British RR Champs - No Wiggo...

pedro118118

andyp wrote:

pedro118118 wrote:

Brits riding with other British team mates to bring a national jersey in to the team is one thing - it maybe goes against the grain and puts smaller teams/individual riders at a disadvantage, but is to be expected.

For riders representing their Country to side with other nations, against express team orders (and to the detiment of other British riders) is something else completely. TREASON!!!

It's only a bike race.

If someone offered me 6 months salary for half a day's work I know what my reaction would be.

OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!!!

afx237vi

andyp wrote:

pedro118118 wrote:

Brits riding with other British team mates to bring a national jersey in to the team is one thing - it maybe goes against the grain and puts smaller teams/individual riders at a disadvantage, but is to be expected.

For riders representing their Country to side with other nations, against express team orders (and to the detiment of other British riders) is something else completely. TREASON!!!

It's only a bike race.

If someone offered me 6 months salary for half a day's work I know what my reaction would be.

Me too, but I'd also expect not to be invited back in subsequent years...

disgruntledgoat

2 reasons the vast majority of riders from small countries ride the worlds

1) For Money

2) To get a contract

Both of these usually involve doing some hard yakka for somebody elses nation.

pedro118118

I have no issue with some Lithuanion (or similar) siding with the Spanish/Italians, when he has no one to ride for.

What I do object to would be a domestique from a major nation putting in a mutinous effort for another camp against team orders. Whether GB was/is/could be considered a 'major nation' with a genuine chance of producing a winner is another matter. In 2005, we weren't, so could understand some of the GB riders currying favour with their trade team mates/management. The idea of British Sky riders riding for EBH, rather than Cav isn't a comfortable one!

iainf72

What about if someone from HTC rode for Cav? Would you have a problem with that?

pedro118118

iainf72 wrote:

What about if someone from HTC rode for Cav? Would you have a problem with that?

Not in the least - I would welcome it.

Although I'd be pretty p*ssed off if Cav rode for someone like Rogers or Renshaw at the Worlds (against team orders) rather than the appointed GB team leader. I would expect Aussie bike fans to feel the same if the situation was in reverse.

Why is this opinion in any way controversial?

iainf72

pedro118118 wrote:

iainf72 wrote:

What about if someone from HTC rode for Cav? Would you have a problem with that?

Not in the least - I would welcome it.

Although I'd be pretty p*ssed off if Cav rode for someone like Rogers or Renshaw at the Worlds (against team orders) rather than the appointed GB team leader. I would expect Aussie bike fans to feel the same if the situation was in reverse.

Why is this opinion in any way controversial?

So if Cav paid someone to ride for him, you don't have a problem with it as long as their team leader doesn't have a realistic chance of winning?

The GB team won't be massively strong this year, for a race that might come down to a sprint.

FJS

What is more usual within the larger nations' teams is not riders doing the blatant donkey work for some sponsor team mate of another country, but more understandings of not chasing.

It's not likely that, for example, Sutton will domestique and close gaps for EBH; it's more the question whether, say, Sutton will chase, say, Flecha when he attacks.

dulldave

pedro118118 wrote:

iainf72 wrote:

What about if someone from HTC rode for Cav? Would you have a problem with that?

Not in the least - I would welcome it.

Although I'd be pretty p*ssed off if Cav rode for someone like Rogers or Renshaw at the Worlds (against team orders) rather than the appointed GB team leader. I would expect Aussie bike fans to feel the same if the situation was in reverse.

Why is this opinion in any way controversial?

Not controversial but this has gone on for decades at the world cycling champs. It's not like football and rugby and other sports that started as amateur pursuits. it's fair enough for you to think that pro cyclists should behave a certain way but don't expect them to care what you think they should do.

The team pays your wages and gets more coverage for its sponsors if it has the world champ in it. More coverage for sponsors = job done. Same reason Cav does silly celebrations when he crosses the line. He's a cycling billboard.

It's these nuances in cycling that help make it a beautiful sport. Many cycling fans don't give much of a stuff about nationality.

pedro118118

I understand all that - fair points, well made.
But just because something has gone one for decades and is born out of maximising commercial benefits to trade team sponsors doesn't make it right.

That said, of course if I was a talented rider from a minow nation or a domestique for a foreign team sweating over a contract, then I may have a different view!

Team Banana Spokesman

"Bradley Wiggins has entered but is expected to miss the race as he focuses on his final build-up for the Tour de France." - cyclingnews

so I think he'll decide a few days before if he's up for it. textbook pre-tdf indecision here.

magicrhodes

dulldave wrote:

It's these nuances in cycling that help make it a beautiful sport. Many cycling fans don't give much of a stuff about nationality.

Many English/GB fans maybe and by that I mean you specifically. I think you'll find most of the major European nations would think you are mad/insane/wrong for a comment like that. Italians, Dutch, Belgians, Italians etc will be going mental for their guys. The Spanish are an oddity with the whole Catalan and Basque regions thing going on but since the football win they seem to have pulled themselves to be more of a cohesive unit of support.

Look at the support the Belgian CycloX riders get.

Sorry mate but I'll have to mark you up as wrong on that one.

Hibbs

This guy seems to be taking the Wegelius approach to career progression. Have a read of this:

http://www.tomcopeland.co.uk/blog/58-na ... humps.html

Bet he'll look back on this eventually and wish he'd taken a couple of deep breaths first.

doddy178

Just check eurosports schedule for June 27th expecting to see nothing.

We get nearly 3 hours of live coverage of the race. :shock:

Pross

Tom Butcher wrote:

ju5t1n wrote:

I think if you've got a team you can use them - no rules to say you can't[/quot

I read elsewhere that it was not the done thing but looks like that was wrong.

You're not completely wrong. Going back to the days when there were seperate amateur and pro races it was against the rules to collude with other riders including your own team mates in championships. It used to be in bold on the Welsh champs start sheet but no-one ever paid it any attention (although back then team tactics in local amateur races was unheard of and most races saw clubmates chasing each other down!).

deejay

pedro118118 wrote:

Brits riding with other British team mates to bring a national jersey in to the team is one thing - it maybe goes against the grain and puts smaller teams/individual riders at a disadvantage, but is to be expected.

For riders representing their Country to side with other nations, against express team orders (and to the detiment of other British riders) is something else completely. TREASON!!!

I remember Robert Miller rode shotgun for Greg Lemon in a World Championship Road Race.
He was never far from his side and we thought maybe it was Gregs spare bike.