Team Ineos (Formerly the Sky thread)

[Bernie's eyesore]

Re:

I'm surprised everybody forgot the mythical climber Landa, the gregario who toyed with Contador and his own captain in last year's Giro. Well, in this team there are about 3-4 better mountain doms than him.

That's because Landa hasn't been anywhere near his best. Just imagine if he was and if Thomas was at last year's level. Hardly bears thinking about.

 

[Rob27172]

Re: Re:

He didn't look to be sailing up there without breathing hard to me. But what would I know.

Well i dont know what you were watching
Watch froome cross the line in this clip at 50 seconds on and he is cruising along behind richie on the steepest part of the climb. That car park is about 15% that they are riding across at the top of the dam (I have ridden it well over a dozen times over the years)

Happy to watch it again. Did you have a link to it for me, please?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_glEGkSveno

Sorry I meant to add the link
Here you are

 

[kwikki]

Thanks

OK, I've watched it. There is only a split second of footage of him crossing the line and that's not enough to go on, but I will say that he is looking down, not up...

I've got today's stage recorded and I'll go and have another watch, but honestly...to my eyes he didn't look super strong today. Stronger than Quintana but not as strong as Porte, certainly. Of course that's only my impression and I'm happy to accept that others see it differently.

 

[ontheroad]

Re:

And yet the stage winner was quite a bit ahead of Porte and Froome. He got there quicker because he rode faster.

Quintana was today's big loser...but he didn't just lose to Sky riders. He list to BMC, Orica and Astana.

This is the kind of schoolboy stuff Walsh uses these days to justify Froomes performances. Compare Zakarins (a known doper) time up the climb to Froomes, and look at the respective head on's of them hitting the line and the respective levels of fatigue. Zakarin was barely able to zip up, ride in a straight line or lift his arms. Froome on the other hand cruised in behind Porte with his mouth closed. I can't even believe it is necessary to explain the difference. The comparison isn't necessary with Zakarin but since you brought it up. What is relevant is the ease with which Froome is cycling within himself and still dropping top climbers day after day.

 

[kwikki]

Quintana didn't look tired either.

Looks can be deceptive.

 

[Saint Unix]

Quintana has no muscles in his face. I've only ever seen him with that one facial expression.

 

[kwikki]

That's so true

 

[ontheroad]

Re:

Quintana didn't look tired either.

Looks can be deceptive.

Dear god, did you actually watch the race? He couldn't go with the attacks near the top when the vicious incline kicked in. Or maybe you think he was simply holding something back.

I never normally read anything into Froomes facial expression as he is an actor on and off the bike and can often look cooked before unleashing a bout of egg mixing. That is why it was even more disturbing to see the ease with which he cruised over the top of a brutal finish today.

 

[kwikki]

We are talking about facial expressions.

Apart from the stage winner, nobody's body or facial language looked like they were particularly suffering any more than anyone else. Somebody posted a clip showing Froome's face as he crossed the line. It didn't give any more away than Quintana's face.

Of course, I realise that Quintana was f****d, but that is not the point being made.

 

[Saint Unix]

Romain Bardet at the finish line looked like he had fended off Death on his way up the mountain.

 

[thehog]

Re:

We are talking about facial expressions.

Apart from the stage winner, nobody's body or facial language looked like they were particularly suffering any more than anyone else. Somebody posted a clip showing Froome's face as he crossed the line. It didn't give any more away than Quintana's face.

Of course, I realise that Quintana was f****d, but that is not the point being made.

Yes, you clearly know what you're taking about....

 

[Benotti69]

Another member of the Sky brown nosers club, Richard Moore, blamed the media for the term 'marginal gains'

Richard Moore ‏@richardmoore73 44 minutes ago

@philgaimon True. But also, Sky don't really talk about marginal gains, the media (we) do.

I thought Brailsford used it to describe 'surprise attacks' on the descent, as a marginal gain they worked on!

 

[thehog]

Re:

Another member of the Sky brown nosers club, Richard Moore, blamed the media for the term 'marginal gains'

Richard Moore ‏@richardmoore73 44 minutes ago

@philgaimon True. But also, Sky don't really talk about marginal gains, the media (we) do.

I thought Brailsford used it to describe 'surprise attacks' on the descent, as a marginal gain they worked on!

Yes, you see, all those guys we give free cycling gear to, it's their fault. We fly them to Malloca, give them Rapha clothing and they start writing good things about us, it's so not fair....

