Wiggins : Sky not "most hated"

iainf72

Millar has his spoon out

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/fe ... r-team-sky?

I hate them but then you know me, I hate everyone.

afx237vi

Millar is an even bigger stirrer than you iain!

Bhima

I don't understand the argument about Sky's publicity using Facebook/Twitter/etc...What's wrong with connecting with the fans? :?

PinkBianchi

I wish more teams did as Sky to connect with fans...love it!

Bakunin

I hate them,

Wiggins is a tosser. You have to like that doper Millar though.

nolf

I like having videos of training etc.
Interestingly BMC have also done a great job of it.

Moomaloid

I don't recall Millar doing much to get Brad a 4th at the Tour, and Madiot's comments are just dumb... the simplest of marketing tools being utilized. Just coz he's oldskool.

I think there is a huge amount of jealousy in the peloton, and yeah they didn't conduct their signings in the best of fashions, but its done now, the UCI will have to change some rulings, and everyone can get on with some racing!

Eau Rouge

nolf wrote:

I like having videos of training etc.
Interestingly BMC have also done a great job of it.

Lampre do that too, but it's way more amateur hour, one of the backstage guys with a handheld camera, and in Italian so I have no idea what anyone is saying.

Kléber

Hated by who? It's a myth that's been started but I think there's a lot of jealousy out there. And there are bigger things to worry about, you know? Cav [Mark Cavendish] is right when he talks about that parasite, [Riccardo] Ricco, coming back from his doping ban. That's what we should be worried about."

Strong words from Wiggo, that's welcome.

It irritated Madiot that Sky ­publicised work in a wind tunnel. "We also put riders in wind ­tunnels," said the former double winner of Paris‑Roubaix, "but we don't put out a press release about it."

Madiot should hire a new public relations gaffer for the team, it costs very little to get press releases like this out, plus building up a fan base via Facebook and Twitter, it's almost free as well. Someone with the most basic grasp of PR should be onto this.

paulcuthbert

Bakunin wrote:

I hate them,

Wiggins is a tosser

+1

I might get my TdF coverage beemed in from somewhere else so I don't have to tolerate Ned Boulting interviewing Wiggins after every bloody stage this year. That got tedious!

Pork Sword

Can't believe serial 'dope' Millar is having a pop at Wiggo... everyone seems to forget that Pro Racing is a business... people just love to have a pop at success. Sky have been successful - so far - in grabbing some of the best riders in the peleton, I for one, can't wait to see if they can grab some major wins this year. Jealousy, jealousy, jealousy. It doesn't sit well with me. Millar should shut up and grow up or go back to being doped off his tits.

It would be great to see Brad grab a podium spot in Le Tour. But, realistically, a top ten finish would be a good result on a new team this year.

DaveyL

Kléber wrote:

Hated by who? It's a myth that's been started but I think there's a lot of jealousy out there. And there are bigger things to worry about, you know? Cav [Mark Cavendish] is right when he talks about that parasite, [Riccardo] Ricco, coming back from his doping ban. That's what we should be worried about."

Oh no, Howard - how does this fit in with the "new" Brad Wiggins???

shinyhelmut

Moomaloid wrote:

I don't recall Millar doing much to get Brad a 4th at the Tour

You obviously watched a different tour from me then.

iainf72

Nothing questioning or negative in the press about Sky. Why is that? Is it because they're nice and squeaky and to be adored? Or is it because he who controls the spice, controls the universe. The spice being the media.

Sky are in a position where they don't need the usual media because they are the media. So this makes them pretty immune to criticism. "Oh, British journo, you don't like us, well, we'll not talk to you ever again"

That's a massive over simplification but Team Sky have no demonstrated any kind of openness yet. There is a huge about of stuff out there but it's tightly controlled.

markwalker

iainf72 wrote:

Nothing questioning or negative in the press about Sky. Why is that? Is it because they're nice and squeaky and to be adored? Or is it because he who controls the spice, controls the universe. The spice being the media.

Sky are in a position where they don't need the usual media because they are the media. So this makes them pretty immune to criticism. "Oh, British journo, you don't like us, well, we'll not talk to you ever again"

That's a massive over simplification but Team Sky have no demonstrated any kind of openness yet. There is a huge about of stuff out there but it's tightly controlled.

But much of the coverage has been in non Murdoch papers. Telepgraph and guardian? I think i saw something in the Mirror at the chinky too.

If it gets mainstream itll end up like footbal with pages of scintilating must read i said he said tat. Cant wait till Cav starts s**ging wiggins missus.

