Professional Cycling For the Fans - Road Race broadcast has started now

The event broadcast has started. You can hear the crowd and olympic loudspeaker announcements that the race is starting. So far the TV broadcasters have not spoken, so it will be a few minutes until the actual start...

Im watching at : http://www.nbcolympics.com/liveextra/video-watch.html?video=mens-road-race

Now the racers are off! There they go

Headed through main streets of London, the peloton is together, no early breaks.

Picture good, there is no audio commentary, you can hear the crowds though, wiggins rides near the front all the time...

Larger crowds than Le Tour, first time I've seen that!

Eisel has mechanical problems

takes 3 minutes for peloton to go through, wiggins allowed to keep leading 310 KM to go

I like the quality i'm getting from the live stream. Lot of good enthusiastic fans

Commentators and riders alike struggling in the absence of race radios. I'm surprised to see such a big group allowed to take so much time. More than four minutes up now, working well together, problematic for those who want a sprint finish.

The Brits are already in crisis. I've seen Bradley Wiggins doing more pulling at the front already than in the whole Tour de France. Five men teams are too small to control a race in the normal way.

Evans wants revenge, aggressive, going for it..

flash player crashed out on me long time, now back watching

Team GB bringing it all back together. The Germans playing a clever game, only Tony Martin has done any work at all.

Who's watching on NBC and the Livestream? I'm doing both.. at first, I was in bed with my girlfriend watching on my laptop and thought "ehhh, no commentary" Then I went downstairs and started watching and I thought "Ehhh, commercials and other sports.." I guess I can't be satisfied unless I'm there.. Then I may not even be satisfied then because I'd be eating something in a pub..

Fr those of you watching the live stream online, did you all hear what Bernie Eisel said early on in the race? He looked back at someone and said (what I thought) "Watch out b!tch!"

Anyone else catch that?

I couldn't hear Eisel but saw the happening on nbc online.

Is Gilbert sort of doing a Floyd Landis here?

This race so far better than the whole TDF...

This race so far better than the whole TDF...


Well to be fair, the TdF is a 3-week race, this is a 1-day race. The first part of the TdF everyone saves themselves because they know they still have weeks left to go. The last part of the TdF everyone is too damn tired to make it this exciting.

Nasty spill...

Vino! Not a bad retirement present.

fantastic! What a way to go out. Vino has always been a fun rider to watch. Good for him!

Too bad Uran got distracted, I was really cheering for him... it was GREAT to see team GB's plans derailed :)

Nasty spill...

the way Cancellara was riding after that crash, he may have wrecked his shoulder again

Phinney looking quite pissed/dejected.

Wow, what a complete tactics failure for 90% of the peloton. It's almost like nobody except the UK even wanted to win.

But I'm happy to see Vino win.

WOW, Team GB made a complete pigs ear of that then with little help from the peloton, looks like everybody assumed GB would bring them back.....its not so easy without race radio is it?!

Happy for vino though, good way to go out!

I really hope Fabian isn't done. The way he looked after the race was not good.

Also major fail by GB.

It's funny how they couldn't bring the break in without radios.

WOW, Team GB made a complete pigs ear of that then with little help from the peloton, looks like everybody assumed GB would bring them back.....its not so easy without race radio is it?!

Happy for vino though, good way to go out!

I'd love it if they got rid of the radios for all races. It's such a different dynamic.

Too bad Uran got distracted, I was really cheering for him... it was GREAT to see team GB's plans derailed :)

Couldn't agree more.

GB organisers are unhappy with the lack of graphics etc from the race organisers apparently on twitter..

Yeah, I agree about the radios. Makes for a more animated race. It would have been difficult for GB to control the race with only five men even with radios. But without them, the inflexibility of their plan left them exposed and they didn't look ready for it.

I really hope Fabian isn't done. The way he looked after the race was not good.

Also major fail by GB.

It's funny how they couldn't bring the break in without radios.Not being able to bring back a large break had nothing to do with lack of radios. The break was too strong for 4 guys to bring back on their own.

Don't mean to spoil it for you but maybe we will see some emails surface again?

can someone please explain what happened at the end? from what I saw, the columbian cyclist just kept checking on the peloton and slided aside and let vinokurov passed him and he did not even react like 3 seconds later. was that a blunder?

I'd love it if they got rid of the radios for all races. It's such a different dynamic.

My bet is the tactics of the peloton hade more to do with David Millar's big mouth than the lack of radios or five man teams. He spouted off pretty good about GB being by far the best team - with the normal insouciant British pompousness and wit dripping off the blurb. Think Wiggo blowing off the French to chat about fry-ups and raffles with the British diaspora and then never speaking in French as he said he would.

Millar's comments were as bad as the Dream Team stuff of American basketball - trouble is everyone knew the DT was just that. GB got big heads, mouthed off, and the Australians and Germans decided they had nothing better to do then watch the greatest cyclists on Earth lead them up to the line. The alternative was to pull a Cancellara and ride their hearts out only to have Cav (the only decent one in the bunch - Isle of Man explains it) pip them.

