2019 Transfers - Rumours and Confirmations
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Be a real shame if they went to the wall. Pretty sure most of their riders would get a ride somewhere - maybe Ribble would end up getting beefed up with the likes of Bibby and Gullen - they've got a huge presence in the NW with some really strong ridersShutupJens wrote:Cruff wrote:
They've got their 'ride with the pros' day today - if anyone knows anyone who's on that they might get some gossip from Gullen, Briggs etcCrampeur wrote:Cruff wrote:
Source? I'd heard rumours, but nothing as drastic as that...ShutupJens wrote:JLT hanging in the balance, meetings next week will decide their fate. Tom Moses off to Madison Genesis
Have heard the same, JLT pulling out and as such not enough money to keep going.
Probably not, I spoke to Tom personally from a journo's perspective but he wasn't likely to let on anything at all until things are sorted next weekFat chopper. Some racing. Some testing. Some crashing.
Specialising in Git Daaahns and Cafs. Norvern Munkey/Transplanted Laaandoner.0 -
Glad he has a ride but doesn't this seem like an odd fit? From what I have seen of him (mostly in the Tour de l'Avenir but also U23 RVV) he reminded me of Dan Martin, not because of their Irishness, but because of his propensity to launch bonkers attacks from far out. He didn't look like the sort of rider who'd be happy doing his share in the train. Maybe I got him wrong?Beatmaker wrote:At least one Aqua Blue rider has a ride in 2019 https://www.teamsky.com/article/eddie-dunbar-joins-team-sky0 -
Hopefully he'll learn to control his aggressive style and to use it when he can make it count. Don't forget he made his name in the junior ranks where bonkers attacks are the normal tactic. Not many riders have a successful career in the pro ranks riding like that.
Whilst I appreciate and understand that people don't like to see attacking young riders go where they perceive they'll be used up as part of a train I also think Sky, for all their faults, is a team where young riders can develop without being put under pressure to get results. However, riders do get their chances and I can see Dunbar being given opportunities at the hilly classics.
They're going to have an exciting young team over the next few years with Bernal, Sivakov, TGH, Dunbar and (probably) Pidcock.0 -
Interviewed Pete Williams for a newspaper and also put the transcript on my blog - he mentioned that you could start a team tomorrow with the riders currently on the market and get a place in the tour of yorkshire. On the back of that going public today, someone who is a director of a huge business asked me how much it would cost to fund a team, long shot but that would be a very strange turn of events if something new was set up0
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Whilst I appreciate and understand that people don't like to see attacking young riders go where they perceive they'll be used up as part of a train I also think Sky, for all their faults, is a team where young riders can develop without being put under pressure to get results. However, riders do get their chances and I can see Dunbar being given opportunities at the hilly classics.
They're going to have an exciting young team over the next few years with Bernal, Sivakov, TGH, Dunbar and (probably) Pidcock.[/quote]
Yep. Sean Kelly was very positive about this move just now. I hope it goes well for him.0 -
Sergio Henao off to UAE. I guess we'll never see that study...0
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I figured he was leaving Sky. Is his cousin going with him?dish_dash wrote:Sergio Henao off to UAE. I guess we'll never see that study...
Sky have a *lot* of riders already on their books for next season, with a few of their British guys yet to sign new contracts (Rowe, TGH, Doull and Dibben) so it wouldn't surprise me if Dibben and possibly Doull leave. I'm assuming Intxausti will leave too.0 -
andyp wrote:
I figured he was leaving Sky. Is his cousin going with him?dish_dash wrote:Sergio Henao off to UAE. I guess we'll never see that study...
Sky have a *lot* of riders already on their books for next season, with a few of their British guys yet to sign new contracts (Rowe, TGH, Doull and Dibben) so it wouldn't surprise me if Dibben and possibly Doull leave. I'm assuming Intxausti will leave too.
What's happened to Dibben? I don't remember him racing recently0 -
Dibben has been injured. He’s been in recovery for a while now. Just back riding.2020/2021/2022 Metric Century Challenge Winner0
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Don't know if I've missed this previously but Adam Blythe to Lotto-Soudal..... interesting one. https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/racing/adam-blythe-joins-lotto-soudal-collapse-aqua-blue-sport-394582“You may think that; I couldn’t possibly comment!”
