mind, which is why the TT was given priority. As an aside, they also set it up before the number of spots they had was known. You’re more likely to get a TT specialist who can be a domestique on the road vs a pure racer trying to ride a good TT. This process worked very well for the men, who got 3 road spots, with Jorgenson automatically qualifying for the non TT slot by being the only American to win a WT level one day race in the qualifying period. It was easy to tell McNulty and Sheffield to go all in for the TT, then work for Jorgenson on the road. The women only getting two spots for both eliminated their ability to select a rider who would race nothing but the road race. They had to pick riders who would nominally do both. They were ultimately able to get around it because Faulkner was already there for track, and like Phil said, it’s all technically “cycling” per the IOC, so as long as the total number of cycling athletes doesn’t exceed your limit, you can move them around between different disciplines. TL;DR Because the IOC only allowed the US two athletes for both the road race and TT, they couldn’t set up rules that allowed for someone to qualify for the TT only and not the road race.

[@l.d.t.6327]

Only those elected for the road can fill in the TT spots. So you select either specialists who won’t feature in the other race, or allrounders who do well in both.

[@dianahellman9254]

@@SCMatt33 Thanks so much for this explanation. I have been wondering about this for quite awhile, and your explanation is super helpful!

[@realalbertan]

​@@worstretirementever the quota spots get eaten up quickly in a lot of sports, the era of unlimited universality should be over.

[@60westpro]

Commentating on cycling is where i think you are truly very very good - I really enjoyed your TDF breakdowns and I think you should really think about truly covering Pro Cycling in all forms !!

[@worstretirementever]

Thank you. Sadly I'd rather ride a bike myself than watch other folks do it, and I think there's a lot worth sharing in this sport outside of racing in Europe, but I seem to have time for both

[@texajersey5569]

Taylor Knibb is a champion at Olympic Sprint T100 70.3 world champion and 4th in Kona never having run a marathon before… CLASS ACT

[@hernanhernandez3861]

Peeing in the Seine would have improved the pollution situation for the Tri.

[@worstretirementever]

haha oh god

[@bigwave_dave8468]

Sure, winning the ITT nationals gets you a spot to run the ITT but with virtually no road-racecraft, she had no business thinking she could be a contender in the so bowing out was a good move. Bravo. No race radios is awesome! I say eliminate race radios from all bike racing. Let's add some randomness back into the tour.

[@rg807]

Pidcock and the French guy had a MOTOCROSS vibe the last two laps, big time! That's every MX race when two guys are going at it and totally gassed the last two laps.

[@RyPat]

One of the benefits of the Olympic KZbin channel is they archive full, uninterrupted broadcasts of past events. The 2012 Men's Road Race is up there. On the question of peeing, try not to laugh too hard at the 25m50s mark when there are a ton of guys up against the bushes on one side of the road and spectators with their phones out on the other side of the road. 🤣🤣🤣

[@koopalibrary]

sporza (belgian Tv) sometimes uploads quite a bit of the race (mostly if a belgian wins). But they also uploaded Flanders with VDP.

[@greg9429]

Loved the BMX racing. Had never seen it, starting watching and became hooked. Fast paced madness!

[@JC-pt2tw]

K nibb lol. It’s like that substitute teacher key and peele episode

[@savievankint]

Faulken's win in road race is one of the best if not the best win in bike race OF ALL TIME. she was always at the front, her pulls are always the decivise one whether it to thin out the group or to bridge to someone. Totally insane!

[@gildabney]

Kirsten is the US National Champion in the road race this year. She should have been the first choice. Period.

[@worstretirementever]

that's not how the qualification works...

[@gildabney]

@@worstretirementever That's not what I said. The so called "qualification" is wrong. You win Nationals, you go. Time Trial or Road Race.

[@sean7098]

So if Legion win men’s Road Race because of team tactics they should take a spot off Jorgensen? And the fact that the parcours might be completely different. Imagine having a race in the mountains and Lamperti wins the road race….

