Tour Series

2

Comments

  • tuneskyline
    tuneskyline Posts: 370
    Line the route with pubs and have a Absinthe happy hour. It will be some of the greatest racing you have ever seen.
    Apart from Andy Schleck dancing on his pedals.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,163
    Andy Schleck in a town centre crit would be worth watching, he'd be asking for it to be neutralised all the time!
  • tuneskyline
    tuneskyline Posts: 370
    Pross wrote:
    Andy Schleck in a town centre crit would be worth watching, he'd be asking for it to be neutralised all the time!
    I would love to see my man Andy outside a Dixy chicken take away or Pound shop on a English high street trying to get the stage neutralised :lol:
  • okgo
    okgo Posts: 4,368
    To be fair the buzz is quite something in Canary Wharf. We are talking about Barrow here, where 25% of people are on the rock and roll, the last thing these people likely give a flying fudge about is bike racing. It's a very odd place to have a race I thought.

    I enjoy the series and it's always interesting to see how people I ride with get on in the lesser teams.
    Blog on my first and now second season of proper riding/racing - www.firstseasonracing.com
  • argyllflyer
    argyllflyer Posts: 893
    okgo wrote:
    To be fair the buzz is quite something in Canary Wharf. We are talking about Barrow here, where 25% of people are on the rock and roll, the last thing these people likely give a flying fudge about is bike racing. It's a very odd place to have a race I thought.

    I enjoy the series and it's always interesting to see how people I ride with get on in the lesser teams.

    Apparently Tour Series rounds have gone to towns unsuccessful in getting the 2014 ToB. That was certainly brought up again by the chap from Cumbria council ahead of the Barrow round.
  • johnboy183
    johnboy183 Posts: 832
    The crowd at Stoke on Trent this year was disappointing. I don't think the council advertised it at all well so i guess many possible interested spectators missed out. I suspect another problem may be that we have been spoiled here over recent ears and a touch of fatigue is setting in. After all we have hosted every year plus the Tour has been here every year too i think with the exception of the up coming one. Personally I'd like to see the council invest money in developing a cycle park rather than hosting these events. I suspect that would attract more visitors and money/profit to the area than similar events. Ideally though they would do both.

    I wonder if a bid for the World Championships is out of the question?
  • mm1
    mm1 Posts: 1,063
    Worlds? Laps of Gun Hill and bring Les West out of retirement!
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    okgo wrote:
    To be fair the buzz is quite something in Canary Wharf. We are talking about Barrow here, where 25% of people are on the rock and roll, the last thing these people likely give a flying fudge about is bike racing. It's a very odd place to have a race I thought.

    I enjoy the series and it's always interesting to see how people I ride with get on in the lesser teams.


    True, the Wharf one is always buzzing. Guildford too.

    I quite enjoy the TS, meself.
  • argyllflyer
    argyllflyer Posts: 893
    A name I hadn't heard until this year's Tour Series - Matt Gibson. What sort of rider is he? He's won tonight and impressed at an earlier round too, Barrow I think... at 17 an impressive performance surely.
  • ozzzyosborn206
    ozzzyosborn206 Posts: 1,340
    argyllflyer wrote:
    A name I hadn't heard until this year's Tour Series - Matt Gibson. What sort of rider is he? He's won tonight and impressed at an earlier round too, Barrow I think... at 17 an impressive performance surely.


    A bloody quick one by the sounds of it!! when I saw the names of the 4 guys in the break I thought it had Blythe written all over it
  • argyllflyer
    argyllflyer Posts: 893
    Doing a bit further digging, he seems to have performed well at the Junior Worlds TT, finishing 5th.

    Looking at the top 3 going back...

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UCI_Road_W ... time_trial

    ...it's littered with big names and if he's able to get close, assuming 2013 was as high a standard as recent years, then it must bode well for the future.
  • okgo
    okgo Posts: 4,368
    He looked good in barrow.

    Clearly destined for bugger things than UK crit racing, good luck to the lad.

    Nfto must be a bit miffed that a former world tour pro isn't walking these races...
    Blog on my first and now second season of proper riding/racing - www.firstseasonracing.com
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    Gibson's a big talent. ODP rider, ripping up the Junior Series this season together with James Shaw. Won the TT at the Junior Peace Race a few days ago, wore the leaders jersey for a couple of days and ended up 6th on GC.

    Following the fine tradition of talented British juniors in TTs and RRs.

    That win tonight sounds special from the reports. Taking a flyer out of the breakaway on the last lap and beating Brigga, Northey and Blythe...well....
  • mm1
    mm1 Posts: 1,063
    A class performance. With 4 laps to go it looked like the rest of the break had Briggs to beat and if not Briggs, I'd have put my money on Blythe, so it was a bit of a surprise how it turned out. Good atmosphere, though I have to confess that I can't abide the noise of the character with the pony tail who sweet spot employ to chant "hup, hup" and the over amplified 80s tunes are a bit wearing after an hour IMHO neither add excitement. It will be interesting to see what it looks like on tv.

    How did you get on Sussed Out? It looked horrendously fast, as always, quite a few puce faces looking ready to blow chunks after only 5 laps!
  • tom3
    tom3 Posts: 287
    Great night for racing weather wise.

    The pace for the first 5 laps was so high, in fact riders were clinging on during the first lap and dropped by the end of the 5th.

