Awards and citations:


1997: Le Prix du Champagne Lanson Noble Cuvée Award for investigations into Champagne for the Millennium investment scams

2001: Le Prix Champagne Lanson Ivory Award for investdrinks.org

2011: Vindic d'Or MMXI – 'Meilleur blog anti-1855'

2011: Robert M. Parker, Jnr: ‘This blogger...’:

2012: Born Digital Wine Awards: No Pay No Jay – best investigative wine story

2012: International Wine Challenge – Personality of the Year Award




Wednesday 1 August 2012

London Winter Olympics: women and men's time trial

Men's road race on the big screen@Hyde Park

After the men and women's road races at the weekend today it is the women and men's time trial with the women's race run first. Both races are run on circuits based around Hampton Court. A pdf of the course can be downloaded from here

Women's race
The women will ride 29 kilometres about 18 miles with the first rider off at 12.30 then out 90 second intervals until Kristin Armstrong, the defending champion, is off last at 13.04.30. Unlike Beijing, which included a 305 metre the course is quite flat.  

At the 2008 Beijing Olympics Kristin Armstrong (US) took gold with a time of with Emma Pooley (GB-silver), Karin Thürig (Sui – bronze), Jeanne Longo-Ciprelli (Fr) was fourth and Christine Thornburn (US) fifth. Armstrong's winning time for the 23.5K course was 34.51.72. Of these five only Armstrong and Pooley are riding this afternoon. Further 2008 details here.   


Women's start times 


Start time - race number - rider
12:30:00 - 24 - Clemilda Fernandes (Brazil)
12:31:30 - 23 - Pia Sundstedt (Finland)
12:33:00 - 22 - Liesbet De Vocht (Belgium)
12:34:30 - 21 - Ashleigh Moolman (RSA)
12:36:00 - 20 - Audrey Cordon (France)
12:37:30 - 19 - Tatiana Antoshina (Russia)
12:39:00 - 18 - Elena Tchalykh (Azerbaijan)
12:40:30 - 17 - Tatiana Guderzo (Italy)
12:42:00 - 16 - Denise Ramsden (Canada)
12:43:30 - 15 - Olga Zabelinskaya (Russia)
12:45:00 - 14 - Emilia Fahlin (Sweden)
12:46:30 - 13 - Trixi Worrack (Germany)
12:48:00 - 12 - Noemi Cantele (Italy)
12:49:30 - 11 - Shara Gillow (Australia)
12:51:00 - 10 - Ellen Van Dijk (Netherlands)
12:52:30 - 9 - Elizabeth Armitstead (Great Britain)
12:54:00 - 8 - Emma Johansson (Sweden)
12:55:30 - 7 - Amber Neben (USA)
12:57:00 - 6 - Emma Pooley (Great Britain)
12:58:30 - 5 - Clara Hughes (Canada)
13:00:00 - 4 - Linda Villumsen (New Zealand)
13:01:30 - 3 - Marianne Vos (Netherlands)
13:03:00 - 2 - Judith Arndt (Germany)
13:04:30 - 1 - Kristin Armstrong (USA)





The men's race is over 44K (around 27.3 miles). It uses the women's course but with two additional loops. The first out in the direction of Molesley and the second up to Strawberry Hill. The first rider is off at 14.15 with 90 second gaps until Fabien Cancellara, the defending Olympic champion, sets off at 15.09. 

At the 2008 Beijing Olympics Cancellara took gold riding the 47.8K course in 1:2:11. Gustav Larsson (Swe) took silver, Levi Leipheimer (US) bronze while Alberto Contador was fourth and Cadel Evans fifth. Of these five only Cancellara and Larsson are riding this afternoon. More details of 2008 here

If Bradley Wiggins can repeat the form he showed in the two time trials  (Besançon and Chartres) in the Tour de France, then he should have a good chance of taking the gold. Much will depend upon Tony Martin and Fabian Cancellara will recover from their recent injuries. Other riders to consider include Luis Leon Sanchez, Chris Froome, Taylor Phinney and Michael Rogers. Performances in the last time trial stage in the Tour de France won't necessarily be a guide as some riders with nothing to gain after three weeks racing won't have gone 100%. Today they will.        

 Men's start times


14:15:00:   Mouhcine Lahsaini (Morocco)  
14:16:30:   Tomas Aurelio Gil Martinez (Venezuela)
14:18:00:   Alireza Haghi (Islamic Republic of Iran)
14:19:30:   Ahmet Akdilek (Turkey) 
14:21:00:   Magno Prado Nazaret (Brazil)
14:22:30:   Fumiyuki Beppu (Japan) 
14:24:00:   Assan Bazayev (Kazakhstan)
14:25:30:   David McCann (Ireland)
14:27:00:   Lars Ytting Bak (Denmark) 
14:28:30:   Michael Albasini (Switzerland)
14:30:00:   Fabio Andres Duarte Arevalo (Colombia)
14:31:30:   Lars Boom (Netherlands)
14:33:00:   Jack Bauer (New Zealand)
14:34:30:   Janez Brajkovic (Slovenia)
14:36:00:   Maciej Bodnar (Poland) 
14:37:30:   Philippe Gilbert (Belgium) 
14:39:00:   Alexandr Vinokurov (Kazakhstan)
14:40:30:   Ryder Hesjedal (Canada)
14:42:00:   Jonathan Castroviejo Nicolas (Spain)
14:43:30:   Jakob Fuglsang (Denmark) 
14:45:00:   Nelson Filipe Santos Simoes Oliveira (Port)
14:46:30:   Edvald Boasson Hagen (Norway) 
14:48:00:   Ramunas Navardauskas (Lithuania)
14:49:30    Denis Menchov (Russian Federation) 
14:51:00:   Lieuwe Westra (Netherlands) 
14:52:30:   Vasil Kiryienka (Belarus) 
14:54:00:   Gustav Larsson (Sweden) 
14:55:30:   Michael Rogers (Australia)
14:57:00:   Bert Grabsch (Germany) 
14:58:30:   Sylvain Chavanel (France) 
15:00:00:   Christopher Froome (Great Britain)
15:01:30:   Marco Pinotti (Italy)
15:03:00:   Luis Leon Sanchez Gil (Spain)
15:04:30:   Taylor Phinney (United States of America)
15:06:00:   Tony Martin (Germany)
15:07:30:   Bradley Wiggins (Great Britain)
15:09:00:   Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland)

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