2018 PRO thread

[dgasmd]

More details for next years Giro route emerged...seems like it's gonna be another epic Grand tour, just as it was this year, which was aswell what I believe to be the best of the three for 2018. Could not be more excited for the new season to come!!!

While I think all 3 races are different, The Giro has been the best grand tour in the calendar for well over 20 years in my mind at least!

[HenHarrier]

Cycling has parallels with cricket - personally I love test cricket ('chess on grass') - but who has time to watch all five days unless you're wealthy or retired and wealthy? Cricket's solution was shorter and shorter matches, throw out rules on 'any clothes you want as long as they're white', remove the 'reverential atmosphere' and pump out bursts of music for every four, six, or wicket etc etc. It has arguably saved cricket as a sport, players actually make a living wage, the 'kids' flock to it, advertisers are piling in, but as a grumpy middle aged bloke I don't like it all. Maybe the problem with EF is that they're trying something that middle-aged grumpy blokes with a passion for one firm of cycling instinctively don't like, but will/might at least ensure there's enough interest in cycling in toto that the tours and monuments etc ('chess on the road') survives? I really hope so, but I'm acutely aware that - and how apt a phrase is this in this debate - YMMV...

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[AJS914]

Slow news day I guess:

https://www.velonews.com/2018/10/news/a ... -52_480346

An old geezer who has zero chance of winning shouldn't take some other rider's spot. He should just do the fondo and look back fondly at his EPO fueled win.

[Lelandjt]

Slow news day I guess:

https://www.velonews.com/2018/10/news/a ... -52_480346

An old geezer who has zero chance of winning shouldn't take some other rider's spot. He should just do the fondo and look back fondly at his EPO fueled win.

I came here to see what you guys were saying about this. Obviously he doesn't have a chance of winning but I think his goal is to stay near the front of the race. Is it possible? Would it add another dimension to the race? Will a team that already has no chance of winning take a gamble on him bringing positive exposure? Also, I never knew there was an "amateur" Paris Roubix in the form of a Gran Fondo. Definitely gonna have to do that one day. As a pro MTBer who dabbled in road and watched a couple of my peers switch to road careers (Tom Danielson most notably) I always fancied myself an untested classics rider. Have any of you done it?

[micky]

It sounds like the Berzin news of some years ago.

The original article from Gazzetta reports that he was invited in Hungary by a friend last summer and he rode a granfondo event.
Then he joined a 1.2 race for fun apparently.

[ave]

Tafi said: "I raced this summer in some events surrounded by young people and I was holding the pace."
True, he completed a "gran fondo" in Hungary too. It wasn't an easy race for the real amateurs, but the winner got a gap of 45 seconds on him in the last 2kms. And the winner wasn't a well-known name, "just" a conti level rider.
Tafi was 12th, but the first in his age-group! I think he is faster than me, and I'm just 45!

[AJS914]

I have no doubt he's a strong 50 year old but it's time to just do fondos, shake hands, sign autographs, and have fun.

[REGICYCLE]

Link?

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/details ... ia-emerge/

[Kjetil]

Hey, Andrea, here you can go as hard as you want:
https://www.parisroubaixchallenge.com/

[IchDien]

Link?

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/details ... ia-emerge/

Thanks. Looks great!

[tymon_tm]

I have no doubt he's a strong 50 year old but it's time to just do fondos, shake hands, sign autographs, and have fun.

if he can be competitive, then why not race the P-R or any other event.. the 'age limit' for athletes is constatnly going up, seeing a 50-year-old being no weaker than dudes half his age would be kinda inspiring imho.

[Monkeyfudger]

Racing is fun, kinda... sportives...not so much.

^ I was just thinking this, I’m rapidly approaching late 30’s but have mates who are still killing it that are mid 40’s, I’d love to see an older dude try to mix it up with the peloton again. If an old pro can still hang at 50, even for a while then it would absolutely inspire me (and probably others) to keep going and that it’s still possible to race against those younger feckers!! Too many people give up on being competitive because of some arbitrary number, there are some ridiculously fast Vets in the UK.

[LouisN]

One thing for sure, Taffi got informed on how to pass the "modern" anti-doping criterias ...
If a continental team and their younger riders would benefit year round from an older, experienced rider who can share his knowledge, etc...that can be acceptable.
The said rider would still have to be competitive at UCI Conti and WT level to hope to get a spot on the team first, and then having a start number for a given race.
Seems like a a hard task ... also, I'm not sure that the team would "work" for him to bring him safe to the velodrome either...
A marketing stunt ?
No chance.
I'd give a start number to Conor McGregor if I wanted some public attention .

Oh ! And....just leaving that here....https://www.bbc.com/sport/45909055

Louis

[KWalker]

Remember those studies about the benefits of doping lasting forever? Well, enter Tafi.

Oh yah procycling is doing super well in Europe too: http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/lac ... r-his-job/

Big team with tons of visibility and results can't sign decent quality riders or retain sponsors even in a country where cycling is huge.

[CarlosFerreiro]

As a bare technical requirement he needs to be on the blood passport for at least 6 months before he races, and already past that?