Mathieu van der Poel DEFEATED By Wout van Aert and Tour Down Under 2024 | Full Episode #52

The Tour Down Under 2024 kicked off the WorldTour season. Wout van Aert clashed with Mathieu van der Poel at the Cyclocross World Cup in Benidorm and Dave Brailsford is leaving Ineos Grenadiers for Manchester United.

Collaboration between @thecyclingdane and @OwDoCycling

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00:00 Intro
01:30 Francesco Busatto Interview
14:05 World Cyclocross Benidorm
19:25 Tour Down Under Recap
24:36 Isaac del Torro the real deal?
35:05 Should it be a WorldTour Event
43:19 David Brailsford Not involved in Cycling
47:23 End of Tour of Britain?
50:31 Rider of the Week

Hello everyone and welcome to another episode of the astral cycling podcast where we basically talk about the top call issues in the world of cycling three cycling nerds and as always I’m joined by Mr ker himself myself you and Wilson somewhere in the middle of nowhere in Scotland and then as always

Patrick Blake of howo cycling a lot of things to discuss I think I’ve had the most interesting week and I’m just being a bit biased but yeah how are you guys I’m I’m doing good I graduated this week actually to to the far I did got my Master’s Degree finally signed sealed

And delivered but yeah cycling stuff I it’s all on under I’m I’m dead excited but it was back it was always a bit I enjoyed waking up and seeing the result I felt like it kind of wiped out the anticipation throughout the day in a in

A strange sense but it always made it quite interesting cuz over breakfast I could just you know watch the highlights video Whatever of the stage and yeah I really enjoyed it and I think it was a a good addition I think there was a lot of exciting racing with some new names on

The Block who have definitely sort of taken a step up and I thought it was a really a really good race even if I didn’t watch it live exactly that racing is Alive and Kicking u in the southern hemisphere we’ve uh had a chance to see some sort of unpredictable results and

Also the European calendar is back with a couple of couple of these um very forgettable races that we have at the beginning of the year in Spain ouch um I short F already well I went to the inm Wy uh media day once again and um we

Might as well hear of an interview that Patrick should have done but I did it instead here’s Franchesco Bato you’re one of their kind of yeah shining stars in terms of their development team so how was it as a development Rider last year uh last year was a great season I

Think and uh I didn’t expect to to get really nice presents but it was yeah it was really good and for sure it’s really mostly of the of this uh resids are thanks to because of all all the the developing system and they really helped

Me also doing Pro races and yeah I mean you are Italian and normally the Italian route isn’t quite through a Belgian team so how did that kind of not come about uh can you repeat that yeah so uh like instead of going to some other Italian Continental Pro Continental team

You went to a Belgian team yeah uh okay this is like in Italy now we don’t have really a lot lot of uh uh big te so for sure we have to move abroad and here we have really a nice environment to grow so uh this is one of the H one of

The wait I find the word yeah positives maybe yeah of of this team and so also with with my my agent we decided to go here and at the end it was a good uh a good a good thing no I mean we might as well touch on it Le B Le under

23 your first ever win what a win and what was that day for you like it was incredible because I prepared it uh oh really I think we it good Um I went there I I knew that I was I was strong but I I just I just did like uh two days before uh flash bar s and I was I was also a bit tired know because it was really a tough tough

Phrase but I was there and I say okay I try I try to stay to stay always here uh in the to to don’t move too much to save some energies and then he came to the finish at the end I was the strongest so

I I really didn’t realize it I said it’s really my first win so yeah it was quite a strange uh strange emotional and but it was a nice one well he always the year like because although you were riding with the development team you had a few race

Is like you said B P you’re riding with the senior team you also had a very good result in the time one day race that I cannot pronounce for some reason Z yeah there we go what was that day like as well

Uh I I I raced with a with a with a pro team quite a lot uh first for get experience and then for prepare the the main races with the you fre and in deino he came from uh the week before from uh Orin Nation R PRI it was

With a National Youth fre team I had good legs because it was just before the Z3 and it was there and uh we were not okay we were strong riders in the team but everyone was like uh two came from from the attitude Camp so they were about

100% And then somebody came from uh in and at the end me and Louis mantis were the capit so it was quite strange uh but at the end uh it wasn’t really nice race and I have really good legs so I could get also a a good um res

I mean there’s a lot of things made out about like how under 23 Riders you can be good in all these different races but you don’t know what Rider type you are have you got any feel for what kind of race or type of Rider that for me like

Uh Arden classic maybe because I like I like mostly the Steep uh short climbs and I am also quite good in uh small bun Sprint not uh I am quite exlusive but I can still really I think improve in uh also in Middle CLS so I

