Armchair cyclist
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The answer to the OP seems to be Boris Johnson.
Who has presumably been bending Pat McQuaid's ear this week.
Who has presumably been bending Pat McQuaid's ear this week.
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Swifty's Cakes said:Going to be 1.1 on its first edition. Money talks eh?
Swifty's Cakes said:Going to be 1.1 on its first edition. Money talks eh?
CobbleStoner said:where did those brits find balls big enough to call their race a Classic before it has ever been raced?
I sure hope it doesn't get 1.1, that needs to be earned, especially now days when pro tour teams have to show up to stay in the pro tour, stupid and bad for cycling.
just retire Pat
Libertine Seguros said:With the exception of the Clasica San Sebastián, a general rule of thumb is that if the race has the name "Classic" in the title, it isn't one.
Waterloo Sunrise said:More worthy of comment on that post was the misunderstanding of the term 1.1
Libertine Seguros said:With the exception of the Clasica San Sebastián, a general rule of thumb is that if the race has the name "Classic" in the title, it isn't one.
my mistake, thanks for clearing that upWaterloo Sunrise said:More worthy of comment on that post was the misunderstanding of the term 1.1
Cult Classics said:The Leeds/Brighton/Rochester classic died a death in the mid 90s and the world cup race went to Hamburg instead, mostly because nobody cared. But the crowds yesterday were unlike anything I've ever seen in a bike race before, and given the wave of cycling euphoria now I think the UK could handle a single day race every year.
Libertine Seguros said:
That's the profile of the 2005 Leeds-Sheffield stage. At 150km or so it's not long enough to be a classic, but add a run-in either as a Sheffield-Leeds-Sheffield, or going to Leeds from York or Manchester, and maybe a circuit or two at the end to make the final climbs a bit further from the finish (plus the finishing circuit would inevitably be bumpy).
There, you've got an interesting parcours, a few climbs but solid classics men will still be there at the finish (that stage was won by Luca Paolini, but Russell Downing was 3rd and a very young Geraint Thomas made the top 10). Extend it out with those options to 200-210km and you're linking big cities that mean you should be able to attract a pretty good crowd.
The minus side of course is that it decreases the likelihood of the popular home winner, which the prospective organisers of a British major one day race may cling to in order to establish itself with the British public (as opposed to the establishing itself with the cycling community - after all, one of the main ways to generate prestige is to make the fans AND the riders care about it).
Libertine Seguros said:The question is not about whether people would go if they organised it now. It is pretty clear that they would. It's about would they go in five, ten, fifteen years' time? After all, we know and the organisers know that they can't rely on crowds like the Olympics even in the best intentions with the best organised event with the best possible field. The Olympics bring something else entirely.
Libertine Seguros said:
That's the profile of the 2005 Leeds-Sheffield stage. At 150km or so it's not long enough to be a classic, but add a run-in either as a Sheffield-Leeds-Sheffield, or going to Leeds from York or Manchester, and maybe a circuit or two at the end to make the final climbs a bit further from the finish (plus the finishing circuit would inevitably be bumpy).
There, you've got an interesting parcours, a few climbs but solid classics men will still be there at the finish (that stage was won by Luca Paolini, but Russell Downing was 3rd and a very young Geraint Thomas made the top 10). Extend it out with those options to 200-210km and you're linking big cities that mean you should be able to attract a pretty good crowd.
The minus side of course is that it decreases the likelihood of the popular home winner, which the prospective organisers of a British major one day race may cling to in order to establish itself with the British public (as opposed to the establishing itself with the cycling community - after all, one of the main ways to generate prestige is to make the fans AND the riders care about it).
User Guide said:Theres more "classic" type climbs around area of the oxenhope climb than anywhere ive ever been including cobbled climbs that would have anything in flanders pulling up its skirt and running check out shibden wall or thwaites brow
Must be 20 probably even more 2km @ 10% with serious ramps(20%+) within 5 miles of Hebden Bridge
MartinGT said:Mytholm Steeps too!