Kléber

iainf72 wrote:

There is a huge about of stuff out there but it's tightly controlled.

Yes. I can't get behind the Sky Facebook and Twitter stuff because it reeks of corporate PR. Very slick but it's manipulative, and not human. See the Footon drunken-ride-in-a-skinsuit-at-night video or the videos on http://www.slipstreamsports.com/ for more humble stuff. The amazingly good Cervélo videos at http://www.bartape.net/ are pure advertising and selectively edited but you get a view inside the team, there's something Sky haven't got yet.

pedro118118

I think Wiggo is a bit of a t0sser these days..................can't imagine another rider in the world, who could command/trouser a £1m-a-year contract for coming (a distant) 4th at the Tour. Hopefully, he'll benefit from unreserved support from Sky and better that result in the future, but it will be very tough given the standard of existing (and emerging) competition. It's a lof of money to pay a Top-10 stage racer?!

As for Sky's PR machine - don't see a problem with it. Personally, I find it a little dull and I'm sure it all has to get OKd by the PR guru before it gets posted etc.

Are Sky 'hated'? There's probably no love lost between Sky and Katusha/Garmin (for obvious reasons), but where's the problem with others? Bjarne Riis (who perhaps lost out most, with perhaps the exception of HTC Columbia) has been very laid back about it.

I thought Wiggo's barbed reference to a parasitic returning doper being a more important issue was a rather cheap shot (aimed squarely at Millar).

storygp

I think its pathetic, the I hate sky crap. New team wanting to get out there and make a name for them selves so what, its what the sponsors want. Thats the point in pro racing is selling your sponsors name.

Do you really think if other teams had half a pr brain they wouldn't do it?

No idea about Wiggo never met him and I guess most people on here haven't so stating I hate Wiggo is pathetic and childish. Millar, don't know him either but if his comments are true he's just trying to stir.

Oh, MIllar was acting as a domestique, thats his job like every other team

Anyway proof is in the pudding.

teagar

The criticism levied by the other pros is probably right in part.

Isn't it more that Sky have tapped into one of the only markets for pro-cycling which is growing?

They can say all this stuff because the UK public will a) listen to it now and b) haven't heard it before.

Also (and i'm most likely guilty of some serious generalisations, but there's probably a germ of truth in them) the UK sporting/engineering culture which is particularly strong (see F1), makes all the PR stuff about wind tunnels and aggregate marginal gains and all the rest of it much more appealing to the public than it would in say France - where the focus is more on the style of rider, whether they're the next Hinault or whatever. It also helps sell bikes and equipment which is more attractive to sponsors. Surely Madiot's comments smack slightly of jealousy? That he can't get that same exposure for doing pretty much the same thing?

pedro118118

I suppose to those 'in the know', much of it is stating the obvious (ie we ride light bikes with good equipment, aero jerseys and test in wind tunnells etc etc). Many of my (non cycling) friends are amazed and seduced by a beatiful bike/equipment and equally horrified by the cost (........"what.................for a push bike???!!!")

Don't all the ProTour teams have flashy buses and do training camps in Spain etc? Not sure I've heard anything from Sky, which has made me go 'wow', what a great idea, but then again, they would always keep the good stuff to themselves.

Myself, I would've liked to see them win a few races before going into overdrive on the hype front.

I suppose what some people are worried about is cycling become dominated/sterilised by big-budget corprorations. Look what Sky have done to football - completey ruined it.

Tom Butcher

Personally the style of Team Sky doesn't appeal to me but each to their own. They've certainly generated a lot of PR so someone is doing their job well, Whether their apparent professionalism works on the road time will tell.

As has been noted Wiggins seems a very expensive gamble as their main GC man for the Tour - whilst a top 10 might be a reasonable result for him given his career to date anything less than he did last year would be poor given he has been hired specifically to ride for the GC in that race. Boassen Hagen is a potential winner of big races but if he doesn't perform they might be struggling when it comes to getting high profile wins.

Are they hated - well it appears they've put a few noses out of joint in the pro peloton. Amongst the fans I think they probably appeal to the same sort of people who followed USP and Discovery and alienate the kind of fans who were alienated by USP.

storygp

I don't believe Sky ruined football, they have limited and controlled media but, footballs failing is down to the greed of the players and the clubs.