Will see for the moment I think I’m I’m I’m rather for Classics but I really have to discover me a lot but looking towards 2024 and I mean the the things you’ve been saying about the team seems like it’s perfect like development team you get a bit of experience with the

With the senior team so when the jump actually happened you’re not it’s not so overwhelming uh I think it’s is about uh all the year now yeah and for sure last year at this moment I I wasn’t there either that I’m now and doing a lot of races with the

Pros and and doing uh training camps for sure out to me to to make the step and I’m I’m sure that the next year at this point I will not be the right I’m know which in terms of 2024 what’s kind of your race calendar and what’s your goals

Ambitions here in your Neo Pro season the okay the main races will be like uh Catalonia um ravas uh I’m still flash alone uh Roman D Switzerland then also Poland Canada most probably will be also in a you3 world championship um I will do also lardy so

I have quite big races where I can I can really learn and improve for sure I will do a lot of uh fik no yeah it sounds like already fatigu let te yeah uh but I need it because if you want to to to make stronger your your ring

You you for sure need these races because uh to the France is for sure more uh intensive so yeah the team the team really helped me to do it and they’ve done I think for me a really good calendar for the first year is is already good because at the end I don’t

Know I I don’t do uh big uh stage races so yeah this year this year is more for for improve for improve myself so if there’s one race that you were would like to win which race are we looking towards like I mean in any any race m

Uh okay maybe not uh soon but it’s my big dream to to win the World Championship and races I really like also Str bian and around so a lot of Classics yeah but okay it’s like a big dream no yeah but you have to you have to aim for something yeah of

Course but and uh finally in terms of when you were young who was kind of your inspiration as a rider that you were looking towards uh for sure Peter sag uh also for the kind of riders who was and almost the racist you said as well world championship and Jula Filip as well

Um because they are really aggressive Riders though in the Races they make really a lot of uh they are spectacular and also also funny to see but really they they are the kind of riders who who makes you emotions no when they win because yeah they they’re not also just

Strong but uh they have really personality well we could sit here and talk all day Franchesca very interesting to talk you but it’s very cold so yeah thanks very much for that and we look really forward to seeing what you can do in your new Pro I have season I mean

Patrick as the Super Fan number one of Franchesco brato and I mean I was quite shocked that LE Bast 23 was his first race but what do you expect of him uh this year he was saying the ardens is something he really likes like Leah’s

Just going to be super hard but I do think like he’s i s he came top 20 20 at bra last year I feel like that’s the sort of race that he do well in I remember doing well like the muskat classic which was that kind of race

Before a Toro man those sort of hilly races I’m really expecting him to do quite well in or I think he’s going to maybe like a Catal or something I think he’s quite suited towards those sorts of races and I’m think you know I’m not expecting like you know the world for

Him I’m not expecting World Tour victories here but I definitely think that he could be dabbling with a bit of leadership and you have the teams around him I think that he could be top 10 in some some tough Sprints I really do believe that he is this kind of

Lightweight Sprinter kind of like what Al FIP was at the very beginning of his career when he was tussling up in the Sprint in Tour of California so I think that he’s a very versatile Rider and I’m really looking forward to see what he can do in 2024 yeah I also think with

The calendar of those smaller races that you have in Belgium that an Mar usually adds that should give him an opportunity to really go for something not many of them have like big meaty finishes but you got like R Lindberg over in the Netherlands which I think would would

Really suit him uh with these uphill kickers towards the end of the route even like a sort of um what’s that race called Lin no yes Lin which has like like an uphill drag all the way to the line that could really offer busat a chance to stand out there’s a lot of

Young talent coming through at the team and there’s a lot of really good spr so it will it will sort of take him some time to stand out particularly when you have more established names like B gay her even maybe UK fighting up against him for slot

Small Classics it was quite good though because he’s from the dvo team and they’re really really focusing on the development of talent so quite interesting team as a project and yeah spoke to go Tyson and Bin gay as well from Australia which was a bit strange

With a bunch of journalists in the same room and then we’re all just facing him but that’ll be on the second day extra uh this week many of you will have seen that this is episode 52 and it’s not our birthday we discussed this after the podcast last week it’s actually on the

4th of February so no cake just now so fourth of February that’s the date but uh we might as well get into the nitty-gritty of this episode if you haven’t already as well help that but giving us a five star review over on Spotify we really appreciate that and

Here on YouTube as well subscribe and hit the like button as well but we’ll start with you talked about the toor Down Under we’re not going to start there we’re going to start at the World Cup in benador I was actually there as well busy week uh what an event that was

