"The current level is lower than it was in my time"

TheBigBean

MSR is more competitive now than when Freire was winning it. Sounds like sour grapes to me because Sagan has equalled his worlds wins.

darkhairedlord

maybe there are just fewer willing to take risks in the pharma store.

ddraver

(so it does also exist in spanish)

It's just this isn't it? "Back in may day...etc"

Old cyclists aren't immune to it either.

andyp

Timoid. wrote:

But surely that backs up the lack of depth argument? A few good guys cleaning up against a bunch of stiffs*?


*ok. exaggeration for illustration

But if that was the case, why wasn't this happening in the eras before or after this generation? Rich's point on a smaller pool of nations is a good one, but the genuine globalisation of cycling, from a rider composition perspective, didn't happen until the 1990s.

tailwindhome

I'm not sure if it's different now than before, but there does seem to be a lack of a genuine rivalry at the moment in either the GTs or single day races.

I'm hopeful Froome V Dumolin can become that GT rivalry.

---

With regard to Sagan there was an interesting discussion on the cycling podcast as to why he can win 3 worlds in a row, but struggles to close out the monuments.
It was suggested that the 'one off' nature of the routes was the main factor..

RichN95.

TailWindHome wrote:

I'm not sure if it's different now than before, but there does seem to be a lack of a genuine rivalry at the moment in either the GTs or single day races.

I think Sagan v Van Avermaet is a genuine rivalry.

And while they don't often come up against each other, Sagan v Kwiatkowski has been going on since they were juniors

Nice shorts, Pete, but Rupert the Bear wants them back:

(A decent third place for Phil Neville there)

knedlicky

RichN95 wrote:

Nice shorts, Pete, but Rupert the Bear wants them back:
)

I actually have a pair of pyjmas with shorts like that (although more yellowish) and a reddish top. My wife calls them my Rupies (diminutive Rupert's) - not sure how turned on she is by an imitation Rupert since I lack the snout and ears.

knedlicky

RichN95 wrote:

It's not so much that it gets more competitive, it's more that the standard gets better and the depth of field increases.

Agree with this.
I think it was just as competitive in the past, only the standard has since improved a lot, as in every sport (had I been around in the 50s, which I wasn't, I'm sure I could have played for a top footballing team then, but not any more, given the remarkable increase in ability since the 70s), and to some extent the depth of field too – which may give the impression of lower level, since it's brought (to use a horrible cliche) a more level playing field.

I also suspect since the 70-80s, more freedom has been allowed to lesser riders (in a team) or they are given more of a voice/chance, probably part of a more general sociological change in society, becoming less feudal.
So those who have the ability and ambition have been allowed to take advantage of this change of attitude, meaning not surprise GT victories by Aimar, Chiociolli or Cobo, but also lots of wins by 'lesser names' in less prestiguous races.

sherer

Sagan may be the favourite for a lot of races but then so is GvA, Matthews, Kristov, Griepel etc and a host of others. There is a lot of competition out there, that's why we still watch it's not a one man show. Cav is finished obviously other than that he's still an open race.

All eras have greats but its very difficult to say if the competition was better when Fangio and Schumacher were at their peak.

shockedsoshocked

Thought the article was going to be by Roger De Vlaeminck there!