Wiggins to Sky
Comments
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Wasn't he going to Astana yesterday?Le Blaireau (1)0
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L'Equipe
Anyone else running with this or yet another false dawn?L'Equipe daté de samedi annonce que Bradley Wiggins va s'engager avec la nouvelle équipe anglaise, Sky. Après plusieurs mois de tractations, le Britannique, quatrième du Tour l'an dernier et triple champion olympique de poursuite, a enfin obtenu son bon de sortie de sa formation actuelle, Garmin-Slipstream, qui a accepté que l'intéressé n'honore pas sa dernière année de contrat.
Pour la saison 2010, le groupe Sky boucle ainsi son recrutement en enrôlant un coureur majeur du peloton. Wiggins, 29 ans, a un registre élargi. C'est un poursuiteur, rouleur et spécialiste du chrono, un coureur complet... Outre ce dernier, Sky a également recruté deux Français, Sylvain Calzati et Nicolas Portal et présentera un effectif de 25 coureurs.0 -
Talk of Swift as well, again
Velonationthe new British squad is strongly rumoured to have signed Ben Swift0 -
Although Katusha have said niet apparently. Shame, would do well in Sky. THings may change though...Art Vandelay wrote:Talk of Swift as well, again0 -
Where have I heard this before.... :roll:0
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More from l'equipe:Il est signalé que les coureurs britanniques Pokerface et NapD ont signé un contrat de 2 ans avec Sky Team. Cela libère la voie à Bhima et Willhub de passer à Garmin.
This is a more likely in a my opinion.
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Breaking news! From 18th September 2009Bhima wrote:
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Odd - it was on the front page of thier website! :? I thought it was new...0
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It's a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don't quit when you're tired. You quit when the gorilla is tired.0
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Whether he has or hasn't, the team and in particular Dave Brailsford, are annoying many people in cycling and no one's even turned a pedal.
The practice of trying to buy riders out of a contract - "tapping them up" - is annoying several team managers and officials, it's not really been part of cycling. It is sowing confusion amongst teams and sponsors, but it's also destabilising some riders.
"Sour grapes" some might say, teams are seeing good riders leaving sometimes ramshackle outfits for what promises to be the slickest squad on the circuit (even the team bus has been custom designed).
But there will be some teams will may go an extra length or two to deny Brailsford the glory he craves.0 -
Tchmil was not at all amused at Brailsford's tactics trying to poach Ben Swift.
Have to ask myself whether I give a sh*t whether Wiggins goes to Sky or not0 -
Kléber wrote:Whether he has or hasn't, the team and in particular Dave Brailsford, are annoying many people in cycling and no one's even turned a pedal.
The practice of trying to buy riders out of a contract - "tapping them up" - is annoying several team managers and officials, it's not really been part of cycling. It is sowing confusion amongst teams and sponsors, but it's also destabilising some riders.
"Sour grapes" some might say, teams are seeing good riders leaving sometimes ramshackle outfits for what promises to be the slickest squad on the circuit (even the team bus has been custom designed).
But there will be some teams will may go an extra length or two to deny Brailsford the glory he craves.
I disagree i think I think the practice of tapping up riders has went on ever since the inception of the contracted rider. Where money is involved riders and teams will always indulge in these practises i think it would be naive to think otherwise.Gasping - but somehow still alive !0 -
Name me three riders who were bought out of contract in recent times...0
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DaveyL wrote:Wasn't he going to Astana yesterday?
nope, a chemists in preston0 -
Kléber wrote:Name me three riders who were bought out of contract in recent times...
A rider who has been bought out of contract isnt neccesarily a indication of tapping up a rider though. A team could be happy to sea contract bought out like Discovery were with Roberto Heras .Tapping up to me means a slightly underhand approach to a rider to induce him to sign with their team . If it doesnt go on then it must be about the only professional sport that doesnt indulge in such practises.Gasping - but somehow still alive !0 -
I find it odd that Garmin deny, Sky and Wiggins refuse to comment.
That said, Sky have hired THE man for the job of saying no comment in Nygaard!Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.0 -
On "tapping up", I'm not just talking about approaching a rider to sign him, it's the practice of approaching a rider, making him think his existing team is crap, and then buying him out of contract. Clearly a rider who suddenly sees $-signs in the air and is promised the red carpet is going to think he wants out of his existing team and will push his DS to start negotiating.
This just hasn't been done on the same level by teams in the past. You can talk to a rider to make him sign with you when his contract is coming to an end, not when there's still a year or more on it.
Anyway, right or wrong I'm just relaying the idea that several team managers and even officials are getting shirty about Sky and its new methods already. The sport is relentlessly commercial and so underhand methods are not new, if some DSs are complaining, it's because tasty riders are escaping them. And Sky has brought about some wage inflation, moderate riders are being lured on nice deals and this has raised the going rate for your mid-level riders, those who can help in the Tour or sneak a couple of wins during the rest of the season.
