GB Track Team

[JimmyFingers]

He rides for Rapha Condor Sharp, not sure how much he enjoys it but he definitely rides professionally on the road. He has been focusing on the track recently but he may turn his attention to the road now his part in the Olympics are over. Or not, only he knows....

 

[Fearless Greg Lemond]

He rides for Rapha Condor Sharp, not sure how much he enjoys it but he definitely rides professionally on the road. He has been focusing on the track recently but he may turn his attention to the road now his part in the Olympics are over. Or not, only he knows....

It was of course a bit of a joke. Clancy's main - or should we say only results - have come from track. If he would have had any road talent he would have followed Cavendish' 'wheel' back in the day.

Thomas and the freak are Sky's road future.

 

[King Boonen]

He rides for Rapha Condor Sharp, not sure how much he enjoys it but he definitely rides professionally on the road. He has been focusing on the track recently but he may turn his attention to the road now his part in the Olympics are over. Or not, only he knows....

He does, but he's known to dislike it. He'll sit in the pack and come out to take the win at the end. He's said before he has no real interest in road riding, but if he wants to earn a reasonable living he has to ride road as well as track, hence his riding for RCS.

I wouldn't put it past him giving road a proper try, but unless he has a serious change in attitude towards it he won't do too well.

 

[JimmyFingers]

He does, but he's known to dislike it. He'll sit in the pack and come out to take the win at the end. He's said before he has no real interest in road riding, but if he wants to earn a reasonable living he has to ride road as well as track, hence his riding for RCS.

I wouldn't put it past him giving road a proper try, but unless he has a serious change in attitude towards it he won't do too well.

Fair dos, chances are he'll stick to the track then, perhaps joined there by Cavendish and Wiggins for the Rio team pursuit

 

[180mmCrank]

Clancy doesn't like riding on the road, so he won't be any.

I too was ignoring the sarcasm.

All the GB Academy guys are pushed (expected) to ride on the road as part of their development. Clancy talked about this in an interview this morning on BBC Breakfast.

T

 

[JimmyFingers]

Clancy towers over the rest of the riders on the road, taller and about twice as broad. definitely at the moment built for the track

 

[King Boonen]

Fair dos, chances are he'll stick to the track then, perhaps joined there by Cavendish and Wiggins for the Rio team pursuit

I think Cav just got caught up in the moment, I don't reckon he'll return to track. Any team other than Sky would be pretty hostile to it as well I think.

 

[Caruut]

I think Cav just got caught up in the moment, I don't reckon he'll return to track. Any team other than Sky would be pretty hostile to it as well I think.

I think that depends on the sponsor. If they have something they want to sell in the UK, giving Cav freedom to ride a couple of high-profile track events would be a great way to get some publicity.

 

[King Boonen]

I think that depends on the sponsor. If they have something they want to sell in the UK, giving Cav freedom to ride a couple of high-profile track events would be a great way to get some publicity.

Maybe, but to make the GB team pursuit squad would probably take at least two years training from his current position with significant time away from the road. Track cycling coverage in the UK is awful except for the Olympics, whereas Cav is guaranteed to make it somewhere into the back pages somewhere winning Grand Tour sprints. I can't see many teams letting him do it other than Sky. Plus Cav makes the papers in road cycling friendly countries winning sprints, he won't on the track.

 

[JimmyFingers]

I think Cav just got caught up in the moment, I don't reckon he'll return to track. Any team other than Sky would be pretty hostile to it as well I think.

It does come accross as a knee-jerk, emotive response to be emersed in the Olympics and seeing the GB sucess on the track. That said he was the only member of the track team not to win a medal in 2008. After that Madison he was furious with Bradley and the two of them didn't speak for months. Famously on the flight home the team members with medals got upgraded so someone slipped him a bronze and he tried to blag his way into business class and a stewardess recognised and stopped, saying 'you didn't win a medal'. Ouch.

What I am saying that the Olympics are massive unfinished business for Cav. He had hoped to lay this to rest in the road race but that failed miserably. I think he wants that Olympic glory and would be prepared to go back to the track to do it. He doesn't have to do it straight away so he could certainly sign a 3 year contract with someone like Quickstep, honour that and then return to the track for a year before Rio, much like Geraint has done.

 

[Benotti69]

Whatever juice TeamGB are on you can bet most of the other Feds are gonna being finding out one way or another and getting their programs up and running.

 

[Caruut]

Maybe, but to make the GB team pursuit squad would probably take at least two years training from his current position with significant time away from the road. Track cycling coverage in the UK is awful except for the Olympics, whereas Cav is guaranteed to make it somewhere into the back pages somewhere winning Grand Tour sprints. I can't see many teams letting him do it other than Sky. Plus Cav makes the papers in road cycling friendly countries winning sprints, he won't on the track.

I would have thought that the omnium would be better for him. More crossover with his road career, less dedicated training. Also crucially, GB didn't get a gold in it. It's quite hard to make a case for your inclusion in a world-record setting squad, but Clancy was caught quite short in several of the events in the omnium.

 

[Morbius]

and then return to the track for a year before Rio, much like Geraint has done.

I think he would need to still be at Sky to do that.

