Agree with ORM's earlier comment. Thwaites is a versatile rider who could fill a variety of roles. He rides well in the wind (eg lead group on that horrible day at G-W a couple of years back) and had a strong classics season. He has an excellent record of finishing long races. He has finished his last half dozen races of 250k ish including the likes of Roubaix, Flanders and last years Worlds. In contrast some of the presumed lead out men, Adam Blythe, has a very poor record of finishing long races and Dan McLay is inexperienced at this level and has only gone over 250k once and DNF'd. If these guys do not survive the distance, Thwaites may have to step in as part of the lead out, a job he has been doing at NetApp and Bora for the last 4 years. He is clearly well regarded given half a dozen WT teams were looking to sign him inc.Sky.
UCI Road World Championships Doha 2016
- Thread starter brommers
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brommers
Years beyond my wisdom
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You're obviously more knowledgeable than me, but where did you get that information from? and what stopped them?
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Contacts in the system.
He believes given chances he can continue to improve in the Classics so does not want to be at a team where he is permanent domestique.
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brommers
Years beyond my wisdom
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Bora - Argon are currently a PC team that will become Bora - Hansgrohe in the WT and according to FirstCycling Thwaites hasn't got a ride yet for 2017, have you heard anything different yet Lyn?
Pro Tour Punditry
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Back to back World Champs? Paolo Bettini won in, I think, 2006 and 2007 or was it 2007 and 2008?.
And I am fairly sure there must have been others, names that spring to mind as possibles are Van Steenbergen, Schotte, Binda, Bugno, van Looy - I'll have a look when I get home, at work just now having a "clear my head visit to cyclechat" (or that's what I'll tell the boss
) and a lot of the sites which would give me the answer are blocked.As I said he had plenty of offers. He's predominantly a Classics rider. Logically if you go to a strong Classics team, you need them more than they need you, whereas a weaker Classics team may value you more financially, given what you can bring and place you higher in the pecking order as well. I believe that was his thinking and given he had options it was the way he went. He's sorted, as are a number of other guys who are still listed as available, because there has been no official announcement.by the acquiring team.Riders are often told to keep quiet until a formal announcement is made.
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brommers
Years beyond my wisdom
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If anyone's interested
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brommers
Years beyond my wisdom
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After all the talk about whether Greipel or Kittel would go to the Worlds - they're both going - two sprinters from a team of six!
mjr
Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
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It seems like quite a few teams are going sprinter-heavy so maybe there will be enough countries working together to bring the breakaway back.
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brommers
Years beyond my wisdom
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brommers
Years beyond my wisdom
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Paris - Tours is on next Sunday. Would it be feasible for the sprinters that are not involved in the TTT to race this? The course is as flat as a board and a week ahead of the World's road race.
In recent memory this has been one out of a select group not a bunch sprint, but I guess it is possible.
Although they would be better off acclimatizing I think.
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brommers
Years beyond my wisdom
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Just seen the start list and nearly all the top sprinters are there
http://www.procyclingstats.com/race/Paris_Tours_Elite_2016_Startlist
Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
Cav's poorly
From http://www.radsport-news.com/sport/sportnews_101005.htm via Google Translate
Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) was forced to cancel the launch of the Münsterland Giro on Sunday. A gastrointestinal infection stops the British and is now also a question mark behind the World Cup ambitions in Qatar. That explained Cavendish Dimension Data Team manager Rolf Aldag radsport-news.com before starting the Münsterland Giro.
"He should, and wanted to start here and had a flight," said Aldag. "But he (the editor's note on 25 September) after 70 kilometers exited completely flat at the GP Beghelli. Then he went to the doctor and is six days down no wheel with gastrointestinal problems. Since it is also for the World Cup now a bit thin. There are day-to-day decisions, whether it moves Paris-Bourges and Paris-Tours. If not, then you can actually almost kink. "
From http://www.radsport-news.com/sport/sportnews_101005.htm via Google Translate
Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) was forced to cancel the launch of the Münsterland Giro on Sunday. A gastrointestinal infection stops the British and is now also a question mark behind the World Cup ambitions in Qatar. That explained Cavendish Dimension Data Team manager Rolf Aldag radsport-news.com before starting the Münsterland Giro.
"He should, and wanted to start here and had a flight," said Aldag. "But he (the editor's note on 25 September) after 70 kilometers exited completely flat at the GP Beghelli. Then he went to the doctor and is six days down no wheel with gastrointestinal problems. Since it is also for the World Cup now a bit thin. There are day-to-day decisions, whether it moves Paris-Bourges and Paris-Tours. If not, then you can actually almost kink. "
