Team Ineos (Formerly the Sky thread)

[BYOP88]

If this team is doping they must be pretty bad at it. If you exclude Froome from it it's the worst team in this TDF bare a couple, poor and invited, teams.

That's right cos USPS won the Team Classification every year that Armstrong won the Tour..........Oh wait, what's that, they didn't I guess the other 8 guys all confessed for nothing.

 

[roundabout]

Armstrong was never isolated with 130km to go.

Even when he only had Hamilton and Livingston they could control the race ok.

 

[BYOP88]

Armstrong was never isolated with 130km to go.

Even when he only had Hamilton and Livingston they could control the race ok.

Froome doesn't need a team, he's that strong. On saturday if Contador or Valverde had gone when Martin went, Froome would have shut it down with ease like he did when Quintana went.

Armstrong was isolated a few times in his Tour career, stage 14 of the '05 springs to mind, when T-Mobile destroyed the Disco train at the start of the Port de Pailheres, but that was only around 40km from the finish.

 

[DirtyWorks]

Surely the teams with 2 guys in and around the top 10, need to start sending guys into the breaks and force Sky to chase. Will the other teams do it though? Athough Froome only needs 1 guy to fetch him water/food, he can beat Valverde, Contador etc etc with ease.

You answered your own question. They can't crack Froome. He outlasted some 60+ KM of pressure already. The attacking teams would suffer over the rest of the race for nothing.

That Porte sure has recovered nicely. He'll be back in the top-10 for sure.

I still want to know the deal with Kiryenka.(sp?)

 

[buckle]

scenario

I have tried to think of a scenario in which Sky will be pinged this tour and I can't think of one. Chicken was absurd so that was a less of a problem but we could easily be stuck with Sky for another two years in which time Wiggo might even come out of retirement.

Any ideas?

 

[BYOP88]

I have tried to think of a scenario in which Sky will be pinged this tour and I can't think of one. Chicken was absurd so that was a less of a problem but we could easily be stuck with Sky for another two years in which time Wiggo might even come out of retirement.

Any ideas?

I'm pretty sure ASO would not like anyone to get busted for this TdF. Can't have someone getting pinged in the 100th edition. Maybe just maybe that opens the door for some Spanish sauce.

 

[Benotti69]

I'm pretty sure ASO would not like anyone to get busted for this TdF. Can't have someone getting pinged in the 100th edition. Maybe just maybe that opens the door for some Spanish sauce.

I too would be surprised if anyone does get pinged. maybe at a later date but not during it. It wont be a Sky rider neither, unless McQuaid can work the blame onto Cookson.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I wish Törku Seker Spor could afford all the smoke and mirrors.

 

[Miburo]

I want to see Froome go wild as well. Full on 7 w/kg for the entire Ventoux.

Exactly, i hope saxo and movistar can at least make him do that. Then even the journalists can't ignore it anymore, right?

 

[buckle]

I too would be surprised if anyone does get pinged. maybe at a later date but not during it. It wont be a Sky rider neither, unless McQuaid can work the blame onto Cookson.

Yes, that seems plausible.

Sky hegemony is with us for two more years but I honestly think CP was hacked off after last Saturday. Lots of glad handing goes on at these corporate events and it is to be wondered if DB was not reminded of this in a sharp exchange late Saturday. Froome going full *** was not an easy sell for Christian over the foie gras.

 

[blackcat]

If you are not in the RR could you do the ITT?

i think the selection rules were tweaked. you previously HAD to ride the rr to do the tt. And road teams were given an athlete number according to their national ranking. top 6 or so nations, 5 riders. the next 5 nations, only 4 riders, etc. I think that there was a rider like Theo Bos who rode the track so he could ride the rr. or something like that. it may have been a german. dont think it was swift. it may have been a TRACKIE ride the TT and then ride on the track. That is it, i cant remember the details, someone will. but someone backdoored their way into riding their pet event, and rode track and road. at olympic level, it has progressed to a specialty and peaking level, where one cannot have the track souplesse, and still ride the rr. even a pan flat rr. remember in athens 04 OGrady won a madison with Graeme de Bruijn, when he had ridden the rr a week before. a very bumpy rr. flew back to italy to prepare on a velodrome*.

*asterisk. insert your own preparation theory also. but he did get the track souplesse to cart Graeme de Bruijn's fat @rse around the track for a gold.

 

[blackcat]

I too would be surprised if anyone does get pinged. maybe at a later date but not during it. It wont be a Sky rider neither, unless McQuaid can work the blame onto Cookson.

