thunder

Hi folks newbie here, I am a regular at another forum. But this looks like a place for Aussies so it might be a keeper. Live in Melbourne.

What happened to Jay Sweet, 30 this year, he should be winning TDF bunch kicks and coming into his own.

One tour with Big MAt Auber 95, which lost Auber struggled to pay wages and became div 2 Big Mat. I think he had another season after his tour year, then in div 2 proper, assuming Auber were only a dvi 2 like Casino/AG2R. He went to ? Saturn or MBK Oktos then, then finished with Oktos in France I think.

This bloke had speed, won a Tour L'Aviner stage, and some other small Frenchies, beating Kirsipuu in his prime, among others. Blokes he beat like JPN (Nazon) are smoking come tour time.

My questions are, how quick was he? What were his problems? Why is he not on a ProTour team now?

Is it the Quaranta effect, Quaranta quick enough to win Giro stages in his early twenties, does not have the strength now to be a road race sprinter. Might be a good track points/scratch/madison man. Now even when he won Giro stages, they would have been Piano for most of the 150-180 k, with Cipo on the lookout for belle donnas, and marshalling those on the front to slow down. Or did Sweet struggle with the disciplines and cultural barriers so far from Aus, hypothetically speaking if the Protour was ridden in Aus would he be ripping it up?

Corey Sweet is doing well with Comnet Senges in Germnay. I think Credit Agricole gave him short shrift and a dud racing program because he was a Stewie ring-in. He is good enough to win Coup de France races. His brother was good enough to win the seaon Coup de France I think. Kirsipuu never goes over the mountains in the tour, and Sweet was hanging on to the Red Lantern there.

ed073

Sweet was faster than Robbie too, in the old AIS days.

jock

Looking around the web it seems he only raced Europe 1997-2003, peaking with some stunning victories in 1998 & 1999 and the dubious honour of Lanterne Rouge on a number of stages of the 1999 TDF before pulling out. Left Big Mat for a few seasons with Saturn, then onto Saint-Quentin-Oktos in 2002.

Joined MaxTraining as a guest writer, AES as a SportsPresenter/Speaker, and simply disappeared off the radar.

Last seen racing modestly in the 2005 Jacobs Creek TDU for Uni SA.

Can also be found trouping round parts of France from time to time with Bikestyle Tours, a company specialising in cycling vacations.

ed073

Ditto, Allan Iacuone.

thunder

actually jock, that was Corey, his brother, who rode for Credit Agricole in 2003, and went back to his original team, Comnet Senges in Germany. But thanks for the updates guys.

pity, he could have beaten Pettachi if he kept on improving, coulds woulds shoulds ifs buts....

Petacchi never really found his bunch kick legs until 2002, unlike Ogrady, who had them early in his career. Ogrady consistently beating Petacchi. But everyone knows Petacchi does not like the rough and tumble at the pointy end of the race, so maybe he never fought for higher top 10's. But once he won, and got siuppor, he was far enough in front with his team' train, that he did not have to shoulder to shoulder like on the track...

jock

which bit?

thunder

Jacob's Creek TDU this year being tedious about it...

jock

https://www.tourdownunder.com.au/inde...ts_2003/stage1

Position 51 - Corey Sweet
Position 93 - Jay Sweet

Jay did not start Stage 2. Well, I did say he raced 'modestly'! Maybe he was saving himself for something else

thunder

I stand corrected,

sorry jock, the start list at the TDU site did not have his name, or my eyes have deceived me.

thunder

Jock you must have mistyped "Last seen racing modestly in the 2005 Jacobs Creek TDU for Uni SA. "

sorry to be tedious. Because Coery rode this year for Uni SA

jock

I'm sure he did.

Jay rode 1 stage of JCTDU. He was in the Uni SA team too as far as I can werk out from the TDU website. Check the result list link that I put in my last post. [edit] The list shows Corey racing TDU for Credit Agricole.

thunder

jock, you said in your original thread 2005

that is why I was umming and ahhing... it was 2003 he last rode @JCTDU and Corey only rode 2003 with CA. Before and after Team Comnet Senges. thanks for the original updates tho

still like to know from anyone in Adelaide if he does any crits or racing or just riding around there... or is he 9to5ing now, and relaxing on a couch other times .

cheese

Jay doesnt ride anymore. He hung his bike up after his final seasons with Saturn and Oktos. He no longer had that determination to train and win inside him anymore - which you need if you want to ride 5,6,7 hours a day for most of the year. He is now living in New Zealand with his partner Jacinta Coleman (her also rode professionally in Europe and USA). They have a nearly two year old boy. Jay comes back to Adelaide at least once a year to visit his family and catch up with friends. He has no immediete intention of racing again. He has no regrets. He is currently doing a building course in NZ - so I guess he is a 9-5er now. BTW Corey has signed with German team AKUD for 2006.

ed073

Sad.

I saw him race a few times at the defunct Commonwealth Bank Classic in the 90s. Blew McEwen away.

White hot speed in the final 200m.

oneradtec

maybe a summer on the rooftops will convince him to get back on the bike.

ed073

Good for the tan, not so good for the fitness.

Phatman

hey, do a google search for "jay sweet". you'll see what hes doing now...hehe (porn related)

cheese

Jay has always thought of himself as a bit of a porn star (as some / most? pro cyclists think they are!)
I wonder if he knows of this same-name real porn star!

He's keeping fit in otherways I guess - Apparently he is almost at his race weight by keeping busy and active all day and not doing a desk job.

For those of you in Adelaide and know him - he will be back from NZ with wife and son to catch up with friends and family for 3 weeks just after Xmas.

thunder

ED, but Ludo Dierckxsens was a labouter before becoming a pro at 31? and Serge Baguet came out of retirement when he was in his mid thirties and won the Belgium national champs this year, after working as a roofer for his father-in-law.

ed073

27, I think. He was working as a spray-painter in the DAF truck factory.

thunder

yeah, that right, good memory, I did not bother trying to research it, just recalled it was blue collar work, and lat to the pros.

BTW it was Trevorrow not Hilton senior with Mcewen yesterday. I was a fair distance away, just saw the fat bloke next to Mcewen on the bike, with reinforced stem and bars.