Pro-cycling thread

No. Confirmed as UAE Abu Dhabi.
Feel for Swift.

De Gent the gent
http://sporza.be/cm/sporza/wielrennen/Tour/1.2850300#

I think Brad has just retired via Instagram

Guardian says he has.

Don't ever change Daniel

Well, that's very good news indeed. I was pretty sure that he was a goner.

The people in charge really need to sort out the Motos once and for all.

I like Campagnolo.

eurosport player is currently £19.99 for the year... just in time for the start of the season.

I've half a mind to cancel my monthly rolling sub and get that offer. Had it for two years now and every month I see the £6.99 come out of my account and think, "I must do something about that."

Yeah I'm going to do the same - cancel monthly, get this. thanks for the heads up!

also cancelled monthly, boom

what happened to Sean Yates?

Don't know, but he has a history of heart problems.

Thanks for the heads-up. Cancelled my monthly subscription and took up this offer this saves me a lot.

YES. No more cancelling it at the end of the summer only to be bummed out when there's loads of autumn races I want to watch. Thanks for the heads up.

Alex Peters to return to the SEG Racing Academy for this season, after suffering personal issues that's affected his training. I wish him well.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/peters-steps-down-from-team-sky-and-returns-to-the-seg-academy/

There seems to be a pattern to sky and neo pros.

This does seem a bit different. But a good decision. Hope he can move forward and grow into the racer he can be. He's immense. Plus a proper nice guy.

There seems to be a pattern to sky and neo pros.

Is there? I'm not sure they are as bad as people make out, just look at how well Luke Rowe and Ian Boswell have done there. But then they aren't a development team, their goal in pretty much every race they enter is to win, so it's a tough environment for a neo-pro, who'll probably end up riding on the front for hours before television coverage begins and rarely getting a chance to shine.

Josh Edmondson. Joe D.

Maybe not a pattern. Boswell has done well there. Rowe too. Fair point.

I guess some get on with their programme and some don't.

There's a bit in Froome's autobiography where he almost gloats about new team members suffering on training rides, the view seeming to be, if you can't hack it we are not here to mollycoddle you, it's just sink or swim. Which is probably why they have ended up with such a strong team.

Kennaugh and Puccio have both done well too, having joined as neo-pros.

But Josh Edmondson is an obvious example, but he was, by his own admission, an disaster area when it came to organisation, and he's disappeared without trace since leaving Sky. Dombrowski had injury problems for most of his time there, and struggled with positioning on narrow, European roads. He looks like he's found a better environment at Slipstream though.

One thing I'd say about Sky is that they seem to get the best out of most people, i.e. it's rare that riders leave the team, especially younger ones, who then go on to better things. Alex Dowsett is the only example I can think of without trawling through http://www.procyclingstats.com .

One thing I'd say about Sky is that they seem to get the best out of most people, i.e. it's rare that riders leave the team, especially younger ones, who then go on to better things.

This sort of depresses me. I can't exactly put my finger on why. I guess it's because the idea of all these excellent riders dispersing amongst the pro peloton is an exciting proposition. But the idea that they'll never be as good as they were with Sky puts a downer on this.

Yeah you're right.
Sky do know how to get the best out of people, if you can play their game.
Their game is basically training so hard and being able to recover. 100% focus.

A similar question that keeps me awake some nights. What percentage I'm able to get out of myself, by myself. I think I'm losing 10%, versus being coached/supported by world class people. It's a big number!

Lieuwe Westra quits pro-cycling after break from Astana and move to Wanty. Reports say he is depressed (did not fit in with team Astana, failed business startup with family, breakup with girlfriend, loneliness in Monaco...) and finds no joy in cycling anymore. Hope he will find some happiness somewhere in the near future

I think I'm losing 10%, versus being coached/supported by world class people. It's a big number!

Get a coach!