Team Ineos (Formerly the Sky thread)

[Digger]

http://antiteamsky.blogspot.ie/

 

[ralphbert]

I for one was very impressed with wiggo today. He is still a knob head but he rode miles better than I thought he would.

 

[Digger]

A very quiet 24 hours here, due to Wiggins not delivering the performance required by his critics.
Sometimes, it is wise to say nothing, even in a thread of 25000+ posts.

Your post smacks of sour grapes; it is inaccurate, since it was Wiggins who towed the chase group back to the Cancellara elite selection.
That, having just completed the Carrefour de l'Arbre section.

So, yes, it was a very strong performance, especially given that most here had him climbing off by d'Arenberg.
To suggest otherwise also belittles the race.

Nothing to do with Wiggins yesterday, before you answer, but in general do you believe Sky are clean?

 

[deeno1975]

A very quiet 24 hours here, due to Wiggins not delivering the performance required by his critics.
Sometimes, it is wise to say nothing, even in a thread of 25000+ posts.

Your post smacks of sour grapes; it is inaccurate, since it was Wiggins who towed the chase group back to the Cancellara elite selection.
That, having just completed the Carrefour de l'Arbre section.

So, yes, it was a very strong performance, especially given that most here had him climbing off by d'Arenberg.
To suggest otherwise also belittles the race.

True, I'm no fan of Wiggins or Sky but his performance on PR was good. Anyone getting to the stadium in that lead group I take my proverbial hat off to. Can Wiggins ever win PR? I sincerely doubt it.

Thomas with a little more tactical know how could very well podium or even win.

Can't wait to see Froome on the pave, he'd want to keep that head up.

 

[Mellow Velo]

I for one was very impressed with wiggo today. He is still a knob head but he rode miles better than I thought he would.

This.
Can't stand him, but you can't ridicule his riding of the past week.
Everybody laughed when he turned up at Flanders,
he did fairly well there, too.

 

[MartinGT]

A very quiet 24 hours here, due to Wiggins not delivering the performance required by his critics.
Sometimes, it is wise to say nothing, even in a thread of 25000+ posts.

Your post smacks of sour grapes; it is inaccurate, since it was Wiggins who towed the chase group back to the Cancellara elite selection.
That, having just completed the Carrefour de l'Arbre section.

So, yes, it was a very strong performance, especially given that most here had him climbing off by d'Arenberg.
To suggest otherwise also belittles the race.

Aye maybe it is sour grapes, with all the sh!te spouted on Twitter about SBW (yes I actually saw that) and how Spartacus missed the press conference because he didnt want people to mention how he laughed when asked about Wiggins riding PR.

 

[Mellow Velo]

Aye maybe it is sour grapes, with all the sh!te spouted on Twitter about SBW (yes I actually saw that) and how Spartacus missed the press conference because he didnt want people to mention how he laughed when asked about Wiggins riding PR.

I understand that Eurosport were similarly vomit inducing in their praise.
Glad I stayed well away.
I avoided it by watching the infinitely better Sporza coverage,
where they were attempting to make the whole of Belgium throw up with
their hail "King Boonan" commentary.

 

[Bumeington]

Sorry. Dan Lloyd said it. I was wrong.

Also the graphic went Terpstra won said 45km/h - turn out it was 41km/h so not all that fast (which makes a lot more sense given the headwind)

 

[MartinGT]

I understand that Eurosport were similarly vomit inducing in their praise.
Glad I stayed well away.
I avoided it by watching the infinitely better Sporza coverage,
where they were attempting to make the whole of Belgium throw up with
their hail "King Boonan" commentary.

How has Kirby seriously got a job? He talks UTTER sh!te and must of it untruths too.

He also makes peoples names up too. Boom suddenly became Bowm. WTF!

 

[The Hitch]

A very quiet 24 hours here, due to Wiggins not delivering the performance required by his critics.
Sometimes, it is wise to say nothing, even in a thread of 25000+ posts.

many of us went to the non clinic thread and said it was a good performance.