I mean what V AR beating well beating uh maipo I’m not still sure did he Crush maipo yeah I don’t know it was off camera he was coming onto the it wasn’t a star finish but it was like a one of the pit areas and he just like on a

Sandy section just I don’t know slid out but nobody saw it we only saw the aftermath with him on the floor I he must one wasn’t hurt he got up immediately but yeah it’s kind of unknown as to what happened there so Vander Paul ended up rolling in in fifth

Place which is his first cyc cross race of the year that he hasn’t won he probably would have won it let’s face it but he did come down it was an interesting race nonetheless I mean wout if people haven’t seen it it’s kind of

Funny in a way I think it was on the last lap he attacked Michael VOR out and then I went over the the planks but instead of bunny hopping he just decided to run with a very sensible move to be making on the last lap when he fell off

Very roog glit style Ro glitch would have done that and then somehow his saddle came loose and then he kind of kicked it off as he was like remounting the bike which remember that wild Berard then spent the last half of the lat sitting just on the seat

Post I know there’s like a little gimbal on top of it which holds the saddle but still that can’t have been comfy so kudos to W out for riding the half lap without a saddle because that wouldn’t have been a particular pleasant experience I mean in terms of the

Women’s race as well that was a bit more well the men’s was also entertaining but the women’s it was was a one two three4 the Dutch Trio that we’ve seen so much van emple coming through to take the Sprint at the end in front of uh piia I

Should have learned that name by now but uh yeah I mean I still have the actual thing from the event and I haven’t been able to get it off with a pair of scissors so all right all right no you’re definitely lying though you definitely just kept it on so no I

Honestly get out well well I mean the funny part with the whole event was that I queued up for a drink got to the front it took like half an hour because the all of Belgium and the Netherlands were there and then uh when I got there the system is you have

To you have to use this tag to you have to basically credit this tag and then that’s your money so yeah that was half an hour spent badly oh dear it’s kind of ment that people are out there in benador like Belgian fans and stuff just like being

Out there it’s just kind of insane it’s son like you guys in the UK have been having a storm so we’ve had nice shiny weather so I literally rode in the snow yesterday I was wearing four layers it was not fun we don’t know what snow is

Down here no you don’t well talking about snow not tore down under as well as we talked about and uh yeah what did you guys think of this this in the preview show Patrick and I we actually discussed even Steven Williams would actually win the race and here we

Are yeah I did say my Podium was going to be Yates George Bennett and then Luke PL nether of which finished on the podium which isn’t a particularly great start for me but the podium was very unpredictable like if you guessed that fair play I don’t think many people

Would have done it was a very it was a very tall under sort of sort of Podium actually and I really I really liked it Israel I wasn’t really sure who they were going to go with I remember seen the statistic that the last World tall

Level stage race that was won by a pro Cony team was matchu vandero when he won the Tour of Britain when he was with kendan circus which is like 20 whoa whoa whoa whoa is this not wrong I’m going to f check here tour of Britain isn’t well

Tour oh um Vander Paul won the Benelux tour in the C year that was it um 2020 yes sorry I was it it’s those races in the September period that all just kind of like don’t really matter Benelux Britain Benelux Britain they don’t really matter it is what it is

Whoa actually we were going to touch on that as well the liquidation maybe we’ll talk about that bit later yeah but Sam wellsford absolutely dominating in the interview with B gay he was just saying how Sam wellsford was just in Peak form the lead out train was just on point and

Well I heard one of the journalists say this that Danny van poppo was a bit annoyed with Sam Bennett because he couldn’t hold his wheel but now he has a sprinter who can completely hold his wheel and finish it off as well yeah and after the one of the stages Danny from

Popple um said in an interview that uh he was happy to be working with Sam he described it as business almost to be working your way up to sprinting L but that lead up train also with Ryan Mullen was incredibly impressive Bor hanser We Believe were bringing wford to the jro

What are they going to get out of that race we know alaf Coya making his debut there that’s two big sprinters making their Jalia debut wellsford yes he started last year’s to of France but I didn’t really feel like we really saw him that and in terms of the other

Sprinters coming through disappointing we for Caleb buan who has historically gone well in this race we didn’t see at all really at this tour Down Under And I mean gayah as well really really good turnning speed towards the end of most of the stage finishes just didn’t find

Himself in the right wheel I think the thing with Caleb which was quite telling was I think it was the first stage where he was actually he was on the wheel of wellsford it was the guy who won the stage and when Caleb y just came out of

The wheels like he just didn’t go anywhere like respectively he kind of just went backwards in comparison to the other guys B like coming fast around him and stuff like that so it’s not looking great for Kian but I mean very quickly just Jacob did have success this week

