Team Ineos (Formerly the Sky thread)

[SaxonUK]

He has extra resources at Sky. There are obviously more variables to encounter, but Wiggins has had an issue-free season. No crashes or illness and he's been able to stick exactly to plan in terms of prep. I still don't understand why Sky would blatantly arouse suspicion like this if they had something to hide. They're looking for a British TdF winner, not a one-two or even two riders on the podium. It doesn't make much sense to me

They wouldn't blatantly arouse suspicion would they? Unless Froomes TT performance isn't Sky endorsed and is Froome making use of what his 'training' has given him and gone for yellow when he should be riding for Wiggins?

We don't know what's happening or what is said in the Sky camp but Froome being up there doesn't seem to be the smartest move if you are trying to stay away from the doping label.

 

[thehog]

Well I called it. I said they’d go 1-2 and beat Fabian. The dope does strange things to your head. You want to crush everything with your new found power. That they did. Whilst watching I even thought Wiggins was soft pedaling around corners towards the end. Maybe not taking risks but I think he was actually trying not to record a time to far off the charts.

Tomorrow is the biggest day of the Tour. The rest day. Again the dopers logic is Sky will reach for the bloodbags as they’re nervous the other team will be doing the same and don’t want to miss a trick.

My next prediction after getting the ITT result correct and Wiggo’s violent reaction to dope talk is the following…. I predict on the next mountain stage they will go 1-2-3 maybe even 4 in the final group. Rogers and Porte took it easier today. They’re ready to completely smash it apart on the first MTF. Again dopers logic.

I still think something will happen… I don’t know what but something is going to go boom and it will be all over….

 

[roundabout]

Incredible levels of hate on this thread.

If the testing has improved then perhaps you can win the tour without hitting 6.7W/kg at threshold? If the testing has improved then perhaps you can win a time trial without exceeding 520W average? Perhaps Cancellara has come OFF the gear rather than Froome getting on it?

Perhaps.

Yes, Sky won the transfer lottery by signing (one of) the most talented rider(s) in the world without even realizing it.

They also discovered the benefits of going to Tenerife compared to those cavemen who train in Livigno, Sierra Nevada or Etna.

 

[BroDeal]

Actual photograph of Sky's new Pinarello.

 

[Dr.Sahl]

I said earlier in the tour, that I would give SKY the benefit of doubt.. I still will give wiggins some, but Froome.... what he does this tour seems to crazy..

It smells of obivous BS.. Its been some time since I had a tour, that I disliked watching, but this one actually makes me expect less fun than the last few years..

But lets see.. I wont totaly leave all my doubt about this issue, before the next two MS...



Another funny thing.. I have alot of friends that does not watch cycling normaly and only highlights "big MT finish" in the tour, They asked me how many years Froome and Wiggins have been top 10 and asked me if its been hard for teams to get contacts with them the last 5 years....

I guess that says it all.

 

[noddy69]

Well I called it. I said they’d go 1-2 and beat Fabian. The dope does strange things to your head. You want to crush everything with your new found power. That they did. Whilst watching I even thought Wiggins was soft pedaling around corners towards the end. Maybe not taking risks but I think he was actually trying not to record a time to far off the charts.

Tomorrow is the biggest day of the Tour. The rest day. Again the dopers logic is Sky will reach for the bloodbags as they’re nervous the other team will be doing the same and don’t want to miss a trick.

My next prediction after getting the ITT result correct and Wiggo’s violent reaction to dope talk is the following…. I predict on the next mountain stage they will go 1-2-3 maybe even 4 in the final group. Rogers and Porte took it easier today. They’re ready to completely smash it apart on the first MTF. Again dopers logic.

I still think something will happen… I don’t know what but something is going to go boom and it will be all over….

Iagree with the opening bit. Wiggins looked as if he knocked it back a bit, even the commentators said it, although they reckoned it was so he could control the race better with a smaller time gap.
As for the high mountains, well hopefully they will explode a bit, because the way they are riding fellas off the wheel is ridiculous.If they do that up the bigger climbs its game over for me this year.

 

[The Chicken]

Well I called it. I said they’d go 1-2 and beat Fabian. The dope does strange things to your head. You want to crush everything with your new found power. That they did. Whilst watching I even thought Wiggins was soft pedaling around corners towards the end. Maybe not taking risks but I think he was actually trying not to record a time to far off the charts.

Tomorrow is the biggest day of the Tour. The rest day. Again the dopers logic is Sky will reach for the bloodbags as they’re nervous the other team will be doing the same and don’t want to miss a trick.

My next prediction after getting the ITT result correct and Wiggo’s violent reaction to dope talk is the following…. I predict on the next mountain stage they will go 1-2-3 maybe even 4 in the final group. Rogers and Porte took it easier today. They’re ready to completely smash it apart on the first MTF. Again dopers logic.

I still think something will happen… I don’t know what but something is going to go boom and it will be all over….

Yes sir you did. It didn't take much predicting but well done all the same.

