Team Ineos (Formerly the Sky thread)

[Dear Wiggo]

He said during this years TDF that he would support Froome next year, so another thing to not be overly surprised about.

Yeah and in 2007 he said he hoped to win the TT (only) in 2009, but not by 2 minutes. We all know how that panned out.

Saying Wiggins was hardly breathing is rewriting reality: he was clearly rescued by Froome more than once. The truth is, the others weren't strong enough (or doped enough?) to put him under pressure when it counted.

Perhaps you missed the TDF this year?

Perhaps you missed looking at Wiggins face when he was supposedly riding hard?

There was some promo Sky video posted here somewhere that I cannot find - but you watch Wiggo peep out from behind a wildly thrashing Froome just after the finish line and he was not troubled at all, while Froome had been smashing himself.

My web connection is weak but when I get back to civilization I'll dig up some examples to illustrate my point.

 

[Mrs John Murphy]

BBC are doing a bigtime smear on Syrian and Egypt's muslim brotherhood. I thought Fisk was bad, but the Beeb are horrid and looks like they are infested with MI5

If the BBC will suppress a story about a paedophile and rapist (who happened to work for them) because it will ruin their xmas tributes to said paedophile and rapist, there is not much hope that they will run stories investigate those brave British boys who went to froggy land and beat down those dirty foreigners with good clean British best, huzzah and remember the war and all that.

It always makes me laugh when people accuse the BBC of being left wing - everyone I've ever met from the BBC has been somewhere to the right of Attila the Hun.

i agree. And I think the entire Armstrong thing has spooked them. Knowing that if you bury this for too many years you eventually get leaks or a weak link and it goes bust.

Armstrong did incredibly well for so long keeping it in the bag. Not something Wiggins could do though.

There are two responses:

The first is to be spoked and to flush the drugs down the toilet and to ride clean.

The second is to believe that you are smarter than everyone else in the room and that cycling won't dare bust you. (This what Armstrong believed rightly in 1999). Brailsford, obviously does fancy himself as the smartest man in the room, and I am sure he thinks that the Sky doping program is well ahead of anything the testers can find. While Wiggins might be worrying (he'd be the one thrown under the bus afterall if he got popped), I doubt very much if Brailsford, Rider 4, Yates, Rogers etc are worrying. Remember, once you've signed the Sky pledge you are certified clean.

 

[Mrs John Murphy]

i agree. And I think the entire Armstrong thing has spooked them. Knowing that if you bury this for too many years you eventually get leaks or a weak link and it goes bust.

Armstrong did incredibly well for so long keeping it in the bag. Not something Wiggins could do though.

There are two responses:

The first is to be spoked and to flush the drugs down the toilet and to ride clean.

The second is to believe that you are smarter than everyone else in the room and that cycling won't dare bust you. (This what Armstrong believed rightly in 1999). Brailsford, obviously does fancy himself as the smartest man in the room, and I am sure he thinks that the Sky doping program is well ahead of anything the testers can find. While Wiggins might be worrying (he'd be the one thrown under the bus afterall if he got popped), I doubt very much if Brailsford, Rider 4, Yates, Rogers etc are worrying. Remember, once you've signed the Sky pledge you are certified clean.

 

[Wallace and Gromit]

Being able to outsprint people after a few days leg-sapping riding is all about recovery and not the same as doing it the first day (ala a one-day race).

I may be wrong, but I think Wiggo's sprint win at Romandie this year came on the opening day, albeit against no real sprinters. Even so, it was a tidy turn of pace he showed, though it was a long sprint rather than a Cav style last minute burst of speed.

 

[Wallace and Gromit]

My contention was that if he won the Worlds RR this thread would explode.

This thread exploded when he reinvented himself as a Tour-winning rider, did it not?

Agreed on both counts!

 

[Velo_vicar]

Julich gone.

 

[maltiv]

Bobby Julich has left Sky and admitted to doping. So seems like the criticized "PR-stunt" with the contract wasn't just a PR stunt after all...

For all the **** Sky are getting on here, at least they are making an effort now. Meanwhile dirty liars like Kim Andersen, Ibarguren, Ekimov etc get to keep their jobs in their respective teams.

 

[MartinGT]

Bobby Julich has left Sky and admitted to doping. So seems like the criticized "PR-stunt" with the contract wasn't just a PR stunt after all...

For all the **** Sky are getting on here, at least they are making an effort now. Meanwhile dirty liars like Kim Andersen, Ibarguren, Ekimov etc get to keep their jobs in their respective teams.

Yates is still there.......