[@DericO-rz3be]

*PHIL* your face in this video is your MOST doppelganger of ACE VENTURA Pet Detective.. Let me show you something....

[@worstretirementever]

I get that every time I shave or get a haircut. In China in 2010, not only did people think that I was Jim Carey, they were positive of it and there was no convincing them otherwise

[@outtatrex]

Thanks Phil, looking forward to your commentary when the Olympics are in LA in 2028.

[@USC9210]

Gold Zone is "Olympic Roulette" and it was awesome. Random sports also came up on USA Network and CNBC during the day hours.

[@dpr8ter]

Thank you for covering the selection method. I think (hope) that a lot of it came from a place of ignorance and not malice, and it sucks to see so many people trash a selected athlete. Also appreciate the look "behind the scenes" to see how much more there is to the whole process. Can't wait for cookie corner in '28!

[@tompenton]

I was looking forward to your non-recap, Phil, and certainly enjoyed it. However, I think you missed a big "no talk" item: Taylor Knibb in the Triathlon Mixed relay. Best woman triathlon athlete that day, regardless of "just" a Silver team medal. I give Taylor a Gold Medal though: as a "fifth member" of the winning German team. In the bike section, she pulled Germany's Laura Linderman up to Britain's Beth Potter, riding solo up front. I don't see Linderman getting the win otherwise.

[@thf3089]

Passing has F1 vibes... Phil must be a new F1 fan. Also credit to the FIA and F1 for finally developing cars that can fight each other on track!

[@Real28]

Almost. They're close. Gotta make them even smaller than 2026. They're behemoth cars right now. I've been watching open wheel since the 80s. But this year has definitely been a lot spicier than we thought!

[@Club-Awesome]

Epic round-up Phil 👍🏼

[@petebenson5030]

For track cycling I enjoy the Madison. It’s really hard to track where everyone is but watching them sling each other into the race is amazing. The women’s road race was fun to watch. It seemed like kopecky and vos didn’t think Faulkner was a threat and let her go at 4K to go. Then they just started looking at each other like it’s 400 m to go. Didn’t they know a 4K time trial is her event.

[@johndef5075]

Faulkner went so hard they didn't have a chance of catching her. That's why they didn't try. They knew the gold was gone.

[@YelCan]

Kudos to Peacock for making almost full coverage of almost all the events available. Demerits to Peacock for not hiring knowledgeable play-by-play announcers. They seem to be stuck in the NBC mold of having awkwardly-neck-tied ignoramuses babbling while the color commentator intermittently inserts corrections of their idiocy. Sport is more fully enjoyed when details of the action are explained by someone who knows and understands what athletes are dealing with and why they do what they do. Jobson, in sailing, is a superb exemplar.

[@DrewLevitt]

Also demerits to NBC/Peacock for showing the live standings only intermittently/rarely and generally doing a piss-poor job of helping viewers understand the overall state of the competition. Their coverage of the women's team gymnastics final was genuinely incomprehensible. At the end of Simone Biles' floor routine, it was clear from her team's reaction that the US had won gold, but: by how much? Who had taken silver and bronze? How well had Biles needed to do to win, and how well had she actually done? All these salient questions, and more, were utterly unanswered. The broadcast felt like a Dadaist play.

[@MrKipperfish]

Rob Warner and Bart Brentjens are the GOAT commentary team for XC MTB. RIP Red Bull TV coverage. Best there ever was.

[@eloyanzola]

Agree 1000% on Taylor Knibb!

[@talltubefull]

Love these comments - thx on sharing your experience and observations

[@andyzhang5201]

Phil you are completely wrong about Carapaz. Jhonotan Narváez is in incredible form this year and is the best Ecuadorian classics rider. You only need to watch stage 1 of the Giro to understand why he was selected. He beat Pogaçar! On a hilly parcours! Carapaz simply had no chance.

