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End of Season Cycling Thread
Team Sky sign Nicolas Roche, Leopold Konig, Lars Petter Nordhaug, Andrew Fenn and Wout Poels.
Notable retirements include Jens Voigt, Cadel Evans (after the Tour of Down under), David Millar, and Thor Hushovd.
UCI proposes new anti-drugs unit, which will deal with international doping cases currently handled by national federations.
Is it worth getting into cyclocross?
CBA waiting 6 months til more cycling
Have you considered non cycling related sports?
yes.
cyclocross is awesome.
Nah, we're still good to talk about Evans
until the first 2015 cycling thread. My favourite rider and the reason I got into cycling, so I will miss him from the peloton. An outstanding record across 2 disciplines, so he'll go out a legend.
Few more races to go this season as well - there's Milano-Torino tomorrow, then the final monument of the year Il Lombardia on Sunday. One last chance for riders and teams to get some glory from 2014.
There's also the final Tour of Beijing - I've never followed it closely, and it's always stuck out as a money-spinner rife with McQuaidian corruption. The only thing making it potentially interesting is that Contador may race it to win the World Tour rankings. Valverde is just 14 points back and should outdo Contador at Lombardia, so Oleg Tinkoff might have Bertie going to China to keep the title and help Tinkoff-Saxo beat Movistar for best team.
MASSIVE news
Kwiatowski's going to wear black bib shorts with his rainbow jersey. Thank fuck for that. Hopefully we can return to the pre-Cipollini days of wearing a JERSEY not entire ensemble.
The right way:
http://www.visitflanders.us/binaries/eddy-merckx-(c)chris-protopapas.jpg
The oh dear god what is that way:.
http://bikeraceinfo.com/images-all/photo-galleries-images/racers-images/cipollini-mario/2003-cipo-tirreno-a-a.jpg
Agreed
Thought Nibali styled out the yellow jersey very tastefully too. Hopefully an upward trend.
Though Cipollini gets a pass, always.
If you've got it, flaunt it.
Dan Martin ends season on a high with a win in the Tour of Lombardy
Well deserved after his struggles with crashes this season.
Great move by Martin.
Had the look of a winning one from the moment he went - just wrong-footed everyone and no one was willing to work to close it down.
After the year he's had, it's well-deserved. Really, it's what Il Lombardia should be - one final shot at triumph for those who have fell short all season.
DAN MARTIN
MOTHERFUCKERS
:)
Binche-Chimay-Binche today
Also known as the memorial for Frank Vandenbroucke. Final race of the Belgian season, chock full of lower division teams. Should be a messy finish. The race has already been split into echelons due to the strong winds.
Not been mentioned but Astana have had their 2nd EPO positive in a month. Both Valentin and Maxim Iglinski have tested positive. The team have decided not to have Maxim's B sample tested and have pulled out of the Tour of Beijing due to their involvement in the MPCC. Of all the teams you'd expect this to happen to....
The main reason I can't get excited about Nibali is Astana.
officially, the rider not the team requests testing of the B sample.
Although with the timing of the announcement you'd have to guess that the team co-ordinated it to suit them. Held off long enough so that they could attend their home tour and Lombardy and then 'forced' to sit out a race they probably didn't want to go to anyway.
Organisers of the Giro d'Italia claim the Giro-Le Tour double is possible next year
Nibali and Contador tipped as attempting to do both next year. Aru is campaigning for leading Astana in the Giro though, which would mean Nibali would only be playing a supporting role in the Giro. Contador says that he likes the Giro course as it favours attacking riders, but then also claims it may suit riders like Froome the most which seems to contradict that. I can't see Froome taking the bait, particularly after effectively missing out on defending Le Tour this year.
Contador has always wanted to do the double (or even triple).
His best bet is to get Froome to attempt it in the same year too - Sky are very good at being at peak fitness for one race (esp the Tour) and Contador with the Giro in his legs would be no match for a specifically prepared Froome in the Tour.
Mr Tinkov is offering a million Euro
to whoever can win all 3 tours next year.
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/oct/08/oleg-tinkov-grand-tour-chris-froome-alberto-contador
bit...weird.
:D
Shame theres absolutely no reason for anybody take the bait. Oleg is hilarious.
It isn't for whoever can win all 3 Tours
He just wants Froome, Contandor, Nibali and Quintana to race in all 3 Tours.
