Endura Racing riders post-merger

ju5t1n
ju5t1n Posts: 2,028
edited June 2013 in Pro race
Downing, Thwaites, McEvoy and a couple of others made it into the post-merger team. Does anyone know how they’re doing? – and will they be there next season?

Comments

  • jimmythecuckoo
    jimmythecuckoo Posts: 4,718
    Zak Dempster seems to be the one I have heard mentioned most.

    Thwaites is still young isn't he? I would think he would get a bit more time to adjust.
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  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    Anyone else read the Rouleur interview with Russ Downing? Seems that the merger has not gone brilliantly, shall we say.
  • ju5t1n
    ju5t1n Posts: 2,028
    Richmond Racer wrote:
    Anyone else read the Rouleur interview with Russ Downing? Seems that the merger has not gone brilliantly, shall we say.
    What was the jist of it?
  • DeadCalm
    DeadCalm Posts: 4,249
    You can check what the entire team has been up to here. No real results of note for any of them.

    http://www.procyclingstats.com/team/Team_netapp_Endura_2013
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    ju5t1n wrote:
    Richmond Racer wrote:
    Anyone else read the Rouleur interview with Russ Downing? Seems that the merger has not gone brilliantly, shall we say.
    What was the jist of it?


    Partly team not getting the results - as of the time of the article being written they were lying 9th in the Pro-Conti rankings. Journo refers to hearing that things not all rosy in the camp but no one prepared to reveal any details. From a squad perspective it wasnt really a merger, in reality is was some Endura guys being absorbed into a predominantly NetApp set-up. Inference is that Endura guys in particular are finding it a very different, colder environment after the successes and probably much more cogent team environment last year. Russ Downing comes across as a bit down, frustrated with lack of recent form but also seems to be frustrated with more than just that. Thinks he can still win big races (think he's living in dream world on that one, personally), but comes across as just trying to talk himself up, morale-wise (understandable).
  • inkyfingers
    inkyfingers Posts: 4,400
    He's in a funny position, too good to be wasted in UK domestic racing, but not good enough (and too old) to really make a splash on the continental scene.

    He's had some bad luck over the years, broken promises, teams folding on him etc. He's a rider i've always liked, never going to be a big star, but capable of winning races. I think if Sky had come along 5-10 years earlier I think he'd have got a lot more out of it, but sadly at his age he just didn't justify the investment and hard to see where he goes from here.
    "I have a lovely photo of a Camargue horse but will not post it now" (Frenchfighter - July 2013)
  • lyn1
    lyn1 Posts: 261
    I can understand it if some of the ex Endura guys are frustrated. Looking at the races that the Brits in particular have been doing, it seems from day 1 they were seen as support riders and in races that did not necessarily suit them. That's fine if the team are doing well, but the results have rarely been there. That said, according to his website (scott-thwaites.com) Thwaites has six top tens, which isn't a bad return for a neo-pro who isn't even seen as a main sprinter.

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