General News Thread

[RedheadDane]

Weren't there a rule earlier that WT riders couldn't do the U23 races? But it got removed, resulting in much complaining.

 

[Samamba]

Even in the older days, you had Gerald Ciolek winning a bunch sprint in the Deutschland Tour before he became U23 world champion, and Thomas Dekker competing at the Olympics and U23 WC in the same season.

For me the races have never been about crowning the very best U23 riders, so I don't mind a rule change, but only having conti riders sounds like taking it a step too far. Perhaps limiting it to riders who are in the first year at a WT team could be an idea.

There's so many different rules that would eliminate the weird "unfair" cases if they really want to that don't punish other riders that should still have a chance at riding a u23 Worlds. The one you said is an option, no GT participations, no Monument participations, not WT wins, a max number of race days at pro level, I don't know but this is just stupid.

 

[Brullnux]

Ride London "paused" for 2025, to allow for "focus on a full strategic review" so they can "design a new concept". If only the same effort were put into organising races as into the creation of PR gobbledegook.

Prestigious?

 

[yaco]

An excellent decision by the UCI. Go a step further and change the under 23's to under 21's.

 

[Samamba]

An excellent decision by the UCI. Go a step further and change the under 23's to under 21's.

Yeah dude, throw everyone who isn't ready at 21 out of cycling basically. Jesus christ, just think. The amount of talent that would be lost with such a change is insane, and for absolutely no good reason.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Prestigious?

OK, bit of backing the event that is in your country, but in terms of landmarks per kilometre the final stage trumps pretty much everything except possibly the (non 2024) final stage of TdF; it was in the highest category of race possible; it usually attracted more comment here than many other WWT events; and not much wrong with the standard of palmares:

• 2024
  WIEBES Lorena
  KOOL Charlotte
  KOPECKY Lotte
• 2023
  KOOL Charlotte
  DYGERT Chloe
  DEIGNAN Elizabeth
• 2022
  WIEBES Lorena
  BALSAMO Elisa
  NORSGAARD Emma
• 2021
  not run
  
  
• 2020
  not run
  
  
• 2019
  WIEBES Lorena
  BALSAMO Elisa
  LABECKI Coryn
• 2018
  WILD Kirsten
  VOS Marianne
  BALSAMO Elisa
• 2017
  LABECKI Coryn
  HENTTALA Lotta
  BRENNAUER Lisa
• 2016
  WILD Kirsten
  KESSLER Nina
  KIRCHMANN Leah

The parcours left much to be desired (despite passing within 200m of my house), and there was a degree of predictability (final hills in Colchester and Maldon meant that at least is was a sprint that needed to be worked at). It was a keynote event for the British teams, and while not really a main season goal for the top names, they didn't refuse to attend.

So not the word I would have chosen for it, but not unreasonable claim for the press of the nation it is in to make.

 

[yaco]

Yeah dude, throw everyone who isn't ready at 21 out of cycling basically. Jesus christ, just think. The amount of talent that would be lost with such a change is insane, and for absolutely no good reason.

What talent is lost? Riders are entering the pro peleton at an earlier age, so it makes sense to change the age categories. I'd also change the young jersey categories in stage races to under 23.

So for major championships juniors are 16 to 18, and the under 21 is 19 to 21.

 

[Netserk]

Riders on World Tour and Pro Conti teams won't be able to ride the U23 Worlds and European championships from next year

Good. U23 has always been a fake category, but it serves well to develop young riders. Pros don't need to play in the sandbox. This should also strengthen the official development teams.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

What talent is lost? Riders are entering the pro peleton at an earlier age, so it makes sense to change the age categories. I'd also change the young jersey categories in stage races to under 23.

So for major championships juniors are 16 to 18, and the under 21 is 19 to 21.

For your information, 47 riders who were third- or fourth-year U23s last year made their pro debuts this year, including the likes of Ryan, Busatto, Foldager, Lamperti, Lecerf, Staune-Mittet and De Pretto. Do tell me where those riders should have gone to develop last year had they been ineligible for the U23 category. And don't argue they should have gone to a random continental team, you know as well as I do that the facilities there tend to be nowhere near what they are on the better U23 teams.

