British Cycling annonces Team GB squad for Tour of Britain

selfpropelledpaolo

Tour of Britain has a news story about the Team GB lineup for this years race...

http://www.tourofbritain.com/news_pages ... newsid=144

afx237vi

Tom Southam no longer persona non grata with the GB team?

GroupOfOne MkII

Well he's been riding for the Halfords - Bikehut team with Hayles all season, so I guess not. Is Weglius still persona non-grata though?

redddraggon

The three time Olympic medalist is confident no-one will touch him in the sprints which is fighting talk from the rider nicknamed ‘killer'.

Isn't Cav riding for Columbia?

Kléber

The three time Olympic medalist is confident no-one will touch him in the sprints which is fighting talk from the rider nicknamed ‘killer'.

Which PR prat wrote that? The Tour of Britain field isn't exactly a who's who of road cycling but against Petacchi or Cavendish?

Jez mon

Silly Article wrote:

The three time Olympic medalist is confident no-one will touch him in the sprints which is fighting talk from the rider nicknamed ‘killer'.

Firstly, Danilo Di Luca is (the) Killer. Secondly, Robert Hayles is a very good rider, probably pi$$ed off about not being in the Olympics BUT not a top level sprinter. If it comes down to a small group then he has a chance but otherwise.

LangerDan

Jez mon wrote:

Silly Article wrote:

The three time Olympic medalist is confident no-one will touch him in the sprints which is fighting talk from the rider nicknamed ‘killer'.

Firstly, Danilo Di Luca is (the) Killer. .

Hayles has posted on veloriders.co.uk under the forum name "killer" for some time.

millar time

Nevertheless, can anyone really see Hayles beating Cav in a sprint? Especially if Cav wants to make up for not winning a medal in the Madison?

LangerDan

millar time wrote:

Nevertheless, can anyone really see Hayles beating Cav in a sprint? Especially if Cav wants to make up for not winning a medal in the Madison?

I wouldn't rule it out. Those of us of a "certain age" remember the Kellogs city-centre races which would pitch UK-based crit riders against continental pros like Yates, Elliot,Kelly and Roche. Despite the undoubted superiority of the continental riders, winning was not easy as the domestic pros tended to gang-up in an attmempt to prove they were every bit as good as the "name" riders. AFAIK, the same tactic has been used in recent years in the UK national road race champs.

Unfortunately, races like the ToB (and next weeks Tour of Ireland) are just "training" races for the big names and most won't risk injuring or over-exerting themselves with the Worlds and the Vuelta just over the horizon. So if you combine the fact that most of the big names will not be giving it 100% with the determination of the domestic pros, the results may not be what you'd expect.

greeny12

Ah, the City Centre Cycling - along with the early Ch4 Tour de France coverage that's what got me into watching bike racing.

I was always rooting for Frank Hoste and the other visiting Fagor rider Pol Verscheure (sp?) because they seemed so cool and continental - which I guess any European would to a teenager in Great Yarmouth....

Super Sid Barras was my favourite home rider, just because of his nickname!

knedlicky

If he’s not entered in the Vuelta, Daniel Martin should be the name to watch in the TOB, even though the course doesn’t really suit him – too flat.

andyrac

LangerDan wrote:

millar time wrote:

Nevertheless, can anyone really see Hayles beating Cav in a sprint? Especially if Cav wants to make up for not winning a medal in the Madison?

I wouldn't rule it out. Those of us of a "certain age" remember the Kellogs city-centre races which would pitch UK-based crit riders against continental pros like Yates, Elliot,Kelly and Roche. Despite the undoubted superiority of the continental riders, winning was not easy as the domestic pros tended to gang-up in an attmempt to prove they were every bit as good as the "name" riders. AFAIK, the same tactic has been used in recent years in the UK national road race champs.

Unfortunately, races like the ToB (and next weeks Tour of Ireland) are just "training" races for the big names and most won't risk injuring or over-exerting themselves with the Worlds and the Vuelta just over the horizon. So if you combine the fact that most of the big names will not be giving it 100% with the determination of the domestic pros, the results may not be what you'd expect.

Remember going to watch one on a Thursday night in Liverpool city centre - seem to remember Shane Sutton, Chris Lillywhite and the winner being Joey McLaughlin, still got a souvenir cap, but it wasn't a Kelloggs one - think it was Friends Provident, though I may be wrong.

GroupOfOne MkII

Kléber wrote:

The three time Olympic medalist is confident no-one will touch him in the sprints which is fighting talk from the rider nicknamed ‘killer'.

Which PR prat wrote that? The Tour of Britain field isn't exactly a who's who of road cycling but against Petacchi or Cavendish?

I think Hayles himself actually said that, which makes it all the more funny Maybe from a break Rob, or in uphill sprint, but not in a full on bunch sprint down Victoria Embankment.

As for Daniel Martin he's listed as riding in the Slipstream line-up.

richk

Damn. I've other commitments the day my bike club are riding out to see the ToB...

selfpropelledpaolo

shame rich, if your club is heading over from Birmingham there's a couple of cracking climbs on stage4.

Jiggers bank is pretty tough on its own, but the valley road along the Severn before it is narrow, twisty and poorly surfaced, and then the organisers have gone and put a sprint in just before the climb, mayhem!

Still, at least you can watch it on ITV4 this year

simon_e

The road doesn't stop going up after Jiggers Bank either - up a lane to Little Wenlock and a 3rd Cat climb onto the Saddle of the Wrekin. Ouch!

Before all that there's the descent into Jackfield (with a sharp bend or two), followed by the run along the Ironbridge waterfront.