Lizzie Armitstead

squired

I'd be interested to see what people think about how good Lizzie Armitstead is, or has the potential to be.

I remember seeing her competing at Manchester Velodrome a couple of years ago. Of all the people I saw that night (including a number of Olypmic gold medal winners) she was by far the most impressive.

She seems to have managed a to transfer her track skills and get a few results on the road. So, as she is still young (appx 22 I think) it got me wondering, how highly is she actually rated?

domhopson

At the risk of being shot down, I'd give her one

StageWinner

I'd say she has the potential to be a World Champion, given the right course and team support. But that might be hard given who else is on the team (Cooke, Pooley, etc).

Pross

She's already competitive in women's world cup races and certainly has the potential to win quite a few. She has a good sprint on her although probably not to the level of the likes of Vos but she is fairly new to the road and can only improve with experience. The British women have good strength in depth developing and a lot of the riders are still young.

Wooliferkins

She's got a good record on the track and like you I've been impressed by her. She seems to be transitioning to the road well and Garmin/Cervello are as good an organisation as any and seem really behind womens' racing.
I'd say she has had a blinding start on the road, U23 British road race champion and 2nd in the seniors the last two years. Commonwealth road silver medal, points jersey Tour de l'Ardèche.
Road race champion this year, winning so well that Nicole couldn't complain.

I think it bodes well but in all these things it's the continued team support that counts. How many promising riders careers have been hampered by a sponsor pulling out or a team folding?

She seems to be hitting her prime just right. If she gets one of those paintings Jenni Longo has in the attic she could go on for years

inkyfingers

Clearly a very talented (and has to be said, attractive) young lady. It will be interesting to see how she develops in the next few years,either as a sprinter, or as more of an all round one day rider. It's a shame we see so little women's racing as don't get a true understanding of their abilities.

Looking at British women though, they seem to have riders who could win on any tyoe of Worlds course, Pooley for the really hilly stuff, Armitstead for the sprints and Cooke for the stuff in between. It's a shame that Cooke doesn't seem to find herself in such a strong team environment as the other two, though from what I hear that maybe partly of her own making.

wobblerthe1st

domhopson wrote:

At the risk of being shot down, I'd give her one

+1

rajMAN

wobblerthe1st wrote:

domhopson wrote:

At the risk of being shot down, I'd give her one

+1

Straight to the point +1 :shock:

Wooliferkins

inkyfingers wrote:

It's a shame that Cooke doesn't seem to find herself in such a strong team environment as the other two, though from what I hear that maybe partly of her own making.

Ooh you diplomat I can sort of see her "I got where I am with no help from you and NOW you're interested!" stance but I do think it has/she has ostracised her somewhat from any national team

inkyfingers

Wooliferkins wrote:

inkyfingers wrote:

It's a shame that Cooke doesn't seem to find herself in such a strong team environment as the other two, though from what I hear that maybe partly of her own making.

Ooh you diplomat I can sort of see her "I got where I am with no help from you and NOW you're interested!" stance but I do think it has/she has ostracised her somewhat from any national team

I was trying to avoid getting trampled on by a stampeding bunch of Welsh cycling fans!

RichN95.

inkyfingers wrote:

I was trying to avoid getting trampled on by a stampeding bunch of Welsh cycling fans!

I think a lot of them will agree with you.

inkyfingers

RichN95 wrote:

inkyfingers wrote:

I was trying to avoid getting trampled on by a stampeding bunch of Welsh cycling fans!

I think a lot of them will agree with you.

I thought they might. Her career does unfortunately seem to be on a downward trajectory in the last couple of years. It seem that as well as her personal and team issues she is maybe not as focussed as she once was and has been overtaken by "new" generation of women like Vos and Pooley.

acidstrato

RichN95 wrote:

inkyfingers wrote:

I was trying to avoid getting trampled on by a stampeding bunch of Welsh cycling fans!

I think a lot of them will agree with you.

damn right,

nicole cooke is nowhere near as fit as armitstead

Pross

inkyfingers wrote:

RichN95 wrote:

inkyfingers wrote:

I was trying to avoid getting trampled on by a stampeding bunch of Welsh cycling fans!

I think a lot of them will agree with you.

