Why are UK riders now more successful?

[TourOfSardinia]

On the Telegraph's Bradley Wiggins exclusive photo gallery

He seems slightly at odds with his team mates, like in:

#2 where he seems to have been dropped
#9 where he seems to have dropped Sky.

Meanwhile the one below seems a bit like a Wigstrong pose

[spetsa]

Michael Rogers, Chris Froome, Konstantin Siutsou, Christian Knees and Richie Porte team mates.

Dont know how many doctors or pharmacists, but the island is probably crawling with the creatures.

Thanks. Froome was the one that I was curious about. I am sure that we will see miracles come July. Oh yeah, I forgot....he is just an emerging talent.

[blackcat]

in order

1 economics
2 Brailsford (respect)
3 Wiggins
4 track program
5 catchment

[blackcat]

helps that they are a tunnel ride away from the continent.

I give DB respect for the professionalism he inculcated at GB cycling. Dont buy too much into his talking point re: "The aggregation of marginal gains." Just weasal word burt speak.

They are professional. enough said about that. Two elements to the professionalism. One appropriate forum here.

Wiggins was not a great rider on the road before he turned it on at the Giro with Chipotle.

And most of the current crop, where coming thru the system before he won his gold in Athens.

They will be the number one team, within a decade, because they have the economics and the pipeline. Think Tmobile Germany with Ullrich.

So respect to that. But lets not kid ourselves, they dont play the game the way others do, because they do the same.

Ethics dont matter in cycling, only one thing matters in professional sport. The win. Even more so than the amateur Olympic era, because it allowed the athletes with resources to marshall economics in their favour. If Armstrong was a ruthless alpha sociopath from slovenia, he never would have been able to position himself in the marketplace with a cancer narrative, and to use the economic resources to underwrite his champion career.

[andy1234]

Tens of thousands of European cyclists have been travelling to Tenerife for training camps before Armstrong had even realised Europe existed.

Its cheap, has very little traffic, good climate, and has a steady gradient 2000+m climb.

If I wanted a place under the radar, to dope in private, I wouldn't go to the place that most peope associate with Ferrari.
If I wanted an ideal training environment, I certainly would.

[Benotti69]

A remote location with an empty hotel means lots of things. They can do what they want with no one watching and the can see very quickly if anyone arrives.

TeamSky are doing what other teams who have used this operation, doping preparation.

"Training hard to race easy", boy does that scream PEDing the training to get the bodies ability up to race better and not test positive because the PEDs have been used to train the body beyond its natural limit.

Lemond tried that without the PEDs and rode himself to exhaustion.

[slowspoke]

Tens of thousands of European cyclists have been travelling to Tenerife for training camps before Armstrong had even realised Europe existed.

Its cheap, has very little traffic, good climate, and has a steady gradient 2000+m climb.

If I wanted a place under the radar, to dope in private, I wouldn't go to the place that most peope associate with Ferrari.
If I wanted an ideal training environment, I certainly would.

Not just Ferrari....

http://www.tenerife-training.net/Foro-Ciclismo/viewtopic.php?p=418#418

[andy1234]

A remote location with an empty hotel means lots of things. They can do what they want with no one watching and the can see very quickly if anyone arrives.

TeamSky are doing what other teams who have used this operation, doping preparation.
"Training hard to race easy", boy does that scream PEDing the training to get the bodies ability up to race better and not test positive because the PEDs have been used to train the body beyond its natural limit.

Lemond tried that without the PEDs and rode himself to exhaustion.

Links please?

[andy1234]

Not just Ferrari....

http://www.tenerife-training.net/Foro-Ciclismo/viewtopic.php?p=418#418

Exactly.
Hardly a place to stay under the radar.

[Benotti69]

Links please?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2TVUiahoJI

http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/6106/Arrests-made-in-Spanish-Clenbuterol-investigation-in-Gran-Canaria-and-Tenerife.aspx

"Gran Canaria and Tenerife are popular training locations for professional cyclists due to the terrain and possibility of altitude training on the latter. The alleged doping doctor Eufemiano Fuentes, who was at the epicentre of the Operación Puerto doping affair, lives in Gran Canaria."

[Mongol_Waaijer]

As a first Cat amateur I was in Tenerife for work, took the bike along, and stayed for a week to do some training. It's just one great big hill, and the traffic is mental around the coast roads. If you start at sea level and ride all the way to the top it is a very long climb.

I rode a while on the wheel of Stephan Schreck (then of T-Mobile) - he was really struggling on the climb. I saw Leipheimer descending down the other way too.

This was february 2007.

[andy1234]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2TVUiahoJI

http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/6106/Arrests-made-in-Spanish-Clenbuterol-investigation-in-Gran-Canaria-and-Tenerife.aspx

"Gran Canaria and Tenerife are popular training locations for professional cyclists due to the terrain and possibility of altitude training on the latter. The alleged doping doctor Eufemiano Fuentes, who was at the epicentre of the Operación Puerto doping affair, lives in Gran Canaria."

"TeamSky are doing what other teams who have used this operation, doping preparation"

It doesn't seem to mention team Sky in those links.....

[simoni]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2TVUiahoJI

http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/6106/Arrests-made-in-Spanish-Clenbuterol-investigation-in-Gran-Canaria-and-Tenerife.aspx

"Gran Canaria and Tenerife are popular training locations for professional cyclists due to the terrain and possibility of altitude training on the latter. The alleged doping doctor Eufemiano Fuentes, who was at the epicentre of the Operación Puerto doping affair, lives in Gran Canaria."

Do any of them speak Italian though?

Oh yes, Rogers, he lives there. Thats that then, guilty as charged.

[Catwhoorg]

All insinuations aside, given the alleged use of clenbuterol in farm animals in Tenerife, I really hope Sky are being extra careful with their sourcing of food.

I assume they have thier own chef there for a camp like this.

[2008885]

A remote location with an empty hotel means lots of things. They can do what they want with no one watching and the can see very quickly if anyone arrives

It's a major holiday destination, not the North pole. And who is going to arrive??

[andy1234]

It's a major holiday destination, not the North pole. And who is going to arrive??

If you spend enough time at a keyboard, everywhere is a remote location.

[2008885]

If you spend enough time at a keyboard, everywhere is a remote location.

Ah, true indeed.

[Caruut]

It's a major holiday destination, not the North pole. And who is going to arrive??

OOC drugs testers.

[2008885]

And what do they do when the OOC testers arrive?? Transfuse themselves with clean blood?? Wear longer-than-usual black socks to hide the fact that their ankles resemble pin cushions? Run away and hide in the hills??

[Hugh Januss]

Grab a quick shower.