 

[The Hitch]

Re: Sky

Yep.

Sky don't talk about marginal gains

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBY3q8TqoXY


Also how comes when they pull brailsford over for interviews he doesn't wear any glasses, but when its a planned event like a sky interview or a press conference or a speech he wears glasses?

Are they just a prop to make himself look clever?

 

[The Hitch]

Re: Sky

Brailsford last week:

"You've always got to think differently. Marginal gains are about constant improvement and using the element of surprise. That's what sport is all about,"

Nope.

Never talks about marginal gains. richard moore makes phil ligget look like a person with morals.

 

[ontheroad]

Dan Martin also collapsed over the finish line.

 

[BullsFan22]

Re: Sky

Facial expressions? Well, pretty much everyone but Froome and I suppose Porte looked dead and buried over the closing stages today. Zakarin, Bardet, Quintana and Mollema looked pretty gassed. If it isn't obvious now that Quintana doesn't have the legs, it will never be. He can't even hold the wheels of guys he would you usually gap on climbs like today. Froome was his Froomish self.

 

[tretiak]

Froome followed Porte to show that I take all the attacks. But he held back in moron accerlationen to avoid further speculation.

 

[kwikki]

Re: Re:

We are talking about facial expressions.

Apart from the stage winner, nobody's body or facial language looked like they were particularly suffering any more than anyone else. Somebody posted a clip showing Froome's face as he crossed the line. It didn't give any more away than Quintana's face.

Of course, I realise that Quintana was f****d, but that is not the point being made.

Yes, you clearly know what you're taking about....

Yes. He looks pretty tired, I'll give you that.

I'm sure, if you'd tried, you could have made your point without the bitchiness, though.

 

[simoni]

Re: Re:

We are talking about facial expressions.

Apart from the stage winner, nobody's body or facial language looked like they were particularly suffering any more than anyone else. Somebody posted a clip showing Froome's face as he crossed the line. It didn't give any more away than Quintana's face.

Of course, I realise that Quintana was f****d, but that is not the point being made.

Yes, you clearly know what you're taking about....

Yes. He looks pretty tired, I'll give you that.

I'm sure, if you'd tried, you could have made your point without the bitchiness, though.

Are facial expressions the latest dope test then?

 

[pastronef]

Re: Sky

https://www.twitter.com/AlexSimmons_RST/status/756024926599942144


‏@AlexSimmons_RST
@JeroenSwart "Marginal gains are BS". So says the guy who won the TdF by 8 seconds by using a novel aerodynamic aid in the final time trial.

 

[Saint Unix]

Re: Sky

https://www.twitter.com/AlexSimmons_RST/status/756024926599942144


‏@AlexSimmons_RST
@JeroenSwart "Marginal gains are BS". So says the guy who won the TdF by 8 seconds by using a novel aerodynamic aid in the final time trial.

For it to be an actual "gain", they have to be the only team doing it.

LeMond used aerobars and Fignon didn't. Give me one example of a piece of eqiupment that only Sky uses and that has a scientifically proven benefit like aerobars do over regular bars.

And don't say motors

 

[hrotha]

Which was anything but a marginal gain.

edit: ninja'd

 

[elduggo]

Re: Sky

https://www.twitter.com/AlexSimmons_RST/status/756024926599942144


‏@AlexSimmons_RST
@JeroenSwart "Marginal gains are BS". So says the guy who won the TdF by 8 seconds by using a novel aerodynamic aid in the final time trial.

For it to be an actual "gain", they have to be the only team doing it.

LeMond used aerobars and Fignon didn't. Give me one example of a piece of eqiupment that only Sky uses and that has a scientifically proven benefit like aerobars do over regular bars.

And don't say motors

I'll give you 2. Pillows and pineapple juice.

 

[Cannibal72]

Re: Re:

We are talking about facial expressions.

Apart from the stage winner, nobody's body or facial language looked like they were particularly suffering any more than anyone else. Somebody posted a clip showing Froome's face as he crossed the line. It didn't give any more away than Quintana's face.

Of course, I realise that Quintana was f****d, but that is not the point being made.

Yes, you clearly know what you're taking about....

As you'd know if you looked into it some more, Bardet was laughing, joking, and seemed OK during the interviews not ten minutes later. Come on. There's much, much better arguments than that.