Road Bike Racing - Why the %)(% can't US riders fare well in the Classics?

I see Bobby J got a US best 122 out of the 125 finishers today at Fleche. Its been grinding on me for a little while now. If the US can produce TDF winners and podiums at the Giro and Vuelta, why is Georgie the only current US pro that can ride a fricking classic?

Tyler and Lance had some good results, I guess Greg did back in the day, are there any Hard Men coming from the US anymore?

How many US riders were in the race?

Could be the issue.

I see Bobby J got a US best 122 out of the 125 finishers today at Fleche.
He did the job the team needed. I don't think they could have cared less if he were 12th or 122th.

Chris Horner was in the lead group at L-B-L last year. He ended up 8th.

Chris Horner was in the lead group at L-B-L last year. He ended up 8th.

Dang, your right, that was exciting.

I guess this year i'm jaded, Tour De Georgia, who gives a craap about Tour De Georgia?

How many US riders were in the race?

Could be the issue.

That was kinda my point as well. I think he was the only one, unless Farrer was there.

Hincapie has done really well in the classics, but was out this year due to his broken wrist.

That was kinda my point as well. I think he was the only one, unless Farrer was there.


I'm tired, so imagine me typing up a huge response covering how much it costs a team to travel overseas to do a one day race that is usually won by the home team anyways.

That was kinda my point as well. I think he was the only one, unless Farrer was there.

kind of tough to race with a cracked kneecap. doesn't really help that he's more of a flanders/roubiax racer than an ardennes racer.

I'm tired, so imagine me typing up a huge response covering how much it costs a team to travel overseas to do a one day race that is usually won by the home team anyways.

Thank you, I imagined a huge response, very well put, thoughtful :)

But aren't there a bunch of Euro based US pros? I understand that most of them were hauled back here for the ToG, but the US hasn't exactly been well represented at any of the Classics, not talking the US teams, just the US Euro riders.

kind of tough to race with a cracked kneecap. doesn't really help that he's more of a flanders/roubiax racer than an ardennes racer.

Ouch, so I guess he wasn't there either.

Thanks Bobby for flying the flag :rolleyes:

And there's the general idea that American racing doesn't really provide the best breeding ground for Classics racing.

Hincapie was 2nd @ Paris Roubaix in 2005. Americans have won Spring Classics and been on the Podium over the past 15 20 years. There are upwards of 200 UCI pros in this races. How many are American @ a given race? 5?

Do the math. Given those odds Americans have acquitted themselves nicely.

^^^^
Combine that with the fact that the economics of cycling for an American Rider puts a huge incentive on focusing on the one race most Americans have actually heard of.

^^^And that economics and fear of lawsuits prevent races in all but perfect conditions here breeding a bunch of less than tough crop of racers.

Hincapie was 2nd @ Paris Roubaix in 2005. Americans have won Spring Classics and been on the Podium over the past 15 20 years. There are upwards of 200 UCI pros in this races. How many are American @ a given race? 5?

Do the math. Given those odds Americans have acquitted themselves nicely.


I thought I covered George, Lance, Tyler, and Greg in my OP, who raced this year? I don't want history lessons, What about today's riders?

I think I'll start a thread asking why Belgians don't fare well in the National Football League.

Gotta go now and catch up on all the race reports from Cat V/IV riders doing industrial park crits.

I thought I covered George, Lance, Tyler, and Greg in my OP, who raced this year? I don't want history lessons, What about today's riders?
give me a few years ;)

edit: ryanf too :D

And there's the general idea that American racing doesn't really provide the best breeding ground for Classics racing.

That's my guess...growing up on 25 mile crits and 60 mile "road races" isn't exactly like a spring classic. The American's who seem to end up doing well are the ones who move overseas early in their careers...

Perhaps the increase in the popularity of 'cross racing here will raise some tougher riders too.

I'm tired, so imagine me typing up a huge response covering how much it costs a team to travel overseas to do a one day race that is usually won by the home team anyways.

Cypress...

If you get Velo News, read the op ed piece on the back page of the latest issue, the April 16th edition. It's entitled "Popped, Dropped, and Stopped".

A couple of lines (the article is about the fate of the NRC US domestic teams versus the Pro Tour teams)...

"Some US riders were afraid they would not make it past the first climb, let alone the first stage."

"But as the race wore on, the domestic team's knife was blown away in the Pro Tour gunfight."

It sort of summarizes, using the Tof California, why US NRC teams are not invited to Pro Tour one day events. They would not survive.

In reality, US racing has to get away from the almost pure crit approach. The US National Development team finished two riders, as did Priority Health. Races like the recent one in Virginia help a lot.

The scary part for these guys is that the Pro Tour riders were just stretching their legs.

Races like California and Georgia give the Pro Tour teams a chance to look at domestic riders. But, last year, Bobby Julich was critical of them, saying that they had a long way to go if they had the desire to ride in Europe.

I can't recall the US rider, but he was the one that won the race to qualfy for the World's in Hamilton. I think he lasted half the race, but the funny part was in a comment he made where he was riding along and is looking at guys like Cippolini, Bettini, etc and thought, "I don't belong here."

I think I'll start a thread asking why Belgians don't fare well in the National Football League.

But do it in a football forum.

Oh, and the Belgians don't care.

I think only 1 american even finished the amatuer paris-roubaix this year.

But do it in a football forum.