[@jjashik7]

So they could only bring one rider?

[@andyzhang5201]

@@jjashik7 yes, Ecuador were allowed only one male rider and they chose the best option.

[@Nova-dy6fq]

@@andyzhang5201 You're right but imo the defending champ should get an automatic bid

[@worstretirementever]

Kom at the tour sucks at hills

[@andyzhang5201]

@@worstretirementever That's correct, Phil. Narváez is better at riding punchy climbs than Carapaz.

[@lolbubs11111]

I've heard the Koga track bikes are sized for their olympic riders and so the "commercially available" sizes are just the custom fits for those three athletes.

[@worstretirementever]

haha perfect. I'm fine with it

[@dannyholder1359]

At start... "...I guess there's some other stuff too" 😂

[@drewcama2488]

You answered all my questions and explained all of my thoughts.

[@MarkWeishaar-g4r]

Kristen was pulling the whole peloton up the hill, Lotte attacked up the hill once but Kristen was the strongest and when the GOAT 🐐 Mariana Vos said I didn't have the legs to chase her down. Faulkner was spot on to hit them as soon as Lotte rolled in front. Perfect attack and 100% ALL-IN full send never looked back and didn't even celebrate.

[@tangarz5357]

It is pronounced nib without the k. At least every interview I’ve seen she hasn’t correction anyone but she is 100% the type of person to not correct them in the first place.

[@endcensorship874]

The women's Road Race was one of the best races I ever watched. EVER. Pidcock in the MTB shows the weakness of MTB in general. I love cycling, and watch it whenever I can, but I couldn't tell you one full time MTB pro if you held a saw to my bike and threatened to cut it in half.

[@fanda6122]

id rather watch u23 or junior mens over womens any day their level is lower than the 17 year old boys

[@veganpotterthevegan]

While Nino isn't what he once was, he's still the best mountain biker of all time. Pidcock is simply just that good.

[@Andy_ATB]

That's roadie ignorance I'm afraid; the top XC racers are super skilled, and MTB isn't just about watts, w/kg......The average WT roadie would struggle on the least technical MTB course, let alone something like Crans Montana......

[@Andy_ATB]

@@veganpotterthevegan No he isn't but he's still won a World Cup this season; he races with his brain, and knows when he can commit to a big move.

[@endcensorship874]

@@Andy_ATB I'm not gonna deny it: I a'm an ignorant roadie.

[@jimfaber1443]

Need to watch GCN on the cost of the track or time trial bikes in the Olympics. It's insane!

[@SCMatt33]

A possible idea for athlete allocation. Look to golf. They essentially allow a max of four per country, but it’s specifically offered to the top 4 in world ranking, and if one declines, it goes to the next highest, but this only goes to the top 50 or 60 in the world. Once you get outside of that, you can only send 1 or 2. And then at some point they start filling it out by the highest ranked players from countries not yet in the field. This gets them a mix of the top golfers plus a certain number of countries. This would need to be tweaked for cycling for sure. If you’re gonna hand out medals to individuals, make it individuals who qualify. We’re in a special time where 2 of the three guys on the Tour podium are really talented one day racers, and not just in super hilly Lombardia type parcours. This would also eliminate all the country by country selection issues. If an individual earns a spot, they earn it. if they pass it up, it just goes away or to the next highest ranked rider if they’re good enough for it.

[@larrylem3582]

Phil looks like Jim Carrey with this haircut.

[@larrylem3582]

The K is silent.

[@jjashik7]

I agree that the the winning team should all get a medal. How about 4 rider team for any country with a certain minimum number of UCI points for the road race? On a separate note, would you be able to explain what would be considered as "junk" miles? Say for the 3 categories of pros, cat 1-2 and cat 3-4?

[@sgroadie6367]

I think it’s fair that the trade teams get world tour points if one of theirs wins an Olympic medal because most of their training and nutrition is by the trade team.

