Endura Racing

[Reverend_T_Preedy]

After years of maoning that the British based teams don't compete on the continent often enough, it would appear that Endura are stepping up another gear this season and will have a much more continental stage race programme this season. As well as the Tour de San Luis starting today, their schedule is belived to include the following:
Tour of the Mediterranean (9-13 February)
The Tour de Mumbai (February 11)
The Mumbai Tour II (13 February)
Tour de Haut Var (19-20 February)
Tour of Normandy (21-27 March)
Coppi-Bartali Week (22-26 March)
Tour de Bretagne(April 25-May 1
Tallinn-Tartu GP (27 May)
SEB Tartu GP (May 28)
Tour of Serbia (13-18 June)

Pending confirmation, they are also down to race the Vuelta a Murcia and Vuelta a Asturias.

It already looks a great early season schedule which will be interesting to see how they will cope.

This seasons team will be:
Alexander Wetterhall
Alexandre Blain
Callum Wilkinson
Chris Pritchard (Track and Tour Series)
Dave Clarke
Evan Oliphant
Ian Wilkinson
Iker Camaño Ortuzar
Jack Anderson
Jack Bauer
James Moss
Maarten de Jonge
Oli Beckingsale (MTB)
Paul Voß
Rene Mandri
Rob Hayles
Rob Partridge
Scott Thwaites

Their race schedule and increased investment indicates that they might aim for ProContinental status within a couple of years. Intersting developments anyway.

Any thoughts?

 

[taiwan]

Paul Voss and Alexander Wetterhall were good signings, both made favourable impressions last year.

Any thoughts?

Jack Bauer's name is Jack Bauer. [titter]

 

[mortand]

Hopefully Rene Mandri can kickstart his career. His last couple of seasons have been nightmarish, lots of injuries, lots of DNF's. He's too interesting and versatile a rider to just disappear.

 

[euanli]

Brian Smith is really helping the project. It think it will be a slow burner, but they will get there eventually.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

they have some good names but average team. none are exceptional climbers, itt guys or sprinters. don't see them win a thing unless it's from breakways or mandri finally breaks through

 

[Reverend_T_Preedy]

they have some good names but average team. none are exceptional climbers, itt guys or sprinters. don't see them win a thing unless it's from breakways or mandri finally breaks through

I agree that there are no superstars but for a continental team in only its second proper year (they had a very small team before 2010) they have developed nicely. If they pick their races well (stage races with ITT's) then with the likes of Voss, Jack Anderson, Weterhall and Bauer.

Ian Wilkinson is a reasonable sprinter and you never know what you might see from Camano, Mandri or Blain. Watch out for Dave Clarke as well. Decent climber but very, very strong. This is a great opportunity for him and he is the type of rider to win from a breakaway.

They also have a track sprinter called Chris Pritchard who will be riding the Tour Series (UK series of crits) and he should get them a few sprint victories. Be interesting to see if he attempts some more road racing over the next few years.

 

[Fester]

What happened to Ross Creber? Did they drop him?

 

[Sum_of_Marc]

Its great to see a British domestic team take a more active approach to racing on Europe - and hopefully they will contain to maintain a decent British rider presence in future years.

Rob Partidge was particularly impressive at the Tour of Britain, while its great that David Clarke will also have this opportunity to a race at a higher level. And theyve signed with with their non-Brits, some good talent there with the likes of Bauer, Wetterhall, Voss, etc.

But Id be very surprised if Pritchard does as well as you seem to be expecting - for this year at least. The change from track sprinter to road sprinter isnt easy, Theo Bos is slowly managing it - and he was one of the best track sprinters in the world - Chris Pritchard's only international track cycling experience is the Commonwealth Games.

 

[Anonymous]

I agree that there are no superstars but for a continental team in only its second proper year (they had a very small team before 2010) they have developed nicely. If they pick their races well (stage races with ITT's) then with the likes of Voss, Jack Anderson, Weterhall and Bauer.

I really like the way endura have been doing things, slowly improving the team, slowly attending bigger races. Good balance of experience and younger riders.

Really down to them to make an impact in some of the races they are attending this year. If they can get guys in breaks in murcia, med etc then they could get a lot more invites next year.

Brian Smith i believe has a fair few contacts in europe. He is invaluable to them.

 

[stefrees]

Looking forward to seeing what happens with them. Paul voss is out injured for start of season I think?

 

[ingsve]

I was a bit worried when Wetterhall signed with Endura because I thought it would be a step back from the program they rode with Bäckstedts Team Sprocket but when I first saw their race program I was very delighted. It looks like they'll be able to ride a good program of smaller *.1 races and good 2.2 races.

 

[Reverend_T_Preedy]

What happened to Ross Creber? Did they drop him?

No idea. Not on their rider list and can't find out anything about him. I know some went into the development team but I don't think he did. Will try and find out

 

[Reverend_T_Preedy]

But Id be very surprised if Pritchard does as well as you seem to be expecting - for this year at least. The change from track sprinter to road sprinter isnt easy, Theo Bos is slowly managing it - and he was one of the best track sprinters in the world - Chris Pritchard's only international track cycling experience is the Commonwealth Games.

