everyone hates a winner. Sky have come to win, given quality riders at Movistar do they look like they’ve come to win? Perhaps they are waiting for Froome to finally have a bad day or make a mistake and then they are off.

Sky budgets are big, but not totally out of line with the biggest teams according to these figures from 2012-14. Katusha, Trek & BMC are all comparable.
http://velorooms.com/index.php?topic=4643.0

Sky have a team leader that the rest of the team clearly believes is a winner. He’s shown his will to win by running when his bike was smashed and by multiple attacks. If I was to put my ambitions on hold for another person to win, I would choose Chris Froome. Do any of the other GC teams have leaders that the team would bury themselves for day after day?

The domestiques also have contracts committing them to ride for the nominated leader too, its not all love for the fast guy. And they share higher levels of the stage €€€€€€€’s too. Does the SKY budget include other cycling or just the road squad?

Success brings in the cash, which helps buy the best staff, which brings more success… etc. No different to any other sport.

And while Froome is the man for the Tour, Sky do spread it about in the classics and the other stage races. Since the Wiggo days they seem to be much better at managing the ambitions of their riders.

His 2 moves so far were great racing but he hasn’t manged to destroy the field yet

Psychologically he did as they all knew they could not live with him
Every time he has tried to drop them he has managed it

He is the stronger rider and we all know this even his rivals

What Junky says

Each time I have seen Quintana make a mini break he has been chased down by a Sky team rider, he hasn’t even managed to drop the domestique’s never mind Froome who was on his way to putting much more time into him on Ventoux. IMO he’s going to extend up Forclaz and Joux Plane.

The race really misses Contrador, as even if he wasn’t physically as good as Froome he would go down all guns blazing, whereas the rest are just happy to race for a good position in the top 10.

Have to admit this race reminds me of an old school 90’s TDF, lots of fairly dull sprint stages, with the mountains turning into a damp squid due to the superiority of the top guy. Feels very reminiscent of say Indurain vs Rominger or Armstrong vs Beloki.

Indurain vs Rominger or Armstrong vs Beloki.

Contador v Schleck too, where you just waited and waited for an attack that never came. Quintana and Valverde also doing a good impression of the inseparable Andy and Frank.

IMO he’s going to extend up Forclaz and Joux Plane.

Yep and honestly the one I see staying with him (at least the longest) will be Porte he is looking a lot stronger for not doing all the Sky leg work on the climbs. Tactically the attacks need to come on the summit finishes that is where the time will be won an lost

Be interesting to see how Mollema holds up in the 3rd week too. He’s been able to follow most things so far and did well in the ITT.

Also be intriguing to see what happens if Valverde can follow the attacks but Quintana can’t, especially if Yates and Mollema have a wobble too. Only 18 seconds between them on GC with Valverde just a little over 30 seconds from the podium.

Porte will fall away, he always has a terrible day during a 3 week race.

Contador v Schleck too

+1

Blimey I’d forgotten all about that edition it was so dull.

Porte he is looking a lot stronger for not doing all the Sky leg work on the climbs.

is he ? he’s 4.27 behind and he didn’t even “fake it” yesterday to see if sky would chase him down, looks like he’s still riding for team sky to me.

He lost 2 and a bit minutes with the puncture and suffered like all the small blokes on the TT. That cost him his time, he looked strong on Ventoux and was attacking on the way up to Andorra. Although a break would have been good yesterday conserve till the summits would be the best bet. If you don’t beat Froome I would expect him to podium.

Porte he is looking a lot stronger for not doing all the Sky leg work on the climbs.

Didn’t look that way on the ITT either. Could have been the wind but he did say afterwards that he just didn’t have the legs.

Interesting to see comments from TVG on Saturday’s stage, just too fast for him. Even Froome looked like he was on the limit at that pace.

Porte will be lucky to stay in the top 10 IMO. He has shown nothing in a 3 week race since 2010.