[@worstretirementever]

that's a good point. Thank you. Riders are on their bikes as well. Maybe it's counted too heavily but it makes sense for it to count

[@ausglasstin]

Peacock GoldZone is essentially a roulette. They show every gold being awarded all day long, and then jump through a bunch of events!

[@OhJustSomeRandomGuy]

Phil, the late-stage capitalist bit was TOTALLY warranted. Think about it: Rode the draft of another, harder-working, arguably more talented rider. Convinced them to do the vast majority of the work, and then ditched their withered husk in order to seek out solo glory while everyone else was left to squabble over leftovers. If there's a better sports metaphor for late-stage capitalism, I don't know what it is.

[@worstretirementever]

I saw her giving a free ride to the world champ for about 15k and barely asking her to pull...It was Kopecky raising trying to sit on an benefit from Kristin's work

[@OhJustSomeRandomGuy]

@@worstretirementever Really? That's what you saw? You're the pro, so I'm not going to pretend like my opinion holds any weight here, but it seemed like that portion when they were trying to close the gap from 8 seconds to all the way down, Kristin would take a quick pull and then once the gap closed to 6, she'd back off and turn her head to tell Kopecky that she needed to get to the front. But, maybe my feed was different, I didn't watch it live, I only checked out the last 20km after your recommendation. Maybe I was just seeing it differently, but if a pro's eyes saw it unfold differently, I'm gonna trust the expert.

[@Somerled_1]

Lance Armstrong mentioned recently he peed 3 times in his pants during 93 worlds lol

[@worstretirementever]

This might explain why the 5 friends in the race that I texted about this haven’t responded, but also I assume that Lance was lying

[@davidvonslingshot]

Lance not only had Cancer…. he kinda is Cancer. (to Cycling)

[@frontierlandfrank5314]

@@davidvonslingshotno way, he did more for cycling in the US than any single person. And may have saved the tour did his time.

[@RicoRides1]

​@davidvonslingshot so all the others that did roids/lied are lovable puppies? Pin it all in the guy that brought the most eyes to a dirty sport? 🤦‍♂️

[@chrisweidner]

Also the guy who denied it the longest and sued others who were actually telling the truth

[@willross5108]

Thanks so much that was super fun and I know it’s a lot of work. I love the exploited differences between a mountain biker tactic and a road race tactic regarding Tom Pidcock lol so funny and true absolutely true. Probably my biggest complaint about Olympic Road race cycling both men’s and women’s is the small field size. You brought up Richard Carapaz why in the hell can’t they have two racers from Ecuador? I’m sure there’s some “logical”reason/rule. 90 ish races that got dwindle down, I feel like those two races would be crazy dynamic with 160 racers. Any idea why those races were limited in such a way?

[@thomasanderson9545]

19:53 BMX racing is awesome

[@davidwilson192]

One other thing never clear to me - do all the road cyclists in olympics compete on their pro team bike? What if you have someone there without a pro team sponsor? Are track cyclists different for the country all having the same bikes? For triathlon is it also all individualized bikes?

[@AntiMatterDeathray]

Road race and road time trial, yes, the riders use their professional team bikes. There may be outlier cases where they don’t, but that’s the generally the norm. I’m not up on track rules, but I believe that is generally done on a bike that has some agreement with the nation the riders represent.

[@koopalibrary]

Pogacar would not have beaten Remco in the TT. The Road Race with Pogacar involved would have been ridden differently. But he would have gotten high odds to win the RR.

[@BerreD79]

VDP had the best odds…

[@worstretirementever]

Tadej just smashed Remco in a TT at the tour. Not by a little bit. Different course yes, but he's a class above anyone now. I wouldn't bet against him in BMX or madison at this point

[@koopalibrary]

@@worstretirementever That was a mountain TT after 3 weeks with lots of downhill as well. On top of that it took place on Pogacar home roads. Pogacar is very good at TT. But no way he would have beaten Remco on a flat TT.

