Tour of Oman Stage 4 ***SPOILER***

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Comments

  • hockinsk
    hockinsk Posts: 100
    Brailsford is not DS in Omen, Steven de Jongh is. 14 years as a pro, but this is hist first year as a DS, so guess you have to give him a bit of slack. As many riders appear to now be saying, this was just one of those things that happens sometimes. Could have been any team. Indeed half the teams were just as worse off and didn't stop for a wee!
  • Kléber
    Kléber Posts: 6,842
    hockinsk wrote:
    Could have been any team.
    Exactly but it gets analysed to death if its Sky.
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,908
    edited February 2010
    DaveyL wrote:

    "Boasson Hagen got back in the group, he wasn't behind, but the problem was that Cervelo passed to the left (forming an echelon) because Sky were pulling with just two guys and not the whole team. Everybody just saw it and 'Vroooom!', 30 guys went and the group split up."

    Boonen suggested that the attack happened because Team Sky failed to let the rest of the peloton know what was happening.

    not just that but Sky positioned themselves incorrectly as EBH got back

    crosswinds..rule 1 own the gutter
    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    Joe Lindsay has written quite a good piece on it

    http://bicycling.com/blogs/boulderrepor ... kys-limit/
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • DaveyL
    DaveyL Posts: 5,167
    Nope, still too much melodrama.
    Le Blaireau (1)
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    Would there ever be a point where you'll accept other teams *might* not like them?
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • DaveyL
    DaveyL Posts: 5,167
    Sure - some of them don't. But I thought Farrar's comment was pretty telling.

    I bet there was a lot of resentment when Wiggins left for example, but it's difficult to stay that mad for so long. They've probably all gotten over it.

    I'm equally sure there are plenty of other teams that aren't like by certain other teams etc. - like any society it will be very complicated and Sky are only getting the focus as they're a new team.

    Believe it or not but I guarantee there will come a time when other teams find they'd quite like Sky as an ally and then they'll play nice.

    Still, it's nice to see a couple of middle eastern chippers (there must be a specific term for that) have gotten everyone talking so early in the season.
    Le Blaireau (1)
  • Kléber
    Kléber Posts: 6,842
    DaveyL wrote:
    a couple of middle eastern chippers (there must be a specific term for that)
    Chipper comes from "fish and chipper" meaning a race which, if you won it, would pay for little more than a fish and chips dinner. The Middle-Eastern equivalent is obviously a "kebaber" although I suspect these oil rich states offer decent prize money.
  • DaveyL
    DaveyL Posts: 5,167
    "Boassen-Haagen skewered in Oman kebaber" :D
    Le Blaireau (1)
  • blackpanther
    blackpanther Posts: 221
    DaveyL wrote:
    Brailsford did race as a pro in France for 4 years. Maybe it was calm all that time...

    Le tranquil? what are you saying DaveyL?

    Word
  • pedro118118
    pedro118118 Posts: 1,102
    Sounds like a tactical balls-up to me - nothing more.

    I don't beleive other riders and other teams are sat on, just waiting for the opportunity to burst Sky's bubble. It's bike racing and these things happen. Now if they start to form a pattern (involving Sky) then that would be different, but this is just an isolated incident of race naivity.

    There's probably a bit of resentment in the peleton, due to the hype surrounding Sky, but nothing more than that.

    What was interesting was on Sky's website, there's a phone-video clip of EBH (after his earlier stage win) and it sounds as though he is being forced to read from a prepared script, "I'm so happy to be riding for this great team", "I'm lucky to have such amazing team support", "I had a perfect lead-out today from my incredible team" etc etc................I think they just need to tone it down a bit and get on with racing and (hopefully) winning.
  • DaveyL
    DaveyL Posts: 5,167
    Soudns like someone's nicked the script from Cav (victorious version).
    Le Blaireau (1)
  • pedro118118
    pedro118118 Posts: 1,102
    My team were so strong today, you know, and I couldn't not win, you know, so I came around, you know, the corner, you know and burst for the line you know? My team was awesome today, you know.................blah blah blah........................................(you know).
  • stefrees
    stefrees Posts: 137
    just out of interest, if sky attacked boonen for example when he crashes next weekend in het niewsblad, what would the reaction be? or if a hushovd comes down in carrefour le arbe in paris roubaix?
  • The Prodigy
    The Prodigy Posts: 832
    iainf72 wrote:
    Would there ever be a point where you'll accept other teams *might* not like them?

    You mean you hope other teams don't like them!

    I would suggest that all the teams that supposedly dislike sky should maybe concentrate on their own games. Are they winning much?
  • Kléber
    Kléber Posts: 6,842
    stefrees wrote:
    just out of interest, if sky attacked boonen for example when he crashes next weekend in het niewsblad, what would the reaction be? or if a hushovd comes down in carrefour le arbe in paris roubaix?
    That's not the same is it. If your team leader stops for a slash you send several riders with him.

    Anyway, this is all being done to death, it's a mistake and thankfully cycling is a sophisticated sport where tactics and craft matter, that's what makes it more interesting than time trialling.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,463
    iainf72 wrote:
    squired wrote:
    Personally I don't agree with the whole thing where it is your responsibility to lead the chase if you have the jersey.

    It's usually the done thing, no? With great jerseys comes great responsibility.

    Not really, in stage races it's often left to the sprinters teams to do the chasing unless the leaders jersey is genuinely under threat (which it didn't seem to be in this case). Basically anyone looking for a stage win should be doing their share as should those pushing for the overall as if the leader loses his jersey they are also dropping down GC. In any case Sky had the break under control so I don't think it was an issue. I'm also not convinced those attacking realised that EBH had dropped back, he'd been gone a long time so it's not as though Hammond saw him dropping off the back and attacked. With the break certain to be caught Sky could have eased up and spread across the road.

    Also, Boonen was getting worked up in the break. Was he trying to get them to work or had he realised what had happened and was trying to slow the break down?

    After watching the stage it seems like it was just a storm in a tea cup and Sky making a mistake. If EBH needs a slash that close to the end in future I suspect he will either hold it in or swallow his pride and ride the last fews k's with wet shorts!

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