It looks like Thomas has had a full year on the track, with his salary paid by Sky. It's the sort of unique but completely legal advantage that GB has had for these Olympics, because no other country can afford to have an established road pro dedicate himself like this. In other sports they call it 'financial doping'.

 

[King Boonen]

I think he would need to still be at Sky to do that.

It looks like Thomas has had a full year on the track, with his salary paid by Sky. It's the sort of unique but completely legal advantage that GB has had for these Olympics, because no other country can afford to have an established road pro dedicate himself like this. In other sports they call it 'financial doping'.

Fair point, what about Bobridge and Hepburn?

 

[Avoriaz]

Pretty sure the French sprinters are sponsored by Cofidis. Slightly different to Thomas perhaps, but some pro teams do have track programmes. Other sports can call it what they like, but it is hardly financial "doping".

 

[Caruut]

I do wonder how long the UK are going to keep throwing money at Brailsford. With British winners of the TdF, Giro and Tour stages, the WC and the Olympic ITT, he has achieved a lot of his goals on the road. On the track, his team have absolutely dominated too. Now that so much of what he is doing is going to be maintaining success rather than breaking new ground, the temptation to throw money at him will decrease - I think Brailsford is going to have to start delivering value for money . It will be interesting to see if he is quite so good without a monster budget.

 

[King Boonen]

I do wonder how long the UK are going to keep throwing money at Brailsford. With British winners of the TdF, Giro and Tour stages, the WC and the Olympic ITT, he has achieved a lot of his goals on the road. On the track, his team have absolutely dominated too. Now that so much of what he is doing is going to be maintaining success rather than breaking new ground, the temptation to throw money at him will decrease - I think Brailsford is going to have to start delivering value for money . It will be interesting to see if he is quite so good without a monster budget.

Do we know that he isn't currently delivering value for money?

 

[JimmyFingers]

I think he would need to still be at Sky to do that.

It looks like Thomas has had a full year on the track, with his salary paid by Sky. It's the sort of unique but completely legal advantage that GB has had for these Olympics, because no other country can afford to have an established road pro dedicate himself like this. In other sports they call it 'financial doping'.

That said he rode the Tour Down Under, Paris-Nce, Romandie and the Giro this year, so more like a half-year schedule

 

[Morbius]

That said he rode the Tour Down Under, Paris-Nce, Romandie and the Giro this year, so more like a half-year schedule

but he performed like someone who was riding those races to build endurance, rather than someone who was expected to deliver results (apart from the prologue)

 

[JimmyFingers]

I would have thought that the omnium would be better for him. More crossover with his road career, less dedicated training. Also crucially, GB didn't get a gold in it. It's quite hard to make a case for your inclusion in a world-record setting squad, but Clancy was caught quite short in several of the events in the omnium.

+ 1 he should be brilliant at the Omnium, given his endurance, explosive sprinting and decent short-distance time trialing ability. Might have to learn how to get into a break though

 

[Morbius]

New Zealand endurance coach Dayle Cheatley:
"How can other countries compete? Well, there is a big budget gap with what our set-up has, so it is very difficult. I can't really comment on the Australia track programme but it is public knowledge about how much the funding that the GB programme gets. All credit to them, though. They use the money wisely, and they get the results.
"With Team Sky as well, the British have put a superb all-round cycling system together. Naturally we would like to do it too but it is just not possible.

Italy's track cycling head coach Marco Villa
"In Italy we also have good young riders but we lose them to the road teams. We have to show to our young riders what the British are doing - they work for the Olympics every four years but they are professional road racers too."

 

[JimmyFingers]

but he performed like someone who was riding those races to build endurance, rather than someone who was expected to deliver results (apart from the prologue)

Debatable: he rode them like a domestique, rather than a more leading role as puncheur or even overall. In the Giro he was Cav's main lead out man. I agree he was using them to build in endurance, but he was doing a job too.

 

[Paco_P]

Yes. it is... Brites have always cheated in ever single aspect of life, didnt you know ?? (haha)

Dwain Chambers.

 

[Morbius]

In the Giro he was Cav's main lead out man

A bit different from leading Uran up the Galibier

 

[Catwhoorg]

Do we know that he isn't currently delivering value for money?

Some comparisons. (2011/2012 data from the UK sport annual report)
thousands of pounds
Cycling Athletes 869
Cycling federation 4096

Rowing Athletes 1432
Rowing federation 3373

Athletics Athletes 1501
Athletics federation 2226 (down heavily from 2010-11)

Boxing Athletes 513
Boxing Federation 1035

Swimming Athletes 1717
Swimming Federation 5341

Cycling currently has 8 medals (3 road 5 track) and should get another 3 or more

Rowing has 9 medals (done)

Athletics has 4 currently - should double that at least

Boxing has none (and I'm not sure of what prospects there are)

Swimming has 3 medals (done)


It may not be the absolute best for medals/investment (I think gymnastics will nab that) but certainly cycling is going to right up there.

That is if 'value for money' is taken as Olympic medals

(Cycling does a whole lot of development of talent, keeping the pipeline full for future medals as well. Arguably better than any other federation in the UK right now)