[@pythor2117]

Not sure why everyone is up in arms about Carapaz not being selected... The parkour clearly suits Narvaez better.

[@YelCan]

At some point in Peacock’s coverage of the men’s road race, they single out a rider in the shot just as he’s slowing down by the side of the road and hiking up his shorts. A producer, I assume, does a jump cut.

[@oldanslo]

A director directs the video production.

[@anubis520]

The U.S. women's team pursuit do typically practice and quite a lot there just tends to be an emphasis on horsepower over finesse. Hey, they have more gold medals then I do so I can't argue with the process... On another note, track endurance riders mostly come from the road but track sprinters are only track sprinters. Cavandish, while a good sprinter on the road, is not considered a sprinter on the track. He is/was unfortunately too slow (given his focus on the road) and wouldn't qualify for the sprints at the olympics. Sprint keirin and team sprint are all contested by specialists who focus on the track in particular. I have no idea why USAC decided to have the TT qualify you for the road race, perhaps it was thinking the U.S. would have more spots than 2? In any case, Dygert/Knibb did not seem like the best choices for a pack race. They both crashed in the TT and crashed more than everyone else combined. Putting Faulker in was the right choice even before knowing the result.

[@discreetknight]

Phil you forgot the stool floating down the river 🏊‍♂️

[@FiguringOut50s]

Do you think there will be changes to the qualification process for ‘28? I doubt when they were written that it was ever considered a triathlete would come in and win.

[@worstretirementever]

I'm sure they continue to tweak it. USAC is gonna do their best

[@Xhadp]

Not related to the bike racing but to the Seine's water condition leading to puking. Athletes are meant to push themselves, in a race that is long you have to fuel yourself during the race leading to your stomach churning it around so when you push yourself even further it gotta come out. So I imagine that puking as soon as you finish your biggest race of the season isn't uncommon due to the swishing food in your stomach. Granted they will still likely swallow some of that "Seine" water by accident but nowhere near enough to cause the puking scenes we were seeing at the end of the race.

[@worstretirementever]

I’d love to hear what you think the athletes are eating before a 1-2 hour race, or how they don’t vomit in the 30 other races they do each year

[@Xhadp]

​@@worstretirementever It doesn't matter what they eat. The food is the most static thing of the equation, bring your own food all the way from home, not a problem. It is the other factors that compound. The Triathlon was delayed by a full day which messes up their planned eating schedule leading up to it. It is athletes from around the globe so the timeframe is going to be shifted by how many ever hours for many of them even if they do the tapered training regimen. Different environment, Pushing harder than expected. Etc. There is just too many other factors that can lead to puking beyond Seine's water quality.

[@chrisweidner]

Blummenfelt does have the highest VO2 max of any human ever recorded, I wouldn’t totally count him out. Dont forget when he is riding 112 miles he is also trying to save something back to run a full 26.2 mile marathon immediately after.

[@jjashik7]

He'll be out the back for any of the cat... 2(3?) or higher climbs.

[@worstretirementever]

VO2 max would apply for 4k on the track or a team pursuit but it's pretty meaningless for the huge, long climbs at the Tour.

[@chrisweidner]

Yeah I am not sure what his watts per kilo is like or how long he could hold it, just saying he is genetically gifted and would like to see how he would fair.

[@davidvonslingshot]

awesome thumbnail is awesome

[@rachaelmurray8051]

Hi Phil, Circling back to post a request. Would you be so kind as to explain some track stuff or give some track comments? I am sorry you got injured last Olympic selection, and I think you were going for team sprint.

[@andarenbici]

I agree with you about Knibbs. Lots of people complained about her and US cycling. She won to get there. Last time (Tokyo) I recall, maybe incorrectly, someone threatened suit did she not? Was it Faulkner? Very happy about the result with Faulkner. But re selection, our road racers should be faster in the TT. Hats off to Knibbs. Selection cannot be perfect. Let the coaches pick and don't complain, or let some criteria decide, and don't complain. Agree with your comments here 100pct.

