Is Walsh on the Sky bandwagon?

[sniper]

Just got Walsh's new book moments ago and there is a chapter in reference to the hiring of Leinders. Flicking through quickly Walsh mentions 2 different interviews Leinders did where he said his role at Sky was minimal.

The JTL situation looks to be covered significantly at the end of the book.

yes, thanks for sharing gooner.

i'm not sure if the alleged minimality of leinders' role is in line with wiggins' comments on leinders ("we need guys like him"), or with the fact that hayman refused to comment on leinders (why not comment if his role was negligible?). anyway, do keep sharing, my skepsis aside.

 

[thehog]

Just got Walsh's new book moments ago and there is a chapter in reference to the hiring of Leinders. Flicking through quickly Walsh mentions 2 different interviews Leinders did where he said his role at Sky was minimal.

The JTL situation looks to be covered significantly at the end of the book.

Awesome. That settles it then

Walsh asked a couple of people about Leinders and they all sheepishly said "not much" then smiled

Tell me more! Does Walsh talk about "the acceleration"?

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Just got Walsh's new book moments ago and there is a chapter in reference to the hiring of Leinders. Flicking through quickly Walsh mentions 2 different interviews Leinders did where he said his role at Sky was minimal.

The JTL situation looks to be covered significantly at the end of the book.

Luckily everybody avoided saddle sores in the period and poor Leinders was fired as a result.

Personally I'm more interested in Walsh views on JTL. Keeps us updated please.

 

[oldcrank]

Just got Walsh's new book moments ago

I've been instructed not to buy myself any new books between now
and Dec.25 so maybe I'll be getting more than a lump of coal from
Father Christmas and perhaps be able to enjoy Mr. Walsh's new
tome in front of the fire with a belly full of plum pudding.

 

[gooner]

yes, thanks for sharing gooner.

i'm not sure if the alleged minimality of leinders' role is in line with wiggins' comments on leinders ("we need guys like him"), or with the fact that hayman refused to comment on leinders (why not comment if his role was negligible?). anyway, do keep sharing, my skepsis aside.

I will quote one section.

Since then, Leinders has given interviews to Miserus and another Dutch journalist, Maarten Scholten, from Handelsblad. To both he said his role with Sky was "minimised", meaning he worked purely as a doctor. With Rabobank, he was involved in the conditioning and preparation of the riders and it is alleged by Rasmussen, Dekker and Danny Neilson, in doping. The fall-out continues for Team Sky.

The Miserus guy is Mark Miserus with de Volkskrant.

Awesome. That settles it then

Walsh asked a couple of people about Leinders and they all sheepishly said "not much" then smiled

Tell me more! Does Walsh talk about "the acceleration"?

Hog, I never said it settled it. You were asking about interviews with Leinders yesterday so I thought it might be worth mentioning. I can't remember these interviews being referenced in the clinic before.

Walsh does bring up about Hayman refusing to comment on Leinders when asked about him. I think this is the interview with Daniel Benson which Walsh is referring to. Braislford said he wasn't happy that Hayman dodged the question and should have answered and addressed it.

That's all I will say. I will be starting it from scratch later and I'm sure others will want to read it also.

 

[Benotti69]

<snip>

Walsh does bring up about Hayman refusing to comment on Leinders when asked about him. I think this is the interview with Daniel Benson which Walsh is referring to. Braislford said he wasn't happy that Hayman dodged the question and should have answered and addressed it.

That's all I will say. I will be starting it from scratch later and I'm sure others will want to read it also.

Hayman forgot the standard PR response. Need to study the PR handouts better at Sky, it is not all about marginal gains that makes a winning team, got to get the PR right. Just like USPS. They liked their credibility.

 

[martinvickers]

yes, thanks for sharing gooner.

i'm not sure if the alleged minimality of leinders' role is in line with wiggins' comments on leinders ("we need guys like him"), or with the fact that hayman refused to comment on leinders (why not comment if his role was negligible?). anyway, do keep sharing, my skepsis aside.

Dispite Hog's good natured warnings, I now have the book on kindle, read about three quarters of it.

Some interesting stuff, but rather reminds me of the famous Swift quote on the Giant's Causeway - "worth seeing, but not worth going to see"...

 

[martinvickers]

Awesome. That settles it then

Walsh asked a couple of people about Leinders and they all sheepishly said "not much" then smiled

Tell me more! Does Walsh talk about "the acceleration"?