They got two wins of the mayorca challenges grer took a win and Michael Matthews took a win but overall in this tore down under considering that there was an interview with PL saying that they were coming in here to try and win every single stage they had an awful Tor

Down under as a team which is historically very very good in this race what do they do wrong they mo plat will crash yeah yeah yeah badly he lost a lot of skin if you look at the picture from that it’s it’s harrowing but um I don’t

I know what they did wrong here I do think Luke pla is an ambitious project I don’t think we’ve seen enough of Luke PL to really say he’s Bound for a Podium at Welter races we call me you ready tour last year that’s one but you he’s very

Young like what do you want do you want a u t is simp what’s with the Luke Pluff ha I’m not hating on Luke Pluff I’m hating on the U tour the UE tour would be so much better if every Sprint stage was 50 kilm long rather than 10 and

Whatever of sound what do you make of Oscar only like none of you have mentioned him yet winning up W longa that’s pretty impressive we were going to get onto that please please of course this the first Scottish World to Win is a disgustingly long amount of time it’s

It’s a waterers ship moment for Scottish cycling it was also like a bit of a surprise he had good likes this week evidently he’s still a young guy it was good to see him get that kind of win this part of the season usually does throw up somewhat unpredictable results

Where younger Riders shine through their bodies aren’t sort of in that usual sort of loop of season by season that that the more season Pros have this is also like early and and the late part of the year we usually see these younger guys burst through but I think Oscar rley

Definitely proved himself here and Consolidated a reputation that he garnered a couple years back when he was challenging uniso at the tour of creti I think it was a course really suited towards ony I think people expect him to be this or I think he’s this really good

Climber whereas I consider him to be more of a pun sure kind of style I think that W longa Hill is just like perfect kind of style of of climb for him but kind of three four kilometers at 7% I think he is like super good at that and

It was really interesting to see a different style of Wonga Hill where it’s not just one person shooting off it was you know four odd people all fighting out for victory where honestly going into 500 meters to go I had no idea who was going to win I was like Alf leips

Made a Resurgence is he going to do something like who knows exactly let’s let’s beare off alib um who is his bag almost he was making attacks looking his spritely self intriguing to see where he could go and just spare off for Jan of has had a

Fantastic two weeks he won the ti classic thing they had before the race was right up there in a number of stages finished second overall underrated Rider finally gets a strong result like this it’s good to see for him and then grad is sort of back in back in business at a

World Tour stage race do you think he he only does well in races where it starts with an A well the country Austria last year Australia maybe you should go to the tour of aaban I would win whoa Patrick what’s going God you just like try to slate every single race that

We bring up don’t worry we’re we’re going to have a Tor down under slating session if if you must oh yeah Isaac deloro winning a stage quite a sneaky attack and quite tactical finishing third and yeah is he the real deal I’m very apprehensive to draw conclusions context tacha same situation total AER

Champion joining UAE only finished 13th the no stage wins in the Tor Down Under so obviously girl Toro must be like super charged so basically like what because paga joined UA in 2019 is that right he won with 2018 toal avener so Del Toro this logic is going to at least

Finish third of this year’s Welter basically what he’s gonna win it he’s GNA win apparently um yeah I’m apprehensive to draw conclusions because I know he did win that stage fair enough I was actually talking to my friend about this on i b cried today I’m like people just kind of looked around

And I know his attack was well timed 500 meters to go but when I looked at the result and I saw that everyone was on the same time I thought that he’d won by a Sprint which I would have found somehow more impressive in a way but his

Kind of late attack I just feel like anybody who had a good bit who had some decent legs at that point as some good tactical now could have won that I think that I don’t know controversial but but he got finished like what like 8ot long

Longer Hill so he always gapped a little bit there and I think that it’s very good that he finished in third but I just I don’t want to like Elevate things too much it’s the T Down Under it wasn’t like massive mountains and stuff so maybe it’s maybe he’s more suited

Towards the longer climes but one thing that I will admit is that he provided such an unpredictability to the racing that mount lofty stage where he was just launching it was very reminiscent of pogy back in the day where he just kind of threw caution to the wind and was

Just like I don’t care for cycling rules and etiquette so you know just this is what your this is what is supposed to happen uh it was good to see Delo I do think his Youth youthfulness and enthusiasm perhaps was to his detriment at times I think he did do I swear on

Stage four he went off the back of a pelaton so he could do an effort and it’s that kind of stuff where I’m like I really like that but you Pro that’s probably not the wisest thing that’ll probably get wiped out by UEI pretty quickly yeah that was like a really odd

Thing to do for World Tour Rider to be like Oh I’m bored I just want to test my legs for tomorrow to go to the back of the group and Sprint past the h p on that was really odd but the stage when he got was incredibly impressive and uh

