Imagine being World Champion aged 17 or 18? For many it’s a dream, for a few it’s a reality. But is a junior rainbow jersey worth having? It could mean pressure on a rider, a label to live up to for the rest of their career. Also to focus on the road from such an early age means missing out on other things. But increasingly it seems junior success is an indicator of a successful pro career and more than ever riders who thrive in road races are enjoying themselves in other disciplines like cyclo-cross, MTB or the track and this can only benefit them.
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Developing Development Teams
BMC Racing have decided to pull the plug on their development team. In a statement team said a causal factor was their development of riders who only go and sign for other teams.
UCI Presidential Contest
We have a contest. David Lappartient has announced he will stand for election as UCI President, challenging the incumbent Brian Cookson. There’s now three months of campaigning before the UCI Congress in late September.
Friday Shorts
Domenico Pozzovivo leads the Tour de Suisse after winning Stage 6. This was Ag2r La Mondiale’s first win in the World Tour. Much had been made of Cannondale-Drapac not winning in the World Tour for two years until Andrew Talansky’s win in the Tour of California. This passed the longest “losing streak” onto Astana but they ended this in the Dauphiné with Jacob Fuglsang which in turn saw Ag2r La Mondiale inherit this label… ironically on a day when the stage finish was just minutes up the road from their service course HQ.
The Unwritten Rules
After a look at the written rules time to explore the issue of the unwritten rules, the code of the peloton. It sounds vague, mysterious even but it’s merely part the glue that holds society together, a set of etiquette and customs that help a group to function.
Giro d’Italia Stage 9 Preview
After several stages where the daily winner was the story now it’s time to return to the high mountains and shake-up the overall classification with the fearsome “Blockhaus” climb. This is a short stage, all the better to encourage action on the climb.
Giro Coverage
The site’s Giro guide is now online at inrng.com/giro. Once the race is on there will be daily stage previews and a variety of other pieces looking at Italian cycling culture and more. If you’re browsing the desktop version look for the “Giro” link at the top of the page. Mobile device users can use … Read more
Paris-Nice Stage 1 Preview
The race starts with stormy conditions and high winds, hopefully this means a testing race in crosswinds but it could lead to cross words and the extreme weather protocol being evoked. If all goes well a sprint is in store with an awkward climb just before the finish to stir things up.
Neo-Pros To Watch for 2017
After some established Riders to Watch for 2017, here is a selection of ten neo-pros to introduce ahead of the new season with a mix of stage race stars and classics champions and a couple of riders who have excelled in both and need to decide what they type of rider they’ll become.
The Christmas Holiday Quiz Answers
Here are the answers to the Christmas quiz. A lot of the questions were set to raise issues and make suggestions, for example pointing out there’s no minimum wage for the Women’s World Tour, that junior riders should be doing cyclo-cross ahead of the road or that almost nobody gets eliminated by the time cut in a grand tour these days or how the Giro’s fair play prize ought to be celebrated more.