Team Ineos (Formerly the Sky thread)

[Dear Wiggo]

Kennaugh won the National Road Race Championships in June and then the Tour of Austria at the start of July, although he believes he did not have a point to prove with those performances.

“It’s been a really good past couple of months,” he said. “I’ve been really relaxed with it all, I’ve been enjoying it along the way, I haven’t been stressing about anything.

“I feel like I’ve already proved what I can do, I don’t feel like I need to prove myself anymore. It’s starting to get frustrating when the team says things like ‘you need to go and prove yourself’.

Read more at http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news...ugh-urges-team-sky-131343#9SpGgu5Rf7ybewYO.99

Don't tell Froome!!

“I just love the style of walking out your front door in sunshine, stopping during a ride at a cafe. There’s no sun in here, it’s depressing. Every time I ride out the velodrome I go ‘how nice is that?’.”

 

[thehog]

That is very true. Sky doesn't seem to have the same cohesion as other teams, with the exception of 2012 and Porte's support of Froome that last year or so. Too much drama in the squad for a healthy team environment.

Brailsford is too used to the track environment, where everyone races for themselves, win regularly as the results are individual and the athletes don't have to live in each others pockets, day in, day out. He's never had to manage personalities in this way until Sky and not being a former road pro like 99% of DS's he's never had anyone to look up to in this regard either.

Sky sound like an East German sports camp. There's no room for fun or to lighten the load a little. Contador with his coffee gags even knew how to have some fun.

If the Walsh-Nutella story is true then that's completely f#%cked up. The atmosphere must be stifling at Sky. It's just numbers, numbers, numbers and Froome/Cound BS with Sir Dave trying to be everyone's best buddy by telling them what they all want to hear. Yes all of you can win a GT.. someday.

Porte to GreenEdge in 2016.

 

[hfer07]

Can it be possible that SKY will fall apart in the next 2 years? For the look of things, If Froome departs due to either a + or internal conflicts with Brailsford, & the unfulfilled promise of Porte to become the next GC in line, then what?

"G" to mutate, or Kennaugh to rise? what will be left in the SKY repertoire to aspire for fruitful results in the coming seasons?

 

[42x16ss]

Can it be possible that SKY will fall apart in the next 2 years? For the look of things, If Froome departs due to either a + or internal conflicts with Brailsford, & the unfulfilled promise of Porte to become the next GC in line, then what?

"G" to mutate, or Kennaugh to rise? what will be left in the SKY repertoire to aspire for fruitful results in the coming seasons?

How long is Sky's sponsorship deal for? If they don't renew and there is a high profile positive in the squad, I'd imagine a new sponsor (at least a British one) would be hard to find.

 

[thehog]

Riis knows how to get in the spirit!

 

[bobbins]

There's a video on Rai TV of the Astana bus. Vino was spraying champagne on everyone and then the team picks him up and tosses him in the air to 3 cheers.

Sound to me the Sky bus is like a library without Wiggos humour busting the drone of Froome, Kerrison and the ban on Nutella. For F%#% sake guys! lighten up!

They probably have a beer ban like BC do. Dave B isn't great at handling grog so it's best to keep it well away from them!

 

[del1962]

Shouldnt those who have a hard on about Riis be getting their kicks in the Saxo-Tinkov thread?

 

[el_angliru]

Clinic issues aside, this is why Riis the best DS getting around. Whenever you see his teams they always have a true "band of brothers" feel about them, even back in the early 2000's. IMO Riis would have to be the best manager of riders and personalities in pro cycling. Failsfraud could learn a lot by observing his management methods.

I saw a video-interview with Jens Voigt yesterday. He was looking back at his career and said his greatest moment was being on the podium in Paris 2008 when CSC won the TDF team competition and Sastre won the tour. He actually stressed that special "band of brothers" feel, you mention. Team CSC and Bjarne were special according to Voigt, almost a "brotherhood" (he used this exact word).

Back to the Clinic: Cookson wants Riis to speak out. Riis has already spoken to Anti Doping Denmark. Nothing is leaked yet, and we don't know how much he has told the anti doping authorithies, and we're all waiting in excitement for the final report.

 

[doperhopper]

French SKYborg?

French SKYborg?

We all enjoyed the 2014 SKYfall (no freeride license, no fun). And Brailsfraud already publicly announced in his "France's got talent" call that he wants another years from UCI/ASO, producing french TdF winner in return (total win-win for bussines, universe and everyone).

So, ladies and gentlemen, predictions please, it may happen sooner than we think.

