Hey all, simply attempting to crawl out of a moderately intensive, and pretty typical, finish of summer season work cave. It’s not as darkish because the biking ache cave, and I can undoubtedly justify a frosty brew on the finish of every such effort, however in different respects the parallels to skilled biking are… properly they aren’t zero anyway.

It’s actually been one other thrilling season, with a really distinctive twist to it. I’m glad I didn’t have time to put in writing about MeRgEr MaNiA whereas it was nonetheless on the desk, because it ended up not taking place (for now), however there isn’t any query that the dominant theme for the season has been single-team dominance, on the a part of Jumbo Visma after all.

In our minds the Flying Dutchmen and their worldwide forged of Grand Tour champions owned the yr, in 2009 HTC-like trend, but it surely’s not fairly like that. The Jumbos did lead the world in wins, with 66 whole, however simply barely forward of Fast Step and UAE, and in reality UAE at the moment leads in whole factors, at our PDC-generated rankings (by way of the FSA Directeur Sportif), in addition to on the Biking Quotient and PCS rankings. Proportion-wise the hole to second-ranked Jumbo is closest at our rankings, a few 5% distinction, versus extra like 9-10% on the different two. If these rankings really feel like we’re being collectively gaslit by the game, properly, biking is eternally kinda bizarre, however possibly a extra particular message is that it’s an on a regular basis job, whether or not it’s taking place underneath the brightest lights or the darkest shadows, and everybody relishes a win. Oh and Marc Hirschi says hello too. Sheesh.

Need to know what an excellent season actually seems like? Jumbo ‘23 is one model, and its polar reverse most likely stays HTC ‘09, the place the GerMerican squad racked up 85 FUCKING WINS!!! — almost double the second-ranked Saxo Financial institution — en path to … simply barely squeaking out a 600-point total hole in whole factors. [Probably toss in some Mapei or Renault seasons here too if you want to carry on, but let’s stay more recent.] In terms of wins, there’s an historic debate of amount versus high quality, and these two historic seasons characterize the acute examples of every. However neither workforce actually dominated the factors rankings within the course of. Biking simply at all times has so many shifting elements.

I don’t need to drone on about 2023 proper now, now we have quite a bit to cowl with the season’s finish, together with FSA DS outcomes, however I need to problem our annual name for nominations for our 2023 Awards. Recall, the classes are as follows:

• 2023 Males’s Rider of the 12 months
• 2023 Males’s Race Day of the 12 months
• 2023 Girls’s Rider of the 12 months
• 2023 Girls’s Race Day of the 12 months

No explicit standards, that’s so that you can resolve, as that is eternally a subjective ballot. I’d solely notice that race “day” means what it seems like, stage races on the entire will not be eligible, although in case you are excited a few stage race — as I’m certain most of us had been — then selecting the day that summed all of it up for you is a superb one for the nominations.

PLEASE go to feedback and ship me your nominations! Early subsequent week I’ll declare the nominations adequate to launch the polls themselves, after which we’ll vote our awards. Clearly the World Champions, Grand Tour winners and Monument winners are most or all anticipated to indicate up within the polls. For race days, these might be beginning factors there too. However please do get inventive and transcend the apparent to determine individuals or occasions that moved you as a biking fan. Be happy to elaborate right here in feedback — if the case for that individual or day isn’t apparent, make it right here and now! My expertise is that after the polls are posted individuals vote first and peruse feedback later.

Thanks all for an additional nice yr! I can’t at all times be right here as a lot as I would really like proper now, however most likely subsequent yr might be a bit extra open. Thanks as at all times to Jens for his fixed and much-appreciated dedication to posting boards for just about each race day of any significance, Males’s and Girls’s sides. Thanks as at all times to UMWolverine for her work in feedback day by day! And to each for updating leads to the DS too. Thanks all for the roles you play as neighborhood members, this has at all times been and shall stay a neighborhood effort the place your concepts, ideas and passions drive the positioning as a lot as any official work that the Editors do. I’ve been saying for a bit that 2024 may very well be the final word showdown on a number of the largest phases, and I had higher cease tying proper now earlier than I get myself prematurely spun up about it. As the children say… LFG!!