Brailsford has played a great political game, going to Amaury Sport, getting them to produce his race route, etc.

but he really should have told Cookson to just hang on a sec, whilst the Sky team are out of their hitting zone period at the Tour. This is a risk Brailsford never neutralised. A positive managing to be found somewhere on his team/star rider(s)/team leader/tour winner.

 

[Berzin]

They are trying to avoid the USPostal comparisons of last year, but they are making it count where they need to and doing it so easily, just like on Sunday, Froome with no teammates never once looked in trouble.

And more importantly, none of his so-called rivals made an effort to put him in trouble.

Riding in a pack until there's a couple of hundred kilometers left on a mountain stage is the recipe these guys will continue to follow, and the lack of PED's is not to blame.

 

[silverrocket]

I'm pretty sure ASO would not like anyone to get busted for this TdF. Can't have someone getting pinged in the 100th edition. Maybe just maybe that opens the door for some Spanish sauce.

Some bit domestique will get busted after one of the big mountain days, just so we can all be assured that the fight against doping continues. That domestique won't be on team Sky, however.

 

[EnacheV]

Exactly, i hope saxo and movistar can at least make him do that. Then even the journalists can't ignore it anymore, right?

Yes they should be able seeing how "strong" those teams look.

 

[mrhender]

They’ll be sorry they sacrificed Kiryienka in their credibility game last Sunday by now losing EBH.

Alas the Dawg doesn't need a team. He'll *** it up.

But me too. I want to see 7w/kg.

Go Dawg!

Is it possible Kiryenka was told to miss the time frame because he might be tested positive otherwise? Maybe he overdid the juice a bit an Brailsford got nervous...

If a rider miss the time frame he doesn't get tested right?

I find it hard to beleive a strong guy like Kiryenka can't make the time.. And also he was very close to the limit so it looks ugly..

 

[Chaddy]

 

[Benotti69]

Is it possible Kiryenka was told to miss the time frame because he might be tested positive otherwise? Maybe he overdid the juice a bit an Brailsford got nervous...

If a rider miss the time frame he doesn't get tested right?

I find it hard to beleive a strong guy like Kiryenka can't make the time.. And also he was very close to the limit so it looks ugly..

yes another mystery about Sky which does not add up.

 

[murali]

isnt this the week that usually belongs to positive results?

Any chance for sky?

 

[EnacheV]

isnt this the week that usually belongs to positive results?

Any chance for sky?

no chance

moviestar and saxo will have the first failed tests before sky, they look much more doped than sky.

 

[The Hitch]

Is it possible Kiryenka was told to miss the time frame because he might be tested positive otherwise? Maybe he overdid the juice a bit an Brailsford got nervous...

If a rider miss the time frame he doesn't get tested right?

I find it hard to beleive a strong guy like Kiryenka can't make the time.. And also he was very close to the limit so it looks ugly..

Why would they only be scared about kiriyenka?

 

[Cerberus]

Is it possible Kiryenka was told to miss the time frame because he might be tested positive otherwise? Maybe he overdid the juice a bit an Brailsford got nervous...

If a rider miss the time frame he doesn't get tested right?

I find it hard to beleive a strong guy like Kiryenka can't make the time.. And also he was very close to the limit so it looks ugly..

Almost anything is possible, even out there theories like Kiryenka getting the flu or having a bad off day.

 

[mrhender]

Why would they only be scared about kiriyenka?

Off course i am only guessing.. But my guess would be that they ar operating on levels so close to what can be seen in tests.

Therefore if the dose or the responding to it was i bit to different than "normal" then he might be tested positive..

Wasn't he in front of peleton all year in 2012?

Its only accusations i know.. But its another piece in the greater puzzle i think..

 

[mrhender]

no chance

moviestar and saxo will have the first failed tests before sky, they look much more doped than sky.

I might agree with Movistar.. The all look quite strong..

Wat i can't understand is this:

Why would a former top doper like RIIS (who told he was the best rider and the best doper) be so bad in doping his team?

There is two possibilities

1. They are not doping on the team
2. Riis does not sanction doping and the riders have to help theme selves wich makes the doping more inefficient.

I think there is a lot of logic that makes nr 2 unlikely..

Why would he let theme dope "alone" when they are bad at it and maybe with a bigger chance of getting caught?

 

[LaFlorecita]

no chance

moviestar and saxo will have the first failed tests before sky, they look much more doped than sky.

Lol no way, movistar maybe but then again Quintana and Valverde are probably twice as talented as Froome and Porte so it's only natural for Movistar to look stronger.