Obvious Bardet or Pinot? Or grandpa-style with Peraud? Maybe adding some hollywood undead grimmaces with Vockler? Start with proven climber (Rolland) and teach him to TT or rather pick someone completely anonymous suffering from some exotic disease from former french colonies? Possibilities are quite wide, as well as "political" and clinical factors.

 

[doperhopper]

...or maybe Barguil as suggested in another thread, based on

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/ot...-fortunes-after-punishing-Tour-de-France.html

 

[poupou]

Do they need new profile of riders because the olders do'nt fit well with new conditions of biological passport?

 

[Akuryo]

...or maybe Barguil as suggested in another thread, based on

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/ot...-fortunes-after-punishing-Tour-de-France.html

Unlikely, since he just extended his contract with Giant (it is assumed he has a TDF guaranty in it).

 

[thehog]

Unlikely, since he just extended his contract with Giant (it is assumed he has a TDF guaranty in it).

You can imagine the contract discussions:

"We'd like you to leave your team and come join us at Sky where we'll pay you a lot more money.

At our team you'll lose all freedoms to race the way you'd like and you'll be forced to train day after day in a metronomic style. At races the same will be expected whereby you'll sit on the front all day working for our leaders at the same tempo you rode in training. If by any chance we lose a team leader in a race you'll be free to try win a stage but most likely because you've trained in the metronomic manner you'll have lost all ability to race at a varying pace levels and your race tactics will have been long forgotten. Basically we'll beat the life and creativity out of you"

 

[Bernie's eyesore]

You can imagine the contract discussions:

"We'd like you to leave your team and come join us at Sky where we'll pay you a lot more money.

At our team you'll lose all freedoms to race the way you'd like and you'll be forced to train day after day in a metronomic style. At races the same will be expected whereby you'll sit on the front all day working for our leaders at the same tempo you rode in training. If by any chance we lose a team leader in a race you'll be free to try win a stage but most likely because you've trained in the metronomic manner you'll have lost all ability to race at a varying pace levels and your race tactics will have been long forgotten. Basically we'll beat the life and creativity out of you"

Hard to see too many signing up for that.

 

[proffate]

You can imagine the contract discussions:

"We'd like you to leave your team and come join us at Sky where we'll pay you a lot more money.

At our team you'll lose all freedoms to race the way you'd like and you'll be forced to train day after day in a metronomic style. At races the same will be expected whereby you'll sit on the front all day working for our leaders at the same tempo you rode in training. If by any chance we lose a team leader in a race you'll be free to try win a stage but most likely because you've trained in the metronomic manner you'll have lost all ability to race at a varying pace levels and your race tactics will have been long forgotten. Basically we'll beat the life and creativity out of you"

This is the contract offered to Nieve, Kiriyienka, David Lopez, Henao, etc. but not the one they gave to Froome/Wiggo. If Sky is serious about producing a French TDF rider, for that one guy, wouldn't it be more like "sell us your soul in exchange for knighthood"?

 

[del1962]

This is the contract offered to Nieve, Kiriyienka, David Lopez, Henao, etc. but not the one they gave to Froome/Wiggo. If Sky is serious about producing a French TDF rider, for that one guy, wouldn't it be more like "sell us your soul in exchange for knighthood"?

More the Legion d'Honneur

 

[mrhender]

You can imagine the contract discussions:

"We'd like you to leave your team and come join us at Sky where we'll pay you a lot more money.
Snipped..
Basically we'll beat the life and creativity out of you"

What's not to like

 

[the sceptic]

Rod Ellingworth, Team Sky’s performance manager, said Thomas could be a future grand tour winner.

“He’s just got to keep plugging away,” he said. “I think you look at Brad ... four, five years before he won the Tour nobody would have said he was going to win the Tour de France. Has [Thomas] got it physically? Yes. Has he got the mentality? G has massive mental strength. He knocks some people out the water mentally and he can’t half take some workload.

“I think G will concentrate on one-week stage races first. That’ll be his target. These [grands tours] are a little bit more down the line. But he’s great for the team. He’s a great leader. People follow him.”

I guess we now have to wait and see if it will be Thomas or some french guy. All I know is that Dawg will be back with his snakes soon. I just hope he rides a year with garmin in the gruppetto first.

 

[Dear Wiggo]

I guess we now have to wait and see if it will be Thomas or some french guy. All I know is that Dawg will be back with his snakes soon. I just hope he rides a year with garmin in the gruppetto first.

I do not understand why he can't go from zero to hero like Wiggins did in 2009 or Froome did in 2011.

Why does G have to train for one week races first and ease into things?

Seems inconsistent.

 

[Wallace and Gromit]

I do not understand why he can't go from zero to hero like Wiggins did in 2009...