"the money can either be divided among the foursome or handed over to the best-placed rider in next year’s Giro d’Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a España"
Bet Valverde's pouting somewhere and pointing at his UCI points
can i just say how glad I am Fernando Alonso didn't get his cycling team together
that team would've been INSUFFERABLE
Sort've needed by the UCI though
There's currently 17 teams in the world tour, with the merging of Garmin and Cannondale. There are 18 places available in the world tour. Neither of the biggest second teir teams, MTN Quebeka and IAM Cycling, want to step up, citing increased costs and enough wildcard invitations to the big races to keep them going.
I'm not particularly fussed either way as to whether Alonso's team takes off or not, but cycling needs more teams full stop. The current model is not good for teams (being generally funded by sugardaddys like Tinkoff, or state lotteries) and there are hardly returns from things like TV rights.
Agreed
I think last year they handled it very badly, but it was exacerbated by the breakup of Euskaltel and lots of riders left in limbo by Alonso. But this year it's just been a bit disappointing to see it all come to nothing again.
andy schleck's retired then
officialy i mean, not just in a not bothering to be competetive way
sadly, definitely on drugs then.
so this is technically libellous
who wants to pass meths' details to Andy Schleck's lawyers?
Route for next year's Tour de France announced
There are five mountain-top finishes, including penultimate stage on l'Alpe d'Huez, but only 14km of individual time trial. Cobbles included in the first week again, with four consecutive Alps stages in the final week.
Froome suggests he may skip the race, as it does not suit him as much as this time, and do the Giro/Vuelta double instead.
i'm calling "sulky sod" on Froome here
also, can't imagine Sky would be too keen to have their one prominent, domestic (debate this whatever) GC rider not racing the one really prominent in their domestic market race of the year
I can't see Froome going for the Giro.
It's an absolutely brutal race, with the weather in May often meaning slippery descents and snow on the mountain peaks. Froome's shaky-at-best bike handling isn't suited to it, and I think of Nibali just outlasting his rivals as the real trademark of a Giro winner.
And if Froome thinks the Tour is too mountainous, then there's no point focusing on a Giro-Vuelta double since the Spanish race will undoubtedly be bumpy.
Yeah
There is literally no point to froome if he doesn't do the one race he will ever actually be competitive in. Sky will make him do it even if he's moaning.
Seems like ASO are trying to out-giro the giro
Only 13.7 of ITT and hella bumpy last week and a halfish. The Pyrenean stages are quite reserved, but the stages across France to the Alps will be very fun. Really like the look of the first week as well. Has a sorta classics feel to it. Mur de Bretagne!
Froome will race this. Just having a bit of a wobbly probably. Got shown up in the Vuelta by Contador in the mountains and don't see this changing for next year. He likes a long TT.
The lack of individual time trials as much as the mountains is likely the issue
The Giro is more balanced between the two which suits him, and unless Contador and Nibali are going for the Giro/Tour double it will also be the easier race in terms of competition. I still think Froome will go for the Tour, especially after he had to withdraw this year. There is probably some posturing going on between the main rivals, trying to second guess what the others are going to do.
I don't know if we can read too much into Contador winning this year's Vuelta. Neither rider had prepared for the race as they usually would, and Contador only finished just over one minute ahead of Froome. Considering Froome's relatively poor performance in the first time trial, it would indicate that he was not at his best in the race. The mountain stages were also geared towards having an easy build up in the stage followed by an all out attack on the final climb of the day. This did not suit Froome, particularly in his condition at the time, who frequently dropped off the main group and rode back up to his rivals at his own pace.
Think I'll go across the Channel for the first week
Cobbles and northern France crosswinds could be interesting. And there's a finish on Mur de Huy (!)
It's end of season track meet season
Six days of Amsterdam currently on. A huge crash on Wednesday saw a rider left in intensive care. Nikki Terpstra is tearing the boards up. The team Madison race is a thing of wonder to watch.
Nacre Bouhanni also crashed in a three day meet in France earlier in the week. He spent the night in hospital but was declared fit to ride again. Cofidis breath a sigh of relief.
Brian Cookson is looking at changing the 6.8kg bike weight rule. It's outdated and not needed any more IMO.
Not much else happening tbh. Planning a trip to France for the TdF next year.