[@untypical7404]

KNIBB. Knibb. where did you find that s

[@andarenbici]

@@untypical7404 Caint hardly rite.

[@worstretirementever]

There's been a lot of lawsuits over olympic selection over the years in various disciplines. Faulker has not been part of them. But looking at the result, if she hadn't been selected, could you blame her? I'd have given my left nut for an Olympic start the two times I was on the long list--knowing that I would be way out of the hunt for a medal

[@andarenbici]

@@worstretirementever That would be a good video. The history of Olympic lawsuits. Or you offering a sacrifice of yours left nut. Pick either. I guess Lance already did the latter.

[@tamp4x]

knibb can pack ride, look at triathlon in the olympics, not the long distance stuff like ironman where they use time trial bikes. the problem with knibb was that it was raining, her brakes did fail that she had to use another bike to finish, and still beat many athletes

[@worstretirementever]

ITU pack is pretty different from an 80+person road race field and the tactics in cycling are way more advanced and varied. I think Taylor would admit that she'd be far from smooth and efficient and knowing how to position in a pro pack vs Faulkner and pure road racers. Over the course of a long race, it would make a big difference. I did hundreds of crits and stage races in the US and still had a learning curve when I went to Europe after 6 years

[@reflectionsdetail]

Use UCI points to help determine....

[@daveandrew589]

All the selection drama, especially on the women's side, just demonstrates that in the top countries there are more top riders than Olympic slots. In each of the road races, there was a significant part of the field from minor countries who aren't even close to the top riders. How many male Belgians were better than the last 20 minor country riders in the field? Ditto for the women, say from Netherlands? But that's what the Olympics are about. The little countries get to show up, have life changing experiences, and once in a while stage major upsets. That's part of why we love the games.

[@veganpotterthevegan]

This isn't exclusive to cycling. It's the norm across sports. Norway with XC skiing, the US with 100m sprinters, the Nederlands with Speed Skating and the French with big weiners

[@philipkoop9411]

One point you didn't raise was the tiny field. 90 guys for a 270km race, come on. When I first heard that the maximum team size was 4, I figured oh sure, it's so they can maximize country participation, I get it. But no. They could have doubled the field through some combination of bigger teams and more participation.

[@mister_ray]

Faulkner wins the US Road nationals. Should have been no question about her selection. About what I expected from Knib in the olympics.

[@worstretirementever]

not how the selection works

[@mikew6840]

Knibb as in Knee 😅

[@BradForrest]

Taylor Knibb 🙌

[@strouja]

Dance for me monkey. 😅😅😅 that got me laughing Woman road race was spectacular

[@owenmundy]

"Leave your late stage capitalism out of my bicycle racing, please" 👏👏👏 Yes!

[@goldenretriever6261]

The new hairdo looks good.

[@GoogleKonto-y4b]

What Pidcock did in the MTB happend in every XCO Race I ever done. And those were not as important races, believe me.

[@Laounforpresident]

IT'S VISMA LEASE A BIKE!!!!!!!!

[@worstretirementever]

If they want to pay me I'll get their names right

[@shakrmaker]

Maybe Blummenfelt is planning to do a Joaquin Phoenix :)

[@haydenjames1391]

tbf hes only 75kg which is ballpark of Thomas/Gee/Rodriguez and im sure when he stops swimming 35km a week he will trim down. plus he has the highest vo2 recorded so they may help 😂

[@shakrmaker]

@@haydenjames1391 I remember seeing that Joaquin Phoenix interview on Letterman live, and thought it was some sort of Andy Kaufman kind of thing.. but we only found out I think that year later it was, when his press agent announced it. Maybe Letterman knew?.. I can't recall if he did or not.

