passed team GB?

thortweezul

I don't really follow pro cycling closely at all so I wondered if you guys could shed some light for me.

I was out cycling last saturday in the south Manchester area (palatine road if you know the area) and I passed (going the opposite way I hasten to add) a large bunch of cyclists (10 or so), a mixture of male and female, all wearing matching jerseys like these ;http://www.evanscycles.com/products/british-cycling/2011-short-sleeve-jersey-ec027497. As far as I could tell all or most of them were on pinarello bikes and seemed to be going at a fair pace with ease.

I just wondered if maybe I'd spotted some pros in the wild, who I passed, where they were going etc.

Cheers

hammerite

Most of the British Cycling supported riders are based out of Manchester. Those in the Academy, Olympic Development Programme, track riders etc.... could all be heading out on training rides.

These are people who are probably unlikely to be part of a trade road team.

Pross

Passed a load of riders dressed like that near Newport last night - it was the local GB talent team kids out training (when I say I passed them, they were stationary at the time!).

trekker12

Sounds like a development squad or some of the track riders getting in some miles. The team Sky lot are mostly at Paris Nice or Tirreno Adriatico but some of them may still be around as only 16 are needed for those two races (and several of those aren't British).

Have seen Alex Dowsett and Mark Cavendish on the lanes of Essex once or twice although Alex started riding with the club I sometimes ride with (and his dad still does) so it's considered fairly normal to my clubmates!

I think I did also come across a few of the Astana team whilst on a driving holiday in the Alps in 2008 but don't know who they were. I went for an early evening run up Col D'Eze where our campsite was and they rode past me uphill at a fair lick. They were away round the next bend before I realised what I'd seen. Must have been team riders - surely four mates wouldn't all buy pro team kit down to the socks!

CYCLESPORT1

I see some of them most days of the week between home and work, yesterday it was one of the track girls

ermintrude

And just spotted 6 team GB TT bikes outside the Rise coffee shop (Wilmslow) for the second day running...unless they stayed there all night !!

Dai Bank

If the Rise is as quick at serving as it was the last time I was in there in December they were there all night.
35 mins and no coffee so asked for my money back and went to Hoopers instead lol