@Ron

Yes, creative excuses are the best. IIRC didn’t JTL say he’d had some serious all-weekend booze binge and that might have been  why his passport values were off?

Pretty much. Claimed that the values are consistent with extreme dehydration resulting from a monster hangover. Right.

In their decision, the judges noted that it doesn’t quite convince them that a neo-pro would celebrate his selection for the Worlds roster by going on a binge three days before the race.

But I also suspect it explains a few other young hot shots who don’t break through as their talent and results indicate. It’s harder to be specific though because there are so many other reasons people never make the jump and to be fair the main one is probably attitude or mindset.

Mileage, that’s the big breaker.

Anti-doping for U23 is pretty serious these days. JTL rose in the amateur ranks until a pretty advanced age (27, I think?).

Most future stars (and even future non-stars, would-be domestiques and also-rans) just can’t handle the massive increase in workload that comes with WorldTour, or ProConti, levels of racing. U23 races are often short, around 120-14km, whereas WorldTour races are regularly in the ~200km range. Making the jump to Elite is a pretty sudden rise by about 50%. Couple that with the increase in training and you see kids doubling their mileage within a single year. Add in the pressure to perform and not disappoint your new team, and you have a bunch of overtrained riders burning out.

A friend and local sparring partner of mine was a promising racer in his teens, won a bunch of races, managed stagiare rides for Footon-Servetto and small-scale outfits in Spain. When the offer from Saxobank came he took it without hesitating. Somehow, he just never performed there, not even in local races. I used to see him out there in the mountains, training no matter the conditions.

I spoke to him last month about it, he said the sheer scale of things just demolished him, physically first and then later mentally. Now he runs the Sagan Cycling Academy team (debut tonight in San Luis!), trying to create a smoother transition for the aspiring youngsters.

Yes, creative excuses are the best. IIRC didn’t JTL say he’d had some serious all-weekend booze binge and that might have been  why his passport values were off?

Imagine the conversation with Dave Brailsford:

Jonathan, I’m very disappointed. You know Sky has strict rules in our pursuit of marginal gains.

Dave, I didn’t take any drugs.

Oh, well why were your values off?

Cause I went on a massive bender… err, that’s better isn’t it?

Thankfully this fun plays out when politicians or clergy or CEOs are snagged for doing something illegal or immoral. “Why were you in that bathroom airport with those drugs and that contraption?”

ChrisO – are you saying Tiernan-Locke was able to get away with doping at lower levels, but got nabbed once riding for Sky with tougher testing? That dude made some pretty strong comments after he was caught.

Busted doper denies everything – there’s something you don’t see every day.

He put in some extra- strong performances riding for lower-level teams, never quite made it to the expected level with Sky and then got pinged on the blood passport once he was on it.

So I’m saying it looks that way, prima facie. Only JTL knows for sure.

But I also suspect it explains a few other young hot shots who don’t break through as their talent and results indicate. It’s harder to be specific though because there are so many other reasons people never make the jump and to be fair the main one is probably attitude or mindset.

I’ll show up to smallish group rides and guys will be without anything to repair a flat. I don’t know if they are planning on me handing them my tube and CO2 if they puncture, but I think it’s poor form to rely on others and/or compromise the group ride for the sake of empty pockets.

ChrisO – are you saying Tiernan-Locke was able to get away with doping at lower levels, but got nabbed once riding for Sky with tougher testing? That dude made some pretty strong comments after he was caught.

Very off-topic, but I just wanted to draw the Velominati’s attention to this article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-30838464.

Three words: So. Friggin’. Pro.

(I especially like the bit about their captain doing 160km per day with over 150 kg of luggage).

Hats off to them, pulling that sort of mileage as well as holding down jobs as well. True dedication to the cause.

Forget the fondos, we need to get The Rules (the book) translated into chinese and sell a few million copies. Much would be lost in translation.

Particularly Rule #27 with regards sock length. Some dodgy socks in the pics. But definitely somewhere I would love to ride.

Very off-topic, but I just wanted to draw the Velominati’s attention to this article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-30838464.

Three words: So. Friggin’. Pro.

