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Old 23-07-2012, 14:03
TheFridge
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Bradley Wiggins is not British.....he is Belgian

He was born in Ghent and moved to London when his English mother and Aussie father split up
So if a dogs born in a barn its a horse ?
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Old 23-07-2012, 14:09
TheFridge
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He ought to leave if he could get similar money at a very strong team built around him as at HTC. With such a team he could beat the Tour de France stage record in the next 2 or 3 years. At a team set up like Sky he'd have to remain the fastest sprinter for twice as long.
3 stage wins each year for the next 4 years , job done.

Or 4 stage wins each year for the next 3 years , very possible , He'll probably go into 2016 needing 1 or 2 to do it.
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Old 23-07-2012, 14:45
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3 stage wins each year for the next 4 years , job done.

Or 4 stage wins each year for the next 3 years , very possible , He'll probably go into 2016 needing 1 or 2 to do it.
That's assuming he stays fit and injury free the whole time from now until 2016.... which is why if he's going to focus on the record, he may be better off with a team built around that goal which could help him achieve it in a shorter timespan.
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Old 23-07-2012, 14:59
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Sky have prepared with the intention of winning the GC, and everything else has taken a back seat. Now they have achieved it, and earlier than expected, I wonder if their focus will change for future TdFs, or if they will continue with the single minded approach towards the yellow jersey winner.

To give Mark Cavendish the best chance of maximising stage wins in future, they would need more than just BW and EB-H. I wonder if they’d consider just tinkering a little to try to improve Cav’s chance, at the slight expense of overall GC strength.

As others have said, this year’s tour seemed to be designed to suit BW. Even so, he was so strong that maybe it wouldn’t have really mattered what the course was like.

I’m looking forward to see how Sky approach next year’s event, and whether or not there will be many changes to suit both the course and exactly what Sky are trying to achieve, eg just the yellow jersey, or other jerseys as well, or stage wins as well.

Finally, looking back on this year’s event, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it. I was not in the least bit bothered about the supposed lack of excitement, and the “negative” approach of Sky and Wiggins. It was a professional performance which to me was very impressive and we should applaud that. Once the win was guaranteed they loosened up a bit, but until then they concentrated on securing the win. I was a bit disappointed that Froome wasn’t allowed (or so it seems) to chase Valverde, but it’s only a small disappointment and if there was still any doubt in anyone’s mind (be it Wiggins or the team management), then they were right to “guarantee” the GC result first.
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Old 23-07-2012, 15:03
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(Sir) Dave Brailsford will be live in the Sky Sports News studios soon if anyone wants to watch and listen.
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Old 23-07-2012, 16:29
Mystical123
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Sky have prepared with the intention of winning the GC, and everything else has taken a back seat. Now they have achieved it, and earlier than expected, I wonder if their focus will change for future TdFs, or if they will continue with the single minded approach towards the yellow jersey winner.
Sounds like their plan is more GC...

To give Mark Cavendish the best chance of maximising stage wins in future, they would need more than just BW and EB-H. I wonder if they’d consider just tinkering a little to try to improve Cav’s chance, at the slight expense of overall GC strength.
Don't forget Eisel! Cavendish wouldn't even have been on the Champs Elysees this year if it wasn't for him dropping back to help in the mountains - and that was in the plan, so it's not as if Sky left Cav completely isolated. He did win 3 stages in the end, only 2 down on his previous lowest tally which he'd achieved with a team built around him. So there might not even be that much tinkering to be done.

And after all, if it ain't broke don't fix it.... all depends on next year's Tour route really.
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Old 23-07-2012, 16:46
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I think, as well, if it hadn't been for a crash on one of the other stages he could have had 4.

Zabel won a record number of green jerseys on a team dedicated to winning the yellow jersey (and Ullrich used to lead him out in the early stages on quite a regular basis).

It depends on what Cav sees as his main aim, and how he matures as a rider weight-wise (he's lighter this year than previously and he likes to keep finishing the tour, which Cippo never did for fear of blunting the pure speed) but he does seem to be able to operate just as well with a reduced lead out as a whole train.
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Old 23-07-2012, 17:03
Electra
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Sounds like their plan is more GC...



Don't forget Eisel! Cavendish wouldn't even have been on the Champs Elysees this year if it wasn't for him dropping back to help in the mountains - and that was in the plan, so it's not as if Sky left Cav completely isolated. He did win 3 stages in the end, only 2 down on his previous lowest tally which he'd achieved with a team built around him. So there might not even be that much tinkering to be done.

And after all, if it ain't broke don't fix it.... all depends on next year's Tour route really.
Highest tally, surely?
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Old 23-07-2012, 17:18
Mystical123
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Highest tally, surely?
No, his highest was 6 stage wins in 2009.

But I was wrong anyway, he won 4 stages in 2008, just one shy of this year's total.
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Old 23-07-2012, 18:23
TheFridge
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That's assuming he stays fit and injury free the whole time from now until 2016.... which is why if he's going to focus on the record, he may be better off with a team built around that goal which could help him achieve it in a shorter timespan.
Very true cant really argue with that , i have a feeling with him though that he likes being part of it all with Sky.
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Old 23-07-2012, 18:39
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No, his highest was 6 stage wins in 2009.

But I was wrong anyway, he won 4 stages in 2008, just one shy of this year's total.
I forgot about 2009, lol He won five last year, didn't he?
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Old 23-07-2012, 18:46
Eater Sundae
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Sounds like their plan is more GC...



Don't forget Eisel! Cavendish wouldn't even have been on the Champs Elysees this year if it wasn't for him dropping back to help in the mountains - and that was in the plan, so it's not as if Sky left Cav completely isolated. He did win 3 stages in the end, only 2 down on his previous lowest tally which he'd achieved with a team built around him. So there might not even be that much tinkering to be done.

