Last year was a great year for cycling as the Grand Tours lived up to their famous billings and as for the British riders there were plenty of successes for the likes of Chris Froome, Lizzie Armitstead and Geraint Thomas.
But 2016 promises to be another thrilling year in the saddle, as new contenders for the top honours are emerging, and in the women’s scene the sport is being taken to a whole new level partly due to the success of Armitstead but also others such as Anna Van Der Breggen; women’s cycling is certainly worth paying attention too.
Here at VAVEL, we wanted to take a look at four riders to watch out for in 2016; so, without further ado, here they are:
Geraint Thomas
‘G’ as he is known in the cycling community had a real coming of age last season; he has been with Sky for a good few years now, but last year we really saw the Welshman come into his own and if he didn’t have that horrific collapse on stage 19 of the Tour de France, Team Sky could of had two riders on the podium.
Before the Tour he had a good win at the E3 Harelbeke which is a notoriously difficult race which showed he can mix it with the best in cycling.
And then his impressive performances in the Tour in support of Froome showed that Thomas could actually one-day lead a team of his own.
It looks as though this season Thomas will be a backup GC rider for Sky, as Froome is aiming to win his third Tour de France title.
But in the future there is no doubt that Thomas has the ability to ride for the yellow jersey, and with the right team around him; he could just well be the first Welshman to win the coveted prize.
Fabio Aru
Astana’s Fabio Aru rose to prominence in last year’s Vuelta a Espana in what was probably the best Grand Tour of the lot; the Tour was good, but it wasn’t as close as the Spanish Grand Tour. Heading into the final stage Aru was six seconds behind Dutchman Tom Dumoulin, after seemingly throwing away the victory the day before.
But the Italian somehow managed to overcome the odds claw back those six seconds from Dumoulin to win a Vuelta that will go down in history as one of the most enjoyable ones ever.
This year Aru might target the Tour, he has shown the world his ability on Spanish roads; it is time he switches to French roads to test himself against the likes of Froome, Alberto Contador, Nairo Quintana and company.
It is a big year for Aru; he has quickly gained popularity, now the trick will be if he can repeat last year’s feats.
Lizzie Armitstead
I don’t think we can write this article without mentioning Yorkshire lass Armitstead; it was the best year in the saddle for 27-year-old. She won the World Championship in Richmond and the WorldTour for women’s cycling in 2015, which led her being nominated for the SPOTY 2015 award.
It wasn’t all plain-sailing as midway through the season she crashed with a photographer after winning a race; and was a doubt for the rest of the season.
But she overcame the injury and won the rainbow jersey in a sensational race in Richmond, Virginia. The year before in Spain she was close to victory at the Worlds, but this time she timed her effort to perfection and the chasing pack behind were just not going to get round a determined Armitstead.
This year the main focus will be the Olympics in Rio, although the course is tough, Armitstead will be one of the favourites heading into the race – if she can add the Gold medal, she will have an impressive set of accomplishments to add to her palmares.
Chris Froome
Froome had a fantastic 2015; he set about winning the Tour and he done just that after a closely fought battle with Movistar’s Nairo Quintana. It was a terrific achievement for Froome as it was his second Tour victory.
Off the bike it was a turbulent time for Team Sky’s leader; after winning Stage 10 to La Pierre St-Martin and taking the yellow jersey at an early stage in the race, plenty of questions were banded about suggesting the Sky was doping.
But Froome prevailed and stood on the podium come Paris, and after the Tour he decided to put himself through rigorous tests at an independent lab in a bid to silence his critics.
2016 will bring more challenges for Froome; the doping questions will certainly stick around; as for the racing Froome will once again target the Tour; adding a third Tour de France title would be record-breaking for a British rider. But with the Olympics this year as well Froome will look to take gold in a course which suits him down to the ground.
This year’s season promises to be a cracker; keep an eye out for those mentioned – they should be on course for a good season in the saddle.