Tom Faiers

dave_1

interesting story...not raced in UK but a triathlete, found a pro contract via Baxter training camp and 6 months amatuer racing in Spain. This is old school., no track, no BC plan

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/lat ... vetto.html

Vino

EZ Boy!

Tri guy keeping it real for the kids on the street.

AVE CALVES

Sheptastic

great to see someone with the determination to do that. bit jealous TBH! least i know what i'm doing next summer now! Stuff wot dreams is made of!

afx237vi

Interview with him at Pez...

http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=7670

bikerZA

That's pretty impressive, and not getting much help from anyone. What's the bets that if he has a good 2010, Sky will offer to help for 2011 by signing him?

brownleather

bikerZA wrote:

That's pretty impressive, and not getting much help from anyone. What's the bets that if he has a good 2010, Sky will offer to help for 2011 by signing him?

Well with a NeoPro contract of 2 years, I think Sky would wait til 2012 surely?

dave_1

it's interesting and he did not fit in at all with BC by the looks of it? How many people who don't do track slip through unoticed or never realised what they are capable of?

GroupOfOne MkII

Dave_1 wrote:

it's interesting and he did not fit in at all with BC by the looks of it?

Doesn't seem to be the case at all :? Lad admits he'd never raced in the UK at all before he went to Spain, so wouldn't have come to BC's attention before leaving these shores.

Yeah fair enough they hadn't heard of him when he rang them this Spring (but then again who had heard of him), but I don't think this is a case of not fitting in (a la Dan Martin or Adam Blythe), more just someone naturally developing elsewhere. All well and good, I don't want every damn British cyclist being a track expert in the winter.

dave_1

GroupOfOne MkII wrote:

Dave_1 wrote:

it's interesting and he did not fit in at all with BC by the looks of it?

Doesn't seem to be the case at all :? Lad admits he'd never raced in the UK at all before he went to Spain, so wouldn't have come to BC's attention before leaving these shores.

Yeah fair enough they hadn't heard of him when he rang them this Spring (but then again who had heard of him), but I don't think this is a case of not fitting in (a la Dan Martin or Adam Blythe), more just someone naturally developing elsewhere. All well and good, I don't want every damn British cyclist being a track expert in the winter.

:? :? ..how many other good riders are out there in the continent and not getting listened to back in the UK? Rod Ellingworth didn't know about the Spainish scene the chap says...that's really odd...given Rod Ellignworth also did the race in a France route away...you'd think he'd have educated himself in what's going on in other countries near the UK

GroupOfOne MkII

Oh I'm not saying that BC didn't listen to him when he rang or didn't know about him, rather that he can't be seen as not fitting in with the BC system because his road career effectively began after he'd left Britain.

Yes you're right, you would expect some of the BC talent scouts to have fingers in European pies to monitor any British talent prospering abroad, but Faiers seems to have risen completely off the radar, I'd not seen his name mentioned on any cycling websites, so to an extent I can forgive them.

If he'd already been a 'known' up and comer before he left, then yes you'd expect them to keep tabs on him.

Anyway one thing I think we can agree on is it's good to seem him in the pro ranks, and even better to see that you can still make it even if you don't make it into the Academy.

dave_1

GroupOfOne MkII wrote:

Oh I'm not saying that BC didn't listen to him when he rang or didn't know about him, rather that he can't be seen as not fitting in with the BC system because his road career effectively began after he'd left Britain.

Yes you're right, you would expect some of the BC talent scouts to have fingers in European pies to monitor any British talent prospering abroad, but Faiers seems to have risen completely off the radar, I'd not seen his name mentioned on any cycling websites, so to an extent I can forgive them.

If he'd already been a 'known' up and comer before he left, then yes you'd expect them to keep tabs on him.

Anyway one thing I think we can agree on is it's good to seem him in the pro ranks, and even better to see that you can still make it even if you don't make it into the Academy.

yeah, I'd like to see something by BC on their website, a league of riders abroad or something , so we can see which Brits are racing abroad looking for a pro contract, with BC documenting their results a bit and perhaps have the races explained a bit as these people are young and perhaps missing university and other work prospects to be out there abroad racing and getting ignored in the UK... to read that Rod Eillingworth didn't know the races-clearly highly respected events inside Spain..is a little surprising to say the least and dissapointing for the number of others who are doing it as Faiers did.

bikerZA

brownleather wrote:

bikerZA wrote:

That's pretty impressive, and not getting much help from anyone. What's the bets that if he has a good 2010, Sky will offer to help for 2011 by signing him?

Well with a NeoPro contract of 2 years, I think Sky would wait til 2012 surely?

I'm sure they'd be more than happy to buy him out if he shows potential (just an excuse, I missed the 2 year bit in the article :oops: )

GroupOfOne MkII

Dave_1 wrote:

yeah, I'd like to see something by BC on their website, a league of riders abroad or something , so we can see which Brits are racing abroad looking for a pro contract, with BC documenting their results a bit and perhaps have the races explained a bit

BC seem to have enough trouble just doing the current stuff on their website

Noodley

I would imagine there are a good few British riders on the Continent who would not fall into Brailsford's plans due to his anti-doping stance. He said as much in a recent book about British track cycling.

dave_1

Noodley wrote:

I would imagine there are a good few British riders on the Continent who would not fall into Brailsford's plans due to his anti-doping stance. He said as much in a recent book about British track cycling.

well...that's surprising...he's hiring new management out of the old school ...but is fearful the young amatuers might be in it???...e.g. Jamie Alberts

Not enough attention is given to riders going it alone abroad from the UK and infact...cycling journos...how many others are not on your radar? Maybe have contacts on the ground in Spain and Italy-they have their own versions of the Premier Calendar I am sure...this shouldn't have been the first that we heard of this guy...