Why Team Sky will dominate cycling till 2018

[Dazed and Confused]

At this point Roche is mostly about cash.
AG2R
Tinkoff
SKY
Lottery
But hes entertaining as a rider, rarely rides defensive, often takes risks (perhaps foolish) and adds spice to the generally dull GC element.
He gave Riis nightmares, he might give Brailsford nervy times too.

 

[Pricey_sky]

Do you have a link to the interview? I wish Roche had done a serious tilt at the classics a long, long time ago. He's a proper all rounder with a decent engine. In some ways being put into a GC role early on with a team of climbers who couldn't TT was the worst thing he could have done, it led to lots of there or thereabouts results but a lot fewer wins than he could have had by now.

The Vuelta is the perfect race for me. I’ve finished fifth, sixth, and just outside the top 10 on a few occasions. I’d like to progress in one-day races, particularly the Ardennes classics, because with the training paths I’ve taken up to now, they’ve always come too early in the season. I’ve been there or thereabouts a few times but that cutting edge has been missing. San Sebastian is another race I’d like to do well in. It comes a week after the Tour de France and I’m usually in great condition at that point. I’ve finished top 10 there a few times and if there’s one race I think I could win one day it’d be that as it’s the most suited to me.
Read more at http://www.teamsky.com/teamsky/home/article/17508#8tLHbl4bszMfz879.99

Sounds like Ardennes - Tour - San Sebastian - Vuelta for Nico.

 

[hayzer114]

Any thoughts on what Sky's potential tour team will look like? I think it could look something like this

1 - Froome
2 - Porte
3 - Roche
4 - Nieve
5 - Thomas
6 - Kyrienka
7 - Stannard
8 - Kennaugh
9 - Konig

I think that could possibly be the team but I wouldnt guarantee that Kennaugh would be included even though I feel that he would be a solid addition. Would also love to see Deignan included, I feel hes an excellent climber but this ability may prove more of an asset to Porte in the Giro given the mountainous parcours.

 

[inthepink]

Anyone have thoughts on Nico Roche at Sky? I know there's nothing to suggest he will improve now he's joined them, but I feel he will improve and in the mountains as well. He should be a good rider to have come July. Plus he's now got bags of experience, a rider I like at a team I dislike. The worst.

Every so often I tune in to one of these threads to find a good old bashing of Nico Roche ..It is true he has not been a top GT rider but it doesn't mean he is not valuable to SKY and he is a talented rider who I would prefer to watch in many races above alot of riders becasue he is unpredictable and aggressive
And given his build he is a very good climber
I think he will benefit from the SKY set up and I think he will be an asset to SKY ....He will be a stong help to Froome even if he is not the last man on the climbs ...He is also good within a team in terms of morale , dedication & comraderie

I also think he took the wrong path in his career concentraing on GT too early (unlike his cousin) and should have rode based on his physical strengths..ie one day races.....

But maybe at SKY he will get that extra gear that will help him win races ..though he will need a strong DS when it comes to tactics

Richie Porte has benefits greatly from being at SKY and I see no reason why Nico given the right focus and support can not even if that is just to his best level

 

[ILovecycling]

The Vuelta is the perfect race for me. I’ve finished fifth, sixth, and just outside the top 10 on a few occasions. I’d like to progress in one-day races, particularly the Ardennes classics, because with the training paths I’ve taken up to now, they’ve always come too early in the season. I’ve been there or thereabouts a few times but that cutting edge has been missing. San Sebastian is another race I’d like to do well in. It comes a week after the Tour de France and I’m usually in great condition at that point. I’ve finished top 10 there a few times and if there’s one race I think I could win one day it’d be that as it’s the most suited to me.
Read more at http://www.teamsky.com/teamsky/home/article/17508#8tLHbl4bszMfz879.99

Sounds like Ardennes - Tour - San Sebastian - Vuelta for Nico.

He will be fatigued after Tour,he will be satisfied if he scores Top 10 at Vuelta.
He should go for stages imo.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

he is a talented rider who I would prefer to watch in many races above alot of riders becasue he is unpredictable and aggressive

Yes, I agree. GC riders who usually finish between 5th and 13th or so are probably the least loved riders on this forum. And for the most part that's fair enough - it's almost always done in near complete invisibility, guys who should be enlivening things by going for stages just hanging on as long as possible to protect 9th or whatever. But of those riders, Roche is a bit of anomaly. He does some grim hanging on, but he also tries to make up time by attacking a lot, sometimes in quite ill judged ways. And if he has a bad day and gets taken out of the minor place GC contest, you can pretty much guarantee he will make a couple of doomed long range attacks in the following stages.