 

[yaco]

For your information, 47 riders who were third- or fourth-year U23s last year made their pro debuts this year, including the likes of Ryan, Busatto, Foldager, Lamperti, Lecerf, Staune-Mittet and De Pretto. Do tell me where those riders should have gone to develop last year had they been ineligible for the U23 category. And don't argue they should have gone to a random continental team, you know as well as I do that the facilities there tend to be nowhere near what they are on the better U23 teams.

My original post was referring to the Under 23 World's Championship and the UCI excluding WP and Pro-Conti riders from competing in this category. I am in full agreement with this decision. I then extrapolated that as younger riders are entering the peleton, then you could consider a change to the age categories for both major championship and for the young riders jersey in the pro peleton. Hence, my suggestion for the under 23 category at major championhips to consider changing it to under 21's, and in the WT changing the young jersey's to under 23.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

My original post was referring to the Under 23 World's Championship and the UCI excluding WP and Pro-Conti riders from competing in this category. I am in full agreement with this decision. I then extrapolated that as younger riders are entering the peleton, then you could consider a change to the age categories for both major championship and for the young riders jersey in the pro peleton. Hence, my suggestion for the under 23 category at major championhips to consider changing it to under 21's, and in the WT changing the young jersey's to under 23.

You can move the goalposts all you want, but your previous posts very much read like they're referring to the U23 category as a whole.

It also makes zero sense to keep every current U23 race open to third- and fourth-year U23s, except for the championships.

 

[yaco]

You can move the goalposts all you want, but your previous posts very much read like they're referring to the U23 category as a whole.

It also makes zero sense to keep every current U23 race open to third- and fourth-year U23s, except for the championships.

Hence my suggestion for the junior category for major championshipsto be 16 to 18 and the under 21 from 19-21. There will still be development teams that accept riders up to 23, so no-one will lose opportunities.

 

[Brullnux]

OK, bit of backing the event that is in your country, but in terms of landmarks per kilometre the final stage trumps pretty much everything except possibly the (non 2024) final stage of TdF; it was in the highest category of race possible; it usually attracted more comment here than many other WWT events; and not much wrong with the standard of palmares:

• 2024
  WIEBES Lorena
  KOOL Charlotte
  KOPECKY Lotte
• 2023
  KOOL Charlotte
  DYGERT Chloe
  DEIGNAN Elizabeth
• 2022
  WIEBES Lorena
  BALSAMO Elisa
  NORSGAARD Emma
• 2021
  not run
  
  
• 2020
  not run
  
  
• 2019
  WIEBES Lorena
  BALSAMO Elisa
  LABECKI Coryn
• 2018
  WILD Kirsten
  VOS Marianne
  BALSAMO Elisa
• 2017
  LABECKI Coryn
  HENTTALA Lotta
  BRENNAUER Lisa
• 2016
  WILD Kirsten
  KESSLER Nina
  KIRCHMANN Leah

The parcours left much to be desired (despite passing within 200m of my house), and there was a degree of predictability (final hills in Colchester and Maldon meant that at least is was a sprint that needed to be worked at). It was a keynote event for the British teams, and while not really a main season goal for the top names, they didn't refuse to attend.

So not the word I would have chosen for it, but not unreasonable claim for the press of the nation it is in to make.

No, you're right, the women's race has become pretty prestigious with a consistently good startlist. I was being harsh

 

[Netserk]

I think it's an advantage that U23 has twice the cohorts of juniors. It allows greater depth and for the strongest first-year U23 riders to be up against much stronger opposition than in the junior category. As the greatest talents leave the category early, the addition of the two older cohorts effectively levels the playing field somewhat.

 

[Unchained]

Chevron Announces Headquarters Relocation and Senior Leadership Changes

Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) today announced the relocation of the company’s headquarters from San Ramon, California, to Houston, Texas, and senior leadership changes.

www.chevron.com

We can only hope this doesn't impact the multiple events that Chevron sponsors, including Manhattan Beach Gran Prix and all the velodrome support the company has provided for many decades!! Chevron sponsors many events including triathlon and running events as well as bike events and racing.
Manhattan Beach Gran Prix..61st anniversary edition this year!!!

