Rio 2016 : Team Cycling

Cycling was one sport that I couldn't get at first and no other tickets came up. Not surprised as I think all the British supporters wanted them. So on a wet Wednesday evening having failed to get last minute tickets for the rowing final, I was astonished when cycling popped up. Grabbed them, cost made me wince a little but I was proud possessor of a cycling ticket. The only thing was that the only thing I knew about the session were the time, location and that it would involve  bicycles. A glance at the programme showed men and women team events in a weird order. Closer inspection revealed there were two mens team events - sprint and pursuit. Still hadn't got a clue but why worry! Velodrome and a closer look at the Olympic Park called...


So reaching the Olympic Park on Thursday, I was later than on my first day so queues were bigger & I think there was a basketball game sttarting so some anxious people. It did give me time to have a look around. Classic Olympic Rings with queues to take photos alongside them. Again, some very good buildings. Take a look.

However, it was the Velodrome that I'd come to visit but first a bit of t-shirt shopping & a derivation on a Cologne lnch. This was defined while inter-railing - black coffee and a Mars bar. These days I guess it;s usually a potst-walk tea - black coffee and ice cream. The Olympics is very fussy about what is allowed to be sold in their Park. Unilever is not an Olympic sponsor so their ice creams cannot be sold but 'sempre tem jeito' - there's a fix. You can sell the ice-creams but not have posters with the brand on it! Only in Rio.

I diverge (yes, I;m good at that, probably why I'm bad in interviews). Team cycling and the Velodrome ...

Love the way the roof follows the contours of the track. Once inside it's stunning how steep the track curves are, how intimate a space it is & that cycling can challenge F1 for support rems albeit without engines.

The secon thing you notice is  how many British fans there are. A bit of Rio that was definitely British. Glad I was wearing my tribal T-Shire (team GB London 2012). 

And so to the cycling. We had one round of team pursuit (men & women) and all of team sprint. I'm not a reviewer so I'm not going to do this chronologically. Team pursuit, 4 cyclists doing 16 circuits in the case of the men & less in case of the women. Keeping in line with the first setting the pace and then swooping to the back. Most teams relied on one rider to do the hard work for the first portion of the race and then drop out to let the final 3 sprint to the finish. Time is when the 3rd crosses the line. We were reminded that there is a reason why cyclists wear helmets. They can fall. One of the Dutch touched wheels and flew off, bits of bike came through the air and he ended up at least 10 metres from where he came off, directly in front of me. There is not a picture.  I do not take them of accidents - I am not a journalist & I am not a disaster gawper. Fortunately he got up and didn't need a stretcher but it was a sobering moment and I couldn't enjoy the next 2 rounds. Track needed repairing too as holes had been gouged. into it.

I was less a fan of the pursuit until you came to the final teams and how the times they took. The US have a new bike with the driveshaft on the inside which they hoped would make it a fast bike. I felt quite resentful until I realised that that's what we had been doing for years. Result show that yes the bike helps but you also need the athletes. I have now seen Laura Trott and Bradley Wiggins do what they do best. Interestingly, Bradley Wiggins was the only one to give his bike to the support team and walk straight off, the others wound down on non-racing bikes.

The noise was intense for the British teams and the sprints were unbelievable.. I didn't think it could be more exciting after the first few rounds while trying to see who was leading the splits. The medal races took it to a new level and when the gun went for the winners, France in bronze & Britain for gold it was mindblowing particularly given that the French pipped the Australinans at the last minute and the Brits had wound  it up. Sprints are particularly exciting as they start with 3, 1st drops off, 2 complete a lap and then the 3rd goes hell for leather. Team sport but so dependent on individual expertise & talent.

I cannot explain the crowd. At first everyone was encouraged to make some noise, get behind the athletes & then came the French, Australians, Kiwis and the crowd made noise. Team GB the crowd exploded. Remind me, am I in London or Rio? Britain had colonised the Velodrome. With support like that, you put away the camera, you applaud, you cheer. You jump with the gun and vicotry. Witnessing  your home team win a gold in front of what feels like a home crowd is like nothing else in the Olympic spectating experience!