 

[martinvickers]

True, I'm no fan of Wiggins or Sky but his performance on PR was good. Anyone getting to the stadium in that lead group I take my proverbial hat off to. Can Wiggins ever win PR? I sincerely doubt it.

Thomas with a little more tactical know how could very well podium or even win.

Can't wait to see Froome on the pave, he'd want to keep that head up.

Wiggins is a deeply, deeply odd fish. Occasionally quite funny, often a complete t***er. What can't be denied realistically was that was a bl**dy good run in PR. He has no huge acceleration to speak of, and he's in his mid 30's so I agree, can't see him winning it - if he clung to Fab's wheel and the two TT'ed off the front some really dry year, a podium is not utterly beyond possible, but it's highly unlikely. But you don't get to that point in Roubaix yesterday unless you have considerable hardness as a rider. You certainly don't pull back Sparticus' select group without considerable strength.

Whatever about the man's flaws personally, and his GC days and how he got there, it was at the very least a pleasant throwback to see a Tour de France winner not only ride Roubaix, but take it seriously and figure in the final shakeup; there was something rather quaint about it. As a long time fan of Roubaix going back to the Kelly days it was a fun extra dimension - without, it has to be said, ever wanting him to win it.

Afte the race, he described himself as "a jack of all trades". That's not a bad description, in the final shakeup. Nor, really, a bad ambition.

Maybe we can hope to see more GCers take a turn on the cobbles, if only as a fun final fling.

 

[Netserk]

Wiggins is a deeply, deeply odd fish. Occasionally quite funny, often a complete t***er. What can't be denied realistically was that was a bl**dy good run in PR. He has no huge acceleration to speak of, and he's in his mid 30's so I agree, can't see him winning it - if he clung to Fab's wheel and the two TT'ed off the front some really dry year, a podium is not utterly beyond possible, but it's highly unlikely. But you don't get to that point in Roubaix yesterday unless you have considerable hardness as a rider. You certainly don't pull back Sparticus' select group without considerable strength.

Whatever about the man's flaws personally, and his GC days and how he got there, it was at the very least a pleasant throwback to see a Tour de France winner not only ride Roubaix, but take it seriously and figure in the final shakeup; there was something rather quaint about it. As a long time fan of Roubaix going back to the Kelly days it was a fun extra dimension - without, it has to be said, ever wanting him to win it.

Afte the race, he described himself as "a jack of all trades". That's not a bad description, in the final shakeup. Nor, really, a bad ambition.

Maybe we can hope to see more GCers take a turn on the cobbles, if only as a fun final fling.

1) The group sat up
2) Wiggo wasn't the only one pulling

 

[hrotha]

And people wonder why this thread is so active? When no one's posting, some Sky fan will top it to say "Not much posting now huh?", and then they'll complain about how many posts there are when sceptics do post.

I mean, be a bit less transparent, maybe?

 

[deviant]

Wiggins is a deeply, deeply odd fish. Occasionally quite funny, often a complete t***er. What can't be denied realistically was that was a bl**dy good run in PR. He has no huge acceleration to speak of, and he's in his mid 30's so I agree, can't see him winning it - if he clung to Fab's wheel and the two TT'ed off the front some really dry year, a podium is not utterly beyond possible, but it's highly unlikely. But you don't get to that point in Roubaix yesterday unless you have considerable hardness as a rider. You certainly don't pull back Sparticus' select group without considerable strength.

Whatever about the man's flaws personally, and his GC days and how he got there, it was at the very least a pleasant throwback to see a Tour de France winner not only ride Roubaix, but take it seriously and figure in the final shakeup; there was something rather quaint about it. As a long time fan of Roubaix going back to the Kelly days it was a fun extra dimension - without, it has to be said, ever wanting him to win it.

Afte the race, he described himself as "a jack of all trades". That's not a bad description, in the final shakeup. Nor, really, a bad ambition.

Maybe we can hope to see more GCers take a turn on the cobbles, if only as a fun final fling.

This.

It was good to see.

