Pro-cycling thread

She lapped the entire field in her first crit and she had to practice turning right before hand. Shows there's more to winning that a expensive track bike and a spanky skinsuit.

Well yeah, but one guy being a male model doesn't mean he isn't quick on a bike, nor does it mean the field is full of chumps.

I'm not saying that but come on, that is very impressive from her. I read a report on it saying the RHC has never seen domination like it. She does race on the road but still it was an uncomfortable transition for her racing like on a track bike. I'm just bloody impressed is all, I bet there were a few regulars scratching their heads after that.

She does race on the road but still it was an uncomfortable transition for her racing like on a track bike

2011
UCI Track Cycling World Championships
1st Jersey Team pursuit
3rd Scratch
1st Team pursuit, 2011 European Track Championships

2012
1st Jersey Team Pursuit, UCI Track Cycling World Championships
1st Gold Team Pursuit, 2012 Summer Olympics

2013 – Wiggle Honda 2013 season
1st Jersey Team Pursuit, UCI Track Cycling World Championships
1st Team pursuit, UCI Track Cycling World Ranking
1st Milk Race[13]

2014 – Wiggle Honda 2014 season
1st Team pursuit, British National Track Championships[14]
3rd Surf & Turf 2-Day Women's Stage Race[15]
3rd Scratch race, British National Track Championships[16]

2015
1st Overall Tour of the Reservoir
1st Stage 1[17]
1st Round 5 - Bath, Matrix Fitness Grand Prix Series[18]

2016
1st Hill climb classification, Santos Women's Tour[19]
3rd Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race[20]
1st Red Hook Crit

Come on, riding in a velodrome is very different to riding in the RHC.

Just let me have my moment of fanboyism dammit.

I'm just saying that Dani King is incredibly strong as her palmares shows and many other pros would have trouble keeping up in a fixed crit, let alone 'normal' people with day jobs. One of the things I like most about RHC is that anyone can enter and Joe Smith who works at the shop down the road can race against pros and world champs if they're fast enough.

The difference is most people at Dani King's level aren't going to risk or don't have the inclination to ride anything other than their teams official races. So the level of the winners is generally pro-continental rather than World Tour. E.g. Ainara Elbusto who has won a number of the women's events.

She hasn't really been setting the world on fire recently though:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dani_King#Palmar.C3.A8s

#imissrep

So they may shorten the Worlds course to a mere 100k. They may as well stick the sprinters in a scratch race on the track.

Fucking Qatar and it's money getting top sporting events, despite it's disgusting human right's record, and then ruining them.

But, if the weather forecast is accurate, there will be no need to shorten the race. It's a non-story at the moment.

The Worlds is all about money, it's the main revenue stream for the UCI so they'll go to wherever is prepared to pay. It's also the World Championships, so why shouldn't it go to a Gulf state, or Africa or anywhere else that's prepared to host it?

Not saying it shouldn't go to a Gulf state, just not Qatar.

If North Korea paid top dollar should UCI hold the world champs there?

Are you equating Qatar with North Korea?

I'm asking where you draw the line? For me, Qatar is beyond the pale.

Why? Like a lot of middle eastern countries it has it's issues, but is it any worse than Turkey, or Israel or even the US?

Like a lot of middle eastern countries it has it's issues, but is it any worse than Turkey, or Israel or even the US?

Given that it's an absolute monarchy, where the rights of freedom of expression and association aren't recognised, the formation of any political party or trade union is illegal, where homosexuality is punished by death and where the treatment of foreign workers has been held by the UN to amount to a breach of the UN Convention against Torture? Yep, I find it very difficult to dismiss these as merely 'issues', and very easy to conclude that it's substantially worse than Turkey, Israel and the US. They're not perfect, but they're a damn sight better than Qatar in my view.

This, 100%. The deaths of migrant workers building stadia for the World Cup is astronomical, and they are virtual slaves under the country's laws. Terrible place.

But ho hum back to cycling. Anyone want a reminder of British cycling's finest hour?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iI9vHMudU08

Still gives me shivers

So both Greipel and Kittel are going, with Greipel as captain. Is it going to be a shambles?

Well it always worked so well for Matthews and Gerrans

Heh! Also, Sagan is going it seems. I thought he wasn't. I just looked him up and he was 12th in Copenhagen, behind a number of which are now past their prime/retired.

Kittel leading out Greipel must be the stuff of Cav's nightmares. That said they are both big units and leave a big old hole for lil old Cav to sit in, I'm betting that's the wheel he will want to follow. What's happened to Gaviria? Anyone know about his form?

I see from a recent Cycling Weekly that the rider formerly known as Lizzie Armitstead is now Lizzie Deignan, following her wedding to Philip Deignan. This may already be generally known around here, of course, but was news to me.

And Laura Trott is now officially Laura Kenny, it appears.