The only thing that marred the day is that the medal presentation is made facing the press with the cyclists backs to the fans and their families. OK so more people are watching on TV but hopefully teams will remember to turn round to properly salute the crowds. Interestingly each team subconsciously faced the crowd first before realising where the medals were coming from. I cannot describe the emotion, the joy, the drama. I only hope that you saw the coverage and that these pictures give you some idea of what it's like but nothing can substitute for the realisation that you were there when they broke a record or won the medal.

Rio 2016 : The Olympic Boulevard - Access to all (oh, and the Flame)

So on a damp, grey day in Rio, what's a girl to do? No tickets, this was supposed to be a catch up, cheap rest day unless a stroke of genius struck. Good choice not to be at rowing - no rowing. Good choice not to be at tennis. No tennis. Might have been a day to grab a last minute ticket to gymnastics (but the price & then sold out). Not a good day for sitting by the pool. Might not have mentioned that the B&B has one?

08:30 breakfast & then decision time. Walk to Metro but no Sta Teresa's tram service about to depart so grab last seat on that. This service is wonderful. Door to door to Metro and free but it only runs until 16.00 and has a limited stretch. The Bonde is much loved in Sta Teresa but a few years ago there was a fatal accident and it's only recently started running again. Most of the tracks aren't used which is a pity as Sta Teresa's narrow streets and hills need it. Think San Francisco on a smaller hill but with a wider network.

I hadn't said hello to Ipanema so headed down there and decried to brave Coacabana again. This time it was OK. There were far less people and I got a sense of the open expanse that I remembered. Kept being offered a rain cape and when I pointed out that I was wearing one, the sellers suggested that I bought another for reinforcement!

At this point, I should have stopped for lunch but no, time for one of the Olympic Boulevards. Advertised as being able to watch the Games, live music food stands, museums and culture. I liked it. It brought the Olympics into the centre of the city, available to all. For many cariocas the Games are out of reach. Tickets are limited and expensive. If you are going to spend money you probably want to go to your favorite sport or maybe sit at home or in a bar and watch from there. Many have rented out homes and left the city to cash in and who can blame them. The Olympic Park is inaccessible unless you have tickets for an event. Cleverly instead of having to go to the Olympics, the Olympics have been brought to the people. The Olympic flame stands proud but small and visible to all. I think it's right following the exclusivity of London's flame and the extravagance of othes. Rio and Brasil are very different places from the ones that won the Games both economically and politically. The Olympic Boulevards have become very popular.

A meal from the Nordeste rounded off an interesting and cheap day! Oh, except the shopping!

Rio 2016 : Slalom Canoeing A Gold Medal Day

I chose my events based on different venues, sports I was nterested and I would like to have said cost. That was true to begin with but I seem to have develooped the attitude of "It's only money" which isn't healthy. Don't do this at home & all that!

So, why the canoeing,? Well at University I was a keen member of the canoe club. We actually kayaked but hey we're British. I tried a bit of whitewater (very small weir) and sea-canoeing but I have to admit I was one of those canoeists who were in it for the long-haul (unless it was to see how many students you could get on a pyramid on 3 canoes,). The past is another story. This kind of fitted the bill. Should have been going to the canoe sprint but I did fit that one in in London so chose rowing instead.

Having been delighted to bump into a friend and former colleague, we discovered we had tickets for the same event. Me in the cheaper seats, Chris and Damien in the more expensive ones. Due to a problem in phone technology (my fault I fear) we had to resort to the old-fashioned method of agreeing when and where to meet. Also, bear in mind that none of us had been to the venue before. All agreed Until I found myself playing a game of eye=spy and spotted Chris coming up some stairs having taken a photo. The scene was set. Biscuits sampled, course inspected. We then realised we didn't know the rules. Turned out fairly simple, 10 fastest out of 15 semi-finalists qualify for the final and then it's the fastest. Hit a gate and it's a 2 second penalty. Green gates, go through from up stream, red ones go from downstream. After the first man had battled his way down we discovered that it didn't matter which way the canoeist faced as long as he went upright and the right entry to the gates. Confused? I'm sure you can look it up!