Wiggins has no delusions about his talent, he knows he wont/cant be a multiple Grand Tour winner, getting impossibly thin for 2011 and 2012 was hard work and taxed him mentally as well as physically.

His personality can be hit and miss but in these days of bland corporate speak i like him....and Valentino Rossi, Jenson Button and anybody else with a persoanlity in professional sport.

I can see him doing more of the one day classics as part of his transition back to the track and skipping stage races altogether next year.
Jack of all trades is a good summary of his career, decent on the track, in stage races and also one day racing...he's a good rider, i dont get the hate either.

 

[Justinr]

His personality can be hit and miss but in these days of bland corporate speak i like him.....

This is true, can be very variable. At least when he won SPOTY he definitely had the P part unlike many previous winners.

 

[BYOP88]

And people wonder why this thread is so active? When no one's posting, some Sky fan will top it to say "Not much posting now huh?", and then they'll complain about how many posts there are when sceptics do post.

I mean, be a bit less transparent, maybe?

This

10char

 

[The Hitch]

This.

It was good to see.

Wiggins has no delusions about his talent, he knows he wont/cant be a multiple Grand Tour winner, getting impossibly thin for 2011 and 2012 was hard work and taxed him mentally as well as physically.

His personality can be hit and miss but in these days of bland corporate speak i like him....and Valentino Rossi, Jenson Button and anybody else with a persoanlity in professional sport.

I can see him doing more of the one day classics as part of his transition back to the track and skipping stage races altogether next year.
Jack of all trades is a good summary of his career, decent on the track, in stage races and also one day racing...he's a good rider, i dont get the hate either.

This is true, can be very variable. At least when he won SPOTY he definitely had the P part unlike many previous winners.

Big Riccardo Ricco fans so I assume. Wiggos predecessor as "Mr personality" in the sport. E.g. when he said women shouldn't take part in cycling.

 

[Wallace and Gromit]

Wiggins...decent on the track...

Something of an understatement, surely?

 

[Afrank]

I can see him doing more of the one day classics as part of his transition back to the track and skipping stage races altogether next year.
Jack of all trades is a good summary of his career, decent on the track, in stage races and also one day racing...he's a good rider, i dont get the hate either.

The hate he gets isn't all to do with his riding or how he rides. Plenty of it is due to his personality and comments he's made in the past.

 

[ChewbaccaD]

This.

It was good to see.

Wiggins has no delusions about his talent, he knows he wont/cant be a multiple Grand Tour winner, getting impossibly thin for 2011 and 2012 was hard work and taxed him mentally as well as physically.

His personality can be hit and miss but in these days of bland corporate speak i like him....and Valentino Rossi, Jenson Button and anybody else with a personality in professional sport.

I can see him doing more of the one day classics as part of his transition back to the track and skipping stage races altogether next year.
Jack of all trades is a good summary of his career, decent on the track, in stage races and also one day racing...he's a good rider, i dont get the hate either.

One need only look at his comments when Landis blew the roof open on cycling to see what he is.

Anyone who believes that Sir Bradley has never seen doping, at very close range, in his years as a cyclist is wrong. What has he ever said about it? If your answer is "nothing," you win a set of steak knives. He's as neck deep in the culture of cycling as anyone, and he has proven to be a guardian of the lie. Floyd threatened his world, so he struck out...but Floyd told the truth. I don't think anyone could reasonably believe that Sir Bradley has been so honest...well, there are a lot of people on a couple of islands who believe the myth, but nobody is surprised about that...

 

[Berzin]

ChewbaccaD-tone it down a bit. No need for all the expletives.

 

[martinvickers]

Big Riccardo Ricco fans so I assume. Wiggos predecessor as "Mr personality" in the sport. E.g. when he said women shouldn't take part in cycling.

Just for clarification, was it Ricco being the misogynist, or Wiggins?

 

[ChewbaccaD]

ChewbaccaD-tone it down a bit. No need for all the expletives.

Okay...but people who think Sir Bradley hasn't seen doping up-close are more than "wrong."

