Aussie Riders in the Pro Peloton - Past, Present & Future

[42x16ss]

Re: Re:

More Aussie riders doing the Vuelta for Cannondale than for Orica

Docker switches from Orica to EF-Drapac

No surprise - Had a much better 2017 compared to 2015/16 - But the team doesn't have the confidence in Docker's ability to ride a GT, which is necessary in a GC focused team.

A good buy for Slipstream, Docker offers good support for Vanmarcke and Langeveld. They already have enough GT riders with Uran, Woods, Rolland etc anyway.

 

[swuzzlebubble]

Sam Welsford turning a few heads in local races lately

 

[Tonton]

Re:

Dirk is right that the media 'pumps up the tyres' of Aussie riders - I shudder when I hear Keenan ( an excellent commentator ) claim that Howson can finish high up in GC at the TDF - Anyway the two key Australian riders for the upcoming years are Haig (GC ) and Edmondson for the classics.

All countries do that, in all fairness .

For me, Porte, with Sky for "so long", became a Brit in my eyes. And Sky...I don't like the taste.

Australia's a country of jocks, maybe not populated enough to sustain a steady flow of good to great riders. Like Holland in football. But when they're good, the Aussies are really good. I don't worry one bit as it relates to Australian cycling.

My favorite ever? Phil. I was young, he was aggressive on the bike. Yeah...

 

[42x16ss]

Re: Re:

Dirk is right that the media 'pumps up the tyres' of Aussie riders - I shudder when I hear Keenan ( an excellent commentator ) claim that Howson can finish high up in GC at the TDF - Anyway the two key Australian riders for the upcoming years are Haig (GC ) and Edmondson for the classics.

All countries do that, in all fairness .

For me, Porte, with Sky for "so long", became a Brit in my eyes. And Sky...I don't like the taste.

Australia's a country of jocks, maybe not populated enough to sustain a steady flow of good to great riders. Like Holland in football. But when they're good, the Aussies are really good. I don't worry one bit as it relates to Australian cycling.

My favorite ever? Phil. I was young, he was aggressive on the bike. Yeah...

The majority of Australians still see cycling as something middle aged men do to socialise and possibly even shift some weight but there is still a healthy and growing race community that is gradually developing more riders each year. There may not always be a very big Australian name all the time (think O'Grady, McEwen, Evans, Rogers, Porte, Matthews etc) but it certainly looks like an Australian presence at WT level is a given now.

As for Phil? Possibly the best classics rider without a monument, rewatching the '88 RVV still kills me - that was almost a masterpiece.

 

[Jakob747]

Re:

Sam Welsford turning a few heads in local races lately

Welsford is a very good rider. He can defiantly make some noise on the road in the future.

Hindley, Hamilton, and Storer all graduating - while Stannard is ready to fill the immediate void.

There are excellent under the radar riders coming up as well. Alexander Evans and Ethan Berends for example, both very gifted and talented riders who I think have an exciting future in the sport!

 

[Tonton]

Re: Aussie Riders in the Pro Peloton - Past, Present & Futur

White jersey and 5th at Le Tour, won the Dauphine, Romandie, Suisse, Phil Anderson was the real deal. Podiumed a bunch of times in LBL, won the AGR. How many riders today can boast a record like that? And yes, '88 RVV was a heart-breaker. A huge Champion.

 

[yaco]

Re: Re:

Dirk is right that the media 'pumps up the tyres' of Aussie riders - I shudder when I hear Keenan ( an excellent commentator ) claim that Howson can finish high up in GC at the TDF - Anyway the two key Australian riders for the upcoming years are Haig (GC ) and Edmondson for the classics.

All countries do that, in all fairness .

For me, Porte, with Sky for "so long", became a Brit in my eyes. And Sky...I don't like the taste.

Australia's a country of jocks, maybe not populated enough to sustain a steady flow of good to great riders. Like Holland in football. But when they're good, the Aussies are really good. I don't worry one bit as it relates to Australian cycling.

My favorite ever? Phil. I was young, he was aggressive on the bike. Yeah...