I thought they might. Her career does unfortunately seem to be on a downward trajectory in the last couple of years. It seem that as well as her personal and team issues she is maybe not as focussed as she once was and has been overtaken by "new" generation of women like Vos and Pooley.

I agree that her attitude hasn't helped her and the whole setting up her own team messed her up, a well known local rider had to give her a good talking to in advance of the Olympics to make her realise she needed the support of her team mates if she wanted to win. However, to be fair to her she has had a lot of injuries as well as the team problems and yet very nearly came back to win the Worlds last year and has come second in the nationals 2 years running against girls from a well organised team working her over so not that much of a downward trajectory. Maybe she would have been easier to get along with if the current system of support had been available when she was getting to the top or maybe she's just one of those people who are so focussed they upset people, who knows?

No_Ta_Doctor

I think it's a massive indictment of this board that any discussion of young talented female cyclists inevitably ends up focusing on their looks. While I'm pleased to see that some discussion of her cycling ability still managed to make itself heard through the din of (probably fat middle-aged) testosterone I think collectively this thread should be ashamed.

















Anyone got any good pictures of her then?

csp

OffTheBackAdam

No tA Doctor wrote:

I think it's a massive indictment of this board that any discussion of young talented female cyclists inevitably ends up focusing on their looks. While I'm pleased to see that some discussion of her cycling ability still managed to make itself heard through the din of (probably fat middle-aged) testosterone I think collectively this thread should be ashamed.

















Anyone got any good pictures of her then?

Just to add balance, my wife often comments upon the lycra clad buttocks when I'm watching Eurosport's cycling coverage.

frenchfighter

She is a great road rider. Always there or thereabouts. Check this year and last year for her palmares - a good handful of top tens including a good few wins. She was 9th in World RR.

frenchfighter

For those that are interested in women's cycling, this is a good site to bookmark:

http://womenscycling.tumblr.com/

domhopson

No tA Doctor wrote:

I think it's a massive indictment of this board that any discussion of young talented female cyclists inevitably ends up focusing on their looks. While I'm pleased to see that some discussion of her cycling ability still managed to make itself heard through the din of (probably fat middle-aged) testosterone I think collectively this thread should be ashamed.

















Anyone got any good pictures of her then?

Sorry I guess it was me that started this. Truly ashamed for my behaviour

andyp

OffTheBackAdam wrote:

Just to add balance, my wife often comments upon the lycra clad buttocks when I'm watching Eurosport's cycling coverage.

Perhaps you should stop watching the racing in your cycling kit then?

squired

As good as she could turn out to be, I guess no-one in Britain will really care about her unless she wins a gold medal at the Olympics next summer.

I have to say though (as I did at the start of the thread) that her style of riding the first time I saw her at Manchester Velodrome was so powerful and attacking, especially for someone so young at that time, that I really hope she turns into one of our most successful female cyclists to-date.

lucybears

frenchfighter wrote:

For those that are interested in women's cycling, this is a good site to bookmark:

http://womenscycling.tumblr.com/

and
http://women.cyclingfever.com/

emadden

No tA Doctor wrote:

I think it's a massive indictment of this board that any discussion of young talented female cyclists inevitably ends up focusing on their looks. While I'm pleased to see that some discussion of her cycling ability still managed to make itself heard through the din of (probably fat middle-aged) testosterone I think collectively this thread should be ashamed

Yeah yeah yeah..... but would ya?

No_Ta_Doctor

emadden wrote:

No tA Doctor wrote:

I think it's a massive indictment of this board that any discussion of young talented female cyclists inevitably ends up focusing on their looks. While I'm pleased to see that some discussion of her cycling ability still managed to make itself heard through the din of (probably fat middle-aged) testosterone I think collectively this thread should be ashamed

Yeah yeah yeah..... but would ya?

I'd have to catch her first, and that's exceedingly unlikely.

frenchfighter

Adam Blythe of Omega : )
Getty

frenchfighter

Undeniable hottie
Getty

frenchfighter

durhamwasp

has the lass behind got her sunglasses hanging from her collar?

napoleond

Cracking win that.

Stone Glider

Thanks for the link F F, I am interested but find it difficult to obtain even the sketchiest of reports.