(I especially like the bit about their captain doing 160km per day with over 150 kg of luggage).

That’s some serious Rule #5 right there. V riders, natch (numerically and figuratively).

Very off-topic, but I just wanted to draw the Velominati’s attention to this article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-30838464.

Three words: So. Friggin’. Pro.

(I especially like the bit about their captain doing 160km per day with over 150 kg of luggage).

This is awesome! For those who haven’t read:

When Burundi’s cycling team took part in an international race in November, they had to rely on donations for their bikes and kits. And when it came to getting to the competition, held in another country, there was only one way they could afford to travel. [….]  

But there’s only one item on the agenda – how they are going to get home from Kigali to Bujumbura, Burundi’s capital. They cycled all the way here for the race – are they really going to have to pedal almost 200 miles home after the event as well?

Three words: So. Friggin’. Pro.

(I especially like the bit about their captain doing 160km per day with over 150 kg of luggage).

Yes to Italy. Get there with no.1 — somehow. The 98th Giro d’Italia!

@wilburrox

I know a friend who was in a major car accident being driven to the airport in China, yeah, a free for all. Maybe only the sanctioned, closed road riding would be safe. Or get out in the country where no one has a car, but the espresso would be rubbish.

I need to get to Italy with my bike first.

I wonder what all those people riding two-wheeled draught-horses because that’s the only way they are going to get anywhere think about people going around on carbon-fibre thoroughbreds just for fun.

Kind of has me thinking of the Chinese women’s running team in the early 90’s that completely demolished some records then quickly disbanded, leaving nothing but questions in their wake …

They never demolished the records, just the track they were set on (!!)

Err. I totally misread that comment didn’t I? I think we are in violent agreement.

@The Grande Fondue

Lv Xianjing won with 44 minutes – more than three minutes clear of the Dutch professional.

Wow. But not wow in a good way :(

Kind of has me thinking of the Chinese women’s running team in the early 90’s that completely demolished some records then quickly disbanded, leaving nothing but questions in their wake …

They never demolished the records, just the track they were set on (!!)

See http://www.alltime-athletics.com/w_3000ok.htm – 10 out of the best 15 all-time times were set in 1993, at the same event (heats and final).

The track was demolished, and no video footage exists. It was only last year anyone got within 15 seconds of the best time.

And yeah, the swimming was bad too.

Quite a bit of interest but somewhat patchy organisation in the face of various bodies who just don’t quite get it.

I wonder what sort of support is given to foreign riders and teams for transport, accommodation etc.

On the doping issue, it certainly isn’t just a Chinese thing in cycling. I think many would be shocked at the stuff that goes on at gran fondo and even amateur category level.

There is a big gran fondo circuit in Europe and a load of the guys getting top results are on the juice because they know the chances of testing are minimal and they don’t have to be on the bio-passport or whereabouts programs.

One guy came out for the annual sportive a few months ago (I hesitate to call a flat 92km circuit a gran fondo) and was openly telling people he was charged. At first they thought it was a joke but then realised he was the brother of former pro rider, now in management, who had admitted doping throughout his career.

In my view this is the biggest problem cycling has with doping. There is a whole layer of riders who are coming up in competition with doped riders and wondering why they aren’t getting results, or who have been doping at that level and are then not able to make the transition to higher levels and teams where they are under more scrutiny. Look up Jonathan Tiernan-Locke as a possible example.

@The Grande Fondue

Lv Xianjing won with 44 minutes – more than three minutes clear of the Dutch professional.

Wow. But not wow in a good way :(

Kind of has me thinking of the Chinese women’s running team in the early 90’s that completely demolished some records then quickly disbanded, leaving nothing but questions in their wake …

….and talking of wakes………and their swimming team.

Lv Xianjing won with 44 minutes – more than three minutes clear of the Dutch professional.

Wow. But not wow in a good way :(

Kind of has me thinking of the Chinese women’s running team in the early 90’s that completely demolished some records then quickly disbanded, leaving nothing but questions in their wake …

Lv Xianjing won with 44 minutes – more than three minutes clear of the Dutch professional.

Wow. But not wow in a good way :(