JTL

Turfle

Sky and their new signings are doing just fine.

They are not a learning ground for every young Brit, nor are they a safe haven for every UK pro to safely see out their career in. They are a team that are in the business of winning races, and developing talent (preferably British).

The idea that Sky have a responsibility to every Brit is ridiculous, as is the notion that every Brit needs, or should want to ride for them.

hammerite

LangerDan wrote:

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.

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

Dean Downing rode/rides for Rapha Condor. Russ was with Motorpoint/CandiTV/Marshalls Pasta or whoever the sponsor was.

LangerDan

hammerite wrote:

LangerDan wrote:

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.

Dean Downing rode/rides for Rapha Condor. Russ was with Motorpoint/CandiTV/Marshalls Pasta or whoever the sponsor was.

:oops: My bad

hammerite

LangerDan wrote:

:oops: My bad

I only remember because he was riding with Malcolm Elliott and had a red/yellow Pinarello Prince (a la Valverde) with "Prince of the Premiers" written on the top tube.

LeicesterLad

For those with a Continueing Interest:

http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/11254/Jonathan-Tiernan-Lockes-phenomenal-February-gives-him-an-early-lead-in-the-UCI-Europe-Tour.aspx

inkyfingers

Personally I don't think there has ever been a better time for British riders to come of age, with Sky at the top level, Endura a couple of steps below and many foreign teams happy to sign up British riders; Fenn at Quickstep, Cummings and Blythe at BMC, Millar at Garmin. Hopefully those that deserve the chance will get it.

frenchfighter

This thread is like the goose that keeps on giving.

The mods should start a sub forum 'British Cycling'...

phreak

I would expect entry to this 'British Cyling' forum or I'd have to accuse Bike Radar of not supporting up and coming British forum posters.

mroli

LangerDan wrote:

Don't see much love here for Rapha Condor who have employed him for the past two seasons.

If you want to show love for Rapha Condor Sharp - you could always join the club - subs go towards helping ensure the continued existence of the team... http://www.raphacondor.cc/club/

Also - see another Rapha Condor Sharp alumni is currently in yellow at the Tour of Langkawi - Darren Lapthorne....

rick_chasey

Rather like football, most cycling fans only pay attention to the big top tier competitions.

Pross

IG Markets seem to be doing a fair bit to develop British cycling first as Sky co-sponsor and now with Rapha?. How big a company are they? Maybe there's scope for a similar arrangement to the Livestrong / Radioshack setup with a young team competing at continental level to give the up-and-coming youngsters experience?

RichN95.

Pross wrote:

IG Markets seem to be doing a fair bit to develop British cycling first as Sky co-sponsor and now with Rapha?. How big a company are they? Maybe there's scope for a similar arrangement to the Livestrong / Radioshack setup with a young team competing at continental level to give the up-and-coming youngsters experience?

They're fairly big. A FTSE 250 company.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IG_Group

andyp

Pross wrote:

IG Markets seem to be doing a fair bit to develop British cycling first as Sky co-sponsor and now with Rapha?. How big a company are they? Maybe there's scope for a similar arrangement to the Livestrong / Radioshack setup with a young team competing at continental level to give the up-and-coming youngsters experience?

IG Markets are co-sponsors of the Sigma Sport team. not Rapha.

http://www.teamsigmasport.co.uk/

mroli

Got big into the cycling though: http://thewheelsucker.com/tag/the-rapha ... ycle-club/

Pross

andyp wrote:

Pross wrote:

IG Markets seem to be doing a fair bit to develop British cycling first as Sky co-sponsor and now with Rapha?. How big a company are they? Maybe there's scope for a similar arrangement to the Livestrong / Radioshack setup with a young team competing at continental level to give the up-and-coming youngsters experience?

IG Markets are co-sponsors of the Sigma Sport team. not Rapha.

http://www.teamsigmasport.co.uk/

Cheers couldn't remember hence the ? but when I googled something came up about them supporting the Rapha club.

LeicesterLad

As we are all now massive JTL and Endura fans, keeping things up to date: http://www.velouk.net/2012/02/29/team-news-endura-racings-season-in-britain-starts-saturday/

ocdupalais

No JTL on the start sheet for Murcia!?! Anyone got any news?

http://twitter.com/#!/laVueltaMurcia/st ... 93/photo/1

I'm hoping it's down to a clerical error, rather than illness... or worse: some back-room shenanigans over his contract.

BrianS

He's definitely riding.....

RichN95.

BrianS wrote:

He's definitely riding.....

Congratulations on your start to the season Brian. Great to see another British team making waves on the continent.

ocdupalais

Praise the Laird!
Excellent news.Cheers for that, Brian - I can now sleep the sleep of a relieved person.

andyp

Good article here;

http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/jon ... to-the-top

LeicesterLad

BrianS wrote:

He's definitely riding.....

Cheers Brian, and echoing the sentiments of Rich, great start to the season, and providing me with some great UK based entertainment!

LeicesterLad

andyp wrote:

Good article here;

http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/jon ... to-the-top

Cheers Andy!