That said, I thought Brailsford was supposed to be smart - you'd think he'd at least tell Froome to tone it down a little.

 

[Casualfan]

They wouldn't blatantly arouse suspicion would they? Unless Froomes TT performance isn't Sky endorsed and is Froome making use of what his 'training' has given him and gone for yellow when he should be riding for Wiggins?

We don't know what's happening or what is said in the Sky camp but Froome being up there doesn't seem to be the smartest move if you are trying to stay away from the doping label.

I think that Froome using his "own training" is more plausible than the entire team doping, which is what many are suggesting. Your last point is a key reason why I don't think it's a team programme. As I stated previously, they don't have to show this level of strength. They could win under less suspicious circumstances, which would be the logical thing to do if you were doping

 

[SaxonUK]

I said earlier in the tour, that I would give SKY the benefit of doubt.. I still will give wiggins some, but Froome.... what he does this tour seems to crazy..

It smells of obivous BS.. Its been some time since I had a tour, that I disliked watching, but this one actually makes me expect less fun than the last few years..

But lets see.. I wont totaly leave all my doubt about this issue, before the next two MS...



Another funny thing.. I have alot of friends that does not watch cycling normaly and only highlights "big MT finish" in the tour, They asked me how many years Froome and Wiggins have been top 10 and asked me if its been hard for teams to get contacts with them the last 5 years....

I guess that says it all.

Did you inform them that Froome has only been on everyones radar since last years Vuelta? and that even uuring his 'amazing' performance Sky were still hesitant to give him a contract

 

[BroDeal]

My next prediction after getting the ITT result correct and Wiggo’s violent reaction to dope talk is the following…. I predict on the next mountain stage they will go 1-2-3 maybe even 4 in the final group. Rogers and Porte took it easier today. They’re ready to completely smash it apart on the first MTF. Again dopers logic.

At some point the team will just ride to maintain the lead without thought of gaining time. Maybe Wiggins or Froome have a go at the very end of a climb. Right out of the Postal playbook.

The only drama possible from here on out is if Froome is brash enough to ride for himself.

 

[noddy69]

I think that Froome using his "own training" is more plausible than the entire team doping, which is what many are suggesting. Your last point is a key reason why I don't think it's a team programme. As I stated previously, they don't have to show this level of strength. They could win under less suspicious circumstances, which would be the logical thing to do if you were doping

If froome was using his own training would sky not pick up on it. Slipstream test their riders, do sky? serious question.

 

[Dr.Sahl]

Well I called it. I said they’d go 1-2 and beat Fabian. The dope does strange things to your head. You want to crush everything with your new found power. That they did. Whilst watching I even thought Wiggins was soft pedaling around corners towards the end. Maybe not taking risks but I think he was actually trying not to record a time to far off the charts.

Tomorrow is the biggest day of the Tour. The rest day. Again the dopers logic is Sky will reach for the bloodbags as they’re nervous the other team will be doing the same and don’t want to miss a trick.

My next prediction after getting the ITT result correct and Wiggo’s violent reaction to dope talk is the following…. I predict on the next mountain stage they will go 1-2-3 maybe even 4 in the final group. Rogers and Porte took it easier today. They’re ready to completely smash it apart on the first MTF. Again dopers logic.

I still think something will happen… I don’t know what but something is going to go boom and it will be all over….

Idd you did call it.. many people that does not follow cycling alot "only the tour now and then" have never heard about either Wiggins or Froome they asked me today about their past and about their "youth" talents...

Froome went all out in the hard curves etc, from what I saw--- but Wiggins was totaly soft padling and the exact same place Canc, Evans etc were going all out--


Unlike you, I will still give them a abit of doubt before the next to MS. If your perdiction comes true then its another thing..

We can also hope that they can only deliever first week....

 

[burning]

Why they dont use their swimming coach to train EBH for longer classics and Cav for MSR

 

[TubularBills]

I said earlier in the tour, that I would give SKY the benefit of doubt.. I still will give wiggins some, but Froome.... what he does this tour seems to crazy..

It smells of obivous BS.. Its been some time since I had a tour, that I disliked watching, but this one actually makes me expect less fun than the last few years..

But lets see.. I wont totaly leave all my doubt about this issue, before the next two MS...



Another funny thing.. I have alot of friends that does not watch cycling normaly and only highlights "big MT finish" in the tour, They asked me how many years Froome and Wiggins have been top 10 and asked me if its been hard for teams to get contacts with them the last 5 years....

I guess that says it all.

Chris Froome:

2005

1st Stage 2 Tour of Mauritius

2006

1st Overall Tour of Mauritius

1st Stage 2
1st Stage 3

2nd Anatomic Jock Race

2007

1st Overall Mi-Août Bretonne
1st Stage 5 Giro delle Regione (Under 23s)
1st Stage 6 Tour of Japan
2nd Berg en Dale Classic
2nd World Championship Time Trial (Elite group B)
3rd All-Africa Games – 150 km road race [18]

2008

2nd Overall Giro del Capo[19]

2009
1st Day 2 Giro del Capo[20]
1st Anatomic Jock Race

2010

2nd British National Time Trial Championships
5th Commonwealth Games – Road Time Trial
9th Overall Tour du Haut Var

2011

2nd Overall Vuelta a España

1st Stage 17
Held Red Jersey Jersey red.svg on Stage 11

3rd Overall Tour of Beijing

2012

1st Stage 7 Tour de France,

Held Jersey polkadot.svg King of the Mountains jersey on stage 7.

