Is Brailsford tactically inept?

[valentius borealis]

Has making the entire team wait when Wigans abandoned in the 2011 Tour been mentioned yet?

 

[Boeing]

The problem with Brainsford is he doesn't know what he doesn't know.

 

[argyllflyer]

Wrong, Saxo gathered the intelligence, Mauduit briefed the team, Nico suggested it on the road, Rogers conferred, Alberto gave the order, 'Benna go', all in the space of a few seconds.

Did you hear what Rogers said after live on TV? And then the below to the print media?

"I saw the opportunity arise in the crosswinds and I said to the boys lets put our heads down and go as hard as we can. It was harder than a mountain stage and I think the hardest stage I've ever done," he said at the finish.

"It's not over and today worked well because we've clawed back some time. It wasn't planned in the morning but it was decided in a split second. I saw everyone was tired with roughly 30 kilometres to go and I said to the boys let's go, let's try, we've got nothing to do. It paid off.

"It was similar to La Grande-Motte, yes. We had similar conditions. I saw everyone was on the limit and we were all at the front and we went at the right moment. It was a split-second decision and now we've clawed back some time. We spent some energy but so did everyone."

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/rogers-inspires-break-which-moves-contador-closer-to-froome

Rogers said no words were spoken between he and Bennati to make their move, nor was Contador asked if he was ready to go with it. "I just looked at Bennati. It was a relatively hard day right up to there and we both understood. The whole team was there ... no words took place," he said.

http://www.watoday.com.au/sport/cyc...contador-closer-to-froome-20130713-2pw8v.html

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

you mean apart from wiggins and froome who were miles ahead of them?

yes I meant as in compettion,although wiggins wasn't much better if at all than nibali and jvdb, which he again prooved this giro

 

[hfer07]

To the OP's question: It Remains me of Johan Bruyneel---he didn't need to be a great tactician when his riders have access to the best "Scientific Programme" in the sport

just reaffirming what it took place today on Mont Ventoux-- as long as Brailsford has an earpiece attached to Froome to tell him to slow down a notch, I believe is all he really needs to be a savvy DS & neglect that "tactics rubbish"

 

[warmfuzzies]

Now that it is painfully obvious that Froome is the strongest man at this year's Tour, all that's left for the Contador fans is to snark about the Sky DS. What an awesome display today up Ventoux. It was highly competitive until the last 2 kms. Contador does not have the form to compete for the top spot, but he was competitive and limited his losses.

 

[wwabbit]

Now that it is painfully obvious that Froome is the strongest man at this year's Tour, all that's left for the Contador fans is to snark about the Sky DS. What an awesome display today up Ventoux. It was highly competitive until the last 2 kms. Contador does not have the form to compete for the top spot, but he was competitive and limited his losses.

Actually it was his competitiveness that lost him more time. If he had rode his own tempo instead of trying to match Froome's he would probably have sealed second place already. Instead he went far too deep into the red allowing Mollema riding tempo to catch him with him.

 

[IndianCyclist]

With Froome & Porte in this form, Brailsford can afford to do anything

 

[Pricey_sky]

It was all a cunning plan I can see him plotting now; Let's give the peleton a sniff of weakness and raise their hopes a little. Even give them a minute in the crosswinds before the killer blow today.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Now that it is painfully obvious that Froome is the strongest man at this year's Tour, all that's left for the Contador fans is to snark about the Sky DS. What an awesome display today up Ventoux. It was highly competitive until the last 2 kms. Contador does not have the form to compete for the top spot, but he was competitive and limited his losses.

they can still stretch out and kill him and histeam in especially the friday stage ove rmadeleine. he ha sporte, yes but if he blows up like he did in pyrenees, froome will have to do all on his own. I think/hope saxo are still in fighting spsirit en movistar and katusha are for sure

 

[Cycle Chic]

Porte and Team direction

http://www.newstalk.ie/player/podca...l_Highlights/26760/2/paul_kimmage_tour_report

Kimmage discusses Porte in the Newstalk session. He says its bizarre why Porte rode so strong in the Time Trial after Sundays performance and the rest day. Why was Porte riding so strong when he should have been saving himself to support Froome. ??

or could just have been that Porte didn't need to save energy as theres bucketloads there.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

already talked about me few days before here. but I can't believe internatinal press hasbn;'t jumped on porte's interview with dutch tv after 2nd pyrenee stage in which he prety much said he was goign to ride for his 2nd place and his motivation wasn't fro helpign froome win yellow

 

[wwabbit]

http://www.newstalk.ie/player/podca...l_Highlights/26760/2/paul_kimmage_tour_report

Kimmage discusses Porte in the Newstalk session. He says its bizarre why Porte rode so strong in the Time Trial after Sundays performance and the rest day. Why was Porte riding so strong when he should have been saving himself to support Froome. ??

or could just have been that Porte didn't need to save energy as theres bucketloads there.