 

[hrotha]

Julich admitted to taking one banned substance in the late 1990s. FULL CONFESSION! NOW HE'S A HERO OF THE REVOLUTION!

 

[maltiv]

Yates is still there.......

For how long, do you think? He could be the next one out.

I've heard there's at least one active rider who will be sacked as well. Probably Rogers.

 

[Ferminal]

So the first escaped goat, how many more?

Disgraceful.

 

[hrotha]

Julich admitted to taking one banned substance in the late 1990s. FULL CONFESSION! NOW HE'S A HERO OF THE REVOLUTION!

OK, I read the full confession, and he does mention EPO and doping from 1996-1999. Whoever wrote the Sky statement is a bit of an idiot.

But. Clean from 1999 onwards? Especially at CSC, when he suddenly became competitive again? Doubtful.

 

[Mad Elephant Man]

OK, I read the full confession, and he does mention EPO and doping from 1996-1999. Whoever wrote the Sky statement is a bit of an idiot.

But. Clean from 1999 onwards? Especially at CSC, when he suddenly became competitive again? Doubtful.

This line from his wikipedia page needs to be deleted.

It became clear later that Julich was the highest placed rider not using performance enhancing drugs during the 1998 race and is thus the de facto if not the official winner

 

[Franklin]

For all the **** Sky are getting on here, at least they are making an effort now. Meanwhile dirty liars like Kim Andersen, Ibarguren, Ekimov etc get to keep their jobs in their respective teams.

Well, if that's true I would say that Katusha is way ahead of Sky as they did this years ago

Kidding aside, you think it's okay that someone who is honest is getting punished by terminating his contract? I'm with JV here, this only makes the real criminals hush up.

 

[Franklin]

So he stopped doping after the 98 Tour.

I think it's pretty obvious whoever admits to past doping at Sky will underplay it and say they only did it for a small period when it is probably a million miles further from the truth. Guarantee you that.

Of course... so this whole excercise is a complete failure.

 

[thirteen]

Kidding aside, you think it's okay that a rider who is honest is getting punished by terminating his contract? I'm with JV here, this only makes the real criminals hush up.

i'm with you both on this... really bs pr stunt.

 

[DominicDecoco]

Glad he confessed.

A very sympathic, but until today, lying man.

 

[maltiv]

Well, if that's true I would say that Katusha is way ahead of Sky as they did this years ago

Kidding aside, you think it's okay that someone who is honest is getting punished by terminating his contract? I'm with JV here, this only makes the real criminals hush up.

Katusha has a convicted doping doctor on their roaster.

I also agree with JV.

 

[DominicDecoco]

For all the **** Sky are getting on here, at least they are making an effort now. Meanwhile dirty liars like Kim Andersen, Ibarguren, Ekimov etc get to keep their jobs in their respective teams.

The man in bold is definitely going under the radar in here compared to others. Very much underestimated.

 

[Velo_vicar]

Well, if that's true I would say that Katusha is way ahead of Sky as they did this years ago

Kidding aside, you think it's okay that someone who is honest is getting punished by terminating his contract? I'm with JV here, this only makes the real criminals hush up.

Depends if he lied to get the job.

 

[maltiv]

So he stopped doping after the 98 Tour.

I think it's pretty obvious whoever admits to past doping at Sky will underplay it and say they only did it for a small period when it is probably a million miles further from the truth. Guarantee you that.

He never got close to a podium in a GT again after 98 at least, so it's not as ridiculous as some of the other claims, like Levi saying he stopped after 2007. But purely judging by his results, it certainly looks like he stopped after 98, but started doping again in 2004.

 

[BroDeal]

Kidding aside, you think it's okay that someone who is honest is getting punished by terminating his contract? I'm with JV here, this only makes the real criminals hush up.

That is the purpose of Sky's policy: To teach riders to keep omerta. They want it made very clear that a job with them relies on keeping quiet. Anyone weak enough to confess is not someone they want in their organization.

 

[Mrs John Murphy]

I'd believe his confession if he didn't try to claim implausible things like he didn't dope after 1999 etc

If you are going to confess go the whole hog (excuse the pun) rather than these bull**** - I doped until I left Armstrong type ****.

 

[babastooey]

Katusha has a convicted doping doctor on their roaster.

Some people might cheer this punishment, but I think sending people to the roaster is a little extreme. **smileyface*smileyface*smileyface**

Seriously, though, the sword has to be hanging over Yates' head now, don't you think?

 

[Franklin]

I'd say Yates is toast... if only that wouldn't make the whole TdF campaign a PR disaster.

DB put himself in one crazy corner here... keep a known doper and pretend everything was ayokay, or blemish the first UK win.