I must confess to having a bit of a soft spot for Ridley Bikes. I had a Supercross (full EM2) a few years ago and loved having it. As economics sometimes dictate I had to sell it, and it is one of the few bikes I still pine for.
When initially I heard that Silence Lotto were to switch brands I had a small tear in my eye as I thought we would no longer see them in the top flight. In some ways I still can't understand why the switch, as over the years Ridley has produced a frameset to meet the various demands of the PRO riders. In recent years only maybe Cervelo have catered for their riders with the same fervour.
Thankfully we will see them aboard the Katusha Team for 09. Did Robbie have some say in it, well I'd love to think so but I am sure it was a shrewd management decision on the part of the Team and Ridley. Having signed top riders Filippo Pozzato, Robbie McEwen, Geert Steegmans, and Vladimir Karpets, they are likely to be present in some of the Classics and will make a showing at some of the Grand Tours, albeit not for the overall win.
Lets hope the Lotto Team have more success than Unibet, who were the last Team aboard Canyon frames. They may do well with the Canyon's in the Grand Tours, but I think they will have to make something really special to better the Ridleys' that they were riding in the Classics.
all images courtesy of Ridley
