Team Sky, the future of their squad.

[BroDeal]

The major American sports use trading (be it talent, prospects, or draft picks and occasionally in baseball large sums of money) as ways of moving players around in season (there is obviously also free agency in the off seasons). The American leagues are far more balanced with salary caps in 3 of the 4 major sports so their is less incentive to move a player who adds a lot to the team. I don't know what Sky dished out for Wiggo, but if it is around the $2 million I think Garmin did alright in this transaction. I have a hard time seeing Wiggins stock rise any higher then it was this year.

That was supposedly 2 million pounds, which is $3.2M, maybe ten times the amount Wiggins would have been paid in the last year of his contract. Garmin could hire one rider for three years at $1M a year, and a rider for that kind of money would be considerably better than Wiggins.

 

[ingsve]

Dont think so... I think EbH and Flecha will be gunning for Qatar big time..
Few more races semi-complete here, the tour squad is nearly complete, 7 of the 9 riders known pretty much

How certain do you think the Tour team is? It would seem strange if it was rock solid at this point without seeing how people ride. Also it seems a little like it's all based on promises rather than building a good team for the race. Right now it looks like a team thats' chasing individual stages rather than a team that supports a GC contender.

I think someone said in the presentation interviews that there are 18 riders who want to go to the Tour so it seems strange that they would narrow it down so much before seeing how people perform.

 

[mc_mountain]

Well the rider lists are Dimspace's attempt to put all the soundbites together, rather than official info from Sky, albeit all the info will have come from Sky and the riders. I'm sure Dim wouldn't be surprised if there were changes due to form, injury etc... i think if a rider couldn't justify being in a team for a particular race on form, then relying on a promise to get in would seem petty to me.

 

[craig1985]

Apparently Pauwels is in line to ride the Tour in support of Wiggins. He said it, not me.

 

[lucybears]

In the US is there much of a transfer market in American Football, baseball, ice hockey etc?

In the Uk and Europe, in part due to the Bosman ruling, if you have a player under contract whose market value suddenly shoots up it can make more business sense to sell out for a big fee rather than let them go on a 'free' when their contract expires.

I can see this isnt culturally the case in cycling (although it looks like Garmin's lawyers werent going to take on Sky's over Bosman) but (although we have no £££££££ figure for it) does anyone doubt Vaughters was rewarded beyond Wiggins' market value because Sky were prepared to pay for through the nose to have a British TdF GC podium contender? In Uk/Europe it is just good business to buy and sell players who are under contract - although some aspects of this could have been done a bit more politely.

Sky get their man.
Brad goes where he wants.
Garmin gets a stack of cash.

I dont see anyone losing. Maybe Murdoch for paying over the odds. What's not to like?

What's not to like? Skys methods

Don Corleone: I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse.

Sky threatened Garmin with legal action based (mainly) on the Webster case in socccer
see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Webster
Even if they lost the case, Garmins only recourse would be to sue Wiggins, and Sky would defend any such action on behalf of Wiggins.
How much time & how many dollars would Garmin have to spend if that happened ?
Garmin were put in an untenable position

see also
UCI likely to move on breaking of contracts
Wiggins move puts spotlight on chasing of riders
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/uci-likely-to-move-on-breaking-of-contracts

 

[craig1985]

Didn't Katusha do the exaxt same thing with Kolobnev who had a year left with Saxo Bank?

 

[Anonymous]

Well the rider lists are Dimspace's attempt to put all the soundbites together, rather than official info from Sky, albeit all the info will have come from Sky and the riders. I'm sure Dim wouldn't be surprised if there were changes due to form, injury etc... i think if a rider couldn't justify being in a team for a particular race on form, then relying on a promise to get in would seem petty to me.

They come from various sources. They where 100% accurate on the rider lineups for jan/feb

Obviously, form, injury will come into it, although Sky have promised every rider a grand tour ride this year, which with 26 riders it doesnt take a rocket scientist to work out that if brad is doing the giro and the tour that leaves 25 spaces for 25 riders. So if a rider in the giro is to ride well, and be worth of a tour spot, then DB is going to have to go back on his word.

Remember sky have a different approach, its not about who is in best form the month before the tour, it is sky approach, that is the managements job to take the nine riders going to the tour, and make sure that by july they are in the form of their lives. If in july a rider isnt, that is not a reflection on the rider, but a reflection on the management for failing to do their job properly.