Those 4 UCI WT points could be important.

Well, to be serious, he has said that he rode it to lift his own morale and prove that there is nothing wrong with him.

...except that we have now seen that he is having alternating good and bad days.

 

[Cycle Chic]

Porte

Those 4 UCI WT points could be important.

Well, to be serious, he has said that he rode it to lift his own morale and prove that there is nothing wrong with him.

...except that we have now seen that he is having alternating good and bad days.

Surely its Brailsford's job to say which rider does what. Kimmage was making the point that it was a strange decision.

 

[thehog]

It was all a cunning plan I can see him plotting now; Let's give the peleton a sniff of weakness and raise their hopes a little. Even give them a minute in the crosswinds before the killer blow today.

Makes sense. I think we saw that today. Pretend to bonk and lose no time.

 

[ebandit]

20th C Fox

Makes sense. I think we saw that today. Pretend to bonk and lose no time.

did you notice 20th C fox on rear of team sky shorts.............such events are all to add drama to the forthcoming film version

exclusively broadcast on the sky network

gotta admire kennaugh ebh thomas kiryienke taking big hits for the production

Mark L

 

[oldcrank]

did you notice 20th C fox on rear of team sky shorts.............such events are all to add drama to the forthcoming film version
exclusively broadcast on the sky network

Like I said on another thread, Manchester based premium
sports nutrition experts CNP could benefit from this 'incident'
in a huge fashion. "One mouthful and Chris Froome conquers
mountains!" Send your advertising slogan suggestions to CNP
c/o Sir David Brailsford @ Team SKY and you could win your
choice of CNP premium sports nutrition products used by Tour
de France champions and Olympic Medalists!

 

[thehog]

With Froome & Porte in this form, Brailsford can afford to do anything

I think Brailsford has shown he has no idea about Road cycling. They need Yates and Sutton back in the fold.

 

[Cycle Chic]

Yates

I think Brailsford has shown he has no idea about Road cycling. They need Yates and Sutton back in the fold.

Agree - I think Yates was the key - however I bet he is still working with them but you cant do much unless you,re sitting in the car in the race.

Sure it was he who brought the USPS concept to Sky - along with Julich.

 

[del1962]

I think Brailsford has shown he has no idea about Road cycling. They need Yates and Sutton back in the fold.

What has Sutton done as a DS?

 

[benpounder]

Is Sky tactically inept? Yes!

They only know one tactic and that's being the strongest....

If Wiggins was one to enjoy schadenfreude, he would be in heaven. That is not to say he isn't a prima donna like the rest of Sky's talent, just that Brailsford put all his faith upon one rider alone - Froome - when that failed he pretended that having Porte was good enough for his high euro, high profile, high ego squad.

Sky is not just tactically inept, they are strategically inept.

 

[kenk09]

What tactic is it that stops a rider from having a bad day?

 

[movingtarget]

I think Brailsford has shown he has no idea about Road cycling. They need Yates and Sutton back in the fold.

Yates and Sutton were gone long before Froome dominated last year's Tour. They did win the previous two Tours. What could have Brailsford have done to win the race after Froome crashed out ? The odds were they were not going to win and even Froome's form was not as good as last year the same as Porte. Nieve would not have done any better than Porte and possibly worse. Nieve might be a very good domestique but Porte has that box ticked as well. The only thing they could have done was to include Wiggo which would not have stopped Porte's collapse yesterday and no one expected Wiggo to win the Tour anyway let alone podium. The only other tactic they could have played was to go for stage wins which they might do now anyway.

 

[M Sport]

What tactic is it that stops a rider from having a bad day?

Picking that rider that has a shocking day in every GT he's ever rode in as your #2 when you had Wigems available?

 

[argyllflyer]

Picking that rider that has a shocking day in every GT he's ever rode in as your #2 when you had Wigems available?

...who had done no GT training.