Wilier Cento Uno SR/Wilier Mortirolo/Specialized Roubaix Comp/Kona Hei Hei/Calibre Bossnut0 -
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Dabber wrote:Don't know if I've missed this previously but Adam Blythe to Lotto-Soudal..... interesting one. https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/racing/adam-blythe-joins-lotto-soudal-collapse-aqua-blue-sport-394582
Ooh, that is good for Adam!We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
- @ddraver0 -
Dabber wrote:Don't know if I've missed this previously but Adam Blythe to Lotto-Soudal..... interesting one. https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/racing/adam-blythe-joins-lotto-soudal-collapse-aqua-blue-sport-394582
He's a solid rider for the classics and the lead-out, nice move. Rubbish news about JLT Condor. Some cracking kits disappearing from the peloton too.0 -
The UK scene seems to be going through one of its bust periods post boom.0
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RichN95 wrote:
He looks like he could do with a change. He's gone a bit stale.dish_dash wrote:Sergio Henao off to UAE. I guess we'll never see that study...
I was thinking at the weekend that it was probably time for him to move on. He hasn't fulfilled his early promise and doesn't really seem to have assisted much in the last few GTs he has ridden. Hopefully he'll get a chance to ride for himself a bit more in hilly classics now as I think that's where he's at his best.0 -
I'd be surprised if Doull leaves Sky.0
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jimmythecuckoo wrote:The UK scene seems to be going through one of its bust periods post boom.
Did the boom extend down to the domestic scene? Either way its sad to see, this year being particularly bad0 -
Big, big hole in the domestic scene to fill. I'd expect Bibby, Gullen and others to get a ride with MG or Canyon (if they're around next year themselves) but inevitably means less full time pros, which inevitably means less talent coming through the ranksShutupJens wrote:jimmythecuckoo wrote:The UK scene seems to be going through one of its bust periods post boom.
Did the boom extend down to the domestic scene? Either way its sad to see, this year being particularly bad
However - big opportunity for someone else to come in and sponsor a strong squad with JLT and OnePro going to the wall. Guess the Brexit shenangians isn't going to help with that though - would imagine that sports sponsorship is one of the first things to go in times of economic uncertaintyFat chopper. Some racing. Some testing. Some crashing.
Specialising in Git Daaahns and Cafs. Norvern Munkey/Transplanted Laaandoner.0 -
I'm not surprised sponsors are pulling out of the UK scene. Even with the cycling boom of the last decade in the UK domestic races get little publicity. When was the last time a domestic race other than the Nationals, TdY or ToB got discussed on here - a forum for professional cycle racing? The teams are getting ever more professional (and costly) set ups but there can't be that much return for the sponsors. The actual number of races seems to have been dropping for years and the domestic pro scene these days is more or less surviving on a diet of town centre crits. British Cycling has been neglecting the road scene for ages and living off the success of the Olympic track programme and those going on to make it on the European scene.0
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Has the Cavendish to Bahrain-Merida rumour been covered?0
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Wout Van Aert terminates his contract. Guess he will start his lotto jumbo contract a year early.***** Pro Tour Pundit Champion 2020, 2018, 2017 & 2011 *****0
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Yeah. On the surface, with Yates, G and the Kenyan, and the success of Cav and Wiggins, cycling in this country looks in rude health - but scratch that surface and you'll find a multitude of problems. It's not just the unhealthy obsession with track above all else, but BC's apparent desire to pander to the motorist and NIMBY brigade by building a seemingly endless supply of dull crit tracks, rather than aggressively marketing and supporting grass roots road racing. More and more circuits are disappearing or falling into disuse because of protests by people not wanting to be inconvenienced in the slightest, it's getting harder and harder to organise a road race and, despite full fields in most cases indicating a clear demand, there are less and less road races each year.Pross wrote:I'm not surprised sponsors are pulling out of the UK scene. Even with the cycling boom of the last decade in the UK domestic races get little publicity. When was the last time a domestic race other than the Nationals, TdY or ToB got discussed on here - a forum for professional cycle racing? The teams are getting ever more professional (and costly) set ups but there can't be that much return for the sponsors. The actual number of races seems to have been dropping for years and the domestic pro scene these days is more or less surviving on a diet of town centre crits. British Cycling has been neglecting the road scene for ages and living off the success of the Olympic track programme and those going on to make it on the European scene.
The pro scene in Britain is even harder to maintain. Everyone knows that there is no such thing as a sustainable funding model in pro cycling, and almost zero exposure on telly means sponsors aren't going to see it as a value proposition - I'd imagine you need someone who owns the business to be a cycling fan or better still a racer before they'll even consider sponsoring a team, due to the costs involved. The most successful team in the country this year are Ribble - and they're a bike manufacturer. Suspect that's the way it will go in the next few years - back to factory teams with fewer non-cycling related headline sponsors.Fat chopper. Some racing. Some testing. Some crashing.
Specialising in Git Daaahns and Cafs. Norvern Munkey/Transplanted Laaandoner.0 -
Who's the Kenyan?
Why is track unhealthy? You are aware how BC & national lottery funding works?
