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Thing is Strickland isn't even the most 'pro' guy in the race. He's an environmental scientist - wasn't there a Cofidis pro and the Romanian Road race champion also racing?
Specialized use team tactics to win the race. They're a team of two - how many riders have Cinelli Chrome got? One of the Cinelli guys who came to the Nottingham Crit a couple of years ago spent the afternoon after the race smoking cigarettes!
umop3pisdn-
Thing is Strickland isn't even the most 'pro' guy in the race. He's an environmental scientist - wasn't there a Cofidis pro and the Romanian Road race champion also racing?
Yes Cofidis were there! Also race winner C.Strickland has a full time job but that didn't stop my social media being covered with "#f--kspecialized" and "#f--kthepros". Bit of a shame really.
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Oh yeah. Strickland managed to ride Marius Petrache off his wheel on the solo break, crazy show of strength. There's also Daniel Holloway who unfortunately got a puncture but he didn't manage to bring Strickland back in Brooklyn. Ignazio Moser, ex pro and son of Francesco, came 58th.
And the best thing is right up among them is some of us, locals, people you do laps of Regents Park with. They may not realistically be in with a chance of winning, but to beat professionals, ex-professionals, 6 day racers etc. shows just how much hard work and training has been done. Which is why I took issue with Antidotes implying pros are only pros just because they put in more work.
RHC is the pinnacle, it's always going to attract the best riders and it should, it gives people like me something to aim for if I could beat even one of those guys I'd be happy. I think it would be different if it morphed in to an only-pro's race, it needs the grass routes connection to keep interest, it's what sets it apart from any other pro crit like the Tour Series. And besides, it needs 150 people like me willing to stump up £50 to probably not qualify to pay for the whole thing.
At least that's my perspective from the Men's side, I don't know what it's like to have an Olympian lap you half way in to the race, but I do know what it's like having half a team of Elite's turn up to the local road crit and blow everyone out the back 5 laps in, it sucks.
Antidotes
Sumo
Wow I've really hit some nerves. I'm not against grass roots participation or especially sponsorship, I've been all the way through the band circuit.
I know what it means to hold down a full time job, have 5 hour band practice 4 times a week and then spend all weekend in a studio in the middle of nowhere on repeat.
What I'm now really confused about is that it seems to be totally fine for people to slag off Specialized who have a team made of riders that have worked their way up from the bottom like everyone else. I bet that makes them feel great.