Downing at a Grand Tour?
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Sonny73 wrote:Does anyone think we will see Russell Downing be given a spot at any of the Grand Tours this year? I hope so, be great to see him ride one!
Wot? You mean the British fellow on Sky who's won a race?
I think he might do the Vuelta.Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.0 -
I really hope he gets a go as I like him and his style of riding, would be a good shout for a breakaway victory on a non GC critical stage. I know he's already won a race this year but i'd love to see him get a full length stage win to add to it
Though i'm not sure he'll ride the Vuelta as surely he'll be aiming at the Tour Of Ireland and The Tour Of Britain?"I have a lovely photo of a Camargue horse but will not post it now" (Frenchfighter - July 2013)0 -
To be fair to Russ, he's living the dream, just having a place with a ProTour team and he must be pinching himself as he's riding some of the Classics.
I'm sure (like any pro) he's desperate to ride a GT, but the question is what would his role be? A puncheur going for stage wins, a grinding domestique etc??? He's a bit of an unknown quantity over 3 weeks, but then again I would imagine the number-crunchers/button-monkeys at Sky/BC will have a good idea of his capacity.0 -
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I thought he was Irish.0
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RichN95 wrote:Bakunin wrote:I thought he was Irish.
He's from Yorkshire
To paraphrase the Arctic Monkeys "He's not from Dublin City, he's from Rotherham"
It's technically not really Rotherham, and they tell people they're from Sheffield, but you're basically right. I'm just a little too wrapped up in the politics of the South Yorkshire conurbation0 -
TakeTheHighRoad wrote:RichN95 wrote:Bakunin wrote:I thought he was Irish.
He's from Yorkshire
To paraphrase the Arctic Monkeys "He's not from Dublin City, he's from Rotherham"
It's technically not really Rotherham, and they tell people they're from Sheffield, but you're basically right. I'm just a little too wrapped up in the politics of the South Yorkshire conurbation
I wouldn't know one end of Yorkshire from the other to be honest.Twitter: @RichN950 -
He is from Rotherham.
He still ives in Rotherham - Sunnyside I think?
Rotherham is a veritable hot-bed of cycling at present - having also produced his brother Dean and Ben Swift. Think the evergreen Malc Elliot is also from Rotherham.........might be Sheffield.
People's Republic of South Yorkshire!0 -
Ees a norvaner0
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I think he'd be a good shout for a grand tour - let him go for breakaway stage wins - he's a good finisher if he can get there in a small group.
it's a hard life if you don't weaken.0 -
Tom Butcher wrote:I think he'd be a good shout for a grand tour - let him go for breakaway stage wins - he's a good finisher if he can get there in a small group.
Me thinks he's even more useful in a Worlds team....
Didn't he put in a good performance in the worlds in 2009?0 -
not as good as his performance in 2008 worlds0
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Well he's definitely not going to the Giro, from Cycling Weekly: http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest/452523/froome-faces-race-to-be-fit-for-giro-after-time-trial-crash.htmlTeam Sky's line-up for the first grand tour of the season, which starts in Amsterdam on May 8, will be Bradley Wiggins, Steve Cummings, Morris Possoni, Dario Cioni, Chris Sutton, Greg Henderson, Mat Hayman, Michael Barry and Froome, if he's fit. Ian Stannard, Sylvain Calzati and Lars Petter Nordhaug are on the reserve list.0
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better suited to shorter courses... thou he has got round te worlds before but never contested
vuelta perhaps
|It would be good to see him complete at least one GT0 -
He's my favourite Sky rider, I'd be so chuffed for him if he was to ride the Tour.
And a very worthy choice it would be as well- a good, solid, dependable domestique who could gain them valuable publicity on a break-away, and who may even win a stage.
Heck, it wasn't that long ago that we would all have been jumping for joy at the prospect of a British rider maybe being good enough to ride the Tour. How things change.
Anyone remember what year it was when there were no British riders at all? I think it must have been during St David's ban.0 -
Tusher wrote:
Heck, it wasn't that long ago that we would all have been jumping for joy at the prospect of a British rider maybe being good enough to ride the Tour. How things change.
Anyone remember what year it was when there were no British riders at all? I think it must have been during St David's ban.
I remember that our British riders were Magnus Backstedt (lives near Cardiff), Robbie McEwen (British passport) and Dario Cioni (born in Reading)Twitter: @RichN950 -
McEwen has a British passport??
I mean, I gathered he had Scottish ancestry, but didn't realise he had a British passport.0 -
Tusher wrote:Anyone remember what year it was when there were no British riders at all? I think it must have been during St David's ban.
I'd guess at 2005, but my memory of that race is worse than vague. Charlie may have been in that one though.0 -
Tusher wrote:McEwen has a British passport??
I mean, I gathered he had Scottish ancestry, but didn't realise he had a British passport.
Yeah, but he doesn't like to talk about it
http://twitter.com/mcewenrobbie/status/2658030702Twitter: @RichN950 -
Typical. Spend you're life pom-bashing until there's something in it for you...0
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Russ tweeted that he was having a week off the bike this week. Now this could mean he's resting up before some pretty solid training ahead of Dauphine, Tour of Switzerland and a certain GT race in July.
Or it could just mean he has no races for a while so can schedule a week off!0 -
hammerite wrote:Russ tweeted that he was having a week off the bike this week. Now this could mean he's resting up before some pretty solid training ahead of Dauphine, Tour of Switzerland and a certain GT race in July.
We can dream, can't weAspire not to have more, but to be more.0