The Recon Ride p/b VeloNews closes out the year with an episode focused on the offseason, talking transfers and neo-pros and even offering suggestions on what to watch during the next few months sans road racing. VeloNews.com editor Spencer Powlison joins the show to provide some expert insight.
The conclusion of the Tour of Beijing was also the conclusion of the 2014 WorldTour and, therefore, the start of several months of R&R for most of the pro peloton. Several big names enjoyed one last hurrah in the 2.HC Japan Cycle Cup (won for a second time by Garmin-Sharp’s Nathan Haas), but with that race in the books, the vast majority of WorldTour riders have begun their offseason, with only a select few top-level pros still participating in races like the Tour of Hainan.
Most of the peloton will welcome the opportunity to rest and recover, but the offseason does come with an unfortunate side effect: the professional road cycling world inevitably quiets down a bit during the wintertime! For instance, there won’t be any VeloHuman race previews until January, when the 2015 WorldTour kicks off with the Tour Down Under. Even after that, things don’t really get rolling until early March and the double billing of Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico. But that doesn’t mean things will be completely silent around here or in the road cycling world at large during the cold-weather months: there’s always something happening in this sport, and even when the biggest stars aren’t racing on the asphalt, some recognizable names are racing in the dirt (cyclocross season is here!), the routes of next year’s major races are being revealed all the time, and several top riders are still hunting for teams for the upcoming season. In other words, stay tuned! There is still plenty of analysis to come here at VH even during the long dark offseason. Be sure to follow @VeloHuman on Twitter to stay connected.
-Dane Cash
Photo by Contando Estrelas.