I mean it’s quite refreshing to see like a one decade like this jump onto the worldall T and start winning stra away because usually ination of Bru but here we had a straight away that might jump on to jum jump onto the world tour when the kids

Jump up onto the world tour level and um start to win stra straight away usually have to wait for that anticipation and the hype to brew um and marinade for like a season or two but with dor we got to straight away and um and that might

Be to his own detriment because his bar is has been set so high but he seems like a really interesting Rider in terms of his his writer style everyone’s comparing to Pacha understandably but um it’s also just refreshing to see a Mexican Rider right at the top of the

World tour where is this going to lead to because I agree I thought it’s really cool are we going to be able to build on this and go for some is he GNA do something else in a season or is this is this just like it is he not really going

To do much else was it just like a good peak in form and other people weren’t in quite as good form you know it’s hard to tell when you get the T Down Under but like when you get some more of a there’s more grandiosa that comes from if he got

The same finishing in GC but it was in a Bast country a terraino a parin just because of the level of competition and the terrain that it goes over but it’s very good signs to begin with that he can it over quite Punchy terrain which maybe is not his strong point maybe he’s

Better at the longer climb so it shows that he’s very versatile and also just not afraid to attack which I think we can all get on board with because we don’t want KGI racing that is that’s boring and lame we do not want that so delor is definitely in in the good books

I mean he is an Australia so you would think that he is going to be doing the cadel Great race as well and if if we follow what tacha did in his Neo Pro season he went to the world TI gav he won that race then SAR biani then GP

Miguel indine then the tour of Bas country then the Toro cforia obviously that doesn’t exist anymore so if he has a sort of similar calendar like that maybe they send him to the tour of Slovenia to win that cuz they haven’t showed how they going to call out his 2024 season yet

Well they said he’s not going to a grand tour I can give you that context um he will not be at the Welter most likely that could change but they’re not expecting him to to go to gr toour they want to see how he progresses through the

Year but um I mean you see how he go in like the Italian One Day races at the end of the year like the kind of ones that pogy’s been doing well at recently and Mark Ki well he has to compete with marishi for for places that with that

Sort of with that fiery kick that he has it could be quite useful at those kind of profiles or if he get shipped away to um to like the myoca races and these early season races like valenciana and so forth um I don’t think I don’t think

That will work I because it’s the jet lag the timing as well true true true true maybe maybe we have to wait for him to go to the olive oil race in February right that’s true he could def he’ll definitely go to like a romen or something like

That the the crazy romedy results do we get like if that’s screaming Del Toro at me yeah who knows we’ll wait to see not going to Grand to is a little bit like e but UI have such a pleora of talent that I can also very much understand that

Other people probably have priority over a 20 year 20y old Wonder kid but also the fact that he’s 20 is just insane I mean sorry tour of Poland that’s that’s Prime weird result oh yeah that would be a good one Delo deloro is definitely winning like what’s that’s what he’s

Winning or torm no he could have win that no do you you go there I don’t think they do but the funny thing is him being Mexican every single podium he gets or win is going to most likely be the first ever for Mexico so I mean having more countries

In the sport is quite cool but Mexico by the way at the moment um the Federation is not like okay cool have a national champion so um Mexico don’t actually have a current national champion so even if deloro were to win that we wouldn’t even

See the jersey in in the prop palon it’s kind of weird situation right now in in Mexican cycling oh that’s a shame oh oh no he you e won’t be able to bch another national champs Jersey what a shame I mean at um at the benador World

Cup they py or whatever they called that weird name they had a store and it’s pissy whatever I don’t care it’s a stupid name call it something better but they had the tacha kit and uh yeah no like the Slovenian one yeah yeah but I have seen the flag yeah but

Like the ACT it’s I just I just don’t like the U team Emirates kit but I saw the DSM kit quite close and I I prefer that and the inter one now seeing it up close makes it nicer I do think the DSM Jersey is not as bad as we thought it

Was to begin with like seeing it being r with is actually a lot nicer than it looks otherwise it does look kind of strange but I think you have to get used to it um you know yeah I agree weird sensation you know after after the first

Or second it’s like heroin you know it feels gross and like uh the first time and then you just like try and try again and it’s it’s great like Frank you living in Glu talking about this uhhuh anyway Isaac Toro um I mean him being with Tad Wacha almea

All them and what you had said as well it doesn’t look like a grand tour is going to be on the C anyway because it’s yeah yeah I think we need to see what his time draing is like U please send him to a stage race with a Time TR

Because we need to really understand that part as well because we haven’t really got a gauge on that so we need to see what his time TR like my interest is going to be obviously if you he’s not doing one this year he’ll probably do one next year but

