Originally Posted by aggs:
“That doesn't bother me, to be honest. At least while Cav was there he was competing - unlike Nibali who may well finish but has let it be known he was only riding the Tour for training purposes, which is just as bad.
I think we have to remember recent history for cycling, as well. A team who does a Telekom and wins just about everything (everything except the KoM, I think - which went to Virenque) is, rightly or wrongly, going to be given the side eye in a big way. Brailsford/Froome have said the French press this year is much more friendly than it has been - and that is mainly because of the way he and the team have riden.
They seem to have taken a leaf out of the Banesto book - conentrate on the GC and allow other riders and teams their time to shine. The Tour is the biggest shop window for cyclists and their sponsors. One team or rider taking everything isn't good for the rest of the peleton, especially the smaller wildcard teams. There's a reason Indurain was liked as Patron and a reason why, by and large, rumours about him have been pretty thin on the ground. He targeted the top step - everything else was up for grabs. Of course for Banesto - like Sky this year - it means a supreme confidence on the team leader. There is no plan B. If wet weather, road markings and poor bike handling had resulted in anything more than stiffness and road rash they would have been up the creek without a paddle - Henao is next on classification about 20 minutes back.”
Good point.