Comments on: 2008: The Year of the French http://cyclocosm.com/2008/02/2008-the-year-of-the-french/ Pro Cycling News, Commentary and Special Features Fri, 05 Dec 2008 02:45:43 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.1 By: Sebastian http://cyclocosm.com/2008/02/2008-the-year-of-the-french/#comment-5582 Sebastian Wed, 13 Feb 2008 16:28:49 +0000 http://cyclocosm.com/2008/02/2008-the-year-of-the-french/#comment-5582 The dismal state of French cycling gets harder and harder to figure out the longer it goes on. The visible drop-off in French results after Festina shows that drugs do have something to do with it; but clearly there are more important forces at work, since French cycling in the 90s had clearly already declined from where it had been in the '80s, and meanwhile the likes of Hushovd and Gilbert continue to win races on squeaky-clean French squads. I don't think that the fact that the sport is marginally more international than it was thirty years ago can really explain anything, since Italy, Spain and Belgium are still eating most of the pie. It must have something to do with mentality and management, or possibly a talent drain down at the junior level. It would be interesting to compare the French predicament with that of the Dutch, who experienced a similar slump after their high period in the 80s, but who (with the likes of Thomas Dekker, Robert Gesing and Lars Boom) seem to be on the way back. The dismal state of French cycling gets harder and harder to figure out the longer it goes on. The visible drop-off in French results after Festina shows that drugs do have something to do with it; but clearly there are more important forces at work, since French cycling in the 90s had clearly already declined from where it had been in the ’80s, and meanwhile the likes of Hushovd and Gilbert continue to win races on squeaky-clean French squads. I don’t think that the fact that the sport is marginally more international than it was thirty years ago can really explain anything, since Italy, Spain and Belgium are still eating most of the pie. It must have something to do with mentality and management, or possibly a talent drain down at the junior level.

It would be interesting to compare the French predicament with that of the Dutch, who experienced a similar slump after their high period in the 80s, but who (with the likes of Thomas Dekker, Robert Gesing and Lars Boom) seem to be on the way back.

]]> By: sebastian http://cyclocosm.com/2008/02/2008-the-year-of-the-french/#comment-6619 sebastian Mon, 31 Mar 2008 00:09:31 +0000 http://cyclocosm.com/2008/02/2008-the-year-of-the-french/#comment-6619 Well well, well. You don't hear the words "Chavanel" and "rampage" together a lot, but it seems to be happening . . . although I suppose that a stage of the Tour Med, a stage of Paris-Nice, the Dwars door Vlaanderen, and De Brabantse Pijl do not quite a rampage make. We'll see what he can do in the real classics. Well well, well. You don’t hear the words “Chavanel” and “rampage” together a lot, but it seems to be happening . . . although I suppose that a stage of the Tour Med, a stage of Paris-Nice, the Dwars door Vlaanderen, and De Brabantse Pijl do not quite a rampage make. We’ll see what he can do in the real classics.

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