Olympics track cycling events

Unless I missed something, I make it that there were 7 events for men on the
track this year, and only 3 for women. Men had: Team Sprint, Team Pursuit,
Individual Sprint, Individual Pursuit, Keirin, Madison and Points Race.
Women had: Individual Sprint, Individual Pursuit, Points Race. Looking back
to Athens the ratio was 8:4 in favour of the men, but the mens 1km time
trial and womens 500m time trial were dropped this year to make way for BMX.
Is there any historic reason why the womens team sprint and keirin are not
included at the Olympics - well apart from the fact that the reigning world
champs in one and former world champ in the other are also British and we're
getting greedy! ;-)

Colin

On Aug 20, 10:47*am, "Colin Reed"
wrote:
Unless I missed something, I make it that there were 7 events for men on the
track this year, and only 3 for women. *Men had: Team Sprint, Team Pursuit,
Individual Sprint, Individual Pursuit, Keirin, Madison and Points Race.
Women had: Individual Sprint, Individual Pursuit, Points Race. *Looking back
to Athens the ratio was 8:4 in favour of the men, but the mens 1km time
trial and womens 500m time trial were dropped this year to make way for BMX.
Is there any historic reason why the womens team sprint and keirin are not
included at the Olympics - well apart from the fact that the reigning world
champs in one and former world champ in the other are also British and we're
getting greedy! ;-)

It's well known that women are too soft and delicate for rough games
like bike racing.

--
Dave...

On Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:47:32 +0100
"Colin Reed" wrote:

Unless I missed something, I make it that there were 7 events for men
on the track this year, and only 3 for women.

Wake me up when they add an event for middle-aged softies with
beard and paunch, and no disposition to train hard nor inclination
to play the limits of what's allowed in dietary supplements.

Until then, I'll just accept these events are limited to people
much faster than me.

--
not me guv

In ,
Nick Kew tweaked the Babbage-Engine to tell us:

Wake me up when they add an event for middle-aged softies with
beard and paunch, and no disposition to train hard nor inclination
to play the limits of what's allowed in dietary supplements.

That's HPV racing, that is. We're mostly in it for the BEER and sausages
:-)

--
Dave Larrington
http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk
If you are choking on an ice cube, simply pour a jug of boiling
water down your throat and presto! The blockage is almost
instantly removed.

On Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:47:32 +0100 someone who may be "Colin Reed"
wrote this:-

but the mens 1km time
trial and womens 500m time trial were dropped this year to make way for BMX.

BMX is an olympic "sport"? Is synchronised swimming still one?

Is there any historic reason why the womens team sprint and keirin are not
included at the Olympics - well apart from the fact that the reigning world
champs in one and former world champ in the other are also British and we're
getting greedy! ;-)

That's probably it. I pay even less attention to these olympics than
usual, due to the repressive regime hosting them, but I was mildly
amused to hear one of the women saying that one really had to win a
medal to be part of the UK cycling team these days.

Why is it called the GB team? Are people from Northern Ireland
excluded?



--
David Hansen, Edinburgh
I will *always* explain revoked encryption keys, unless RIP prevents me
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/00023--e.htm#54

"David Hansen" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:47:32 +0100 someone who may be "Colin Reed"
wrote this:-

but the mens 1km time
trial and womens 500m time trial were dropped this year to make way for
BMX.

BMX is an olympic "sport"? Is synchronised swimming still one?

What's not-sporting about a BMX race? You can't even use the argument you
make against downhill MTB - BMX is very much a hard physical effort (it's a
short race, sprinting with a trickier surface than a velodrome).

David Hansen wrote:
On Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:47:32 +0100 someone who may be "Colin Reed"
wrote this:-

Why is it called the GB team? Are people from Northern Ireland
excluded?

People from Northern Ireland can choose to compete in the GB team or the
Ireland team. I don't know if there's any particular reason why its
called the GB team, other than that's what its always been.

--
Craig Wallace
http://craig.neogeo.org.uk
http://www.neogeo.org.uk

On Aug 20, 2:53 pm, Craig Wallace
wrote:
David Hansen wrote:
On Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:47:32 +0100 someone who may be "Colin Reed"
wrote this:-

Why is it called the GB team? Are people from Northern Ireland
excluded?

People from Northern Ireland can choose to compete in the GB team or the
Ireland team. I don't know if there's any particular reason why its
called the GB team, other than that's what its always been.

Exactly that reason. It was named as such by the IOC in 1908, well
before there was a Northern Ireland region to worry about.

...d

Clive George wrote:
"David Hansen" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:47:32 +0100 someone who may be "Colin Reed"
wrote this:-

but the mens 1km time
trial and womens 500m time trial were dropped this year to make way for
BMX.
BMX is an olympic "sport"? Is synchronised swimming still one?

What's not-sporting about a BMX race? You can't even use the argument you
make against downhill MTB - BMX is very much a hard physical effort (it's a
short race, sprinting with a trickier surface than a velodrome).

I'd agree with you about BMX. I don't see why its any less of a sport
than road cycling for example.
Though downhill mountain biking does require a fair bit of physical
effort - the top riders will be pedalling hard for much of the way down
the course. And there's already quite a few 'gravity assisted' sports at
the Olympics (kayaking etc), plus many of the winter Olympic sports.

--
Craig Wallace
http://craig.neogeo.org.uk
http://www.neogeo.org.uk

Quoting Clive George :
What's not-sporting about a BMX race? You can't even use the argument you
make against downhill MTB - BMX is very much a hard physical effort

Hang on, _I_ make that argument, and I don't argue that DH isn't a sport
or that it isn't hard work; I argue that it isn't cycling because the vast
majority of the power input is from gravity not human power.
--
David Damerell Distortion Field!
Today is Aponoia, August.