I can't see Garmin letting Wiggins go right now... unless Vaughters is given an astronomical sum. But that's the interesting thing. Wiggins has ridden this well so his price is very high and some point and say that the experience, plus the confidence to seek more improvements could make him even better.
But he might not be actually worth it. Can he repeat the performance, cycling is littered with riders who had an outstanding ride and then faded back. Maybe now is the time to sell.
Garmin might be happy to see a recovered VDV and Farrar share the team next July, swapping Wiggo for a briefcase of cash might suit Vaughters, especially if some of that money can be used to land a big name for 2011, I'm thinking Contador or perhaps Geskink etc.0 -
Good post Kleber. Interesting comments on why JV may make a good move in selling now.
I don't like Sky very much and don't feel much about Wiggins either.Contador is the Greatest0 -
Kléber wrote:On "tapping up", I'm not just talking about approaching a rider to sign him, it's the practice of approaching a rider, making him think his existing team is crap, and then buying him out of contract. Clearly a rider who suddenly sees $-signs in the air and is promised the red carpet is going to think he wants out of his existing team and will push his DS to start negotiating.
This just hasn't been done on the same level by teams in the past. You can talk to a rider to make him sign with you when his contract is coming to an end, not when there's still a year or more on it.
Anyway, right or wrong I'm just relaying the idea that several team managers and even officials are getting shirty about Sky and its new methods already. The sport is relentlessly commercial and so underhand methods are not new, if some DSs are complaining, it's because tasty riders are escaping them. And Sky has brought about some wage inflation, moderate riders are being lured on nice deals and this has raised the going rate for your mid-level riders, those who can help in the Tour or sneak a couple of wins during the rest of the season.
I can't see Garmin letting Wiggins go right now... unless Vaughters is given an astronomical sum. But that's the interesting thing. Wiggins has ridden this well so his price is very high and some point and say that the experience, plus the confidence to seek more improvements could make him even better.
But he might not be actually worth it. Can he repeat the performance, cycling is littered with riders who had an outstanding ride and then faded back. Maybe now is the time to sell.
Garmin might be happy to see a recovered VDV and Farrar share the team next July, swapping Wiggo for a briefcase of cash might suit Vaughters, especially if some of that money can be used to land a big name for 2011, I'm thinking Contador or perhaps Geskink etc.
I would say that riders have been offered all sorts of underhand inducements over the years not always neccsasarily resulting in buying out of contract that is what i mean by tapping. Your interpretation of it is a kind of deliberately unsettling a rider by public comments etc to make it ripe for a buy out two means to the same end really.
As far as Wiggins goes i think he is being overhyped a bit and unllikely to repeat his this years perfomance so to that end now is the time for him to cash in if he can. I suspect that if he could go to Sky he would and i wouldnt blame him he has to make hay when the sun shines as the TDF route will probably never be as favourable to him again I doubt we will see the GC riders taking 10 days off mid race like we did this year.Gasping - but somehow still alive !0 -
I agree. Garmin should sell high on Wiggins. I'd bet you all a beer that last year's 4th is the best he will do.
If I was JV -- I would play the Farrar card and hope that Cav's train is derailed and/or he is distracted by his new girlfriend.0 -
I don't really care whether he goes to Sky or not. I've still to make my mind up about them, but I do like JV and Garmin. And Columbia.
But next year's route may not suit Wiggins as well- yes, it would be wonderful to see him on the podium-he's clearly capable- but I suspect that it won't be next year.
Agree that JV would be wise to sell at the highest price whilst he can get it.0 -
Ok, not to debate the definition of tapping up, my point was merely that Sky are disturbing several team managers and officials in the sport, there's a bit of animosity in the background.Moray Gub wrote:I would say that riders have been offered all sorts of underhand inducements over the years not always neccsasarily resulting in buying out of contract that is what i mean by tapping. Your interpretation of it is a kind of deliberately unsettling a rider by public comments etc to make it ripe for a buy out two means to the same end really.0 -
I was trying very hard not to mention That Woman. Her effect on my idol's performance concerns me deeply, but I am still hoping that he'll return to Melissa, the golden retriever and cycling off season in the pouring rain, and howling gales of the Isle of Man.0
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Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.0
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[quote="Moray Gub
As far as Wiggins goes i think he is being overhyped a bit and unllikely to repeat his this years perfomance so to that end now is the time for him to cash in if he can. I suspect that if he could go to Sky he would and i wouldnt blame him he has to make hay when the sun shines as the TDF route will probably never be as favourable to him again I doubt we will see the GC riders taking 10 days off mid race like we did this year.[/quote]
I was chatting to my postman this morning and we said much the same about Wiggins. He'll be a marked man now.'Google can bring back a hundred thousand answers. A librarian can bring you back the right one.'
Neil Gaiman0