He does, actually...

 

[martinvickers]

Luckily everybody avoided saddle sores in the period and poor Leinders was fired as a result.

Personally I'm more interested in Walsh views on JTL. Keeps us updated please.

Non-committal, but goes into considerable detail of the murmurs about him in the pre sky pro-conti peloton. Holds it a an example of Sky not learning the lessons of Leinders, but then goes into some interesting detail on the signing of Nieve suggesting improvement. The last few words on JTL?

"I called and left a message on his voicemail asking him to call back.

He did not respond."...

Some good gossipy stuff though- the utter sh*theadedness of Wiggins refusing to pay Froome (and only froome, everyone else got) his cut of the win bonus was funny, th frankly suggestion that Wiggo sh*t on FRoome in the Worlds - this book will not please him - basically implies strongly he is now a waste of money - one interesting drunken encounter with Richie Porte which, IF TRUE, is somewhat reassuring, a mention for Digger (!!), and an interesting reference to "the Failed Fairytale" headline that started the Armstrong chase.

I think fan with a typewriter is wrong - he does ask most of the questions, raised most of the evidence from what I can see - but he's certainly convinced, no doubt about that. About JTL,less so.

The one thing I did like on a selfish level was having my own instinct vindicated - it WAS De Jongh who suggested and proposed Leinders, not just vouched for him after the proposal.

...

EDIT : just read to the end. Scrap that. It's fan with a typewriter by the end. And this is ME saying that.

 

[JMBeaushrimp]

EDIT : just read to the end. Scrap that. It's fan with a typewriter by the end. And this is ME saying that.

Thanks. Time well saved...

 

[martinvickers]

Thanks. Time well saved...

There is still some good gossipy stuff, and he does go into good detail - he asks the right questions - but the last few pages are rather too warm in tone, shall we say - he believes in them, very strongly, and for understandable reasons, but it reads less of an examination of sky, so much as a defence of them.

 

[thehog]

He does, actually...

....and?

He says it was all natural and rehearsed?

You're a brave man Martin wading through the book. But well done and thanks for sharing.

Does he talk about Kerrison much and the training techniques? The science?

 

[Digger]

Non-committal, but goes into considerable detail of the murmurs about him in the pre sky pro-conti peloton. Holds it a an example of Sky not learning the lessons of Leinders, but then goes into some interesting detail on the signing of Nieve suggesting improvement. The last few words on JTL?



Some good gossipy stuff though- the utter sh*theadedness of Wiggins refusing to pay Froome (and only froome, everyone else got) his cut of the win bonus was funny, th frankly suggestion that Wiggo sh*t on FRoome in the Worlds - this book will not please him - basically implies strongly he is now a waste of money - one interesting drunken encounter with Richie Porte which, IF TRUE, is somewhat reassuring, a mention for Digger (!!), and an interesting reference to "the Failed Fairytale" headline that started the Armstrong chase.

I think fan with a typewriter is wrong - he does ask most of the questions, raised most of the evidence from what I can see - but he's certainly convinced, no doubt about that. About JTL,less so.

The one thing I did like on a selfish level was having my own instinct vindicated - it WAS De Jongh who suggested and proposed Leinders, not just vouched for him after the proposal.

...

EDIT : just read to the end. Scrap that. It's fan with a typewriter by the end. And this is ME saying that.

What???????

 

[Bexon30]

....and?

He says it was all natural and rehearsed?

You're a brave man Martin wading through the book. But well done and thanks for sharing.

Does he talk about Kerrison much and the training techniques? The science?

Also, just out of interest. The drunken Richie meeting what's the story there is anything interesting to speak about. I'd be interested to know that, but can't justify buying the book for that alone. I'm not sure I could stomach the full book if its as much a fan with a typewriter kind of book as suggested.
When does Wiggo ever look good...?

 

[sniper]

Limited Hangout

There is still some good gossipy stuff, and he does go into good detail - he asks the right questions - but the last few pages are rather too warm in tone, shall we say - he believes in them, very strongly, and for understandable reasons, but it reads less of an examination of sky, so much as a defence of them.

hold the phone.
it's not walsh asking the right questions.
it's everybody with half a brain asking the right questions.
walsh has at some point decided to provide sky the tremendous PR service of favorably answering those tricky questions basically by telling people there's nothing to see.

