Like most people I like someone for a variety of reasons.
NATIONALITY
Brad is technically British and proud to be British, Froome seems proudto be Kenyan

ABILITY
They are both good riders, with different strengths, watching the competition would have been nice

PERSONALITY
Brad has it, some may not like it but I do. Froome is bland or a whinger.

BATTLE/GRIT
OK Brad may not be great here, but he works hard and rides to his best, he doesn’t seem shy to work. Froome I’ve not seen work, it sort of looks easy when he does well.

FAMILIARITY and FANATICISM
Brad has got to the nations heart and is known by many that aren’t big cycling fans. He has won a lot of Olympic medals at several different Olympics. Froome isn’t liked because he is a threat to brad ‘the prodigal son’ Wiggins.

Yeah, but there was that amazing moment when Wiggo in yellow led Cav out on the Champs-Élysées. How mental was that?

One Brit in yellow leading out another in rainbow stripes. A high point for British cycling

jambalaya – Member

@whatnobeer Wiggins is a multi-medalled Olympian going back to 2000 and was the first ever British TdF winner (proving we could do it) and won the London home Olympics road race the same year.

Saywhatnow?

Did he do this while wearing an Alexandre Vinokourov suit?

BadlyWiredDog, that moment was possibly my favourite ever tour moment, brilliant, brilliant stuff. It’s either that or the day in 2011 when Andy Schlek went early on an attack of Galibier and Cuddles basically dragged the rest of the lead group, including a fast fading Voekler, up behind him. That was a hell of a days racing.

To be honest it could have been anyone’s blood in Vino so who knows who won 😀

Is Yates riding for Orica?

Nope. Big season already and he’s only young so they’ve parked him for now.

Other Brits are Millar, Cav and possibly Dowsett. Don’t think there’s anyone else in contention.

Saywhatnow?

Did he do this while wearing an Alexandre Vinokourov suit?

Presume he meant the Olympic TT as opposed to the road race.
Not really sure why it’s relevant though?

What is there to understand? He’s dull to watch on a a bike.

It’s not fun or exciting.

😆

THEOLYMPIC TT WAS ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING BITS OF CYCLING SPORT I’VE EVER SEEN. Not to mention hos trck victories. Hardly ‘dull’.

DanW – Member
To be honest it could have been anyone’s blood in Vino so who knows who won

*like

THEOLYMPIC TT WAS ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING BITS OF CYCLING SPORT I’VE EVER SEEN. Not to mention hos trck victories. Hardly ‘dull’.

We’re talking about Le Tour. Track racing can be exciting, sure, and TT’ing can be exciting too if you have interest and the splits are close.

But, the TdF is a 3 week long event decided in the mountains and the final TT. Wiggins is not an exciting rider to watch in the grand tours. He can be as exciting as he likes on the track, but he’ll still be dull to watch on a mountain stage.

Indeed – team members are expected to spend time on the front of the peleton keeping the pace high and/or pulling back breaks. Being abe to climb well at a steady pace to shelter your team leader also helps. I wonder what sort of rider would be good at that?

To suggest that Brad doesn’t merit a place in the team on the basis of what he can do physically as a team member does make you look a bit silly. I doubt any of the 8 selected to ride alongside Froome is actually stronger than BW on the flat let alone all of them, and there’s a good chance he’s also the second best climber on the Sky team. You do realise that he was ill at the TdS?

Jens winning a stage would totally make the Tour for me this year. Won’t be the same when he retires at the end of the year. What a legend, and proof/inspiration that us old farts can mash pedals with the youngsters just fine 😀 .

Not for this parcours.

Oh purlease. Personality clashes aside, he would be an excellent domestique.

Won the points jersey.

I suspect Sky are more interested in the GC. He finished in 12th place.

Did he do this while wearing an Alexandre Vinokourov suit?

Only Vinokourov is cool enough to wear Vinokourov outfits.