Seriously Phil Andersen is criminally under-rated by the cycling afficionado's and the wider cycling public in Australia - Sadly Phil is more highly rated in Europe than in Australia - Too mention Gerrans in the same breath as Phil is insulting.

 

[janraaskalt]

Re: Re:

Hindley, Hamilton, and Storer all graduating - while Stannard is ready to fill the immediate void.

Will Mitchelton-Scott continue? Or what team is Stannard joining for 2018?

 

[dirkprovin]

Re: Re:

Hindley, Hamilton, and Storer all graduating - while Stannard is ready to fill the immediate void.

Will Mitchelton-Scott continue? Or what team is Stannard joining for 2018?

Ryan has stated that he will continue funding Mitchelton-Scott for 2018 at least despite the withdrawal of Cycling AUS. As to their 2018 line-up, don't know. Re Stannard; given that he hasn't been announced for any WT teams to date and that he will not turn 20 until next September, one can only think that he will not be making the jump for at least another year.

 

[janraaskalt]

Re: Re:

Ryan has stated that he will continue funding Mitchelton-Scott for 2018 at least despite the withdrawal of Cycling AUS. As to their 2018 line-up, don't know. Re Stannard; given that he hasn't been announced for any WT teams to date and that he will not turn 20 until next September, one can only think that he will not be making the jump for at least another year.

There are also some good CT teams in Australia.

I was also wondering who would replace Hamilton/Hindley/Storer. Strong juniors Seb Berwick and Thomas Jones are joining French u23 team Chambery (AG2Rs devo team).

 

[yaco]

Actually Stannard turned 19 in September - He will need at least one more year in the espoirs before turning pro and probably two years is better - He's super talented and Orica have fallen in love with him - Great choice by Berwick and Jones to go to Chambery - They will be developed well in that team.

 

[Scarponi]

Cadel did ok in the Taiwan KOM though in pro form he would out 20 minutes into everyone bat Nibali

 

[RedheadDane]

Re: Re:

Ryan has stated that he will continue funding Mitchelton-Scott for 2018 at least despite the withdrawal of Cycling AUS. As to their 2018 line-up, don't know. Re Stannard; given that he hasn't been announced for any WT teams to date and that he will not turn 20 until next September, one can only think that he will not be making the jump for at least another year.

Actually Stannard turned 19 in September - He will need at least one more year in the espoirs before turning pro and probably two years is better - He's super talented and Orica have fallen in love with him - Great choice by Berwick and Jones to go to Chambery - They will be developed well in that team.

Aren't you guys essentially saying the same thing? He turned 19 in September, which means that he will turn 20 next September.


Also, for a brief second here I thought you were talking about Ian...

 

[swuzzlebubble]

19yo Maccie Carter to VCP Loudeac next year

 

[The Hegelian]

Re: Re:

Dirk is right that the media 'pumps up the tyres' of Aussie riders - I shudder when I hear Keenan ( an excellent commentator ) claim that Howson can finish high up in GC at the TDF - Anyway the two key Australian riders for the upcoming years are Haig (GC ) and Edmondson for the classics.

All countries do that, in all fairness .

For me, Porte, with Sky for "so long", became a Brit in my eyes. And Sky...I don't like the taste.

Australia's a country of jocks, maybe not populated enough to sustain a steady flow of good to great riders. Like Holland in football. But when they're good, the Aussies are really good. I don't worry one bit as it relates to Australian cycling.

My favorite ever? Phil. I was young, he was aggressive on the bike. Yeah...

Seriously Phil Andersen is criminally under-rated by the cycling afficionado's and the wider cycling public in Australia - Sadly Phil is more highly rated in Europe than in Australia - Too mention Gerrans in the same breath as Phil is insulting.

It's even more amazing when you consider that he basically cut his own pathway to Europe at a time when there were basically no Anglophone riders and definitely no structure to support them.

He just sort of arrived and started racing Hinault in the Tour! And as Tonton pointed out, his palmares is amazingly diverse.

