The professional cycling thread

[Vocal Minority]

There have been noises about moving off the TdF thread to a more generic one, and this seems like a good place to start*.

Wiggins announces he will return to the track after the 2014 season.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/tennis/23754381

Reasonably magnanimous by his standards. Would like to see him get one more Tour completion under his belt.

Personally a shade confused by people on other threads saying Sky wouldn't pick him as there are better riders in the squad - I find it very hard to believe he is the 8th or 9th best rider Sky have. Of course he can't climb like Froome, but he has the wallop to put in some valuable stints on the front, and also is a real engine for the TTT (if there is one in 2014).

• awaits zero responses as the other thread rumbles on!

[Vocal Minority]

He wouldn't win another, lets be realistic. 2012 was his opportunity and he took it, but Froome would lead the show.

Shall I qualify that as part of a winning team.

[Vocal Minority]

Stage 2 looks excellent. Past Buttermere, over the Honister and through the Borrowdale is a seriously pretty part of the country. I know the road well but have never cycled it. Will be sure to record those highlights.

Would go up, but committed elsewhere.

[Vocal Minority]

Great to see he has signed on with Trek next term.

A tour won't be a tour without him (he will be picked on the basis of 'you try not picking him')

[Vocal Minority]

Cav has won everything he can win, with the exception of that Olympic Gold, which I think really bothers him.

Could he be a good cog in the team pursuit machine? I agree it isn't easy to see where he would fit in on the track.

[Vocal Minority]

You have to say, he could do either (note not both!) Him vs Wiggins vs Martin for the TT would be grandstand stuff though.

Speaking of BW, Sky have name their team to do Tour of Britain.

Bradley Wiggins
Ian Stannard
Josh Edmondson
Matthew Hayman
Bernie Eisel
David Lopez

Reasonably strong line up.

[Vocal Minority]

With sufficient forward planning I would have gone to the Honister Slate mine, but alas I am busy

[Vocal Minority]

Cavendish to team up with Alejet for the first time.

Also Qintana to appear with Dowsett for Movistar.

Strong field this year.

[Vocal Minority]

WTT Today

Wiggins, Cancellara and Martin last off - in that order.

Who will win? Bet now!

All three are on good form, and it may come down to who wants it the most. I am going to indulge what my heart says and go with Wiggins. (Head cannot choose)

[Vocal Minority]

Do you mean outside cycling completely Giz?

Is that the only way to fix it, in your opinion?

[Vocal Minority]

Cavendish doing a decent turn on the front in the early stages. Him and Luke Rowe obviously there to do the donkey work early on to save the really destructive riders for the circuit.

I still find it interesting that the riders have the bibs and jerseys on, but the helmets and bikes are from their trade team. Is that preference of the riders? I presume being familiar with your kit is important?

Sounds like Wiggo has screwed up though, got himself on the wrong side of a split in the peleton.

Edited by Vocal Minority on Sunday 29th September 11:04

[Vocal Minority]

Whilst excitement is important in modern sport due to media, you need to preserve the integrity of the title, and you need a tough bd event for tough bds.

You focus on entertainment too much and you lose the mystique. IMHO F1 is a prime example of what I mean.

[Vocal Minority]

Dave Millar says one more season.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/24529061

So after 2014 it will be A' bientot Daveeeeeeeed.

[Vocal Minority]

My opinion of him improved vastly after I read his book.

I agree with him that anyone who thinks doping is a black and white issue is naive (or completely devoid of imagination).

[Vocal Minority]

Another professional cyclist in I doped in early-mid 2000s shocker

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/24751872

Ryder Hesjedal this time

[Vocal Minority]

The girls on imperious form as usual

[Vocal Minority]

I shall don my flame proof suit and say this.

He is not an innocent, and I am not condoning what he did. Also, whilst I have no sympathy with him in his situation (he showed himself to be a pretty objectionable character during his period of 'defending' himself.

HOWEVER - He raises a valid point. The UCI need to employ more consistency. There are riders who have done the same as him, and been equally unrepentant, who have gotten off lighter (Virenque being an example off the top of my head).

It seems that his punishment was levelled in relation to his success. I suppose you could argue that is fair. But for the purposes of being as clear and transparent as possible, the UCI need to be more informative

[Vocal Minority]

Well we all know the limitations of drug testing.

Are their currently any drugs that cannot be tested for? Eg. Like EPO, which they knew about for a decade before they could do anything effective about?

Apologies for a potentially naive question

ETA: neilr - I may have misread your post, but the UCI were not complicit in the back-dated prescription in 99 (As in a UCI official didn't administer it that was the US Postal doctor), the UCI just accepted it and I guess if they had before they didn't have grounds to reject it.

Not trying to be moral, just pedantic!

Edited by Vocal Minority on Monday 11th November 18:18

[Vocal Minority]

Are these record attempts etc subject to the same regs as the Tours and (I think the Olympics) where the kit must be commercially available - from the previous post I guess not.

Or is it that the bikes just have to be made available at some point after?

[Vocal Minority]

Welcome to the murkey world of journalism Giz!