Uee with whether Yates pagat AO Al MAA now throw delaro in there plus however many other people they might or might not sign where is delor going to fit into this is somebody going to get booted out of UEI at the end of this year to make

Room for this Rising Star I think that he’s probably going to be good enough where he’s going to need some like sole leadership or at least you know co-leadership and I just don’t think Yu’s got the space for that at the moment anyways we might as well move it

On can’t all be about uh Mexican super talent in terms of the toor Down Under as well I heard this on a Danish podcast they were saying that should the toor Down Under even be a World Tour race when you consider it it’s all the way on

The other side of the world they were saying as well with the timings like Patrick said none of the three of us watched a single second live so that’s not great for the race obviously any Australian listeners viewers can comment down below as well but this is basically

A debate about this I mean I could I would defend the Tour of California being a world tour race it is called the world tour so on that front shouldn’t the tour down under be a race and also for the Riders is quite good cuz they

Get that long month block where they can train in the heat whereas here in Europe we’ve had a bit up and down with the weather but having a world tour race also kind of takes away some of the Lesser teams that can’t be invited into the race so I definitely think the

Points are skewed quite favorable towards the Tor down under which isn’t great but yeah Tor down under should have remain a world tour race that’s not hard one because like you say it’s it’s a world tour if we get rid of well if you go rid of tour down undering hang XI

It’s just a tour of Europe basically because every single other stage race up is just in Europe yeah I haven’t watched it live I don’t want wangi live there’s probably quite a lot of fluff that’s on the world tour calendar that probably doesn’t need to be there like pull on

You that’s World Tour I don’t think you could watch who whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa don’t come for the tour Poland like this it wasn’t even on GCM plus when GCM plus was a thing like you had to watch it on YouTube like that’s not a

Will to level race if they’re just hogging the TV licenses but you can’t be doing that um okay but the tur Poland gives us a beautiful sunset finale where you see the Riders drenched in beautiful orange light um we have the wall ofina there’s a reason the UCI chose it to

Kick off the the UCI World Tour stage racing cter 2020 it’s a vital part of the world tour calendar JIS vehicle got his first world tour win there it’s a fabulous race I think you’re being very n placing tour of Poland right on The Chopping Board of the world talk

Calendar it’s crucial it’s it’s fantastic this is not a debate about the tour of Poland this a debate about the SOS toland I just forgot that also a World level event and that that also makes it a world don’t come for the U don’t come

For the UAE I’ll defend the U you cannot defend the U tour it is rubbish it’s rubbish who won it last year I don’t care who’s W REM V and the third place Rider finished third place in the Tour of France and like you said it has to be

A World Tour a world tour exactly for that extent yeah you have to kind of keep it’s the to I think the tour down on I think it is a world tour level event I get that you have to ship everyone out which isn’t great and biggest talent doesn’t necessarily go

There but the women’s I think was pathetic to be honest you take like so many riders over and then they only have three stages and you could see it as well on the start list you didn’t have the biggest names there from the women’s side so it’s like make it a five six

Stage yeah make it bigger make why is it not weak like it should be weak for both of them which I think is a bit weird SD Works didn’t even go I think they got fine for it but they literally couldn’t be bothered sending their tent out there

Which is a very strong Testament to how much people seem to care about the T Down Under I like it I think that if it remains you know if basically my argument is if hangi and romandy and uor remain World Tour then the T on under deserves to be

Well tour still as well I mean the tour of Britain back in the wigin era was kind of a lot of English media loved to call it the SI Grand Tour which was a bit like it’s just not well fourth Grand Tour not sixth that was wishful thinking

The Olympic Grand Tour it doesn’t exist yet but yeah they were calling tour Britain the fourth Grand Tour which is a bit like what but it’s not even a world tour race unfortunately no and it should never be but that’s not the topic of this video um if anything the tur

Britain should be kept a million million miles away from the U world talk calendar if I was used to a world talk calendar organizer I would block their email I would do a lot to prevent that race from ever reaching that that level regardless the TOA um it has a

Niche it’s a novelty race essentially like it’s in January it’s the first race of the season it’s in Australia it happens during the middle of the night like it’s the only walto stage race in in an anglophone country like it’s kind of it’s just it’s so novelty at this

Point and the results kind of show that’s bit of a novelty race and it it operates in isolation as well where it’s like like it used to be really novelty because it was the only wal stage race we gone until par um like I think I

Think it serves a purpose and I think it’s fine being in the world tour and the wait for World Tour races is too long otherwise otherwise what UAE tours going to be the Big World Tour opening or the opening weekend with the ol new blad that that could be fine but I feel

