Can individuals take part in grand tour and other top pro bike races or is it strictly teams only.

[Cyclopathic]

I understand that without a team one would have next to no chance of winning but just wondered if a team was an essential requirement or if anyone who had proved themselves quick enough could enter. If not in the top flight pro racing are there other categories in which individuals can take part?

 

[palinurus]

No, teams only, by invite from a subset of available teams depending on event with some "wild card" entries. It wasn't always that way, various models have been tried.

 

[Crackle]

I understand that without a team one would have next to no chance of winning but just wondered if a team was an essential requirement or if anyone who had proved themselves quick enough could enter. If not in the top flight pro racing are there other categories in which individuals can take part?

Look back at the history, Cyclopathic: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugène_Christophe, epic stuff.

 

[HovR]

Look back at the history Cyclopathic http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugène_Christophe epic stuff.

This amused me more than it probably should.

However, Christophe was not at first pleased to wear the yellow jersey as he complained that the spectators laughed and told him that he looked like a canary.

 

[festival]

Do you fancy having a go ?

 

[perplexed]

It's a good job for them that they won't let me have a go.

I'd open up a can of whoop ass on them...

 

[cyberknight]

It's a good job for them that they won't let me have a go.

I'd open up a can of Tacks in front of them...

 

[jdtate101]

Does anyone operate a supported grand tour for amateurs? Just curious, but I bet it would be horrifically expensive. I think there's one in South Africa, but don't recall hearing of any in Europe.

 

[Smokin Joe]

Does anyone operate a supported grand tour for amateurs? Just curious, but I bet it would be horrifically expensive. I think there's one in South Africa, but don't recall hearing of any in Europe.

There are no amateurs, the distinction between amateurs and professionals was abolished some years ago.

 

[jdtate101]

There are no amateurs, the distinction between amateurs and professionals was abolished some years ago.

Ok not professionals then, what I'm asking really I guess, is does anyone know of a fully supported Grand Tour Sportive?

 

[Smokin Joe]

Ok not professionals then, what I'm asking really I guess, is does anyone know of a fully supported Grand Tour Sportive?

No, because a sportive isn't a race, it's just a club run with attitude (Although I've been on club runs that were far more competitive than any sportive).

 

[palinurus]

Does anyone operate a supported grand tour for amateurs? Just curious, but I bet it would be horrifically expensive. I think there's one in South Africa, but don't recall hearing of any in Europe.

Wait until January / February and do all the reliability rides in your area.

Those things are murder, they aren't supposed to be races but for some reason they always are.

 

[Dan_h]

If you really feel the desire to ride your bike until you are exhausted you could try something like PBP, I have heard that can get quite competitive at the front! Or how about something like RAAM?

 

[thom]

Ok not professionals then, what I'm asking really I guess, is does anyone know of a fully supported Grand Tour Sportive?

I haven't quite heard of a full grand tour like that but I do know of hardy people cycling the tour one day in advance. These past 2 years a group of Dutch blokes did it and this year a team of I think 6 US ladies did it as part of the "Reve tour". One of them blogged on the peloton website. Both these groups had their own support teams.

I have heard of an amateur week long sportive, the "Haute Route" from Geneva to Nice, (in the spirit of that bloke who drove elephants over the alps). Emma Pooley did it this year as post olympic preparation for the tour de l'ardeche, which she won.

Grand tours really are very hard and damaging to the body so I reckon it's a bit of a danger to run a full sportive. Probably the TdF would be the easiest in the sense that gradients are less severe than the Giro or Vuelta but you can see on Heidi's Swift's blog, they suffered an awful lot.

 

[jdtate101]

If you really feel the desire to ride your bike until you are exhausted you could try something like PBP, I have heard that can get quite competitive at the front! Or how about something like RAAM?

God no I don't want to do 3 weeks of pain! I was just curious if any companies offered something like that.