Must Read: Why the Brits came up short in Florence
None of the British riders finished the road race at the world championships in Florence, Italy
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What happened to the British team at the road worlds? — The Guardian
None of the British riders finished the road race at the world championships on Sunday, although they were not alone — only 61 of the 208 riders that started actually crossed the finish line.
Bad weather aside, The Guardian wonders aloud what really happened to the Brits, a squad that included the last two winners of the Tour de France in Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome.
Cycling columnist William Fotheringham breaks it down and outlines five issues the team faced leading up to the worlds. Among them, he writes, was the fact that only one of the riders on the squad — Luke Rowe — rode in the Vuelta a Espana. And he pulled out after falling ill.
Another problem, Fotheringham writes, is that the Britons’ focus is all about the Tour de France. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it leaves them under-prepared for the other races on the calendar.
It must be noted that in the worlds time trial, Wiggins finished second behind German Tony Martin.