And after all, if it ain't broke don't fix it.... all depends on next year's Tour route really.
Yes, I agree they helped him and the lead out train clearly wasn't useless, but neither has it been the dedicated lead out train that he had at HTC. While they are concentrating on the GC, it is unlikely that Sky would ever generate the depth of lead out that a dedicated sprinter support team could provide. HTC were prepared to construct their campaign around sprint stage wins (not really even the green jersey, although he managed it once).
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Old 23-07-2012, 18:48
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The course (and luck) was against him this year..........Cav, I'm talking about

If you remember........two of the early so-called sprint stages had short but steep uphill finishes of a few hundred metres which Cav was never going to cope with. That's two stages he couldn't win, plus the crash

What Cav is fantastic at is recovering...........after riding through all the mountain stages he comes back and wins two sprints in the last few days and not only wins them, he destroys the opposition. He was probably slower than he was at the beginning of the Tour but the opposition were a lot slower

When he sits down and thinks about it then 3 stage wins out of this Tour will probably look pretty good
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Old 23-07-2012, 18:50
Mystical123
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Very true cant really argue with that , i have a feeling with him though that he likes being part of it all with Sky.
Yeah I agree, he may well stay.

Yes, I agree they helped him and the lead out train clearly wasn't useless, but neither has it been the dedicated lead out train that he had at HTC. While they are concentrating on the GC, it is unlikely that Sky would ever generate the depth of lead out that a dedicated sprinter support team could provide. HTC were prepared to construct their campaign around sprint stage wins (not really even the green jersey, although he managed it once).
Yes, that's not disputed, but the point I'm trying to make is that this year Cavendish hasn't actually won that many fewer stages than some years when he had a dedicated team. So him staying at Sky may not be a disaster for his bid to win many more, though it's not necessarily the best option either.
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Old 23-07-2012, 18:59
Eater Sundae
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The course (and luck) was against him this year..........Cav, I'm talking about

If you remember........two of the early so-called sprint stages had short but steep uphill finishes of a few hundred metres which Cav was never going to cope with. That's two stages he couldn't win, plus the crash

What Cav is fantastic at is recovering...........after riding through all the mountain stages he comes back and wins two sprints in the last few days and not only wins them, he destroys the opposition. He was probably slower than he was at the beginning of the Tour but the opposition were a lot slower

When he sits down and thinks about it then 3 stage wins out of this Tour will probably look pretty good
I think his performance this year has been better than previous years purely because he has had more to do. He seemed to have to take over the lead from his last lead out man further from the line than he has had to do in previous years. I don't know if the stats will support that, its just my subjective memory/opinion.
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Old 23-07-2012, 19:26
grassmarket
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I think his performance this year has been better than previous years purely because he has had more to do. He seemed to have to take over the lead from his last lead out man further from the line than he has had to do in previous years. I don't know if the stats will support that, its just my subjective memory/opinion.
You are right, in the last 2 sprints he started full gas from 500m out, rather than 200m out as he used to do.
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Old 23-07-2012, 21:02
The Mc
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If only Katherine Jenkins who did the anthem yesterday.............................
It was Lesley Garrett whom sang the National Athem yesterday not Katherine Jenkins!

LeslIe sang it as she is from Yorkshire and Yorkshire are bidding to hold 2 opening stages of the Tour in a few years time.......
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Old 23-07-2012, 21:11
Eater Sundae
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It was Lesley Garrett whom sang the National Athem yesterday not Katherine Jenkins!

LeslIe sang it as she is from Yorkshire and Yorkshire are bidding to hold 2 opening stages of the Tour in a few years time.......
She's probably set Yorkshire's bid back by about 50years
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Old 23-07-2012, 21:13
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It was Lesley Garrett whom sang the National Athem yesterday not Katherine Jenkins!

LeslIe sang it as she is from Yorkshire and Yorkshire are bidding to hold 2 opening stages of the Tour in a few years time.......
That plan will have backfired then, given yesterday's performance...
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Old 23-07-2012, 21:21
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She's probably set Yorkshire's bid back by about 50years
It'll be their turn after the Prologue on Mars.
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Old 23-07-2012, 21:31
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She's probably set Yorkshire's bid back by about 50years
It'll be their turn after the Prologue on Mars.
ha ha!
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Old 24-07-2012, 10:23
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Anyone know if they're allowed team radios at the Olympics?
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Old 24-07-2012, 11:06
Dixon
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Finally, looking back on this year’s event, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it. I was not in the least bit bothered about the supposed lack of excitement, and the “negative” approach of Sky and Wiggins. It was a professional performance which to me was very impressive and we should applaud that. Once the win was guaranteed they loosened up a bit, but until then they concentrated on securing the win.
I think that when it became apparant that Wiggins was in the kind of shape to go and win the tour, then that's all that really mattered this year.
In terms of racing and excitement it pailed next to last years , but those who've followed the tour for decades say that last years was one of, if not the best ever, so almost anything was going to compare unfavourably to last year.
Overall, i'd say it was an pretty good tour that was capped off nicely with Wiggins winning and Cav's brilliant win on the final day.

Next year should be something special with it being the 100th tour, a Brit defending, and the likes of Contador and the best Schleck back in the picture.
Can't wait!!!
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Old 24-07-2012, 11:10
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What do we know about the Tour route next year - it starts in Corsica and runs counterclockwise is it next year?
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Old 24-07-2012, 12:13
Electra
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Does anyone know what time the Olympic Road Race is on Saturday?
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