I really feel for Cancellara - he was looking like a broken collar bone so he probably lost a great shot at Gold in the RR and any chance of starting the TT.

tbh my opinion is that we were way too cocky, thought we could pull in any breakaway. I'm happy for Vino because he was unlucky in the TdF, but would have liked to see Cav have a go at a sprint.

was that a blunder?That's an understatement.

Race radio's may not have changed things to much but these riders simply did not know what the time gaps were, would be great if this was adopted in the tours again, riders would HAVE to ride hard no matter what then.....not just delicately pace themselves!
Very disappointed with gb today......can't help but feel a little arrogance has indeed crept in.

can someone please explain what happened at the end? from what I saw, the columbian cyclist just kept checking on the peloton and slided aside and let vinokurov passed him and he did not even react like 3 seconds later. was that a blunder?It's called professional sport. And not faking that it is anything else than a professional sport.

Not being able to bring back a large break had nothing to do with lack of radios. The break was too strong for 4 guys to bring back on their own.

Absolutely does. It's always a huge topic when they race without radios. They waited too long to try to bring it back. Peloton didn't know what was going on up front. GB had no help from other riders because a lot assumed GB would pace them back. If they all had radios you can bet they would have had a much better chance.

tbh my opinion is that we were way too cocky, thought we could pull in any breakaway. I'm happy for Vino because he was unlucky in the TdF, but would have liked to see Cav have a go at a sprint.

Not so sure about that, I think they simply didn't realise how significant the break was until it was too late. On the last climb of the box hill circuit, it would have been easy for Cav and a.n. other to jump across with Cancellara and the rest, but they didn't have the wit to see the threat or, maybe, the imagination to vary their strategy on the road.

Race radio's may not have changed things to much but these riders simply did not know what the time gaps were, would be great if this was adopted in the tours again, riders would HAVE to ride hard no matter what then.....not just delicately pace themselves!
Very disappointed with gb today......can't help but feel a little arrogance has indeed crept in.

It was nice to see Gilbert checking his shoulder once in a while, not having a clue on how much time he had on the chase group :)

very anti-brit here, i know generally people dislike the British (jealousy and all that) but clam down, its a bit offensive. They blew the tactics, a lot of the other teams possibly didn't want cav near the sprint, didn't want the GB team to do well and ultimately cut their own chances. GB fear? maybe but in the spirit of the competition well done to all that took part (even to the bile spewing nations/fans/individuals) and of course congrats to the winner(s).

Now, enjoy one of the best Olympics, in one of the best countries, in one of if not the best cities in the world! (hows that for pompousness...)

good to see Vino go out with a gold, though it was really hard to see Cancellara come over the line like that after his crash. But that's bicycle racing.

Anyone else have trouble watching a former doper wear a gold medal around their neck?

Anyone else have trouble watching a former doper wear a gold medal around their neck?
Better that than a current doper.

Anyone else have trouble watching a former doper wear a gold medal around their neck?

Only if you believe athletes should get lifetime bans after their first offense.

Anyone else have trouble watching a former doper wear a gold medal around their neck?

I'm torn about that. Waiting for the "headlines" to see if he keeps the gold.

Looks to me like Sky has a hard time winning without someone from the team car barking directions in their ear. Are they a cycling team or just sled dogs? Disappointing.

I'm torn about that. Waiting for the "headlines" to see if he keeps the gold.

Looks to me like Sky has a hard time winning without someone from the team car barking directions in their ear. Are they a cycling team or just sled dogs? Disappointing.

Sky wasn't racing...

Now, enjoy one of the best Olympics, in one of the best countries, in one of if not the best cities in the world! (hows that for pompousness...)

The word is pomposity.

Sky wasn't racing...

??? Lost me...........they were racing but nowhere near as good without info coming through the earpiece and blew it............a shame as froome and millar could have done something in this race if they did not have to ''help'' cavendish!

a lot of the other teams possibly didn't want cav near the sprint, didn't want the GB team to do well and ultimately cut their own chances.

Now, enjoy one of the best Olympics, in one of the best countries, in one of if not the best cities in the world! (hows that for pompousness...)

To your first part it's the Olympics. No one in an individual event is going to sacrifice their own chances for the hope that someone they don't like wins. Some of these guys may not have another shot to be in the Olympics. They want to make their nation proud.


As to your second point I thought the Olympics were in London and not in America.

very anti-brit here, i know generally people dislike the British (jealousy and all that) but clam down, its a bit offensive. They blew the tactics, a lot of the other teams possibly didn't want cav near the sprint, didn't want the GB team to do well and ultimately cut their own chances. GB fear? maybe but in the spirit of the competition well done to all that took part (even to the bile spewing nations/fans/individuals) and of course congrats to the winner(s).

Now, enjoy one of the best Olympics, in one of the best countries, in one of if not the best cities in the world! (hows that for pompousness...)

Outside of my beloved San Francisco, I have to admit, London is right up there on the Best Cities list, and I thoroughly enjoyed the opening ceremonies, that first sequence was astonishing. About the comments....I think the way the Tour went has a lot to do with that. Otherwise, what's not to like about the Brits! A country that has Miranda Hart and Jennifer Saunders has a lot going for it.