Oh, and the Belgians don't care.

sure they do.

http://users.skynet.be/fanpage.bartgoor/bartfwedrd100.jpg

I thought I covered George, Lance, Tyler, and Greg in my OP, who raced this year? I don't want history lessons, What about today's riders?
Try www.Cyclingnews.com for this kind of question. A quick look at the P-R results showed only one American lined up this year.

DNF Antonio Cruz (USA) Discovery Channel

Try www.Cyclingnews.com for this kind of question. A quick look at the P-R results showed only one American lined up this year.

DNF Antonio Cruz (USA) Discovery Channel

Kind of the point of my post :rolleyes:

I keep looking, just ain't seeing much.

sure they do.

http://users.skynet.be/fanpage.bartgoor/bartfwedrd100.jpg

He plays in the National Football League?

I thought it was NFL Europe.


:D

Oh, and the Belgians don't care.I thought it was interesting to watch Flecha come up as a young pro. Here was this Spanish rider who..., had a passion to ride the Spring Classics. Wha...?:eek: You could almost read the looks the writers were giving each other that said, "Where did this guy come from?"

It's not so surprising to see Hincapie and Flecha in a break at P-R. They have so much in common. Both have chosen an atypical venue for their nationalities and both have done well at it.

Oh, and the Americans don't care.


Just curious. Do fans in Espana post questions on internet forums asking why Spanish riders don't do well in the Classics?

In reality, US racing has to get away from the almost pure crit approach. [...] Races like the recent one in Virginia help a lot.

true dat.

Cycling's not a big enough sport in the U.S. to have developed classics riders. People here have heard of the TDF (a few of the Giro) but very few know what the classics are. So they don't spend their time training for races like that whereas a LOT of European riders grow up dreaming about winning the tour of flanders or Paris-roubaix or milan-san remo, etc.

How come the top 3 classics riders all time are all Belgians? Perhaps even the top 4 or 5 all time.

Because you do best at what you train for. Take away Eddy and you could ask why can't the Belgians do well in Tours.

^^^And that economics and fear of lawsuits prevent races in all but perfect conditions here breeding a bunch of less than tough crop of racers.

Yeah, they never hold races in the US in less than perfect conditions :rolleyes:. Like this years US Open, or any amatuer spring race in Oregon (and many other places). It is actually very rare for any bike race to be cancelled due to weather conditions.

I think the answer was stated - most US bike racers grow up riding mostly crits rather than 200k+ road races.

It is actually very rare for any bike race to be cancelled due to weather conditions.


I beg to differ, I see lots of races cancelled due to rain.. definately due to snow. atleast local races.

I beg to differ, I see lots of races cancelled due to rain.. definately due to snow. atleast local races.

Cancelled due to snow, I can see (unless it is a cyclocross race). But cancelled due to rain? I guess people are afraid to get wet in Idaho. If we cancelled races due to rain in Oregon, we'd race 2 months of the year. I used to race in the Midwest, and I never saw a race there cancelled due to rain either.

How come the top 3 classics riders all time are all Belgians? Perhaps even the top 4 or 5 all time.

Because you do best at what you train for. Take away Eddy and you could ask why can't the Belgians do well in Tours.

Belgium has 13 Tour wins beyond what Merckx did. That's pretty stout for a very small country. You may think that's the case as Belgium's last win was Van Impe in 1976.

I think that kids have to name all the Tour winners in a history test...

How come the top 3 classics riders all time are all Belgians? Perhaps even the top 4 or 5 all time.

Because you do best at what you train for. Take away Eddy and you could ask why can't the Belgians do well in Tours.

They train on the classics courses every day. Most of these guys can ride these courses in their sleep. Little children race on the same streets and roads.

It's home field advantage to the highest degree.

I rode the Tour of Flanders with a friend of mine when I lived there. We did about 80% of the entire pro course and he didn't need a map (we left out part of the opening section to get all the climbs in). It was great.

I beg to differ, I see lots of races cancelled due to rain.. definately due to snow. atleast local races.


cancelled due to rain? havent seen it in my racing lifetime.

Me neither. I've only had one race cancelled on me, and it was due to a ft of snowfall the night before.

Heh, even Stage 3 of the GMSR went forward, and we raced in the remains of Hurricane Ernesto. 30-40mph crosswinds + cold rain for 64 miles. 1/4 of the front group got taken out at mile 60 (yours truly included). Fun stuff.

cancelled due to rain? havent seen it in my racing lifetime.

These are crits.. maybe they think the risk is too great. All of the local crit series have rain out dates scheduled in advance to make up for any rained out events.

^^^I raced in a crit last year where the recorded rainfall for the day was 11-inches. It was a total deluge the entire race. It the same time my best and worst race ever as myself and 2 others attacked on the 1st lap, broke away, lapped the field ... then mr. smooth (me) crashed in the last corner of the last lap setting up to come around the 2 others.

In thinking about it, there is a local training series that cancels due to rain, but none of the "real" races cancel.

did you still at least get 3rd?

did you still at least get 3rd?

:) Yep, crossed the line with a torn skinsuit, azz hanging out, bloody hip and elbow, bent handlebars, hay in my helmet and all over me (I slid across the pavement, hit the curb with my foot, which catapulted me into the hay bails - glad they were there), and wet, sooooo wet.

hahaha thats a great visual

Podium-cooool!!!