Riders in the Sky

245

Comments

  • all show no go
    all show no go Posts: 542
    BdeB wrote:
    Another 10 riders to be named tomorrow.

    Sky Sports News said an announcement will be made at 10am Thursday
    Let's close our eyes and see what happens
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    Does anyone think they're going to actually have any exciting surprises?
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • Kléber
    Kléber Posts: 6,842
    I think everyone knows who they are signing. We have the 6 riders already announced:

    Downing
    Stannard
    Kennaugh
    Froome
    Cummings
    Thomas

    Next up will be:
    EBH
    Arvesen
    [another Norweigan]
    Chris Sutton
    Flecha
    Possoni
    Lovkvist
    Augustyn
    Gerrans
    Hayman
    ....which makes 16. They'll need a few more but there are some big names there already.
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    There was talk a while ago of some really big and exciting names signing. Ok, so EBH is a great catch, Lokvist too but when their target is the Tour, there's not really the depth there for the Tour, is there?

    When there were rumours of Nibali or someone like that then it's a different story.
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • Kléber
    Kléber Posts: 6,842
    Ace journalist Lionel Birnie reckons of the 10 riders to be announced at 10 o'clock there will be one surprise.
  • Tempestas
    Tempestas Posts: 486
    Kléber wrote:
    Ace journalist Lionel Birnie reckons of the 10 riders to be announced at 10 o'clock there will be one surprise.

    I will be surprised if it's me :lol:
  • Pokerface
    Pokerface Posts: 7,960
    Does anyone know if they have announced more riders yet?
  • kickerbri
    kickerbri Posts: 53
    Apparently the additional ten are;

    Greg Henderson,
    Morris Possoni,
    Simon Gerrans,
    Edvald Boasson Hagen,
    Thomas Lovkvist,
    John Lee Augustyn,
    Juan Antonion Flecha,
    Lars Petter Nordhaug,
    Kurt Asle Arvesen,
    Kjell Carlstrom

    Putting together a pretty impressive line up. But I still feel they need a leader.
  • thamacdaddy
    thamacdaddy Posts: 590
    Not sure if they have but KAA has:

    http://twitter.com/kaarvesen/status/3884069082
    I am riding for Team Sky 2010! 19 minutes ago from web kaarvesen
    Kurt Asle Arvesen

    Plus I think Wiggo's comments on SKynews were more to do with the fact they were covering the smallest insignificant football while the vuelta was actually on and just got a byline later on.

    Honestly cycling is getting much bigger in the UK and Sky especially with this team should be doing better coverage.
  • yourpaceormine
    yourpaceormine Posts: 1,245
    Sky (TV) do not have the rights to show any Vuelta coverage; Sky sports presenters explained this on twitter. They can only report 'news' not the actual results. So they could show the big crash last week but not actually mention who won the stage. Sounds pretty daft to me.
  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,812
    This seems daft, as surely the result of the race is news?

    Take football for example. If there is a fight in a match and one player breaks his leg, that will be reported on, but also the final score, as that is the main reason for those people being there in the first place, just like there may have been a crash, but Greipel won the stage, which is what they were all there for...
  • jim one
    jim one Posts: 183
    Is there not the rule where they can show upto a certain amount (2minutes?) of another channel in an hour for "news purposes". They could show the 30sec sprint finish 4times in an hour then although I doubt that would cover all the repeat news per hour on sky sports news.
  • BdeB
    BdeB Posts: 110
    i happened to be watching Sky news last night to see the england football score but there was no mention of it at all, which must have been a rights issue. However this morning england's game is every where. i suspect as the team develops sky will be looking for more and more rights.
  • BdeB
    BdeB Posts: 110
    Scott Sutherland on Twitter: Edvald, Thomas, Kurt, Simon, Juan Antonio, Kjell, John-Lee, Greg, Lars Petter, Morris...WELCOME to the team! Am looking forward to 2010!
  • Art Vandelay
    Art Vandelay Posts: 1,982
    Boasson Hagen, Arvesen, Nordhaug, Løvkvist, Gerrans, Flecha, Carlstrøm, Augustin, Henderson and Possoni also in

    http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528, ... 81,00.html
  • jim one
    jim one Posts: 183
    Sky sports news is hoping to make us watch the same news every 15minutes throughout the day by only announcing EBH and Nordhaug "more news throughout the day"!!
  • bipedal
    bipedal Posts: 466
    No leader there for GTs... pretty underwhelming. Looks like they may have put all their eggs in a Wiggins basket and he's brushed them off
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    So the biggest budget and instance on being clean buys you this, eh?
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    iainf72 wrote:
    So the biggest budget and instance on being clean buys you this, eh?