Like waiting until sort of February 27th to begin the worldt calendar is just a bit too long especially when there’s racing area happening all around the globe otherwise and Australia need to occupy some point in the calendar it’s a big cycling Market they have they have

Long ties into the world tour in the past 20 years they got a lot of big Riders it makes a lot of sense and if it if it has to happen in January it has to happen in January you know I think it’s fine being being in the world tour there

Are other I think there are there are races that face more of an idenity crisis than than the toand it is incredibly frustrating the time zone differences but that’s just part of it and you know what as you said the world tour needs things all around the world I

Think we all agree with uh kind of that it should be there the only the only Annoying Thing I have with the kind of the Australian scene is the cadel Evans Great Ocean Race why is that a world tour race that’s a bit annoying but uh cuz it just a bit like the

Artificially just came but I get why when you have so many riders over there you might as well make the most of it in the Danish podcast they said they would rather see the tour Blanka as a world tour race than the tour down under because of like the bigger history in

The sport and Etc but that’s wrong yeah but the tour of Lan howy kind of serves a purpose as well for the pro Continental Continental teams as well a pro level race yeah cones but it is frustrating though like that t the San Juan International or the tour of

Colombia none of those are World Tour races the Tour of California died instantly almost when it became a world tour race all I’m saying is that we should have a race around Kazakhstan Tajikistan usbekistan and Kuran I mean Kazakhstan yes because they’ve got races there so the tour what is it Al

Manti yeah I’m the Troy Val M huge fan um let love I was about to say I love alaena anything ala Lenka touches turns to Gold if he could be like the race director there like waving the flag designing the rout I’d buy into it I might send him I

Might send him a little message after this he’s in medin right now as well for the tour of Colombia or getting ready for the tour of Columbia well that’s good cuz he has a restraining order on me so it’s good to know he’s fun me but

Anyways we might as well move to inos gr and David braford he’s going to be leaving the role as team manager to focus more on Manchester United after David well Jim Radcliff has become more involved with Manchester United this isn’t a football podcast but this feels

Like I sort of end of an eror he was there from 2010 when when the team was launched was really crucial in the 2012 to through to 17 tours to France where they were completely dominant even 2013 when they were completely dominant there he was he was a very influential figure

In in the sport as a whole and for him to lead the sport ites definitely does feel like okay well we can put that to be now Richard plugger is is the new day rord like well truly we’ve known this for a while but it’s like that dynasty

Is very much over the new king can be crowned do you think this is like in your switching their focus now like they see UAE and yumbo and they’re like well we can’t beat them for the next five years so IO probably think that brailsford’s also just been moved along

With with um with Ratcliffe in particular CU he went he went across to toce as well after Ratcliffe joined that football club as an owner not as a not as a player and bford was shipped over there to sort of do some work before like returning back to cycling he took a

Break for his own health for a while as well I don’t think this is based on visma and um and U is dominance I think this is more enos’s complete sort of uh just the state of play has changed and there are more lucrative plans for da bruford elsewhere Manchester United’s

Like probably one of the top 10 leading football clubs in the world with a huge sort of talent p and potential um in every sense of the word so I do understand why he wants to do something new I think but it’s a good it’s a good

Move this is this is a perfect example ladies and gentlemen of transferable skills Dave B has put himself in a prime position for job opportunities here by basically attaching himself to Jim Ratcliffe who is basically just going around giving him jobs in places which is pretty good I think he is remaining

In inos in some sort of consultancy role everyone loves a consultant nowadays they’re just you know bit of a buzzword I think it is also quite good for inos because there was the whole I don’t think Dave B is a particularly like popular figure or his

Name brings a certain element of or do you remember when team Sky had that bit of a gray area stuff about whether you know whatever fruit Wiggins is dodgy package whever it was and people were always skeptical about FR and they sort of tied that to Dave braford and I think

That getting rid of him is quite a good move for inos because it sort of detaches them from that and it is like you say it’s got a bit of a new era and I think that yeah this is inos definitely s being like we are not kind

Of what we were in 2012 or whatever it was which is a good thing I think because I think they’re still trying to hang on to that in a way and I do think they need to just like Break Free they need to stop trying to form Riders into

The new bradle Wiggins because it’s not working they need to sign Steven Williams that’s what they need and I mean I mean this kind of feels like the captain leaving a sinking ship I thought the captain was supposed to stay on the ship but he’s just kind of not if it’s the Costa

Concordia he’s jumped on to another ship another singing Ship by the looks of it yeah he’s gone Manchester United in the league are they they’re not at the top they’re not at the top s out there’s quite a few points between them and Liverpool right now who are currently leading so I mean