Why does G have to train for one week races first and ease into things?

Seems inconsistent.

One "minor" point, Thomas finished 67th aged 24 and 31st aged 25 in the Tour prior to the 2012 OGs, so he's definitely not starting his post-track career as a "zero".

We're already 2 years post Thomas' last outing on the track. He couldn't show his best form in last year's Tour due to crash damage, but following the withdrawal of Froome and the collapse of Porte this year, he had the perfect chance to show his prowess in the mountains in the final week of a GT. I guess that he's already done the obvious stuff (i.e. lose weight and change nature of training) so if he was going to sprout Wiggo-like GT prowess he'd probably have done it by now.

Even if he is still going to develop into a GT rider, with Porte and Froome also on the roster, aiming to win week long stage races consistently is a sound plan and won't upset anyone's applecart, except possibly Kennaugh's.

 

[Dear Wiggo]

One "minor" point, Thomas finished 67th aged 24 and 31st aged 25 in the Tour prior to the 2012 OGs, so he's definitely not starting his post-track career as a "zero".

But before that, he was, right?

So how come he isn't winning? Or is Ellingworth just blowing smoke? I mean. If you can win, then just do it dude. Rake in dem dere fat contrax.

 

[42x16ss]

But before that, he was, right?

So how come he isn't winning? Or is Ellingworth just blowing smoke? I mean. If you can win, then just do it dude. Rake in dem dere fat contrax.

It's meant to be Porte's turn first you see

You got a point though, Wigans (although he was at Garmin at the time) and Froome didn't have to worry about progression, so why are they forcing Porte and Thomas to do so? Can't they just cut straight to the chase as well

 

[Dear Wiggo]

It's meant to be Porte's turn first you see

You got a point though, Wigans (although he was at Garmin at the time) and Froome didn't have to worry about progression, so why are they forcing Porte and Thomas to do so? Can't they just cut straight to the chase as well

Yeah that's pretty much my confusion.

Noone ever said, "Wiggo needs to do 1 week races to get good".

OR

"Once Froome gets a few one week races under his belt he should be good to go".

It's just, "we're not sure if we want Wiggo. Oh look, he just came 4th at the Tour".

Or

"We're gonna let Froome go. Oh look, he nearly won the Vuelta but for a time bonus".

 

[Wallace and Gromit]

But before that, he was, right?

I don't know. It depends how you define "Zero" in this context. There's a huge range of achievement levels on the road between winning the Tour and being the worst pro rider in the world.

So how come he isn't winning?

My guess would be that he's got too high a proportion of fast-twitch fibres and probably doesn't recover well enough to be fully competitive over three weeks.

Thomas was lead out man for EBH in the 2011 Tour and Cav in the 2011 World RR. Wiggo was "last but 3" in Cav's train in that race suggesting that Thomas is naturally faster than Wiggo over short distances

Whatever lack of competition Wiggo had in the IP, he was very good at putting back to back performances together in consecutive days, suggesting his recovery is "good". (2004 = 4:15, 4:17, 4:16; 2008 = 4:15, 4:16, 4:16).

Or put more simply: Thomas isn't as good a rider as Wiggins.

Who knows for sure? There are far more talented riders than there are major races to be won, so only the select few will ever be big time winners.

 

[Dear Wiggo]

I don't know. It depends how you define "Zero" in this context. There's a huge range of achievement levels on the road between winning the Tour and being the worst pro rider in the world.



My guess would be that he's got too high a proportion of fast-twitch fibres and probably doesn't recover well enough to be fully competitive over three weeks.

Thomas was lead out man for EBH in the 2011 Tour and Cav in the 2011 World RR. Wiggo was "last but 3" in Cav's train in that race suggesting that Thomas is naturally faster than Wiggo over short distances

Whatever lack of competition Wiggo had in the IP, he was very good at putting back to back performances together in consecutive days, suggesting his recovery is "good". (2004 = 4:15, 4:17, 4:16; 2008 = 4:15, 4:16, 4:16).

Or put more simply: Thomas isn't as good a rider as Wiggins.

Who knows for sure? There are far more talented riders than there are major races to be won, so only the select few will ever be big time winners.

I do wonder about that. Wiggo was allegedly 82kg at his IP peak, and doing 560W for his 4:15.

G was lighter, and pretty sure he tweeted doing 5 x 5 @ 560W in training...

That's a 5 minute effort at Wiggo's 4 minute IP pace with a 5 minute recovery then going again.

Maybe he was just trolling?

Pretty sure it was Geraint. Damned if I could find the tweet again.