Track is much more predictable therefore Olympic golds are 'easier' to win (in so far as it's a measured result).
Also - look how many top pro riders come from that background. You could almost argue that grass roots road racing is a waste of time as most top UK pros come from track background.0 -
It's not that track itself is unhealthy - it's the obsession with it to the detriment of road cycling. We're probably the only country in the world that gives two sh1ts about track cycling - outside of the niche following that exists in all sports - which is why all the funding gets swallowed up by it. Be nice if some of that lottery funding went into road as well. The only reason most top pros in Britain come through the track scene is because they get identified and snapped up by the ODP early on. I do get that lottery funding is dependent on success at the Olympics - and I'm not suggesting that road cycling should be funded to the level that track is - just for a bit more of the cash floating around Eastlands to make its way out to local organising bodies. For instance, there used to be a development programme around the Northwest (CDNW) which went to the wall a couple of years ago for a number of reasons - one of which was an almost complete lack of support from BC. Just a little bit of money invested in regional development on road would identify talent in local clubs that might otherwise be missed and - just as importantly - give a bit more support to race organisers faced with an extremely vocal tiny majority of NIMBYs who don't want any races to take place on 'their' roads, ever.Shirley Basso wrote:Who's the Kenyan?
Why is track unhealthy? You are aware how BC & national lottery funding works?
Track is much more predictable therefore Olympic golds are 'easier' to win (in so far as it's a measured result).
Also - look how many top pro riders come from that background. You could almost argue that grass roots road racing is a waste of time as most top UK pros come from track background.Fat chopper. Some racing. Some testing. Some crashing.
Specialising in Git Daaahns and Cafs. Norvern Munkey/Transplanted Laaandoner.0 -
ShutupJens wrote:jimmythecuckoo wrote:The UK scene seems to be going through one of its bust periods post boom.
Did the boom extend down to the domestic scene? Either way its sad to see, this year being particularly bad
It seems to go in phases.
we had the Raleigh Banana vs. Ever Ready rivalry for a while, then a long lull until a couple more teams came along, but there was never the sort of depth that we had at the start of the Tour Series.
We had four or five teams competing and whilst I have no idea on their levels of funding it seemed to be healthy.
I am currently just thinking of a way this can be pinned on team sky !!!
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Cruff wrote:
It's not that track itself is unhealthy - it's the obsession with it to the detriment of road cycling. We're probably the only country in the world that gives two sh1ts about track cycling - outside of the niche following that exists in all sports - which is why all the funding gets swallowed up by it. Be nice if some of that lottery funding went into road as well. The only reason most top pros in Britain come through the track scene is because they get identified and snapped up by the ODP early on. I do get that lottery funding is dependent on success at the Olympics - and I'm not suggesting that road cycling should be funded to the level that track is - just for a bit more of the cash floating around Eastlands to make its way out to local organising bodies. For instance, there used to be a development programme around the Northwest (CDNW) which went to the wall a couple of years ago for a number of reasons - one of which was an almost complete lack of support from BC. Just a little bit of money invested in regional development on road would identify talent in local clubs that might otherwise be missed and - just as importantly - give a bit more support to race organisers faced with an extremely vocal tiny majority of NIMBYs who don't want any races to take place on 'their' roads, ever.Shirley Basso wrote:Who's the Kenyan?
Why is track unhealthy? You are aware how BC & national lottery funding works?
Track is much more predictable therefore Olympic golds are 'easier' to win (in so far as it's a measured result).
Also - look how many top pro riders come from that background. You could almost argue that grass roots road racing is a waste of time as most top UK pros come from track background.
But without that track success the money simply wouldn't be there. The Lottery funding is provided to win medals and the greatest chance to do that (both in terms of predictable success and number of opportunities) is on the track and so BC concentrate their resources accordingly. I can understand and accept that but would argue more of the membership money should go towards developing the road scene (and other forms of racing). There is fortunately a lot of crossover from track to road though and from a top level point of view British riders are flourishing on the road coming from that track development background.
The promotion of road racing is a whole other issue and I agree that BC don't seem to be taking a proactive enough approach to identify and promote suitable safe and sustainable road race courses. I gave up organising races but not due to any issues with locals, the problems I had were the region taking the date I'd started developing for a successful road race off me as they needed to move the regional champs to that date. It had previously always been a month later but apparently that was the only date someone had come forward to promote the event that year - if they'd asked I could have incorporated it into my race. Also, there were too many riders that didn't take their own and other riders safety seriously and acted like they were racing on closed roads so we have to take some responsibility ourselves if we want people to continue to promote road racing.0 -
Matt Hayman retiring after the Tour Down Under0
