2024 Pro thread

[maquisard]

Roglic has also reported shoulder issues after the big crash earlier in the week - perhaps thinks aren't so bad. We can hope.

[ave]

What could have been the problem for de Lie today? To me it looked like he was already in the right gear and pedaling when he dropped the chain or what?

[TobinHatesYou]

Nobody mentioned PFP racing road with VLaB next year?

https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/paulin ... ad-return/

[maquisard]

I wonder what happened to the women's racing project at Ineos. Like most things on the team nowadays it seems to have faded away.

Looking forward to see what PFP can do on VLaB with proper support.

[de zwarten]

What could have been the problem for de Lie today? To me it looked like he was already in the right gear and pedaling when he dropped the chain or what?

Based on the sudden high RPM, I cannot think about anything else than dropping the chain from the big to the small ring and shifting back up? So either a miss-shift or his immense power bending the cranks so the chain fell off the big ring?

[tymon_tm]

PFP racing on the road is probably the most exciting news I've heard in a while.

why not ineos? my guess would be the "lord" behind the project (which itself advertises heavy suvs and one of biggest polluters, all that in times of climate catastrophe) doesn't feel women are worth it.

[maquisard]

my guess would be the "lord" behind the project (which itself advertises heavy suvs and one of biggest polluters, all that in times of climate catastrophe) doesn't feel women are worth it.

I would agree

[BdaGhisallo]

I wonder what happened to the women's racing project at Ineos. Like most things on the team nowadays it seems to have faded away.

Looking forward to see what PFP can do on VLaB with proper support.

It was always a PFP project rather than a women's racing project for Ineos.

[BenSiskri]

I wonder what happened to the women's racing project at Ineos. Like most things on the team nowadays it seems to have faded away.

Looking forward to see what PFP can do on VLaB with proper support.

It was always a PFP project rather than a women's racing project for Ineos.

Yeah, one got the feeling it suited both parties at the time; PFP left the BMC team (though she seemed to work with her own people) and Ineos gain a big name rider with Pidcock to make the MTB project worth it. Though there were rumours a female British XC rider might also have signed along with PFP. I'd guess, Ineos won't replace her, and one wonders what happens with Pidcock's MTB programme; a lot of resources for one single rider.

[Karvalo]

I'd guess, Ineos won't replace her, and one wonders what happens with Pidcock's MTB programme; a lot of resources for one single rider.

And yet massively better bang for the buck than the road team right now. A double Olympic champion would outshine everything the road project has managed since Tokyo put together.

But for career development reasons I wouldn't be surprised if Pidcock effectively drops MTB from hi schedule until it's time to qualify for the next Olympics.

[DanW]

I wonder what happened to the women's racing project at Ineos. Like most things on the team nowadays it seems to have faded away.

Looking forward to see what PFP can do on VLaB with proper support.

It was always a PFP project rather than a women's racing project for Ineos.

Yeah, one got the feeling it suited both parties at the time; PFP left the BMC team (though she seemed to work with her own people) and Ineos gain a big name rider with Pidcock to make the MTB project worth it. Though there were rumours a female British XC rider might also have signed along with PFP. I'd guess, Ineos won't replace her, and one wonders what happens with Pidcock's MTB programme; a lot of resources for one single rider.

P F-P at Ineos was always an Olympic MTB winning Project.

She split up with Julian Absalon so needed a new team and the fit with how Ineos were already working with Pidcock in MTB seems like such a natural fit- self driven and self motivated talent with a dedicated Olympic gold medal shot at the expense of everything else.

P F-P has already said she quite a while ago is retiring from MTB once she has had a crack of a home Olympic gold medal. Presumably chasing better wages and new goals.

The reason there isn't much hype on the road switch news (at least in MTB circles) is that she isn't a very well liked rider. Poor (relatively speaking) technical skills, quite shy and private, some poor on track conduct, rarely races and cherry picks events, pulicised private life, etc etc. None of these are necessarily faults and most are not for us to judge but the MTB world has never really embraced her IMO.

Ineos and Pidcock is more a Pidcock Project with his own coaches and team, just with Ineos branded jackets on. The resources won't be that significant in the grand scheme of things and he tends to ride hundreds of km home after an XCO race which helps cut down the travel expenses

[spokenwords]

Isnt Pidcock expected to leave Ineos? Maybe if they know Pidcock is planning to leave then the decision to scrap MTB altogether was easy.

[TobinHatesYou]

Isnt Pidcock expected to leave Ineos? Maybe if they know Pidcock is planning to leave then the decision to scrap MTB altogether was easy.

He just extended his contract to 2027, but sure there's interest from several teams apparently.

[eins4eins]

Isnt Pidcock expected to leave Ineos? Maybe if they know Pidcock is planning to leave then the decision to scrap MTB altogether was easy.

He just extended his contract to 2027, but sure there's interest from several teams apparently.

The extension until 2027 was in 2022 already. A german podcaster - rider agent himself - said that pidcock might be getting too expensive for Ineos because his contract includes significant salary increases for wins. Getting him off the payroll might be in the interest of the team, as it would free up a lot of budget. Add to that the transfer fee they would receive.


PFP won't do much on the road. Sport is on a completely different level than mtb. She's worldclass in peaking for a selected event in a season like world champs or olympics, but i can't imagine she'll have that freedom in Visma.

[BenSiskri]

PFP won't do much on the road. Sport is on a completely different level than mtb. She's worldclass in peaking for a selected event in a season like world champs or olympics, but i can't imagine she'll have that freedom in Visma.

I wonder about this; she never won the season long World Cup overall, but can peak for a 'one off' event. There are several interviews where she explains how she loses the weight for that short period of time needed for a big goal. And then returns to a more natural weight....How does she/Visma manage that for a road season - it will be interesting to see how it pans out.
However, if one compares her to Puck (which isn't always accurate) who had a decent spring campaign on the road, then she might do okay.


In other MTB news, US Cycling has made their MTB Olympic selections, and as expected they are; Riley Amos, Chris Blevins, Haley Batten & Savilia Blunk......