World Champion

A different breed.

The Worlds are going to be played out on US roads, which is fantastic and the last time it happened we witnessed a great race with a worthy winner. But the Worlds has lost a lot of its prestige since moving from late August to its current position in late September. It’s only a month’s difference, but it means that the riders who started early and raced through the summer are dialing down for the season, and only the riders who either took the Summer easy or are started racing later will be interested in racing for the bands.

It used to be that the winner of the road race wore the Rainbow Stripes in the time trial events as well, because there wasn’t a separate time trial Champion. One World Champion instead of two has the sort of simplicity to it that my twisted OCD brain can really sink its teeth into, and every rider to ever swing a leg over a top tube had that event on their list – whether they were a sprinter, a Grand Tour rider, rouleur, or domestique. I would be willing to bet that a modern champion like like Chris Froome or Alberto Contador doesn’t even have the the Worlds on their radar as a career goal.

We won’t be seeing a defending Tour champion roll up to the prologue with the rainbow stripes on their back any time soon. I vote we bring back the Summertime Worlds.

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

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wilburrox says:

Aug 26 2015 at 2:47 am

@Phillip Mercer

@Puffy

In Aus, we have a National Road Champion (Haussler/Mullens), a National Time Trial Champion (Porte/Wardlaw) AND a National Criterium Champion (Von Hoff/Wells)…

I think they have a national crit champion in the US too.

Eric Marcotte w/Team SmartStop won USA Pro Crit Nat'l Champ back in April in Greenville, SC
rfreese888 says:

Aug 26 2015 at 3:21 am

Still in the early stages of steeping myself in classics, grand tours and now WC's. Will watch this one with interest.
wiscot says:

Aug 26 2015 at 5:05 am

They need to move it back. Too many winners have gone on to have subsequent lousy seasons. The last two: Rui Costa and Kwiatkowski being notable examples. I'm going to pick Sagan. He'll rescue his season (in the eyes of Tinkoff) and crush the pield. My heart says Tommeke, the brain says Pinchy.
Ron says:

Aug 26 2015 at 7:26 am

Can't wait! I'll be there. I've had a lucky run of late and am extremely thankful the VMH lured me this far south. I've have easy access to the Handmade Bike Show in Richmond a few years back, then Charlotte last year. Also made it to the cross Worlds in Louisville and now...heading just a few hours north in September for the race. Gonna be awesome to see the road PROs. Never would have guessed I'd be making it to so many awesome cycling events!
frank says:

Aug 26 2015 at 9:06 am

@Phillip Mercer

@Joe

Its now getting cluttered under the seat with added GPS making the seats look like they have a semi hard-on trailing out the back

That is the single most appalling development of 2015. I thought they were special aero fins the first time I saw them. Fuck.
MangoDave says:

Aug 26 2015 at 10:34 am

@frank

@Phillip Mercer

@Joe

Its now getting cluttered under the seat with added GPS making the seats look like they have a semi hard-on trailing out the back

That is the single most appalling development of 2015. I thought they were special aero fins the first time I saw them. Fuck.

Reminds me of Mr. Garrison's car of the future on South Park...
frank says:

Aug 26 2015 at 11:06 am

@Haldy

@frank– I miss the days of old when Worlds was a two week festival of Amateurs and Professionals. When the track world and the road world all gathered in the same city! When the World TTT was a 100km 4 man effort and not the Trade team event it is now( but I am glad that there is at least some form of TTT again).

A-Merckx to that! Bring it back I say, bring it back!
frank says:

Aug 26 2015 at 11:09 am

@Barracuda

We camped alongside the course just before the 20% ramp in Geelong for the 2010 worlds. Was a great week and the atmosphere was awesome. The best bit was rolling out of the caravan park at sun up and riding the entire lap of the course before the pro’s. Then setting up deck chairs and esky’s infront of camper trailer and watching them roll past multiple times.

Anyone heading to the current WC’s will have an amazing time.

I was actually thinking of Cadel while writing this as well; he was a pretty diverse rider and had a great year in the bands. Strange that a rider like him rode the worlds, probably only because they were in Oz. Or maybe that was the year he broke his elbow in the Tour and he had some time off in the summer?

@Oli

I like like this post.

Short, concise, to the point. You like the article, I like your post!
frank says:

Aug 26 2015 at 11:11 am

@wiscot

They need to move it back. Too many winners have gone on to have subsequent lousy seasons. The last two: Rui Costa and Kwiatkowski being notable examples. I’m going to pick Sagan. He’ll rescue his season (in the eyes of Tinkoff) and crush the pield. My heart says Tommeke, the brain says Pinchy.

I'm all-in for Phinney on the heart side, but Tommeke needs to win his fifth Roubaix in the bands.
chuckp says:

Aug 26 2015 at 11:11 am

My take on riding the course. http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/race_news/worlds15-richmond-roadrace-course-preride/