Sky aren’t Team Bradley, so I don’t get all the anguish. Froome undoubtedly lacks charisma off the bike, but IMO showed plenty of panache on it at the Dauphine recently – I think the perception of him as a dull rider is in no small part to do with the Sky juggernaut he sits behind for 90% of each stage. That’s their best chance of helping him win, so fair enough, but it doesn’t make for the most compulsive viewing.

I can’t see the TdF being any less of a spectacle for Wiggins not being on the start sheet, there’s far more to it than that (and I don’t mind watching him ride).

I doubt any of the 8 selected to ride alongside Froome is actually stronger than BW on the flat let alone all of them, and there’s a good chance he’s also the second best climber on the Sky team.

Certainly agree with the observation about his ability on the flat, but the bottom line for me is whether Sky would pick anything best than the nine best riders for the race – just can’t see it. Even Bradders said: “It’s disappointing on a personal level, but I think from a team point of view they’ve probably put the strongest squad up as it stands”, and I don’t think of him as being particularly magnanimous when things don’t go his way.

Indeed – team members are expected to spend time on the front of the peleton keeping the pace high and/or pulling back breaks. Being abe to climb well at a steady pace to shelter your team leader also helps. I wonder what sort of rider would be good at that?

One without an ego the size of Mr Wiggins?

Personality clashes aside, he would be an excellent domestique.

Yep, and the first part of that sentence completely nullifies the second.

He wouldn’t play ball and ride selflessly for Froome, he’s long said that. The 2012 Tour GC was very boring, fantastic Wiggins won it, but he did so in the most uninspiring clinical fashion.

why are so many people more concerned with whether they LIKE someone, rather than whether the rider is a good cyclist?

Some sort of secret crushie bromance thing going on?

Sky juggernaut

Sky are a juggernaut in terms of financial backing but have been pretty average as a team since their inception. They have been lucky to have 2 very strong leaders at the TDF (and pre-TDF races) for the past few years but haven’t had much going for them as a team. Rogers and Gee saved some embarrassing moments and retained some control in previous years but key team members have faltered at key points. Porte isn’t on form despite supposedly being the #2 and Movistar and Saxo Tinkoff have particulalry strong teams this year. If they get themselves organised Froome will come under a lot of pressure

Yep, and the first part of that sentence completely nullifies the second.

He wouldn’t play ball and ride selflessly for Froome, he’s long said that. The 2012 Tour GC was very boring, fantastic Wiggins won it, but he did so in the most uninspiring clinical fashion.

Except that he said he would ride for Froome. Personality clashes are for the manager to sort out.

As DanW notes, Porte is in poor form, and he’s supposed to be the number 2. If it were me, I’d want some insurance.

there’s a good chance he’s also the second best climber on the Sky team

I reckon Porte would probably have him at the moment, but it’s hard to say. He’s not in the team for a reason, or possibly two : 1. He’s not on form and 2. He’s a moody and there are questions of how well he’ll perform when playing 2nd fiddle.

It’s amazing the number of people here who seem to know more about how to run Sky and pick a grand tour squad than DB. Maybe one of the posters above is actually John Bruyneel and we don’t know it.

I think you can safely say that if Wiggins gets on his bike and rides the Yorkshire stages 1 hr before the Peleton, he would get more cheers than the main race.

Its a bit sad really.

When and where? Linky?

I think Froome seems a good sort / honest / no BS sort of a guy, and a great rider. I wish him well. However, I really rate / like watching Contador. Should be a great TDF.

Only mistake Sky made IMHO is leaving me out of the team, I mean how hard can it be ? its only a bike ride (and on tarmac at that) 😉

Plus being boring is greatly underrated 🙂

Which is why GT slaughtered him in the TT champs – oh hang on…

Which is why GT slaughtered him in the TT champs – oh hang on…

Which has what to do with the Tour? The tour isnt a 3 week long TT, no matter how much Wiggins might wish it was.

I’m intrigued as to the thought that Wiggo is the 2nd best climber at Sky. Porte would be ahead of him, as would Lopez, Neive and Cataldo I would have thought.

