You are right that for men the pathway to pro is now via European racing rather than domestic scene. Bravo to Cycling Sheffield - small team but took riders to several stage races in Europe - they showed themselves well & it paid dividends x 4 👍
Gents, I'd have to respectfully disagree with what you are saying - the women's Junior scene just doesn't exist in the UK, so the Junior girls step up from Youth (max 1hr races) to the Women's Elite road series (can you imagine many boys jump up to racing Lincoln GP at 16?). You have some absolute phenoms doing their thing, Cat, Imi, Lucy, Elidh ... but it's very much sink or swim for the GB&I juniors women, can they hack the jump from 1hr races to 3hr races - you are 100% reliant on the Junior teams like Shibden and Toufauti racing nations cup races (abroad) for the girls to get them the incremental developments that they need - If they are lucky they will get a second bite of the cherry with someone like Alba in the UK if haven't made a European U23 Devo team.
That's fair. I think both Harry and I are happier with the teams on offer rather than the races (between youth and elite), where there's definitely more to be desired! The strength of teams is a really positive development in recent years, but my time on the Road Commission showed how tough it is to fill the gaps in development opportunities for junior women with those races that bridge the gap between circuit and road racing. To be honest, it would probably take a whole episode to unpack the junior women's scene, so that may be something we talk about in a future episode! I've got a few guests in mind who could speak more knowledgeably on it than me as well 😆 ^Owen
Absolutely agree with the step up comment. Women’s cycling in general has come a long way in recent years with a lot of really talented riders. Having an U23 level would improve things further.
You are right that for men the pathway to pro is now via European racing rather than domestic scene. Bravo to Cycling Sheffield - small team but took riders to several stage races in Europe - they showed themselves well & it paid dividends x 4 👍
Gents, I'd have to respectfully disagree with what you are saying - the women's Junior scene just doesn't exist in the UK, so the Junior girls step up from Youth (max 1hr races) to the Women's Elite road series (can you imagine many boys jump up to racing Lincoln GP at 16?). You have some absolute phenoms doing their thing, Cat, Imi, Lucy, Elidh ... but it's very much sink or swim for the GB&I juniors women, can they hack the jump from 1hr races to 3hr races - you are 100% reliant on the Junior teams like Shibden and Toufauti racing nations cup races (abroad) for the girls to get them the incremental developments that they need - If they are lucky they will get a second bite of the cherry with someone like Alba in the UK if haven't made a European U23 Devo team.
That's fair. I think both Harry and I are happier with the teams on offer rather than the races (between youth and elite), where there's definitely more to be desired!
The strength of teams is a really positive development in recent years, but my time on the Road Commission showed how tough it is to fill the gaps in development opportunities for junior women with those races that bridge the gap between circuit and road racing.
To be honest, it would probably take a whole episode to unpack the junior women's scene, so that may be something we talk about in a future episode! I've got a few guests in mind who could speak more knowledgeably on it than me as well 😆 ^Owen
Absolutely agree with the step up comment. Women’s cycling in general has come a long way in recent years with a lot of really talented riders. Having an U23 level would improve things further.
@@martinashwell Having more than 2 dedicated Junior women's races in the UK would be something...
Very misleading thumbnail.
ALBA aren’t a pro team. Unless you’re earning a living you’re not pro and no Conti teams are