Knowone knowif sky sponsorship will have a deleterious effect on cycling. I doubt it. Brailsford will have a positive effect. I hope they do stir up the old guard of cycling it needs it. Maybe then they can reassess what is important and it isn't defending Ricco and his doping friends.

pedro118118

It's a five year (minimum) project, so let's see how it goes. I can't see Sky delivering a British TdF winner within that timescale, but if they get good results, the public will conveniently forget that particular pledge - just like politics.

dulldave

paulcuthbert wrote:

Bakunin wrote:

I hate them,

Wiggins is a tosser

+1

I might get my TdF coverage beemed in from somewhere else so I don't have to tolerate Ned Boulting interviewing Wiggins after every bloody stage this year. That got tedious!

More tedious than all the unnecessary Lance talk from Liggett and Sherwin? If you go somewhere else you may have to forgo the Lance love-in.

mididoctors

Bakunin wrote:

I hate them,

Wiggins is a tosser. You have to like that doper Millar though.

actually i suspect this hatred is a good sign for Sky they may do quite well and a lot of people suspect this year to be good for them

who knows

i think the team as opposed to the sponsor is alright... I mean in the TDU they were there and didn't let HTC have it 100% their way.


on a personnel note team sky donsen't elicit a great emotional response from me in any direction...nice to see Russ in there and i quite like Cummings... wiggins was entertaining at the tour

we will see if it all goes to their heads or not i guess.

hammerite

pedro118118 wrote:

I think Wiggo is a bit of a t0sser these days..................can't imagine another rider in the world, who could command/trouser a £1m-a-year contract for coming (a distant) 4th at the Tour.

So being paid well, and perhaps over the odds makes someone a t0sser?

OK so they have the slick PR, website etc..... surely in 2010 that's just being professional!

They release stuff about their training, and wind tunnel testing, it's nothing new so what, if it works! Who's to know what else they do that COULD be more secretive. After all the overall team boss is the guy who instructed that all the team kits for the track team be destroyed after the Olympics (allegedly) so the competition didn't find out what materials they were using.

I wonder if they'll release an "meet the team" infomercial like was shown by Team Columbia before virtually every race on Eurosport last year?

timoid.

Interesting that Ricco's a parasite, but Armstrong is a hero and a model.

If Cavendish and Wiggins really hate doping, then they should stop blowing smoke up that old Texan's ass.

bobbymeister

I think Millar's got selective memory on this one.
Yes, there were moments when Garmin were there to support Wiggins, notably VDV on the Colombiere.
Equally, there were times when they were notable only be their absence.
For Millar to say the entire ride was down to team support seems a little silly.
After all, if it was that easy, presumably Mr M would have finished top 10 himself rather than getting shelled out every time the race hit a first cat climb.

MrChuck

Some of the points in that article are understandable, some less so. It's hardly surprising that Sky poaching riders from other teams is going to rub some people up the wrong way, is it? Doesn't make them all w@nkers though.

Similarly it's probably fair to say that any rider needs the support of their team to do well, so "The reason [Wiggins] got fourth [in last year's Tour de France] was because of us as much as anything else." is a reasonable statement isn't it?

Whether you think Wiggins is disagreeing with Millar on that or about Sky being disliked depends on how you read the article I suppose.

But Madiot moaning about them publicising wind tunnel tests- WTF is that about? It's no secret the big boys do it, USPS used to make a big deal out of it, and I can't see how he can feel hard done by since he's free to do exactly the same thing as Sky, including Twitter and all the rest of it.

Also a lot of these commments depend on context. If Millar is going around telling anyone who'll listen that Garmin got Wiggins his 4th spot that could sound a bit bitter, but if a journalist is asking him specifically that question then what's wrong with saying what he thinks?

DaveyL

Timoid. wrote:

Interesting that Ricco's a parasite, but Armstrong is a hero and a model.

If Cavendish and Wiggins really hate doping, then they should stop blowing smoke up that old Texan's ass.

I don't recall Wiggo ever calling Armstrong a hero, and certainly he was only referred to as a role model in terms of his media-savvy.

Do we have a track record of any riders (even those saintly clean French ones) speaking out against riders who haven't tested positive, for being dopers? Come on, what exactly do you expect?

mididoctors

Timoid. wrote:

Interesting that Ricco's a parasite, but Armstrong is a hero and a model.

If Cavendish and Wiggins really hate doping, then they should stop blowing smoke up that old Texan's ass.

cav looked star struck on LA's videocasts...

Wiggins looked less respectful on the road at times and I suspect he is being "cautious"

if you read between the lines he has slagged off LA on occasion... I think Lance's aura is not to be underestimated..

thou I agree I would like to see Wiggins distance himself.