Sigh, not another Froome / Wiggo debate. This race has always been a whole greater then the sum of its parts. I’m off to watch Le Tour and cheer on some riders not a team. Am more interested in the podium girl selection than Sky’s.

Only Vinokourov is cool enough to wear Vinokourov outfits.

If only the Vino on his shirt was also wearing a vino shirt.

aracer – Member
and there’s a good chance he’s also the second best climber on the Sky team

In the tour squad I think Nieve, Kiryienka and Lopez (and Porte as already mentioned) are better. In the Sky team as a whole Henao and Cataldo too.

The tour isnt a 3 week long TT, no matter how much Wiggins might wish it was.

Me like 🙂

FWIW, and that’s diddly squat, I prefer Froome to Wiggo.

Wiggo my have the attitude, and the honour of being the first Brit (/Belgian/Aussie) to win the Tour, but hanging on in the mountaind and winning in the TTs is frankly a boring way to do it.

Watching Froome making the others eat dust on Ventoux on the other hand was brilliant. And going without the support of his team against multiple attacks when they fell apart in the Pyrenees (can you see Wiggo doing that? I think not).

Froom would have beaten Wiggo in 2012 if he’d have been allowed…

+1 😀

Personally can’t stand Froome’s riding style it’s blooming awful, up there with Paul Radcliffe’s running style for super ugly. Far rather watch Millar or Wiggo, that’s how to ride a bike, super smooth.

Yeah, but you don’t get points for Artistic Impression, it’s about crossing the line first.

I don’t see anyone saying to Paula Radcliffe “you know that marathon record you have that is head and shoulders above anyone else’s best efforts? Well, it doesn’t account becuase your head wobbles when you run”

Surprised this hasn’t come up yet

Chris Froome looking at stems

Dragon, Youd rather see wiggo sit and diesel at a single speed for the full length of the climb than watch someone launch repeated attacks? Fair enough.

More attacks in last 6 kms than last 6 years of Wiggo’s career…

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRXcCOip7Dk[/video]

Wiggins being the consummate professional

displaying his bike handling prowess early in his career

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pt5h-rnsF6I[/video]

and ever the hardy inspiring team leader

It has to do with whether or not he’s on form, which was the comment from you I was refuting – presumably you reckon he can take a chunk out of GT whilst he’s not on form? His ability to handle a 3 week stage race when he’s in good TT form is based on past evidence.

So why have none of them been at the sharp end in a GT?

I like balance some riders due to TTing ability don’t need to attack, others have to. Yes attacking is exciting, but still style wise Froome is awful, plenty of others attack but do so with more style.

Sure you don’t get wins based on style, but efficient riders often win so they aren’t completely disconnected.

Agree that Wiggo is prat at times though, recent abandon in Switzerland being a prime example.

So why have none of them been at the sharp end in a GT?

Winning a GT and being a good (super) domestique are different skills.

It has to do with whether or not he’s on form, which was the comment from you I was refuting – presumably you reckon he can take a chunk out of GT whilst he’s not on form? His ability to handle a 3 week stage race when he’s in good TT form is based on past evidence.

You can’t judge form in the mountains on TT ability ffs.

Looking at that team and Wiggins recent performances I can’t see that he’d add much before you take into account his poor relationship with froome. It’s great that Wiggins won the tour but it was a very specific tour with lots of TT and relatively easy mountains in a year when some big players weren’t there. froome on the other hand won a fairly stacked race last year pretty convincingly, if you were Db, where would you go?

And Brads ability on the flat is kind of a moot point as OPQS, Cannondale and Giant Shimano will be controlling anything that has a sprint at the end.

Following team instructions. What a prat.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/wiggins-abandons-the-tour-de-suisse-due-to-injury

Froome looks like a praying mantis pushing a shopping trolley whilst trying to pin a mobile phone between shoulder and ear, but that stage was edge of the seat stuff to watch live. Agree Wiggins on-the-bike style is supreme. I’m just not a big fan of the man, as you may have gathered.