[@larryt.atcycleitalia5786]

BUY your way onto an Olympic team? Sad that you don't understand the Olympic Spirit, but happy none of the athletes seemed to share your opinion. I was there, in person so missed all the dumb comments by TV talking-heads. Final note: bicycles don't win races. Racers using bicycles win races. Did the Brits win every track race on those wacky Lotus/Hope contraptions? How 'bout the Japanese or French knock-off versions? You know better than most that it's legs, lungs, etc. rather than equipment that makes the difference. This ain't F1 or MOTOGP!!!

[@worstretirementever]

Hate to break it to you, but the Olympics is a business and athletes have a lot of money on the line. Makes sense to compensate someone rather than hope/expect a gift of them dropping out (ie giving up a life experience and a bunch of money) to give you a spot

[@ArchHokie06]

I haven’t seen Blummenfelt saying he was leaving triathlon to win the Tour but 95% of what he says is a complete joke. I’m sure he wasn’t serious 😂

[@untypical7404]

He jokes 95% of the time about his training. He jokes 0% of the time about his intentions to dominate. (Now, if he does that, that's an entirely different matter..)

[@worstretirementever]

It looked like Giant was going to pay his way to Jayco or something. Seems to be past the "joke" phase

[@DericO-rz3be]

Evenepoel wrote Pogacar a check not to ride the Olympics 🙂

[@worstretirementever]

If Pogi asked, Remco would have been smart to pay it. Go find the mens 2012 road race finale if you want to see some cash exchanged...

[@stevedouglas3975]

Dunno I'd say was pronouced "Nibb" with silent K. Sounds odd to hear it said as K-nibb. Got to love these first world problems.

[@frontierlandfrank5314]

Taylor could easily be the best female cyclist in the US.

[@robbyrogersberg1520]

Your terribly biased mate, I'm not getting at you, just stating a point, and Kristen was mentally better in predicting Kopecki and Voes started looking at themselves thinking they were best if all, mental beat power in this race, women's road race,

[@worstretirementever]

Is you disagreeing with the part where I said that they should factor in racecraft and pack experience in team selection, or where i complimented Kristin's incredible ride and said that she absolutely deserved her spot? My criticism is with the selection process that didn't put her in to begin with, and the response who took that mistake out on Taylor Knibb, or who aren't giving her credit in heroically giving it up.

[@philr696]

For the road race I think it should be a team event. Every country gets the same number of riders. If you want to win the gold all your team must finish and they will earn the medal as well.

[@worstretirementever]

I don't think they should have to finish. You can sit the bench in basketball or volleyball etc and you still get the medal.

[@joehopfield]

Many (most?) sports do trials. Sometimes leaves best athletes home, but I certainly wouldn't trust USA Gymnastics to choose (long history of abuse & racism)

[@veganpotterthevegan]

US gymnastics leadership is a disaster. But they picked a mostly not white team and got the best team they could. They've left out top white gymnasts before with an Asian gymnast making the team over them. Their favoritism is probably more related to simply liking athletes for countless reasons vs racism.

[@jameshmd]

That’s seems like a pretty unfair assessment of Knibb’s (silent K) TT. Yes she crashed 3 times but she was also one of the early starters, she rode hard to prove her spot was justified and they had no info on the course, whereas the later starters had the benefit of knowing which corners need more caution (and probably reduced tyre pressures)… and yet many of the pro cyclists with that information still crashed several times.

[@ironshifter3785]

Interesting but way too much rambling!!!

[@nolankaplan6646]

Phil - Great take on the Olympics. But cut the crap on capitalism. The sponsors are why you can present your Worst Retirement Ever videos. Capitalism in action!.

[@worstretirementever]

pretty different tiers of capitalism that we're talking about here...

[@robertdavenport6705]

A small matter , but Pogacar's Urska I believe lives with him in the tax haven of Monaco. Perhaps the Slovenian state invests in cycling infrastructure and funds the country's Olympic participation. They may have shown a preference for female bike racers , in this case , who live in Slovenia and pay taxes there. Perfectly just to my way of thinking.