Two Brits Lead the Tour de France

[gingerwallaceafro]

I never thought I would see the day. Brilliant, brilliant stuff. Well done chaps!

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Must say, I'm suprised.

When Sky entered the peloton a few years ago, and said they wanted a Tour winner within 5 years (2014). I thought, wtf? Are they crazy? It was a ridicolous idea/plan
As there was no British rider at that moment even remotely close to the top GC riders in grand tours. Not the Tour, but not even in the Giro or Vuelta were they remotely close.

And now they are sitting 1-2 in the GC...with a track-rider turned GC rider and a Froome who pretty much came out of nowhere. Yes a talent, in the sense, he was a u23 rider who you would esitmate to become a normal pro, but nothing special.

They did an amazing job. It took them some trial and error, because in the first few years we also had some laughs with Sky tactics+mishaps. But they definitely got it right this year. You can only applaud them

 

[Zam_Olyas]

I think england should give more importance to cycling than football, football is just a hopeless situation at international level.

 

[thehog]

I think england should give more importance to cycling than football, football is just a hopeless situation at international level.

Football needs swimming coaches. Along with dedication and hard work. English players need to miss their kids birthday. Then they will dominate.

 

[hrotha]

They did an amazing job. It took them some trial and error, because in the first few years we also had some laughs with Sky tactics+mishaps. But they definitely got it right this year. You can only applaud them

Or! You could take it to the Clinic, where this belongs.

 

[El Pistolero]

I think england should give more importance to cycling than football, football is just a hopeless situation at international level.

They should also stop wasting money on tennis. That's even more ridiculous.

 

[sartoris]

Yes. Two Brits. In the same Tour. From the same team. Food for thought ...

 

[Zam_Olyas]

Football needs swimming coaches. Along with dedication and hard work. English players need to miss their kids birthday. Then they will dominate.

So you are saying that football in england "still havent found what they are looking for"

cue the song springsteen and u2

 

[theyoungest]

Yeah, we had a good laugh about them three years ago, with their crazy plan to get a Brit to win the Tour within 5 years. And with Wiggo failing completely and utterly in his first Tour with Sky.

And here they are with not one but two Brits, pretty much getting to decide between them who will take home the yellow. It's funny, but somehow it also makes me a little sad about the apparent level of the competition. Is cycling really so much in the Dark Ages that you can enter the sport and utterly dominate the biggest race on the calendar in three years, simply by having better training methods? (this to steer clear from clinic stuff)

 

[burning]

They should also stop wasting money on tennis. That's even more ridiculous.

At least Murray get into final
For football, what have they done since 1966?

 

[User Guide]

Football needs swimming coaches. Along with dedication and hard work. English players need to miss their kids birthday. Then they will dominate.

If you gonna troll the race threads for the umpteenth time this week with "cave" talk at least be original or funny

 

[Califootman]

Is cycling really so much in the Dark Ages that you can enter the sport and utterly dominate the biggest race on the calendar in three years, simply by having better training methods? (this to steer clear from clinic stuff)

Am I missing the sarcasm here? Because posing that question doesn't seem to steer the discussion AWAY from the Clinic.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

ofcourse it helps that the 2 best stace-racers of this era are both not even starting

 

[hrotha]

Am I missing the sarcasm here? Because posing that question doesn't seem to steer the discussion AWAY from the Clinic.

This discussion is inevitably going to orbit the Clinic. But don't worry, we'll stick to the journo speech in this forum, so we should never quite land.

Say, those two Brits are being just incredible (wink wink nudge nudge), aren't they? Truly amaaaazing performance. Out of this planet.

 

[Arnout]

And here they are with not one but two Brits, pretty much getting to decide between them who will take home the yellow. It's funny, but somehow it also makes me a little sad about the apparent level of the competition. Is cycling really so much in the Dark Ages that you can enter the sport and utterly dominate the biggest race on the calendar in three years, simply by having better training methods? (this to steer clear from clinic stuff)

No.

I'm sure Team Sky are very serious about training and all that, but other teams also use science to get better results. Dutch commentators are banging on about team Sky riding to a plan with wattages and stuff, but that's nothing new at all. In fact, Samu Sanchez started doing the same and that was the reason he was able to transform from a hilly puncheur to a climber, by measuring his efforts.