Astana looking like getting Katusha'd
http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/uci-refuse-astana-worldtour-licence-2015-according-reports-147842
and by that i mean they'll probably appeal to CAS and get to keep their worldtour licence
hate vinokourov so much
Yep
I imagine that it'll be overturned by CAS. Even the MPCC hasn't kicked them out yet. Bold move by the UCI though.
Kruiziger currently awaiting his CAS hearing, publishes his data from 2008-2013 and promptly faces questions about his haematocrit spikes and subsequent performance. Brilliant write up on cycling tips about it all.
Interesting article from last month
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/29959937
Essentially the use of the biological passport to clean up cycling may be flawed, wherein judgements made against accused cyclists are based on fundamental misunderstandings of the results because the anti-doping scientists don't know what they are doing.
think that's a bit harsh
The uci haven't failed in a CAS hearing on bio passports. The bio passport isn't a positive test, but a compilation of data relating to blood values. In essence, there won't be a positive test, but evidence of doping is very prominent. Don't forget that the experts the riders call on will be trying to spin the data for their case. It's a bit of a shit storm but the raw data has been published by Kruiziger. Just depends on who you want to believe.
This is that article I mentioned. Well worth a read...
http://cyclingtips.com.au/2014/12/kreuzigers-public-defence-raises-further-questions-about-biological-passport-doping-case/
I know the bio passport isn't a positive test
But it is not simply a case of who you want to believe. The problem is that the results from the bio passport are not analysed using a robust statistical method, so the probability stated by the prosecuting team scientists that the cyclist has doped can be incorrect. The verdicts delivered in these cases would be unlikely to stand up in criminal court.
Surely at this point Nibali (and Aru) need to go to retain any credibility?
I'm sure I read that there's a clause in Nib's contract that he can leave if they lose world tour status, is that right?
read this for more clarification
http://inrng.com/2014/11/should-nibali-leave-astana/
Gazzetta are reporting Michele Ferrari was at an Italian Astana training camp in 2013.
and there are photos of him with the team outside their hotel that are as yet unpublished.
DUN DUN DUN
I wonder why they're only deciding to reveal this now if its true, presumably after Nibali's Tour win it would'ave also been pertinent. (though I suppose that would'ave made it an italian publication smearing an italian. If these photos exist i suppose Nibali's not in them?)
The newspaper made a clear line in the sand
By saying that Nibali was not in the photos. Just waiting for Vino's statement saying that all is tranquilo and he's got nothing to worry about.
froome
confirmed the grand boucle will be his focus for next year
Hi cyclers
Went to Lee Valley for the finals yesterday. Great fun.
Bye!
Astana granted world tour licence for next year despite being riddled with doping cheats.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/uci-awards-astana-worldtour-licence
Really had some faith that the right thing would be done but I suppose I shouldn't be surprised should I?
though they are 'on probation'
looks like they're using this as an opportunity to try out the 'internal operational requirements' by forcing them on Astana 2 years before the rest of the peloton. And they're getting audited... hm...
Kind of had a feeling they'd say 'we just didn't get hold of the padua investigation report in time' and its not fair to make a judgement based on newspaper allegations.
Neri Sottoli stay pro conti too, despite obviously being at it.
Had a long reply written out to this and its lost
Short version. The UCI would only look at the Pro Team, not both squads when awarding a pro team license. Yes they had two positives in the latter half of the season, but many, many Pro Tour teams have had that that or more and still been cleared to race the following season.
A very good write up here: http://inrng.com/2014/12/astana-uci-licence/
shame about europcar not getting a license
:(
Sort've this
They were the worst team, victory wise last year, in the World Tour, and we're very financially unstable. Not having a PT license, means they can tailor their racing schedule, plus, being a French team, they'll get wildcard invites to a lot of the big French WT races and those organised by ASO probably.
But remember they've only had one year (I think, maybe 2) at WT level since their incarnation as Europcar, so they'll be used to this situation as a team.
Interview with Cookson
http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/exclusive-cookson-says-astana-are-drinking-in-the-last-chance-saloon
Key word - 'frustration'
He seems to be saying that he supports the decision insofar as it follows from the rules, while also saying the rules aren't clear enough and don't really allow for any decisive action to be taken except in the most extreme circumstances. Then some stuff about it being the last straw and one more doping revelation could be fatal... if the licence commission consider it serious.
Must be frustrating. Kind of see both sides of it.