Written by paceuts of paceuts
  
  
  With the World Tour season now in the books, it’s time to look back at Canada’s performances this year.
  Final Standing: 7th (720 points) – 5th with 1080 points last year
  Final CoN: 15th (160 points) – 5th with 580 points last year
  Top rider: Ethanael Parsley -13th with 240 points
  Most selections: Angus Papke, Bud Castleberry, Albert Lowrey – 7 each.
  For more stats, see http://www.cyclingsimulator.com/forum/english/390170.
  Overall, it was a good season for the Canadian team, despite a poor showing at the CoN. Our non-CoN haul increased from 500 to 560 points, which is something to be happy about it. Of course, we always want more!
  At the beginning of the season, we discussed five key questions for the team. It’s time to look at how we fared on each of these:
  1. Will the climbing team continue dominating?
  Short answer: Sort of.
  Long answer: Ethanael Parsley hit the podium two of three times he was selected as Captain, while Clyde Enlow and Angus Papke each picked up minor placings once. Unfortunately, we missed

the points in Rio when key domestique Bud Castleberry had a horrible day. Our team also took a hit with Travis Sweetman going inactive. Consistently performing at the top level we’ve shown we can be at across all races next year will be key.
  2. Can the sprinting team perform consistently at a world-class level?
  Short answer: Not really
  Long answer: Enoch Rinks had the team’s support in four of five sprint races this year, but only scored at the first time of asking. It seems that the less-than-ideal ages of key leadouts Rolf Runnels, Irving Watts, and Conway Traugott, combined with Rinks being a tier below the likes of Kerry Hadaway, prevented us from regularly competing for wins. Albert Lowrey showed promise, however, finishing 7th in his only sprint race as Captain. Perhaps another year of experience for the team’s core will make the difference.
  3. Is the rejuvenated cobbles team ready to compete with the best?
  Short answer: Not yet.
  Long answer: Indeed, this season was Darcy Zampogna’s first chance to show his potential at the WT-level. Unfortunately, he

didn’t seem to be strong enough quite yet, finishing in the low teens both times. However, with a young supporting cast maturing alongside him, we are confident that the cobbled team will show improvement next year and eventually lead us to the very top of the cobbles world.
  4. What will a year of transition bring for the hill team?
  Short answer: Solid results.
  Long answer: Despite missing our only race of the year in Sydney, the hill team was one area of success for us this year. Albern Goucher got the nod as Captain both times, and got us points twice. Notably, Darell Talley also added some points in Portugal with a fantastic ride. Goucher is getting old, and this may have been his last year to assert himself in the WT, especially with several talented young hillsprinters reaching their peak ages. However, he used the opportunity well, becoming our all-time leading scorer in the WT. It is too bad he has yet to find that elusive victory!
  5. Can the top time trialists bring us valuable points in Washington?
  Short answer: Not this time.
  Long answer: We knew heading into Washington that we had several great options for points. Unfortunately, despite having 4 riders in the top 19, all failed to score the much-need points, instead watching Belgium mop up 400 points with three riders in the top 7 and two in the podium. You can bet that our time men against the clock will be back at it again next year with renewed energy and going all-out for the win.