Only because Sky is a level above the rest the media is telling the story, but their scientific approach will give marginal results only (yes, pun and all that). Part of the reason why they are on top is also the weak competition with many big guns not present or injured, part may be clinic material.

 

[JetSet]

They're getting plenty of support on the route too, never seen so many British flags out on the course


Pete

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Whaaaa.... the Kenian and the Belgian are Brits now???

Just kidding. Good to see they made it before the 100th edition. Welcome to cycling boys Too bad there won't be a follow up for the foreseeable future.

 

[stampedingviking]

I never thought I would see the day. Brilliant, brilliant stuff. Well done chaps!

Funniest thing is the reaction from the north Americans and Aussies on here

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Whaaaa.... the Kenian and the Belgian are Brits now???

Just kidding. Good to see they made it before the 100th edition. Welcome to cycling boys Too bad there won't be a follow up for the foreseeable future.

Ah true, actually it's the born in Gent, Belgian, Bradley Wiggins winning the tour in front of the in Kenya made Chris Froome

Congrats to Belgium for having a nother possible gt winner

 

[El Pistolero]

Yesterday we had 3 Belgians in the top 10, now only 2.

 

[slowoldman]

Funniest thing is the reaction from the north Americans and Aussies on here

Yup, I agree. The Brits defending the exact same tactics/improvements they absolutely abhorred just a few years ago and the Americans getting to see exactly what the Brits were foaming at the mouth about then.......

 

[ferryman]

There is a tear in my eye. But that is just because I haven't stopped laughing since the ITT.

And BTW, a little advice, stop trying to out English the other English trolls on here, leave that to Sunset, Trunnions and the others, you just come across as a complete amateur. Leave it to the experts.

 

[4smajeure]

Sky Envy

Sky is in an eviable position with 1 & 2 in GC. Yet they're taking hits on all fronts except from rival teams. Journalists criticize them to fabricate drama while some fans either question their fair play or who their leader should be.

The team's stars seem aligned in the Sky this year. The had good luck with limited damage from the first week's crashes. The supporting riders are doing a tremedous job and have a second rider atop GC. And some thought that it's only exclusive to the Schlecks. Great teamwork and team direction and support. The rival teams will analyze the planning, preparation and rider selection that Sky used for future Tour strategy.

 

[Vino attacks everyone]

Yeah, we had a good laugh about them three years ago, with their crazy plan to get a Brit to win the Tour within 5 years. And with Wiggo failing completely and utterly in his first Tour with Sky.

And here they are with not one but two Brits, pretty much getting to decide between them who will take home the yellow. It's funny, but somehow it also makes me a little sad about the apparent level of the competition. Is cycling really so much in the Dark Ages that you can enter the sport and utterly dominate the biggest race on the calendar in three years, simply by having better training methods? (this to steer clear from clinic stuff)

I think the main reason for their dominance this year is that there is a new generation climbers coming inn that is still a couple of years too young (Pinot) and a generation climbers that is a couple of years to old (Basso). So per now there is only two elite climbers in the whole peloton and noone of them are racing the tour this year, so the lack of real attacks matches atleast Wiggos style of climbing so perfect that it might look easier than it actually is.

 

[theyoungest]

No.

I'm sure Team Sky are very serious about training and all that, but other teams also use science to get better results. Dutch commentators are banging on about team Sky riding to a plan with wattages and stuff, but that's nothing new at all. In fact, Samu Sanchez started doing the same and that was the reason he was able to transform from a hilly puncheur to a climber, by measuring his efforts.

Only because Sky is a level above the rest the media is telling the story, but their scientific approach will give marginal results only (yes, pun and all that). Part of the reason why they are on top is also the weak competition with many big guns not present or injured, part may be clinic material.

I don't care what Dutch commentators say, the Dutch are always crazy about everything that speaks English. The fact is that Sky have brought on a swimming trainer, who clearly has some different ideas about peaking, and apparently those ideas really work. It's not just Wiggo and Froome you know, who are really strong right now. Porte crashed, really bad as well, and whereas the Rabo boys and some others didn't recover at all from that crash, Porte still has the form to seriously hurt the peloton before Froomey and Wiggo take over.

Of course, if Contador were here we'd have a totally different situation, but still Sky as a team are simply a level above the others.