No GB teams at Tour of Brittany

specialgueststar
specialgueststar Posts: 3,418
edited May 2015 in Pro race
How active are domestic teams this year in terms of continental racing ?

http://www.tourdebretagne.fr/les-equipes/

Comments

  • Crampeur
    Crampeur Posts: 1,065
    It's a bit strange really, this year the UK continental teams seem to have done a lot less UCI ranked races in Europe. Raleigh had done the Tour du Haut-Var, Tour Méditerranéen, the Tour de Normandie and the Route Adélie de Vitré by this point last year, but this year they've only done Waasland. Obviously the Tour Med doesn't exist anymore, but that's still a lot less races. JLT and Wiggins both did Normandie though. I would have thought the UK teams would want to expand into Europe.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,540
    I guess it comes down to budgets and the travel / accommodation will take a big chunk when they are are running on a few hundred £k.

    I'm surprised NFTO don't do more as I thought they had ambitions to grow to Pro Conti eventually. Also, with many of the teams being at the Tour of Yorkshire next week they'll be under prepared on a few National A road races and the Melton Cicle Classic.
  • lyn1
    lyn1 Posts: 261
    Given the British UCI teams seem to get automatic entry to half a dozen British UCI races (and complain when they don't), there is less need to race at this level to prove they deserve a place on merit. The current teams are also a level below Endura of a few years ago, which had more strength and a bigger budget. This allowed them to have one team racing in Europe all year and another in the UK...both very competitive. NFTO may be planning to move up a level but unlike Endura they do not have the number of quality riders capable of doing that. Team name may be the same but the squad will be very different, unless they plan to ride at the back each week. Nevertheless, there is a real need for a British PC team to give a few talented riders a stepping stone given the highly nationalistic nature of the pro scene which works against British riders. It will also give a fallback option for any of the current pros who lose contracts on other criteria than ability.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,540
    I think most of the teams are happy being big fish in a small pond rather than taking the risks required to move into racing on the continent. Considering how difficult it has been to find backing for teams in the UK I can understand that and budgets don't really stretch to squads of the size they would need. It's much easier to have a team of 6-10 riders and live on a diet of town centre crits getting publicity for what are, mainly, local sponsors.
  • ozzzyosborn206
    ozzzyosborn206 Posts: 1,340
    It clashes with Rutland and Tour de Yorkshire. British teams would want their best squads in the British races which would mean if they had the resources to have guys in both races they would only have the B team at Brittany which would struggle to get results meaning it would probably be difficult for them to justify.

    With Tour of Britain being late in the year I don't think it is that beneficial for the teams to do loads early season, the next few months are pretty busy for most of them with Rutland, Tour de Yorkshire, Tour Series, Ras, Beaumont then Nationals within about 2 months.
  • specialgueststar
    specialgueststar Posts: 3,418
    Alex Peters (only GB rider) did well though

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