He's fun. I'd love to see him pick up a couple more GT stages or a big classic.

 

[inthepink]

you can pretty much guarantee he will make a couple of doomed long range attacks in the following stages.

He aint Irish for nothing

 

[ray j willings]

He aint Irish for nothing

Can I ask when your next stand up gig is?

Roach was born in France.

 

[BigMac]

Can I ask when your next stand up gig is?

Roach was born in France.

Roach

Roach

Roach

 

[inthepink]

Can I ask when your next stand up gig is?

Roach was born in France.

itsn't it more like when is yours ..Its Roche btw ....and he rides for Ireland and is Irish ....

More Irish than Bradely Wiggins or Chris Frooem are British BTW

 

[burning]

itsn't it more like when is yours ..Its Roche btw ....and he rides for Ireland and is Irish ....

More Irish than Bradely Wiggins or Chris Frooem are British BTW

Well, I think that you should spell correctly if you want to correct other people.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

itsn't it more like when is yours ..Its Roche btw ....and he rides for Ireland and is Irish ....

More Irish than Bradely Wiggins or Chris Frooem are British BTW

Well to be fair to Roche of all the genuinely bi-national riders out there, he's one of very few who ultimately chose the less lucrative/advantageous affiliation. He would be richer if he declared himself French.

(I really don't like that the UCI forces riders with clearly multinational backgrounds to declare themselves for one country)

 

[inthepink]

Well, I think that you should spell correctly if you want to correct other people.

Well yes

But they were typos not misspelling which makes all the difference
Just type too fast and right hand is faster than left

 

[del1962]

itsn't it more like when is yours ..Its Roche btw ....and he rides for Ireland and is Irish ....

More Irish than Bradely Wiggins or Chris Frooem are British BTW

How is he more Irish than Wiggins is British?

Which one spend most of their childhood and attended school in the country of nationality?

 

[Dr. Juice]

Well to be fair to Roche of all the genuinely bi-national riders out there, he's one of very few who ultimately chose the less lucrative/advantageous affiliation. He would be richer if he declared himself French.

(I really don't like that the UCI forces riders with clearly multinational backgrounds to declare themselves for one country)

Somehow that's a fair point. Like being allowed to have 2 passports if you have a bi-national background (at least here in Germany).
But then....Olympic Games....WC? Scoring for 2 nations would be a bit weird.

 

[King Boonen]

(I really don't like that the UCI forces riders with clearly multinational backgrounds to declare themselves for one country)

Strange premise, it happens in every single sport, not just cycling, and I don't think it's up to the UCI. I really don't see a problem with it.

 

[burning]

Well yes

But they were typos not misspelling which makes all the difference
Just type too fast and right hand is faster than left

I get your point man, no problems. Actually, I missed "roach" until BigMac posted that picture.

 

[inthepink]

How is he more Irish than Wiggins is British?

Which one spend most of their childhood and attended school in the country of nationality?

Well Roche keeps a shillelagh in the backgarden & knows all the words to danny boy while Wiggo hates the queen & never eats steak & kidney pud ( or if he does he doesn't swallow)...simples

BTW Roche lived & went to school in Dublin for a few years

 

[del1962]

Well Roche keeps a shillelagh in the backgarden & knows all the words to danny boy while Wiggo hates the queen & never eats steak & kidney pud ( or if he does he doesn't swallow)...simples

BTW Roche lived & went to school in Dublin for a few years

So does Tony Cascarino by all accounts

 

[42x16ss]

Well, I think that you should spell correctly if you want to correct other people.

Yeah, that's right.

Everyone knows it's spelled Wigans.

 

[42x16ss]

How is he more Irish than Wiggins is British?

Which one spend most of their childhood and attended school in the country of nationality?

At least Roche's parents are both Irish...

 

[Parker]

At least Roche's parents are both Irish...

His mother Lydia is French.

(As used by you elsewhere)

 

[Archibald]

Well yes

But they were typos not misspelling which makes all the difference
Just type too fast and right hand is faster than left

psst! the left hand types the 'e' and the right types the 'm', so you should have it the right way around

Yeah, that's right.

Everyone knows it's spelled Wigans.

spelt

 

[Pricey_sky]

Yeah, that's right.

Everyone knows it's spelled Wigans.

No we don't know it's 'SPELT' like that

 

[pastronef]

sorry tointerrupt that nice spelling and nationality discussion, here's a piece on Wout Poels on CN

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/poels-aiming-to-be-froomes-right-hand-man-at-tour-de-france