EDIT: Having read that i can conclude he seems a top bloke, he's obviously had a shitty time of it, but coming good now makes for a great story. I can't see anyone on Bri Smithy's team being a doper somehow, just jealous accusation i reackon. Anyway, i'm finding the whole story quite gripping and its deffinately exciting for the future...

frenchfighter

Looks like he will have Gesink, Sanchez and Cobo as main adversaries.

squired

LeicesterLad wrote:

andyp wrote:

Good article here;

http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/jon ... to-the-top

Cheers Andy!

EDIT: Having read that i can conclude he seems a top bloke, he's obviously had a shitty time of it, but coming good now makes for a great story. I can't see anyone on Bri Smithy's team being a doper somehow, just jealous accusation i reackon. Anyway, i'm finding the whole story quite gripping and its deffinately exciting for the future...

After a few years of building up debt at uni and then riding in Britain for a couple of years I doubt JTL would be able to afford anything that would make a big difference, or have the means to cover his tracks (i.e. paying expensive doctors).

The signing of JTL has already given Endura more publicity than they could have ever hoped for. If he continues to get results throughout the season I'm sure their investment in him will be repaid many times. I thought he did them proud when he dropped in comments during interviews about how the quality of his Endura clothing meant he didn't suffer in the cold weather.

I wonder what sort of improvements one of the top tier teams could eek out of him through advanced traning plans and other things that are probably out of the price range of a continental team (wind tunnels, etc).

Gazzetta67

I hope JTL does not go to Sky, Otherwise he will be lost in a team full of ego`s

Have to laugh at the stories concerning JTL and folk raising their eyebrows at his results !!!! Emm lets cast your mind back to last years Vuelta ....Froome yes he of the "Tour of Guadaloupe" winner suddenly becoming a mountain goat and dropping wiggins etc ???? And anyway everyone knows what Wiggins thinks of Ex teamates "Deadwood" i think he called them. would you really want to ride for this wannabee mod /weller attitude person.

ocdupalais

Gazzetta67 wrote:

I hope JTL does not go to Sky, Otherwise he will be lost in a team full of ego`s

I'm trying to think of a professional team that isn't full of 'em (that's egos - as well as "haircuts"): they're a bunch of competitive blokes - what do you expect?

In terms of eyebrows, I did catch myself raising them slightly higher for that geezer what beat Froome at the Vuelta. For this, I gave myself a stern reprimand (eyebrows down) for laughable nationalistic prejudice and woeful cynicism: a Spaniard with little previous form beating our plucky Brit (Kenyan)!? With little previous form!?... But then there's the whole Cobo/Piepoli/Ricco Saunier Duval thing... mmm (eyebrows up).

It would be no bad thing for JTL to go to Sky, or whoever (except maybe for Endura) - it's going to happen: I just hope his current team takes full advantage of his wins and springboards onto greater success. Then, in whatever Pro Team he rides for, he can take a punt at all those races that the aficionados regard as the only ones worth worrying about - that'll be the classics, then.

But, back to what's important: brilliant riders doing brilliant rides...

It must be a nightmare for the team managers: under the pressure to perform, how do you balance any success with the inevitable suspicions... and then maintain the merest hint of unbridled passion for the sport?

dave_1

OCDuPalais wrote:

Gazzetta67 wrote:

I hope JTL does not go to Sky, Otherwise he will be lost in a team full of ego`s

I'm trying to think of a professional team that isn't full of 'em (that's egos - as well as "haircuts"): they're a bunch of competitive blokes - what do you expect?

In terms of eyebrows, I did catch myself raising them slightly higher for that geezer what beat Froome at the Vuelta. For this, I gave myself a stern reprimand (eyebrows down) for laughable nationalistic prejudice and woeful cynicism: a Spaniard with little previous form beating our plucky Brit (Kenyan)!? With little previous form!?... But then there's the whole Cobo/Piepoli/Ricco Saunier Duval thing... mmm (eyebrows up).

It would be no bad thing for JTL to go to Sky, or whoever (except maybe for Endura) - it's going to happen: I just hope his current team takes full advantage of his wins and springboards onto greater success. Then, in whatever Pro Team he rides for, he can take a punt at all those races that the aficionados regard as the only ones worth worrying about - that'll be the classics, then.

But, back to what's important: brilliant riders doing brilliant rides...

It must be a nightmare for the team managers: under the pressure to perform, how do you balance any success with the inevitable suspicions... and then maintain the merest hint of unbridled passion for the sport?

JTL could be vital to Endura's sponsorship search. If Sky have ethics, they will leave JTL at Endura in 2012. I can understand foreign based team's being more cut throat but would hope Sky will not want to hurt the potential growth of a second top pro cycling team in the UK. + Sky needs decent talent scouts like Endura has given the way they overlooked Tour of Britain results of 2011

takethehighroad

Rick Chasey wrote:

Rather like football, most cycling fans only pay attention to the big top tier competitions.

Just noticed this statement. There's so many things wrong with it, according to a Sheffield United/Chester FC fan. But that's a discussion for another day...

cal_stewart

Think JTL would be better served staying with Endura if they moved to pro conti