I wonder if the Sky road-side spares/feeders get danger money :p

im sure the ‘fans’ aren’t that brave when the target is standing there and can knock them on their fat ass

I’d like to see a Sky 1-2 on the podium with GT winning and then Sky announcing that they won’t compete the TDF  next year due to intimidation. Nobody should have to put up with thst kind of abuse.

It would be interesting to know who in France is driving the hatred for Froome; perhaps one of the dailies or an influential website?

its an escalation on last year, Bernard Hinault  kicked it all off just before the start this year

Bernard “dodged a drugs test” Hinault?

Surely not…

Froome is clearly an exceptional athlete, backed by a great team. I felt sorry for him last night because that must have been when it finally hit home that he didn’t have this one in him. Until that stage, I’m sure he still believed in himself so it must have been shattering to discover that the legs weren’t there when he needed them.

Whoever leaked his AAF needs to be shot. Outrageous breach of confidence.

That said, it has been a great season of riding this year and the uncertainty over the TDF GC only adds to that. I’m really pleased to see G in with a good shot at yellow. Always liked him as a rider and personality – briefly met him at Revolution in Glasgow and seemed a really down to earth nice guy..

Duplicate post

Whoever leaked his AAF needs to be shot. Outrageous breach of confidence.

My theory is that Brailsford et al know exactly who leaked the data, hence the rather, ahem, robust press interview and comments about Lapartient.

And, yeah, the slappy spectators and boo boys are just cowards – nothing more. No way would they stand in front of a rider and do it directly to his face.

Armstrong used to blather on about never failing a test

Yes, but that was a very carefully considered answer to a direct question to LaLa about doping. He never “actually” said he didn’t dope ever – all his answers were lawyer’s answers where he could point and say “I never said xxxx (insert phrase of choice)”

So if Froome is cooked, and G wins the tour, who will sky put forward for team leader in Vuelta?

I only take from this that road cyclist & their fans are an odd bunch.

So if Froome is cooked, and G wins the tour, who will sky put forward for team leader in Vuelta?

Bernal??

It’s not like they’re short of options to be fair.

I don’t think they’ll put Froome in another Grand Tour this year.

It would be interesting to know who in France is driving the hatred for Froome; perhaps one of the dailies or an influential website?

Daily Mail’s french wing, he is sort of an immigrant (to a Mail reader anyway)

With regards to the AG2R incidents, this website has loads of info:

https://www.dopeology.org/incidents/

In general though, when you see the people currently involved with teams who have a “funny” background it’s quite shocking:

https://www.dopeology.org/teams/BMC-Racing-Team/

This is also interesting:

https://www.dopeology.org/teams/statistics/

Wouldn’t it be great if Sky went to the Vuelta with no designated GC leader and just went for stage wins? It would be a real show of confidence and gratitude if they were setting up Poels, Henao, Kiri etc for stage wins and it would sharpen the team up for the spring classics i.e. treating each stage as a one day event.

I’d like to see a Sky 1-2 on the podium with GT winning and then Sky announcing that they won’t compete the TDF  next year

Could hardly blame them, the attitude from the spectators & organisers is appalling, even the police have embarrassed themselves this year!

I wonder how much shine it would take off the TdF if the strongest team refused to contest it? Or would no-one really care?

Thanks for the link. I forgot how prolific Gerolsteiner were is a short space of time!

So if Froome is cooked, and G wins the tour, who will sky put forward for team leader in Vuelta?

I’ve been wondering that but the same seems to apply to other teams too. I assume Mitchelton Scott will roll out the other clone since he’s had a nice rest since the Giro and he might do rather well.

I wonder how much shine it would take off the TdF if the strongest team refused to contest it? Or would no-one really care?

I’m not sure, I think they’re damned if they do or don’t. Pulling out could lead to accusations that they have something to hide, etc. That’s how the conspiricy cynics might use it. The racing might get more interesting or open and that might have some appeal, that wouldn’t be good for them either.

Yes, but that was a very carefully considered answer to a direct question to LaLa about doping. He never “actually” said he didn’t dope ever – all his answers were lawyer’s answers where he could point and say “I never said xxxx (insert phrase of choice)”

But still, as far as the public or fans were concerned, the LA fans could say he’d never failed a test. He really was that good, he’d lost weight and kept the power, yes he had some issues with a steroid test result but he got a doctor’s note for that … it all sounds sort of familiar? I’m not saying Froome or Wiggo are ‘the same as’ LA here – but there are parallels that fit if you’re inclined to think that way and that’s my point about why Sky are drawing criticism. Criticism’s going too far though, for sure.

Re: Sky not competing in next year’s TDF – I can see why that could be an option. It’s not like they’ve anything left to prove… And the vitriol they’ve been subjected to over the past few years on the Tour is outrageous.

However, I feel that’s what these imbeciles are trying to achieve. They’d think they’d won if there was a no show.

So (in my opinion) the best response is to do what the team is doing already. Carry on winning. Show those idiots that no matter what they do, or however they try to disrupt, they are ultimately insignificant.

Falling that – bring Bardet over to the team. See how that goes down… 😉

Rich

Falling that – bring Bardet over to the team. See how that goes down…

Didn’t Brailsford once say that he would love to win the Tour de France with a French rider?

It could happen.

Sky not in next years TdF?

Well, If sky pull the funding then that’s a distinct possibility. It’s an opinion I’ve had for a couple of years since the Murdock sell out ideas, after all the funding was build around a brand sale of Sky, that’s been covered now over the last 5years, it’s a relationship that looks like it’s had it’s payback 3fold.

So where  next for the funding? A subsidiary of Sky/Fox empire? Possibly, which could mean a redirection of Scope and GTs. Rapha pulled out becuse it was too expensive to fund, and they’ve gone back to marketing a lower demographic demand profile, more grass roots level.

Could Sky Team pull out of the TdF just because they wanted to prove a point ? Doubtful, the ASO would bend over backwards two fold to appease such a prolific Team. It would devalue the TdF instantly and relegate it to Vuelta status. So Sky will ask for more security, demand changes and make the Tour less accessible, which in turn will alienate its viewers and supporters. Yes it could limit accessibility towards riders, but we are talking about a few hundred idiots in a pool of supporters in the hundreds of thousands on the roads…

Prudi does need to do something, it has to be robust and meaningful though.

Pretty sure he did – but to be honest, wouldn’t blame him for thinking jog on…

So where  next for the funding? A subsidiary of Sky/Fox empire? Possibly, which could mean a redirection of Scope and GTs. Rapha pulled out becuse it was too expensive to fund, and they’ve gone back to marketing a lower demographic demand profile, more grass roots level.

Funding? Pick a company who want to take on the team – watch for the rebrand of BMC next season, plenty of teams swap title sponsor and are the same entity under it. They have Pinarello on there so just need some $$ to sponsor the leading GT team – shouldn’t be hard to find somebody and if not the talent can spread out a bit more

Not quite sure what is happening with the BMC thing, BMC are being taken over/ merging with Polish shoe company CCC, but it’s also been announced BMC are supplying bikes to Dimension Data?

I’m not sure Sky are that bigger draw for a response, all the scandal whether you think it unfounded or not, a team director who may alienate some of your clientele with his comments and an Italian rider who thinks he should be a boxing ring, yours for just £25 million a year!