What's the # next to Flecha?

Ah, it was relevent about a week ago, but not now.

 

[lucybears]

Didn't Katusha do the exaxt same thing with Kolobnev who had a year left with Saxo Bank?

No. Kolobnev moved by mutual agreement between the teams. Katusha did not threaten legal action at all.

 

[mc_mountain]

Remember sky have a different approach, its not about who is in best form the month before the tour, it is sky approach, that is the managements job to take the nine riders going to the tour, and make sure that by july they are in the form of their lives. If in july a rider isnt, that is not a reflection on the rider, but a reflection on the management for failing to do their job properly.

yes i should have added this qualification.

 

[Andy99]

not sure if its been posted already, but some good pics of the launch here...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/britishcycling/sets/72157623136091486/?page=2

 

[Anonymous]

yes i should have added this qualification.

In all likelehood every sky rider knows exactly which GT he is doing. Its the teams job to make sure that each of them, through training, diet etc is at peak form at the right time.. weve seen this before from DB and british cycling, their attention to detail is meticulous.. Will be interesting to see if the different approach works..

 

[issoisso]

Didn't Katusha do the exaxt same thing with Kolobnev who had a year left with Saxo Bank?

Unlike Sky, Katusha were honest and fair about it. They followed the rules. They talked to Saxo with regards a transfer, and after a fee had been agreed, they contacted Kolobnev.

Of course, Saxo's financial troubles plus the fact that Kolobnev was named in the last spanish doping ring greatly increased saxo's willingness to sell him

 

[Clemson Cycling]

Remember sky have a different approach, its not about who is in best form the month before the tour, it is sky approach, that is the managements job to take the nine riders going to the tour, and make sure that by july they are in the form of their lives. If in july a rider isnt, that is not a reflection on the rider, but a reflection on the management for failing to do their job properly.

Shouldn't that be deemed the Bruyneel/Armstrong approach

 

[ingsve]

Remember sky have a different approach, its not about who is in best form the month before the tour, it is sky approach, that is the managements job to take the nine riders going to the tour, and make sure that by july they are in the form of their lives. If in july a rider isnt, that is not a reflection on the rider, but a reflection on the management for failing to do their job properly.

Ya, that I get but the main thing that looks weird to me is that it doesn't look like a team that's interested in the GC but perhaps Wiggins doesn't need 5-6 guys in the mountains to help him. He'll have Lövkvist and Pauwels there but other than that it doesn't look like much as of yet. EBH and Gerrans have said they want a stage win and I'm sure the same is true about Flecha. Henderson will of course be sprinting and Calzati is there because he's french. Then we have one spot left and I know Arvesen has said that is half likely that he'll get a spot as road captain in the Tour as well.

Perhaps they feel that Calzati and Gerrans are good enough climbers to help well enough that they don't need more climbers but I would have expected guys like Froome, Augustyn, Portal or Possoni to help out as well.

I guess we'll just have to see. After all DB knows what the riders are capable more than we do so I'm sure they'll have a some idea about what will work.

 

[Race Radio]

Guess Lance doesn't like the uniforms

from Twitter

"They'll be very strong. Will they still be wearing those temporary jerseys though?"

 

[Anonymous]

Guess Lance doesn't like the uniforms

from Twitter

"They'll be very strong. Will they still be wearing those temporary jerseys though?"

Rich comment considering how pitiful The Shack kit looks. One would think with savvy sponsors in the 'fashion' industry (Oakley, Nike) the kits would be something other than buttugly.

 

[Anonymous]

Ok.. this might cause some debate amongst you.

Teamskyfans blogger Neil pollington on the sky launch and a really good take on the whole thing brad wiggins et al..

http://www.teamskyfans.com/neilpollington.html

 

[Race Radio]

Dim, did you get some swag at the launch yesterday?

 

[Anonymous]

Dim, did you get some swag at the launch yesterday?

i wasnt at the launch, i was devonbound..

what i thought was a bit tight is that riders got goodybags, but didnt get to keep their cheap yellow vests, many of whom had had them signed by riders... was a bit tight really..

most of the goody bags just had a bottle of gatorade and some pictures in them..