    I thought that too... Although, is it possible that they're simply in the right place at the wrong time? Are there any contenders of proven pedigree without a whiff of scandel currently looking ot switch to an unproven setup this off season?

    Likewise, Lovkvist has always been touted as a GC contender waiting to happen, what odds him to have a Wiggins style breakout year?
    "In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"

    @gietvangent
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Are we discounting Kennaugh?

    He is a possible GC contender in the making.

    In fact, he will win a GT in the next 10 years.
  • Pokerface
    Pokerface Posts: 7,960
    I personally still think there's more to come this year - but I think the BIG signings will come next year. Not this year. This is their roster to get them up and running.
  • phil s
    phil s Posts: 1,128
    In relation to the TV rights questions above, the domestic news access agreement allows UK broadcasters to take a minute of action from rival channels and run it six times in a 24 hour period with a picture credit. The crash in the Vuelta was shown and as long as they didn't go over a minute they could've shown the finish as well. The fact that they didn't is more down to an editorial decision than a rights issue.
    -- Dirk Hofman Motorhomes --
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    EBH is a great rider - he looked fantastic on the TOB last year.

    Yeah no Grand Tour contender yet - but lets face it - how many teams do have genuine GT contenders?
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,241
    iainf72 wrote:
    So the biggest budget and instance on being clean buys you this, eh?

    They've only got the choice of those who are out of contract.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • Kléber
    Kléber Posts: 6,842
    Well, all eyes will be on Paris-Nice (assuming they get a ride) where the team will have to seduce Prudhomme in order to push for a wildcard.
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    EBH is a superb talent and I am pleased he is with a team that will train and support him well in his development.

    Very pleased for Downing too. Best team for him and glad he now has a chance to race with the big guns.

    Nibali definitely not entering Sky - he said that he has renewed with Liquigas for 2010 as given his performance in the Tour they have now promised better leadership and a better salary. He didn't rule off 2011 though.

    Now I am hoping that the team will not be robots and will have some style and flair as well as some quality kit and stunning bikes.
    Contador is the Greatest
  • FJS
    FJS Posts: 4,820
    cougie wrote:
    Yeah no Grand Tour contender yet - but lets face it - how many teams do have genuine GT contenders?

    I reckon almost all non-French Tour de France teams had either a top-5 GC contender (considered so before the start), or a top sprinter. Or some promisng French riders.

    Sky really needs a sprinter or someone who could get in the top 10 in the TdF. Or both.
  • samb01
    samb01 Posts: 130
    iainf72 wrote:
    So the biggest budget and instance on being clean buys you this, eh?
    Is a budget of ~£35 mil. over four years really the biggest in the sport? Bigger than for instance Katusha's?
  • all show no go
    all show no go Posts: 542
    Team Sky will have 25 riders in it's squad so there's a few more riders to be announced still. So far, the squad ain't too shabby with Lovkvist, EBH et al.
    Let's close our eyes and see what happens
  • hammerite
    hammerite Posts: 3,408
    I think it was mentioned that the team will have 33 people in the back room staff, as well as 25 riders. So the budget has to cover 58 people.

    Is 58 staff members a lot for a pro team?

    Looking at the CQ transfer speculation earlier they were mentioning Heinrich Hassler, I've had a look and he's no longer on the list for Sky, but I couldn't see him on the list of staying or going for Cervelo either.

    Whilst the Sky signings so far are pretty impressive, when you think Cervelo TT were in the same boat last year and could announce a team with Sastre, Hushovd and Haussler (and more.....) it puts things into perspective.

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