Rio is quite a relaxed place and so I joined Chris and Damien . At that stage, we weren't too sure which stand we were supposed to be in but we were on top of the fearsome looking Gate 17 and a tricky cross-over section. I did keep asking Chris if he could arrange for an umbrella at Gate 7 to be removed but somehow he never got round to it.

The power that the kayakers need to force their way through the water should not be underestimated combined with timing & concentration. It's power on speed and water. Scary stuff. You could also see that athletes could get badly hurt. As the runs went on we started being more assured of times & smoothness through the gates near us and started to look for unlucky 11th. Mr Burrows from Australia missed by 0.07 seconds. How cruel is that? That's sport.

Having learnt & filled up water bottles early. for once I didn't have to join the long line so decided on lunch. The guys had tried the pizza in another venue. There was the stand saying 'pizza'. One problem - no pizza! Managed to forget the biscuits in bag and sulked (for 5 minutes). However, I am now the proud owner of 3 beer cups. I' been eyeing them up as good presents for the kids (hope /freddie isn't reading this) but there was a snag. Only came with beer and I don't like beer so thanks guys. One more to snaffle and that's the presents sorted. Yes, I am being a cheapskate but they are nice r than most of the merch! Here's one with the knitting!

So we settled back to enjoy the final. Now, I mentioned earlier that there was a slight differential in price between tickets and the stand we had been sitting in was the more expensive. Being the bad ticketing managers that we are, Chris and Danien went in, Chris came out, Chris and I went in. Oh the joys of unreserved tickets.

We were onto the serious stuff. David Florence had the Brit crowd out, the Slovaks were out in force and the French were supporting the Olympic champion. There were also 5 Japanese fans. The tribes were ready, the canoeists were ready. We'd finally worked out that the finish was further away than we thought and was actually where it said finish! Funny that.

The 97 or so seconds that each canoeist took were exhilarating. Where were they on the splits? Follow on the screen until below you. Hit gate 17 or not? struggle to get through 19 across the water. Were they faster? How long to the finish line.

As is recorded elsewhere David Florence did not have his best run. It was obvious by the time it got to the supporters but he was cheered until the end. The Slovaks went mad. as early on their athlete took the lead. Could he be beaten? It look not. Then we had the mighty French man, the power, the force, the spee, the Brits were applauding right the way down, the Slovaks were standing. At the end of the run he was first - with one to go. The Slovaks warmly applauded. That's sport and sportsmanship.

So Gold to France, silver to Slovakia and bronze to Japan (?), we left before the medal ceremony but then we saw something better. A group of Braziliam kids climbing on the Rio 2016 sign.

That's the Olympics.

Rio 2016 Rowing is Oarsome & a gentler side of Rio

The sky was overcast, there was a calm on the Lagoa. Clouds drifted over the Corcovado (Christ Statue) but there was a buzz in the air.

Rio was about to have its first day of good rowing conditions and there was an excited audience for it. OK so it wasn't entirely smooth as 2 capsizes showed but it was definitely my favourite day to date. There were various reasons, whilst the Braziliam crowd had enjoyed the dressage & their cheers and Mexican wave for their competitor was great in the dressage, in the rowing we had racing and not just Brazilian supporters getting  excited. It's also a lovely venue. Even with the clouds scudding across, hills, water, intimate setting & two very good commentators one English & one Braziliam.

Whilst I've not had any problems with transport, it has to be said that it does take time and this was easy.

For the first time I wore a GB t-shirt (query - aren't we Great Britain & Northern Ireland, so where's the NI?) and it was very interesting. Easy to get absorbed into the tribal atmosphere but fewer appraches from random Brazilians and an assumption that I don't speak Portuguese. It was the right day to wear it though given the British levels of involvement in the rowing.

One of the many highlights of the day was bumping into someone I used to work with. Chris has been to every Olympics since Sydney. I'm impressed. I'm here because I wanted to see if I can fall in love with Brasil again after so many years and the Olympics is a good way to do it. It says a lot for the Olympic movement that it can be so motivational.