    My money was on Blyth too as he seemed to be sitting in comfortably each time they passed me by the finish line. Briggs got through a hell of a lot of work on the front from what i saw. Although obviously they may have taken turns further round the course.

    Gibson looked like he was struggling with the pace. Obviously not as he smashed the race to pieces on the last two laps! great ride and couldnt believe he was only 17.

    Was quite funny as Briggs crossed the line, pointing and shouting at the madison rider "you're a tw@t" at the top of his voice. We now know that he was impeded on the last bend.

    Great atmosphere too. As MM1 says the hup hup is annoying, the next step would have been glow sticks and whistles.
  • argyllflyer
    argyllflyer Posts: 893
    Blooming impressive ride there from Gibson!
  • jimmythecuckoo
    jimmythecuckoo Posts: 4,716
    Really enjoyed it in Peterborough again this week.

    My three year olds first bike race (aside from ones I have been in, which aren't quite at this level !!) and she loved the music and speed of the racing.

    I think we should be proud of the Tour Series as it is really good entertainment.

    Ok maybe not for the cycling purist, but if its traditional style racing you are after just record the Giro and watch it later on.
    http://fendrieneu.home.blog
    My blog and pod...
    Beers of Belgium Cycling Club UK
  • ozzzyosborn206
    ozzzyosborn206 Posts: 1,340
    Don't get me wrong it was a very impressive ride from Gibson, but with it being primarily a team event the other three were thinking about that rather than winning themselves, I have not doubt if it wasn't a team event they would have chased, same as when the break was initially formed you saw 4 madison riders move to the front of the bunch and the 4 rode away rather than it being a big attack that split it. Blythe will win a round provided he doesn't crash out or something but a 1 hour crit is very different to a 200k road race. You can see the world tour riders aren't head and shoulders above the domestic pros in crits when they ride Smithfield Nocturne, I think NFTO would be more surprised Blythe hasn't done more in the prems so far but maybe he has been focussing on the tour series and he does seem to be winning the bunch sprints when he hasn't made the break
  • okgo
    okgo Posts: 4,368
    I think world tour pro's are head and shoulders tbh. Look at the nationals whenever one of the sky lot ride!

    OR Kennaugh at that prem last year, easy for him.
    Blog on my first and now second season of proper riding/racing - www.firstseasonracing.com
  • Tom Dean
    Tom Dean Posts: 1,723
    Alex Dowsett lapped the bunch in about half an hour when he won at Smithfield.
  • r0bh
    r0bh Posts: 2,382
    madasahattersley wrote:
    Kennaugh isn't an average WT rider though, he's a very good one (and would be much more successful if he'd never had anything to do with the academy/sky).

    You have absolutely no way of knowing this, obviously.
  • ozzzyosborn206
    ozzzyosborn206 Posts: 1,340
    okgo wrote:
    I think world tour pro's are head and shoulders tbh. Look at the nationals whenever one of the sky lot ride!

    OR Kennaugh at that prem last year, easy for him.

    Thats why i said in crits......
  • ozzzyosborn206
    ozzzyosborn206 Posts: 1,340
    Tom Dean wrote:
    Alex Dowsett lapped the bunch in about half an hour when he won at Smithfield.

    on time is an exception, guys like Leigh Howard have done it and not been noticeably stronger than the domestic guys
  • ozzzyosborn206
    ozzzyosborn206 Posts: 1,340
    madasahattersley wrote:
    r0bh wrote:
    madasahattersley wrote:
    Kennaugh isn't an average WT rider though, he's a very good one (and would be much more successful if he'd never had anything to do with the academy/sky).

    You have absolutely no way of knowing this, obviously.

    No, but seriously I think using a talent like him to get a team pursuit medal and to work for someone to win the tour seems like madness to me. But that's just my opinion of course.


    It is a fair arguement, he could have been good for the hilly classics but if in a few years he podiums the tour you can't really argue with it, and winning Gold in London was a massive thing for a British cyclist, doubt there is many things he would swap it for
  • bikes`n`guns
    bikes`n`guns Posts: 959
    Brilliant night in Edinburgh.

    Fast tight course that had a few nerves jangling on the cobbles.

    I had the 2 grandkids with me and all the teams were more than happy to chat with them, or get pics taken whilst warming up (Thanks Christian)

    Just get to set the telly to record for tomorrow night to watch it all again.
    Trek,,,, too cool for school ,, apparently
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    Sounds like Jon Mould absolutely monstered it last night. The fella's flying at the moment.
  • mm1
    mm1 Posts: 1,063
    Durham looked like another brutal race. Durham looks like a great circuit (for spectators), I really should get on a train one year to watch live, reminds me a bit of the crit that Geoff Wiles used to promote on a circuit around Rochester Castle.
  • ManOfKent
    ManOfKent Posts: 392
    mm1 wrote:
    Durham looked like another brutal race. Durham looks like a great circuit (for spectators), I really should get on a train one year to watch live, reminds me a bit of the crit that Geoff Wiles used to promote on a circuit around Rochester Castle.

    That takes me back - must have been 20 years ago? We had a World Cup race in about '95 too. It's a shame that among the many events and festivals that Medway Council puts on, bike races have fallen from favour.
  • ozzzyosborn206
    ozzzyosborn206 Posts: 1,340
    super happy for Guernsey team mate Tobyn Horton getting his first tour series win tonight, been knocking on the door for last few years so glad he got one.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,163
    Isn't there a round on the island in a few weeks too (or is it Jersey)?

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