Pro-cycling thread

I think Leferve was totally opposed to Cavendish riding the track at the Olympics. That was the main issue that meant they couldn't come to an agreement.

They weren't happy with having to foot the bill for his six-day racing over winter either.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/haas-and-fraile-sign-for-dimension-data/

Lidl to sponsor Etixx-quickstep next year.

Awesome. I love Lidl.

So is MTN/Dimension Data becoming a World Tour level team then?

One day I went to Lidl.

Can't wait for my Lidl jersey.

Damo wears a Lidl jersey to fit his Lidl body

I hope they have Lidl jerseys for bodies full of discount continental beer.

.

For a friend, obviously.

I hope they have Lidl jerseys for bodies full of discount continental beer.

You could try going to the toilet sometime.

Your friend, I mean.

Interesting but unsurprising on the Kittel move, especially when you see the dynamic between him and the rest of the team in Clean Spirit and how drastically that must have changed since his poor run of form - currently on Netflix and well worth a watch: http://www.bicyclefilmfestival.com/film/clean-spirit/

Strange season for Kittel, started ok but he was injured wasn't he? And then nothing really, not taken to the Tour, not taken to the Worlds, just never seemed to get his form back.

was it was one of those season long viruses they seem to get?

sad to see him move from the fresh guys to a decidedly old world team

Yeah all I can remember hearing is 'ill' and 'virus'. It must be horribly depressing for a rider to go from being able to put out such fearsome power and inexplicably lose it.

Is not as Lidl as it should be.

@Jimmy_Fingers Nope - I think it was a political thing. Fell out with the team bosses because of the whole "I want to go to Quick Step and make loadsa money" thing. He was in good enough form before the Tour, but they decided to take JD and make him their dedicated sprinter, which didn't really pay off, but JD is a absolute gentleman and has won Roubaix now... so... ner.

He's young, wanted to race the Tour, they didn't let him, he decided fuck them, looked elsewhere. Don't see the drama myself. It's still just a job.

Perhaps he just didn't like using Alpecin shampoo

Yeah I'm not saying he's not entitled to do whatever he wants. Still about 200% more civilised than the average football transfer too.

I can see why they preferred JD over him. Kittel will bag you a lot of wins of flat races throughout the season, but Degenkolb has got the potential to go onto to be a classics specialist and should pick up more monuments, with the powers of Canc and Boonen on the wane

It worked wonders for him though. :)