GB Cycling 2024

[Rafa Maciel 1,606]

Last qualifying event for BMX Racing takes place next week in Verona with the European Championships. 

 

After a pretty mediocre World Championships for us,  are now 125 points behind 5th placed USA. To overtake them, I think GB will need at least 2 of our ranking riders to make it to the semi-finals - that would net 140 points - or one rider to secure a top 6 finish. 

[Grassmarket 3,618]

Good news for domestic cycling.  The British domestic scene has completely collapsed from the strong position it was in a decade ago, so hopefully it can be rebuilt.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/articles/cd11g94vxp4o

[mpjmcevoy 362]

  On 5/23/2024 at 12:19 PM, Grassmarket said:

Good news for domestic cycling.  The British domestic scene has completely collapsed from the strong position it was in a decade ago, so hopefully it can be rebuilt.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/articles/cd11g94vxp4o

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The key thing is addressing why any race in GBR is vastly more expensive to organise and run than a bigger event on the continent. As I understand it, on the european mainland, police/security costs are covered by the localities as a way of getting the event to happen, while in GB they are always covered by organisers, and that is the major problem. Is that correct?

[Grassmarket 3,618]

  On 5/23/2024 at 11:27 PM, mpjmcevoy said:

The key thing is addressing why any race in GBR is vastly more expensive to organise and run than a bigger event on the continent. As I understand it, on the european mainland, police/security costs are covered by the localities as a way of getting the event to happen, while in GB they are always covered by organisers, and that is the major problem. Is that correct?

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Yeah, I think that's the default position.  Sometimes local authorities will volunteer to meet the costs out of their tourism or health promotion budgets, but if they don't....

[Nickyc707 382]

  On 5/23/2024 at 11:27 PM, mpjmcevoy said:

The key thing is addressing why any race in GBR is vastly more expensive to organise and run than a bigger event on the continent. As I understand it, on the european mainland, police/security costs are covered by the localities as a way of getting the event to happen, while in GB they are always covered by organisers, and that is the major problem. Is that correct?

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Given the financial difficulties faced by most UK local authorities in recent years there are few if any who could afford to meet such costs. Most don't have adequate funding for the services they are legally required to provide let alone discretionary spending of this type.

[Rafa Maciel 1,606]

The men's under 23 short course event at Nove Mesto took place today.  net 93 points so  will need to gain at least 183 points to move back into the top 8 and gain that 2nd quota spot for Paris. 

[Grassmarket 3,618]

Looks like Geraint Thomas has secured third in the Giro, which is a great achievement in what surely must be his retirement year.

[mpjmcevoy 362]

Big result for GBR at the Mountain Bike World Cup in Novo Maesto, hugely impressive win for Pidcock who looks like a hard favourite for Paris, and a brilliant 4th for 2023 U23 World Champ Charlie Aldridge. Those results, I think, will pretty much guarantee GBR a second men's MTB slot, and Aldridge his seat on the Paris train.

 

combined with a key withdrawal of a Dane, I think they've got the points.

Edited May 26, 2024 by mpjmcevoy

[Rich 23]

  On 5/25/2024 at 3:18 PM, Grassmarket said:

Looks like Geraint Thomas has secured third in the Giro, which is a great achievement in what surely must be his retirement year.

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He's planning to do one more year after this but says this was probably his last grand tour going for GC and leading the team. 3rd is a brilliant achievement. 

 

Pidcock is class.

[mpjmcevoy 362]

  On 5/26/2024 at 6:22 PM, Rich said:

He's planning to do one more year after this but says this was probably his last grand tour going for GC and leading the team. 3rd is a brilliant achievement. 

 

Pidcock is class.

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A fifth and probably final Grand Tour podium, three of them in the last two years after his 36th birthday. In his time he won the tour over Doumoulin and Froome, was runner up to Bernal and Roglic, and third behind Pogi twice, Vingegaard and Danny Martinez.....two olympic gold, and he won most of the big 1 week races - Suisse, Romandie, Dauphine and Paris-Nice (though never Adriatico), as well as Rundfahrts, the Alps and the Algarve. Not a bad palmares for a cranky deisel from South Wales...

 

As often happens in cycling, periods of dominance are intersperced with interregna as the new generation sorts its order out - and in the short chaotic period, a strong willing rider can really make his mark, albeit briefly - Think Roche and Delgado between the Lemond/Fignon/Hinault years and the reign of Indurain, or Sastre. cadel Evans and Wiggo between Contador and Froome (happens in tennis too - note some of the big winners between Sampras and Federer eras).

 

I think Thomas belongs in that category, doing his work in the interregnum between Froome and Pogi/Rog/Vingegaard. His time is now done, but he's put together a rather lovely palmares in those years. And he'll always have Paris.