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

No Civiglio in Il Lombardia

Giro di Lombardia senza Civiglio, il sindaco: «Da lì non si passa»

Nessuna deroga in vita della gara in programma il 12 ottobre

www.laprovinciadicomo.it

But no evidence that the routes currently shown in Tweets are anything other than "Well I guess this is an option in that case"

Edit: I see now that the newspaper article is three weeks old, so old news, but some Twitter activity over a La Flamme Rouge prediction last night:

That was the guess that got many Twitterers irate: This is the actual route, announced this morning:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1835983325472723335

View: https://x.com/laflammerouge16/status/1835983325472723335

Happier?

 

[Mayomaniac]

That was the guess that got many Twitterers irate: This is the actual route, announced this morning:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1835983325472723335

View: https://x.com/laflammerouge16/status/1835983325472723335

Happier?

Still lacks the Muro di Sormano, because Bambi.

 

[Mayomaniac]

So the 2028 Olympics are supposed to take place from the 14th on July until the 30th, ruining the plans of of ASO for the Tour.
That said, Tour in August and the Giro just a bit later than usual wouldn't be bad at all...

 

[ashhutch1997]

Still lacks the Muro di Sormano, because Bambi.

They surley will go back to Sormano at some point? There are much worse decsents that are used. IMO the route from 2018 was the best. As far as Bergamo, the 2016 route was savage.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Not as bad as triple San Fermo, but still among the worst iterations of Lombardia in the past ten years.

They should also just put up 10 metres of netting on that one curve of the side of Sormano you descend from the Muro if that's what it takes to reintroduce it, the rest of it is completely unproblematic.

 

[Berniece]

So the 2028 Olympics are supposed to take place from the 14th on July until the 30th, ruining the plans of of ASO for the Tour.
That said, Tour in August and the Giro just a bit later than usual wouldn't be bad at all...

Might ruin plans for a lot of things. UCI eventually decides the calendar. Maybe IOC can push the road race to the end of the month, which gives TDF more time, for example to finish TDF the 16th of July 2028.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Might ruin plans for a lot of things. UCI eventually decides the calendar. Maybe IOC can push the road race to the end of the month, which gives TDF more time, for example to finish TDF the 16th of July 2028.

I think they are also worried about TV ratings, mainly international ones, if the Olympics take place at the same time.

 

[pastronef]

Might ruin plans for a lot of things. UCI eventually decides the calendar. Maybe IOC can push the road race to the end of the month, which gives TDF more time, for example to finish TDF the 16th of July 2028.

also, the Euro 2028 Football champs end on July 9th
tbf Los Angeles is in a different time zone (9 hours) than Europe. all the competitions will not clash with the TDF stages

 

[Ricco']

tbf Los Angeles is in a different time zone (9 hours) than Europe. all the competitions will not clash with the TDF stages

Mainstream media will clash. Hold it at the same time and the first events of the olympic day will start at 17h00 C.E.T. (TdF finishes usually end around 17h30). I don't think public broadcasters want to have a full day of live sports. Plus, advertising revenues would be cramped into the same days, instead of being able to receive good adversiting revenues from a more extended period of time. Unless ASO want to sell their TV rights for the same price they would be sold 20 years ago, the value of them would diminish if it would clash with the olympics.

Not to speak of TV crews in location. I don't know how much this is valued by ASO but the trend is more and more to cut on the number of on site reporters and technical personnel. With Football Euros, Olympics and the TdF (this one significantly less than in the past, but I believe it still has a lot of international crews that report on site) occupying roughly the same spot on the calendar will lead to some networks to cut on the allocation of resources and between the three of them, TdF has the shortest straw.

 

[RedheadDane]

tbf Los Angeles is in a different time zone (9 hours) than Europe. all the competitions will not clash with the TDF stages

Still gonna be a logistic nightmare for any riders who might want to do both if the cycling is in the middle of the TdF.