And so to the rowing. Seen close up, the technique that goes into rowing makes it look so smooth and powerful. Somehow they seem to glide effortlessly through the water with great timing. The reality at the end of the race is exhaustion. It's tough. The timing and teamwork has to be second to none. It's also fascinating how the stroke rate varies (thanks screens) and then you think someone can't be caught but they are overhauled while others storm to a lead and are easy victories. The women's pairs was a terrific race with the British pair trailing. In athletics it might be described as tucked in behind but in rowing they were 4 lanes apart. Just in front of us they increased their pace and you knew they had them. "They've got it!" I shouted as the momentum built. The team member in front of me agreed. "Was that spelt Oarsome or Awesome?" I queried.

And yet, while I loved the Brits it was wonderful to hear the support for the Brazilian women & the Irish mens pairs were terrific too and I shouted for them as well. Again the unallocated seating worked as groups could sit together, friends with friends, tribe with tribe, different supporters applauded the other's teams. Football - eat your heart out.

Incidentally, knitting came too!

Now in previous posts, I've moaned about the ability to get water. The food is terrible but things sank to a new low yesterday. The first outlet I tried had no coffee! I'm in Brasil... Say no more.

After an extended time at the rowing. We built in some of yesterday's rowing, I walked round to the Jardin Botanico stopping off for lunch. Bar/restaurant with a menu entirely in Portuguese. Once the waiter had established I could speak Portuguese but was English he started asking me about Brexit & informed me that those who had plenty should share with those who had nothing. He came from the Northeast near Forteleza with beautiful beaches but had never gone to Sao Paulo. We discussed the quality of life & transport in cities reflecting on the problems of having been dependent on petrol while developing cities. 

And so to the Botanic Gardens. All I can say is wow! They are not Kew as there isn't the wide range of plants but the layout, the specimens, conservation and love. All of that is there.

Rio 2016 Dressage & the grittier side of Rio

If the tennis, Olympic Park and the smooth transport system demonstrated aspirational Rio, today I saw the grittier side of Rio as I headed out to the equestrian Olympic Park and the Dressage.

Train journey was easy but real life wss on it. The new metro to the Olympic Park is just for ticket holders with the Games equivalent of the Travelcard but to get to the Deordor area you take the sumburban train. The railways were orginally built by the Brits but haven't been developed in sthe 20th century so this is a rarity in the country. The tranline seemed to go through some of the poorer areas but not the favelas. The street-sellers also made the most of a captive audience by offering crisps and sweets, hanging their offerings from the handrails. Rminded me of how they used to visit the bars on the Copacabana.

The equestrian centre could not be more different from the architecture of the Olympic Park. One concrete stand and the rest made of sold scaffolding. I don't know much about dressage other thatn what I could remember from childhood pony books but I found it hypnotic as you really did start seeing the difference between how horses reacted to doing the same test. Somehow there was something magical about horse and rider doing something technically demanding, elegantly, quietly and without drama in fairly basic surroundings. Sport truly was King.

There was also a lovely atmosphere inside the stadium with lots of families. I like the fact that there is unallocated seating in many of the venues. It gives it a really fun feal and you can try and avoid the sun! We had a Mexican wave to celebrate a Brazilian rider and then the Braziliam F1 tractor team came out to play, I mean rake.

Below the less than glamorous horse's (centre) backside.

On the way back, I changed train at Marcana station. Of course, I got out to take a look. hat stadium has more magic for me than Wembley as my first football memories are Brazilian. I've longed to go there, be there, & now I've seen it. Next time I'll be at a match there. It's been rebuilt I know and there does seem to be a real mix of styles. A wish of mine has come true - I've seen the place where fantasies have come true such as England beating Brazil!

My final stop of the day was Copacabana. New food stands & Olympics media city detracts but the street sellers are still there, the musica is still there as are the beachlovers. memories and reality jostled together and I will draw a veil over the rest,

Got a taxi up back and to my joy the driver asked me how long I'd been living in Rio. Compliment to my Portuguese even if I speak it with a strong British / Sao Paulo accent.

I enjoyed today. It was Olympics at its purests and Brasil true to itself.