Pro cycling 2021 season

All British pro tour riders and their team pathways

Interesting.

Why do I only ever see two brackets in your twitter posts? Filters?

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you can still click it though

I don’t think any surprise is based on form. There would have been no cycling reason to sandbag at the Dauphine that I can think of. That idea seems more hope than logic IMO. I think Sky lost it’s British core before it became Ineos, plenty of foreign riders and staff. I have never been bothered about a rider’s nationality TBH, more about how they ride.

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quite a few missing there but a pretty good list. Nice that my little club in South London gets a mention, considering we have 3 current WT pros, plus 2 conti riders in spain, and some U23’s dotted about.

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Absolutely no idea. Nothing I am doing. Just pasting a link.

Looking at the Tour squad, I think it’s the strongest one they could put out. Carapaz for plan B.

G is also targeting the Worlds and the classics. I don’t see Froomey doing much this year at the Vuelta.

I had forgotten that Ineos do still have a decent core of British riders: Thomas, Rowe, Stannard, Swift, Hart, Doull. I’m sure I’ve missed someone.

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Geoghagan what’s his name

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Simon.

Great, bustling, blond haired winger for Ireland in the 90’s.

That’s the fella, yeah?

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Must admit this crossed my mind watching Bekele’s 5000m record go last week. Totally unsubstantiated, apart from well, the previous record was from 2004, which itself was a big improvement from times in the 90s. And we all know nothing nefarious was going on in the 90s and noughties.

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Yes, when I saw that record go last week, was when it occurred to me.

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FTFY

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Pretty much any time I hear “and a new record has been set…”. I wonder what the doping program was.

Im not particularly happy Kona was won with record times recently either. Sadly.

But it’s all about the shoes!

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I think Kona was ripe for a few years of records. It hadn’t really improved in 20 years and we are now seeing some life long super speedy ITU guys coming through upping the game. Not that I believe they are all necessarily clean just its not beyond the realms of possibility.

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2 very kind wind years have helped but Jan has definitely raised the bar.

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And it’s still a relatively immature sport in the grand scheme of things. Which is effectively what you’re saying with the stepping up of the ITU guys.

Step changes in long established athletic events is a lot more suspicious compared to tri. But I agree with you that I’d certainly not put my house on it all being achieved clean

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Given there is no women’s TDF, and that is the race of the discussion, I feel that was unnecessary virtue signalling :wink:

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Our local pro Conor Swift (Ben’s cousin) is in the tour this year to support Quintana.

There’s nothing to say that with the right weather, race dynamics and equipment, that guys like Allen & Scott couldn’t have gone under 8h in Kona. Especially Allen; he was never really pushed apart from 1989.

It’s on the bike where the times have dropped the most too, so weather & modern equipment is key. Swim & run are not really any different.

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