 

[ebandit]

right

hold the phone.

it's everybody with half a brain asking the right questions.

by chance I was just reading 'why are conspiracy theories so popular?'

the idea being that even if ideas are 'whacked' people like to think that

they are the smartest sheep in the flock

I salute you!
Mark L

 

[martinvickers]

Also, just out of interest. The drunken Richie meeting what's the story there is anything interesting to speak about. I'd be interested to know that, but can't justify buying the book for that alone. I'm not sure I could stomach the full book if its as much a fan with a typewriter kind of book as suggested.
When does Wiggo ever look good...?

Oh, nothing major, just in the after tour party, Richie had got more than a little drunk and had approached Walsh fairly aggresively, started poking him in the 'sternum' saying how ****ing p!ssed off that they were getting all this sh!t when they were the ones trying to do things the right way.

Meaningless as direct evidence, but as a story it has a certain in vino veritas quality; Richie keeping it mostly in during the Tour and then letting loose on Walsh with what he really thought after one too many - so,obviously, IF what he said is what he really thought, that implies a small level of reassurance. But it's not much, really, unless you accept Walsh's basic honesty, which clearly I do. Just found it interesting, no more...

 

[martinvickers]

hold the phone.
it's not walsh asking the right questions.
it's everybody with half a brain asking the right questions.
walsh has at some point decided to provide sky the tremendous PR service of favorably answering those tricky questions basically by telling people there's nothing to see.

Well, it is Walsh's book, so actually, it is Walsh asking the questions...

Go read the book, then you can take it or leave it...

 

[sniper]

by chance I was just reading 'why are conspiracy theories so popular?'

the idea being that even if ideas are 'whacked' people like to think that

they are the smartest sheep in the flock

I salute you!
Mark L

Well, it is Walsh's book, so actually, it is Walsh asking the questions...

Go read the book, then you can take it or leave it...

so walsh is asking questions everybody else is asking, sure, but unlike everybody else, he thinks he can answer them using Sky staff members as a source. go figure. basically he's not answering any questions, he's stepping over them.

take Leinders. The question here is: how could Sky not know about Lienders' past at Rabo. Walsh answers it using sky staff members as source, and concludes that Sky were simply sloppy and, bam, question mark gone for Walsh.

it's Limited Hangout all the way.

 

[Bexon30]

Oh, nothing major, just in the after tour party, Richie had got more than a little drunk and had approached Walsh fairly aggresively, started poking him in the 'sternum' saying how ****ing p!ssed off that they were getting all this sh!t when they were the ones trying to do things the right way.

Meaningless as direct evidence, but as a story it has a certain in vino veritas quality; Richie keeping it mostly in during the Tour and then letting loose on Walsh with what he really thought after one too many - so,obviously, IF what he said is what he really thought, that implies a small level of reassurance. But it's not much, really, unless you accept Walsh's basic honesty, which clearly I do. Just found it interesting, no more...

Much obliged, I personally saw Richie get verbally aggressive with a cycling fan on the Col de Glandon. Sober or drunk Richie loves to let loose!!

 

[sniper]

Oh, nothing major, just in the after tour party, Richie had got more than a little drunk and had approached Walsh fairly aggresively, started poking him in the 'sternum' saying how ****ing p!ssed off that they were getting all this sh!t when they were the ones trying to do things the right way.

you gotta be kiddin me.
red flags all over the place.

 

[martinvickers]

you gotta be kiddin me.
red flags all over the place.

what makes you say that?

 

[sniper]

what makes you say that?

various things
- the closeness between walsh and the sky riders
- the way walsh allows the whool to be pulled over his eyes by sky staff/riders
- the "doing the right thing" quote. what does that mean in the first place? especially when sky are nowhere near providing the degree of transparency required to earn any such label.
- sky's/porte's attitude of feeling wronged/aggrieved by those who don't buy the PR and the way Walsh goes along in that sentiment.

big usps/liggett flavor to all this.
puking in my mouth a little bit.

 

[Digger]

embarassing - he's a sellout.

 

[Ferminal]

Oh, nothing major, just in the after tour party, Richie had got more than a little drunk and had approached Walsh fairly aggresively, started poking him in the 'sternum' saying how ****ing p!ssed off that they were getting all this sh!t when they were the ones trying to do things the right way.

Nice, how can you not like Richie!