You you got quite a lot of comment last week for turning this into a political podcast I I don’t even think I did come on let’s like i’ I’d be be more happy to talk about football than politics no Lord of the Rings references from

Patrick yeah but I mean um no but one person appreciated it and that’s all that matters one story that you wanted to talk about which I completely forgot about until one of you mentioned Tor Britain what was it you that they’re going into liquidation or something the owners or

Sweet Spot who organized the T Britain are going into liquidation I’m not 100% sure if they’re still organizing the race um this is not a great sign for British cycling once more it’s in a bad place even if a race or organizer whether they’re still involved or not

Has been put into liquidation the the future of many British races in the we could spend a whole episode dissing state of British cycling because we care because we care maybe not you but Patrick and I care I I care T Series gone series is great to yire gone I’m

Not sure about that’s a great idea sack off the tour of Britain because that’s obviously an absolute waste of time for roots na anyway we had however many Sprints which were won by coin that we just don’t need that I think we sack off the tour of Britain and bring back the

Tour of Yorkshire and we’re going to build from the ground up once more you know what give me the rign I will design a route in the for to yire give me four stages right I guarantee you it will be a hit I don’t care what the people in

The tour Britain sweet whatever how the hell it is and a liquidation I guarantee you I would put on a b by R than they are but yeah the liquidation is not it’s not great it basically just means they’re just losing control the race is just going to get worse and worse which

Means that the only places the races will go to to the highest biders which are usually places which are further down south which is not hilly which is rubbish racing because you just end up with Sprints all the time that’s how that’s British geography for you that

That does really suck the Tor Brin could be so much more if it went up into actual Scotland which would be really cool if it went up there if it was an actual tour of Britain an actual Scotland England Wales part Northern Ireland yeah why not even have like we had the ride

London classic where sprinting down like the M stuff has how that as like your shamp Al like seriously who is organizing this because it feels like their brain has been putting backwards we could have sent theor Brit to all previous over territories and just make it properly no the a s of the

Commonwealth much yes and let’s let’s give give every writer let’s get no again again again again again again let’s let’s let’s give every stage winner a bust to like like a statue of margar Thatcher a stage winning trophy um they’ll sing the national anthem four times before going like before beginning the

Stage um yeah no yeah this is like a Black Mirror episode waiting to happen anyways uh the relief has come in the well in the way of writer of the week and uh plenty of things to choose from tour down under tour of Venezuela I think as well and of course the world

Cyclocross World Cup in benadon it is actually really hard for the first time in a while it’s not just like a few people I kind of want to go with something a little bit Rogue and the Mya races of course I missed that up yeah no

This is crazy I am going I’m not going to go I’m give it pretty basic I’m going to give it to Sam wellsford for mopping up three of the six stages of ban under pretty basic very dominant experiencing nobody else really got close I’m going to go for isak delaro Oscar onley’s too

Predictable so is dor it is he’s going to be sad now Oscar Onley he’s going to be like he was tuning in right of the week in the bag W longer Hill here we go you h no it’s really bad y if you don’t give it tole you’re sticking with

It bro not b no I’m kidding I’m gonna go for is delaro wow that is wow Elso is coming for you I’m sorry this is L hang F also I live far away from Kelso so it’s fine there are like no glass ofion cyclists so like I’m fine well I was

Thinking about giving to Jonathan cedo who won his home race wait no not home race Venezuela not Ecuador he also got dumped out of the wall tour as well yeah exactly so no education but I’m not going to I’m going to give it to Steven Williams because I think Israel ptic

Wining a world tour race was quite phenomenal so uh he he needs he needs a bit more love Scott can we just rewind it’s good for Israel Premier Tech to win a race this world tour this was a World Tour team just two years ago yeah but

They’re not World Tour anymore so it’s good for them they’ve never won well darl imp to he win no not while he was here not while he was there interesting on a very serious that was big boost for Israel to get back into the world tour

This is a very very strong start for them and it would be very surprising to me if they didn’t get back to the World Tour if they keep on this track I’m holding out that um again again again again again again no I’m just holding out that

Fromel wins the bua so we don’t see Israel PR take it back at the level okay I will finish with this uh at the hotel that in had their team presentation there were six other teams which is like there are more hotels and um sorry podcast listeners but if you’re watching

The video on YouTube You’ll see how ridiculous it is uh yeah that was a weird point to finish that’s basically it for number 52 not our birthday yet fourth of February wait for that and if you haven’t already hit the Subscribe button comment down below as well we

Always love the comments hit the like button and and check us out on Twitter as well all of that will be in the description down below and with that thank you very much for watching and of course as always we will see you next week