 

[martinvickers]

One need only look at his comments when Landis blew the roof open on cycling to see what he is.

Anyone who believes that Sir Bradley has never seen doping, at very close range, in his years as a cyclist is wrong. What has he ever said about it? If your answer is "nothing," you win a set of steak knives. He's as neck deep in the culture of cycling as anyone, and he has proven to be a guardian of the lie. Floyd threatened his world, so he struck out...but Floyd told the truth. I don't think anyone could reasonably believe that Sir Bradley has been so honest...well, there are a lot of people on a couple of islands who believe the myth, but nobody is surprised about that...

Yeah, because floyd was always and ever a bastian of truthiness

The 'unidentified Irishman' got it about right, at least about floyd -

" you can depend on Americans to do the right thing when they have exhausted every other possibility."

Was, indeed is, Wiggins a complete pr*ck? Abso-****ing - lutely. Do I find much of his bull deeply annoying, and sometimes troubling? Correctomondo.

But, little as you might like to hear it, I couldn't really give a fiddlers what he said about Landis, or why - it's way down on the list of things that trouble me about the Sky set up. I am far more concerned about Leinders and Yates and De Jongh. Because I'm not a Landis fanboy either.

Am I glad he spilled the beans - certainly - i want as many dopers hung out to dry as possible (including, I might add, should it be the case, Wiggins, Froome et al, I hope they fry for it). But does Landis himself get that much credit from me for it? Like **** he does.

Because Landis was a Class A unapologetic doping c**t, and the fact that after doing a nice defence fund moneygrab off the naive, and letting one of his 'boys' attempt to bully Lemond over sex abuse, he finally turned on Armstrong to try and salvage dome dinero, gains him very, very little with me.

Frankly, when it's doping c**t v doping c***t, I'm happy if both lose.

Edit : my apologies for the zealotry, there. I just have real problems stomaching Landis admiration.

 

[ChewbaccaD]

Yeah, because floyd was always and ever a bastian of truthiness

The 'unidentified Irishman' got it about right, at least about floyd -



Was, indeed is, Wiggins a complete pr*ck? Abso-****ing - lutely. Do I find much of his bull deeply annoying, and sometimes troubling? Correctomondo.

But, little as you might like to hear it, I couldn't really give a fiddlers what he said about Landis, or why - it's way down on the list of things that trouble me about the Sky set up. I am far more concerned about Leinders and Yates and De Jongh. Because I'm not a Landis fanboy either.

Am I glad he spilled the beans - certainly - i want as many dopers hung out to dry as possible (including, I might add, should it be the case, Wiggins, Froome et al, I hope they fry for it). But does Landis himself get that much credit from me for it? Like **** he does.

Because Landis was a Class A unapologetic doping c**t, and the fact that after doing a nice defence fund moneygrab off the naive, and letting one of his 'boys' attempt to bully Lemond over sex abuse, he finally turned on Armstrong to try and salvage dome dinero, gains him very, very little with me.

Frankly, when it's doping c**t v doping c***t, I'm happy if both lose.

Potty mouth.

As for what "Americans" do...I guess we can't count on the Brit's or Irish to do the right thing even when they have no other option...unless you can point me to one that has exposed the lie like Floyd did...I'll be waiting, but I won't hold my breath...

Anyway, I like Floyd. Sure he has a mixed past, but so do I...and so do a lot of people. What counts to me is the fact that he didn't pull any punches when he exposed the lie. Sir Bradley hasn't exposed anything but the fact that even "bone idle w**kers" are more honest and worthy of esteem than is he.

Sir Bradley is king of the...well, you know my thoughts.

EDIT: And please, for the love of all that is holy, don't even try to include David "No really, it was my first time trying EPO" Millar in the pantheon of riders who have exposed the lie of the peloton.

EDIT 2: In all honesty, I understand the dislike of admiration for Landis. I do believe that the honesty he showed transformed him in many ways, but I can understand why others wouldn't.

EDIT 3: Sorry, Millar is Scottish, right? So I guess you should include them too.