JTL

CakeLovinBeast

symo wrote:

Perhaps he is on the Juice. Or more likely having come from the same club as Jez Hunt; riding with Colin Lewis when you are young makes you 'kin nails.

He didn't just ride with him, he also used to work in Colin's shop!

Speaking as a Mid-Devon CC member, it's great to see JTL riding so well.

martiny

LeicesterLad wrote:

So did anyone manage to read the article while it was up? what was the full jist of it?

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/critical-year-for-enduras-desire-to-reach-new-heights

frosty99

http://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/South ... story.html

dulldave

If that's true about Brailsford isn't it pretty much a conflict in his duel role in cycling? BC Performance Director distracting the riders of domestic teams by talking to them about his other project.

ratsbeyfus

Another interview here:

http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/11232/Jon-Tiernan-Locke-Interview-Haut-Var-and-what-comes-next.aspx

I like the cut of his jib.

dave_1

In a way it flatters brismithy and Endura management, Sky reduced to possibly not legit approaches, having already failed to seriously look at the talented UK riders they could have signed for Sky for 2012 but didn't.

mroli

+1. Confident, ambitious and wanting to make the most of his opportunities and form. Still appreciative of the team and bigs up the sponsor too. Good job.

Tusher

mroli wrote:

+1. Confident, ambitious and wanting to make the most of his opportunities and form. Still appreciative of the team and bigs up the sponsor too. Good job.

Well said. Of course he's going to leave Endura, but they're giving him a huge push up the ladder. And he sounds like the sort of lad who will remember them.

gsk82

Alternatively they're giving an unproven rider a chance to experience one of the worlds top teams and training facilities.

symo

CakeLovinBeast wrote:

symo wrote:

Perhaps he is on the Juice. Or more likely having come from the same club as Jez Hunt; riding with Colin Lewis when you are young makes you 'kin nails.

He didn't just ride with him, he also used to work in Colin's shop!

Speaking as a Mid-Devon CC member, it's great to see JTL riding so well.

I thought it was Simon's shop now
I understand someone else from the MDCC mafia is now on Raleigh. How I miss the B run and Mr Phillips B+ group!

Pross

Endura currently top team on the UCI Europe tour with a second and third (I think) yesterday in Belgium.

symo

Go Endura!

phreak

There's an interesting piece on InnerRing about Vanmaarke today.

He impressed enough to find Garmin’s Jonathan Vaughters buying him out of his contract. Note there’s nothing sneaky here, top teams can recruit riders from Continental squads

So that suggests pro teams can buy JTL out of his Endura conract if they want.

Pross

Aren't squad sizes limited though? Can they ditch a rider they already have under contract?

phreak

http://inrng.com/2011/08/max-team-size-uci-rules/

Sky can have 30 riders. At the moment I think they have 28.

okgo

phreak wrote:

There's an interesting piece on InnerRing about Vanmaarke today.

He impressed enough to find Garmin’s Jonathan Vaughters buying him out of his contract. Note there’s nothing sneaky here, top teams can recruit riders from Continental squads

So that suggests pro teams can buy JTL out of his Endura conract if they want.

Like most things, throw enough money at something and you'll get your way.

Pross

Not JTL but highlights of Saturday's Beverbrook Classic where Ian Wilkinson and Alexandre Blain took 2nd and 3rd behind Tom van Asbroeck of Topsport. It sounds like Blain's ride was pretty impressive, on the attack in a group and then solo before getting caught by a chasing group in the final kilometres and then placing in the sprint!

http://www.tvl.be/nl/2012-02-26/tom-van-asbroeck-wint-beverbeek-classic/#content_top_l

lmrt

That link earlier for the Tour du Hat Var was great. At the beginning when the pundits were talking one of them said "but beware of the young Brit, JTL" (assuming my translation is about right). Just wondered whether there's any chance of them (Endura) getting a wildcard entry tour and of the hilly classics like Fleche, LBL or that other one in "Ardennes week"?

afx237vi

lmrt wrote:

That link earlier for the Tour du Hat Var was great. At the beginning when the pundits were talking one of them said "but beware of the young Brit, JTL" (assuming my translation is about right). Just wondered whether there's any chance of them (Endura) getting a wildcard entry tour and of the hilly classics like Fleche, LBL or that other one in "Ardennes week"?

They need a Pro Continental license for World Tour races.

dave_1

..to me the discovery of JTL is what makes cycling exciting....big money teams are shown by smaller teams that they screwed up..showing up these world tour teams that often try to cover themselves in the Union Jack or hawk their anti-doping credentials, while signing dopers of course and overlooking the UK's best roadmen at the same time! Brailsford and JV don't deserve JTL, so I hope they have to part with some serious cash if they feel they must sign JTL and can't accept being beaten by Endura and hope the cash they'll be relieved of by Endura/Brismithy makes them have a good think about who they sign or let go in the future after the outrages seen towards the end of last season when they showed the door to Lloyd and Downing

phreak

To be fair, Sky seem to be doing ok without Downing. I'm not sure why it's an outrage he was let go any more than, say, Cummins.

dave_1

phreak wrote:

To be fair, Sky seem to be doing ok without Downing. I'm not sure why it's an outrage he was let go any more than, say, Cummins.

they did poorly in Oman..am sure Downing would have been perfect in the Cav train

frenchfighter

Dave_1 wrote:

..to me the discovery of JTL is what makes cycling exciting....big money teams are shown by smaller teams that they screwed up..showing up these world tour teams that often try to cover themselves in the Union Jack or hawk their anti-doping credentials, while signing dopers of course and overlooking the UK's best roadmen at the same time! Brailsford and JV don't deserve JTL, so I hope they have to part with some serious cash if they feel they must sign JTL and can't accept being beaten by Endura and hope the cash they'll be relieved of by Endura/Brismithy makes them have a good think about who they sign or let go in the future after the outrages seen towards the end of last season when they showed the door to Lloyd and Downing

Hear hear

LeicesterLad

Dave_1 wrote:

..to me the discovery of JTL is what makes cycling exciting....big money teams are shown by smaller teams that they screwed up..showing up these world tour teams that often try to cover themselves in the Union Jack or hawk their anti-doping credentials, while signing dopers of course and overlooking the UK's best roadmen at the same time! Brailsford and JV don't deserve JTL, so I hope they have to part with some serious cash if they feel they must sign JTL and can't accept being beaten by Endura and hope the cash they'll be relieved of by Endura/Brismithy makes them have a good think about who they sign or let go in the future after the outrages seen towards the end of last season when they showed the door to Lloyd and Downing

My Sentiments exactly.

inkyfingers

Whilst I have a lot of time for Russ Downing I think we need to get a sense of perspective on this. Russ is a good rider who can clean up on the domestic circuit, win the odd race at a higher level and can be a very useful team member in the bigger races, but he is 33 years old and he's not going to get any better. If you look at who Sky signed this year (Cav, Eisel, Porte etc) nobody in their right mind could argue that Russ is a better rider than any of them. Sky have also signed and are developing a lot of very promising young British riders, Dowsett, Thomas, Swift, Kennaugh, Rowe who I don't think would have got such a good chance with any other team, so to slag them off for not renewing the contract of an ageing middle of the road (at least at World Tour level) rider is hardly fair.

As for JTL, all I can say is wow...let's hope he can keep it up. I guess that Sky and the other bigger teams were worried about his age, his health record and that his ToB performance might just have been a flash in the pan. Hindsight is a wonderful thing!

frenchfighter

inkyfingers wrote:

Whilst I have a lot of time for Russ Downing I think we need to get a sense of perspective on this. Russ is a good rider who can clean up on the domestic circuit, win the odd race at a higher level and can be a very useful team member in the bigger races, but he is 33 years old and he's not going to get any better. If you look at who Sky signed this year (Cav, Eisel, Porte etc) nobody in their right mind could argue that Russ is a better rider than any of them. Sky have also signed and are developing a lot of very promising young British riders, Dowsett, Thomas, Swift, Kennaugh, Rowe who I don't think would have got such a good chance with any other team, so to slag them off for not renewing the contract of an ageing middle of the road (at least at World Tour level) rider is hardly fair.

As for JTL, all I can say is wow...let's hope he can keep it up. I guess that Sky and the other bigger teams were worried about his age, his health record and that his ToB performance might just have been a flash in the pan. Hindsight is a wonderful thing!

Good post also.

mroli

Everyone loves the Downings though don't they...

I think part of the "outrage" comes from a natural national sense of wanting as many UK riders out there riding at the highest level. JTL shows that there are talents in the UK scene that are capable of doing it, the problem is Sky are never going to be able to bring more than 1 or 2 riders through a year (especially now that they've got an established team), so where are the other talents going to ride? Cummings got a good ride at BMC, Andy Fenn the same at OP, so pro teams see UK riders as good options, but riders like Downing/Lloyd dropping down to Sigma Sports shows that things are tough out there.

Maybe in a few years time, there'll be more than one UK Pro Team (maybe someone will come in and back Endura) and then the problem will be dissipated!

hammerite

It's no outrage that Sky haven't got any more British riders than they already have.

If Adam Blythe were at Sky would he have been so prominent in Qatar? If they had Andy Fenn would he have won the season openers? If they had JTL would he have done so well early season? Would Russ Downing have had the opportunity to be main man in any number of races like he will this season? (Endura got some very good invites last season and will probably get a lot more this season).

If Sky sign up any British Pro rider going, yes I think they'd still have an excellent team - we have some excellent riders. But Sky cannot put a team out in every race, and the races they do they'll have team orders. All these good riders making waves at the moment would just be working as domestiques to other more prominent riders in the team. I think it's better that there's a spread of good British riders amongst lots of teams at many levels, they'll get more of a chance to shine in other teams.

ddraver

Fair points inky and mroli - I don't recall seeing too many "Why has nt Sky signed JTL this year" posts back in August, I ll be honest and say I'd bever heard of him before. If you were playing DS at Sky and had the option of some proven riders versus a (relative) unknown, which would you have taken? Its likely to be another year until we can see him race against the big boys (who are 2"divisions" above) so I dont think we can say he is a future anything yet...

This is a bit like the K-B K thread, but sky are in the business of winning races, they re not an academy for young riders, as are all of the Pro Tour teams.

LangerDan

I'd hate to be p!ssing on anybody's chips, but am I correct in saying that JTL has been an official "Endura" rider for , what, 9 weeks now? Don't see much love here for Rapha Condor who have employed him for the past two seasons.
-or indeed were responsible for the spring-boarding of forum-favourite Russ Downing to the ProTour.
Or even Plowman Craven who were the first to take a punt on JTL, post-illness.

PS- I've just realised I've written something in defense of Rapha - I feel dirty

PPS - Why are Team Sky - who are sponsored by some antipodean antichrist to sell telly subscriptions arcross Europe and have riders and staff from over a dozen countries - seen as some form of compulsory community employment scheme for UK riders?