Evans with a WC & TDF has to be the best Aust has produced, but Anderson is number 2 for sure.

Actually I quite like a lot of the 80's Anglo's - Kelly, Lemond, Bauer, Hampsten, Miller. Seemed to have a lot more character then the present brigade......nostalgia, nostalgia.

 

[movingtarget]

Re: Re:

Dirk is right that the media 'pumps up the tyres' of Aussie riders - I shudder when I hear Keenan ( an excellent commentator ) claim that Howson can finish high up in GC at the TDF - Anyway the two key Australian riders for the upcoming years are Haig (GC ) and Edmondson for the classics.

All countries do that, in all fairness .

For me, Porte, with Sky for "so long", became a Brit in my eyes. And Sky...I don't like the taste.

Australia's a country of jocks, maybe not populated enough to sustain a steady flow of good to great riders. Like Holland in football. But when they're good, the Aussies are really good. I don't worry one bit as it relates to Australian cycling.

My favorite ever? Phil. I was young, he was aggressive on the bike. Yeah...

Seriously Phil Andersen is criminally under-rated by the cycling afficionado's and the wider cycling public in Australia - Sadly Phil is more highly rated in Europe than in Australia - Too mention Gerrans in the same breath as Phil is insulting.

It's even more amazing when you consider that he basically cut his own pathway to Europe at a time when there were basically no Anglophone riders and definitely no structure to support them.

He just sort of arrived and started racing Hinault in the Tour! And as Tonton pointed out, his palmares is amazingly diverse.

Evans with a WC & TDF has to be the best Aust has produced, but Anderson is number 2 for sure.

Actually I quite like a lot of the 80's Anglo's - Kelly, Lemond, Bauer, Hampsten, Miller. Seemed to have a lot more character then the present brigade......nostalgia, nostalgia.

That gives you some idea of how tough it was for Oppy in the 30s and Russell Mockridge in the 50s...........Anderson paved the way for the following generation. The French were so surprised by Anderson's performances especially in his first Tour that they started calling him Skippy which was a probably about the only cultural reference they could think of, a TV kangaroo even though Anderson had ridden for French teams as an amateur Hinault had no idea who he was and made it pretty clear that Anderson should not be attacking him.

 

[yaco]

Think you"ll find that Alan Peiper arrived in Europe around the samw time as Andersenn. They were definitely the trail blazers for Aussie cyclists in the 80's. Fun fact. Andersen rode only one professional race in Australia. The Bay Criterium in Geelong.

 

[swuzzlebubble]

Will Bay Crits be back?

 

[movingtarget]

Re:

Think you"ll find that Alan Peiper arrived in Europe around the samw time as Andersenn. They were definitely the trail blazers for Aussie cyclists in the 80's. Fun fact. Andersen rode only one professional race in Australia. The Bay Criterium in Geelong.

Yeah Peiper as well but Anderson was the more successful rider of course. There were a few others and also on the track there was Danny Clark and Don Allen who were successful in Six Day Racing throughout that period.

 

[GenericBoonenFan]

One thing I'll never forgot about Peiper is the footage of him and Planckaert sleeping in one bed during his stay with the Planckaert family.

 

[yaco]

Danny Clark was a gun in 6 day races for over a decade. And of course in Belgium staying in a room in a butcher's shop at the beginning of his career.

 

[movingtarget]

Re:

Danny Clark was a gun in 6 day races for over a decade. And of course in Belgium staying in a room in a butcher's shop at the beginning of his career.

Probably the greatest unknown sportsman in Australia.

 

[yaco]

Re: Re:

Danny Clark was a gun in 6 day races for over a decade. And of course in Belgium staying in a room in a butcher's shop at the beginning of his career.

Probably the greatest unknown sportsman in Australia.

True. It was Peiper who stayed in the Butchers shop.

 

[swuzzlebubble]

Seems Callum Scotson has something sorted for next year
http://espoirs.world/callum-scotson/

 

[yaco]

Reckon Callum needs another year in the under 23's. Will set him up to join the WT in 2019.