I think he'll handle the Tour Series OK. He does a lot of training on the road he could make an impact in tha form of racing. I don't think he'll switch to the road, if he ever will, till after 2012. One to watch to see what he can do. I'm not sure if he'll make a top draw continental sprinter but in the UK races he could be OK.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

they have some good names but average team. none are exceptional climbers, itt guys or sprinters. don't see them win a thing unless it's from breakways or mandri finally breaks through

They may not win much, but the problem that Sky have had is that British domestic riders don't really have any stage racing experience of any great length or difficulty. There are no exceptional climbers on the Endura roster, but how are they meant to learn to climb on the British domestic calendar? The only good climbers Britain has ever produced have been natural born climbers who just happened to be from Britain, like Robert Millar. But on the current UK calendar, there's no way for them to even discover a rider with that talent.

 

[Bromers]

They may not win much, but the problem that Sky have had is that British domestic riders don't really have any stage racing experience of any great length or difficulty. There are no exceptional climbers on the Endura roster, but how are they meant to learn to climb on the British domestic calendar? The only good climbers Britain has ever produced have been natural born climbers who just happened to be from Britain, like Robert Millar. But on the current UK calendar, there's no way for them to even discover a rider with that talent.

Hit the nail on the head there.

 

[taiwan]

...the problem that Sky have had is that British domestic riders don't really have any stage racing experience of any great length or difficulty.

Well Sky should solve that problem by it's existence as a Pro Team, but I still don't see any home grown climbing specialists on there (unless you count Froome, Augustyn).

 

[ingsve]

Well Sky should solve that problem by it's existence as a Pro Team, but I still don't see any home grown climbing specialists on there (unless you count Froome, Augustyn).

Well, I think Kennaugh seems like a natural climbing talent though had he been from a diffrent country it would perhaps have been more apparent since he would have been training more like a climber rather than a trackie during his later teens.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Well Sky should solve that problem by it's existence as a Pro Team, but I still don't see any home grown climbing specialists on there (unless you count Froome, Augustyn).

But how did those guys start to be known for climbing? By riding for a ProContinental team that did some hilly and mountainous stage races. When people come out of the UK's academy, they aren't yet the finished product, ready for the ProTour, unless they're something incredibly special. Even Mark Cavendish spent a year with Team Nutrixxion-Sparkasse honing his craft. If a rider doesn't get plucked straight from the Academy to the ProTeam Sky, then where do they go? Either to a UK domestic calendar with little to no stage racing or tricky terrain, or to the continent like Faiers or Blythe, whereupon they have far less feeling of obligation to British Cycling, and thereby, because of the muddied link between them, Team Sky.

And even if you DO go straight to Team Sky, how do you learn you're a climber? You'll probably just be stuck in minor races at first anyway, not much different to the races you'd be doing with Endura, but with fewer opportunities to ride for yourself and show what you can do.

 

[euanli]

The only good climbers Britain has ever produced have been natural born climbers who just happened to be from Britain, like Robert Millar. But on the current UK calendar, there's no way for them to even discover a rider with that talent.

To be fair, there are four or five climbs that are of a decent gradient and 3-5miles long here that I've heard that Millar would spend hours on as a teenager just doing hill repeat after hill repeat. It was something he worked on hard.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

And how often are they used in British stage races? You can practice on a climb all you like, it's never the same as racing on it.

 

[euanli]

Not enough, ie not at all.

But he got his reputation as a climber from from doing the British Champs at the Isle of Mann. That got him recommended for the amateur team in France and so on. He wanted to be a Pro and worked on his strength. Its possible to be a natural climber in this country and push that talent as a youngster.

But you are right, there are not enough stage races in this country. More stage races, more Continental and Pro Continental teams we get. I'd love to see Tesco sponsor more than just the Midlands Classic and properly push something here.

If I was an enterprising promoter I would be jumping on that right now. I think if someone starts one then Sky will get in on the business and possibly others huge British businesses like Asda.

Not that BC and Sky shouldn't be trying to do that already, but BC is still firmly stuck on the track for that.

 

[ingsve]

Just as a comparison, how is the US domestic circuit at identifying climbers at an early age? With all the crits they do on that circuit I would suspect they have a little of the same problem right?

 

[roundabout]

There's Gila and Utah and other races

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

They may not win much, but the problem that Sky have had is that British domestic riders don't really have any stage racing experience of any great length or difficulty. There are no exceptional climbers on the Endura roster, but how are they meant to learn to climb on the British domestic calendar? The only good climbers Britain has ever produced have been natural born climbers who just happened to be from Britain, like Robert Millar. But on the current UK calendar, there's no way for them to even discover a rider with that talent.

the british talents always go out with u23 squads especially to italy where they get squashed big time on every hill and mountain, pls look up giro bio and avenir it was downright pathetic, so any guys less than that will be dropped even harder, the endura brits last year sucked so hard they didn't deserve to be racing the pro peloton except for some exceptions who have stayed for this year mostly. britain have little to no roadtalent of any significance except maybe peter kennaugh but he had a bad first year as a pro.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Just as a comparison, how is the US domestic circuit at identifying climbers at an early age? With all the crits they do on that circuit I would suspect they have a little of the same problem right?

there are MANY stage races in the us, also most american pro riders are all from (boulder) colorado which says enough, that's in high altitude.