 

[mc_mountain]

This might have merited a thread of its own but already started too many for a newbie.

I was pondering the follow from another thread regarding Wiggins perhaps pushing for the Giro GC.

Better yet, if EBH and Loqkvist are not given room to perform, I can see Wiggins getting the cold shoulder come the Tour and finding little support in the mountains

Lo*kvist was according to CN expecting the tour captaincy

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/lovkvist-expects-skys-tour-de-france-captaincy

although i note he isn't quoted as saying 'i expect to be the tour captain' just that he will ride for GC.

put that together with Pauwels choice

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/team-sky-grants-pauwels-grand-tour-choice

and Lo*kvists statement prior to Wiggins signing

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/lovkvist-unsure-of-tour-leadership-in-2010

What I read into this is that if he was displeased/dissappointed with Wiggins being ahead of him in the pecking order for the Tour he could have requested to ride the Giro or Vuelta. I conclude that he is willing to work for (a competitive) Wiggins at the tour. In my eyes doing so shouldn't necessarily mean he won't be able to achieve a high placing himself. I think the pride/reflected glory of a teammate's success is sometimes overlooked, especially if a rider can be seen to have contributed to it and is appreciated by the team leadership and the rider enjoying the success.

It also means that in a couple years when he is perhaps vying for GT podiums he can ask the up and coming riders on his team to work for him.

on the other hand if Sky and Brailsford have been telling him for months that they weren't trying to sign Wiggins and subsequently that he had to ride the tour in support rather than go for glory in italy or spain then he is unlikely to give everything for wiggins.

can anyone fill me in on the stage Lo*kvists rode with the grupetto at the Giro last year. had he sacrificed himself for rodgers in the previous days (or after this break for riding with the leaders? pressure? bonk? is there an established view.

i anticipate that everything will be (and has to this point already been) done to ensure that Sky will be a team and not a group of individuals

 

[Anonymous]

The first report is pretty much redudant, it was Cycling News picking on a previous news story on eurosport, which in turn was a new story from Prior to brad wiggins signing..

So merge the two from TL together and you get him saying "i would like to go for the GC, but obviously if brad signs he will be the main man for sky"

So the brad/TL thing is largely a lot of quotes that are since irrelevant.. I think TL will ride for brad in the tour, but obviously there is a situation where if Brad is clearly struggling and Loftkvist can do something then he will be able to.

Do you mean Pauwels is dissapointed..? From what i can gather he was offered, do the giro ride for yourself, or do the tour, ride for brad, and he chose to ride for brad in the tour feeling he wasnt ready to ride for himself in the giro..

 

[mc_mountain]

No, Pauwels seemed quite excited to me.
i was just using the example of him having a choice to suggest that Sky will listen to what their riders want to do.
i was defending against the idea the Lo*kvist (or any other Sky rider) would want to ride for himself at the expense of (a competitive) Wiggins.

 

[mc_mountain]

should have said

Lo*kvist was according to CN at one point expecting the tour captaincy before the link to the article

 

[auscyclefan94]

The first report is pretty much redudant, it was Cycling News picking on a previous news story on eurosport, which in turn was a new story from Prior to brad wiggins signing..

So merge the two from TL together and you get him saying "i would like to go for the GC, but obviously if brad signs he will be the main man for sky"

So the brad/TL thing is largely a lot of quotes that are since irrelevant.. I think TL will ride for brad in the tour, but obviously there is a situation where if Brad is clearly struggling and Loftkvist can do something then he will be able to.

Do you mean Pauwels is dissapointed..? From what i can gather he was offered, do the giro ride for yourself, or do the tour, ride for brad, and he chose to ride for brad in the tour feeling he wasnt ready to ride for himself in the giro..

a little off topic but dim, wtf is with the sky jersies. The black is a big nono for cycling jersies.

 

[Anonymous]

a little off topic but dim, wtf is with the sky jersies. The black is a big nono for cycling jersies.

Why? from the front they look smart as hell and will look great on photos etc, on on the back they have the magic white panel, which is where the sun goes, that will keep them cool..

you know if you are riding a road bike, on the whole the sun shines on your back and your head, unless of course you are a tortoise whos been rolled over..

and anyway.. as for a nono.. tell that to rapha condor, probably the best looking jersey in cycling (although to be fair they do only race generally in cold wet places)