4th Overall Critérium du Dauphiné

Clearly a sleeping giant in the sport.

 

[pugdog]

I'm really impressed that Bradley Wiggins is able to maintain his peak since March.

 

[Fergoose]

Very comfortable with Wiggin’s performance and in line with my expectations prior to the race. To counter a point made above, the problem with this thread is that people are making comparisons against riders that have a bad day, rather than riders that have a normal day. If you are looking for benchmarks for comparisons, don’t look at the small number of riders that have sub-par performances (e.g. today, Evans, Cancellara, Menchov, VdB, Taaramae) look at the ones who performed in line with expectations (e.g. Kloden, Nibali, TJVG, Chavanel, Velits, Monfort, Zubeldia, Brajkovic, Roche, Voigt etc etc).

Chris Froome: the latest incarnation of Floyd Landis, Michael Rasmussen, and Ricardo Ricco. Does anyone--rider, fan, anyone--believe in this performance? They have made a mockery of the TDF, again. Again, they throw an unbelievable out of the blue performance in our faces, and do they really expect us to believe it this time?

Sky apologists, anywhere? Is there any evidence anywhere in Froome's history that would make it believable for him to beat Cancellara in a time trial?

Hell no. I can’t work out any scenario where a rider, so lacking in preparation and ability that Sky hadn’t re-signed him prior to the 2011 Vuelta turns into this genuine, 24 carat worldbeater. The excuses for his average performances pre-2011 was illness and lack of preperation. Yet in the off-seasons of both 2011 & 2012 he has had serious health issues that have inhibited his ability to hop on a bike and train.

I’d love to know where he was during his recuperation in 2011 & 2012. Just wait until the last ITT, he’ll strengthen in the next two weeks against all his competitors, both teammates and rivals alike. Little sympathy for Sky that they are getting a bit of scepticism. If you re-hire guys like Froome you are asking for the rest of your team to be doubted by association.

 

[Dr.Sahl]

Did you inform them that Froome has only been on everyones radar since last years Vuelta? and that even uuring his 'amazing' performance Sky were still hesitant to give him a contract

When I told them I never heard much about him before the Vuelta, they think I was joking.

 

[Dr.Sahl]

I'm really impressed that Bradley Wiggins is able to maintain his peak since March.

Wiggins don't peak, he just got a natural form around the year...

Didnt you hear him earlier ?? he is not even riding full speed, this is just like soft training for him..

 

[Gloin22]

I gotta say most of the Pros disagree with all your talk. Brajkovic is one of many to speak out.

"Couple of years ago every1 was laughing at @TeamSky for doing million things trying to improve performance, now when they're flying it's very easy to say they must be doing something... Yes, they r, training, nutrition, dedication, etc. well deserved".

 

[LaFlorecita]

I think I'm going to puke...

Hey that is a good idea!

This reminds me a little bit of the ITT few years ago when AC beat Cancellara in a Tour ITT.... But at least Wiggins is a known time trialist. Froome just might have had his breakthrough in this discipline within the last 12 months (he was also strong in the Dauphinees ITT IIRC).

Alberto also is a known time trialist.

http://nyvelocity.com/content/interviews/2009/armstrongs-bio-passport-critic-speaks

Interesting..

 

[roundabout]

Someone should sign the 2006 Anatomic Jock race winner. Clearly the biggest talent there is.

 

[SaxonUK]

When I told them I never heard much about him before the Vuelta, they think I was joking.

I've just had a similar discussion with my wife while watching the ITT, she asked me whether Froome was the favourite to win, and I tried to answer as clearly as I could, he has come out of nowhere, dominated against big names and this is really only his second GOOD grand tour performance, and his time trialing has never been up there with Canc or Martin, not even really up there with Wiggins.

 

[Gloin22]

I gotta say most of the Pros disagree with all your talk. Brajkovic is one of many to speak out.

"Couple of years ago every1 was laughing at @TeamSky for doing million things trying to improve performance, now when they're flying it's very easy to say they must be doing something... Yes, they r, training, nutrition, dedication, etc. well deserved".

 

[Big Doopie]

i am no wiggins fan -- and found his press tirade to be textbook armstrong actually. i also find froome's perf here and at the vuelta quite shocking. however, i simply cannot understand the logic of posters who "pray" for nibali or wish contadope was competing.

the double standard is even more stunning.

nibali has far more clinic suspicious connections than either wiggins or froome.

and -- for all we know -- contadope's entire career -- based on real facts, seems likely to be due to doping.

 

[roundabout]

Dedication?

Putting a value on that is like trying to model irrationality.