Nico Roche on yesterday

Pross

I hope not, I like the idea that Sky are trying to develop top flight British riders and was hoping they would be taking a long term look rather than bringing in French riders presumably in a bid for short term success. Fair enough bringing someone in to help the younger Brits develop but Gadret doesn't appear to be a team player!

paulcuthbert

Blazing Saddles wrote:

I think Sky may well put a big circle around Roche jnr's name. He would be a very good signing for them

Hope not. The idiot British press would then label him as a British rider on a British team if he joined Sky and started to do well.

BikingBernie

oscarbudgie wrote:

....and if Roche was British he would've known that the French always let you down when you need 'em

Yeah, right. As Contador found last year, when you want a reliable team-mate what you really need is a solid, reliable American on the team. :roll:

Perhaps individual egos play a bigger role than country of birth in situations such as this...

Le Commentateur

Kléber wrote:

Very bad to ignore the team orders.

But, if anything, I would have thought the team would be helping Gadret. Sponsor Ag2r will be happier with the first French rider on GC than Roche finishing in a near anonymous place. People will notice the first French rider but not an Irishman finishing in 14th place.

I know what you're saying regarding the parochialism, but Roche is hardly unknown is France. He's been contributing to one of the Cycle magazines (le Cycle) about the various TdF stages. I think it's just another case of an individual siezing his chance, like Aitor Gonzalez, in order to secure his own future. Contracts are short and between now and the Worlds is the time that deals get made.

SpaceJunk

Moray Gub wrote:

iainf72 wrote:

If you thought Bert vs Andy was something, this beggars belief

http://www.independent.ie/sport/other-s ... 64978.html

Ok maybe JG should have given him the wheel but ffs so you finish 15th or 17th or whatever who really gives a f*ck who finishes outside the top ten.

Yes, JG should have given him the wheel. That's the point NR is making in the article.

As to who cares what position he finishes in - well obviously he does.

simon_e

SpaceJunk wrote:

As to who cares what position he finishes in - well obviously he does.

And so would I. He might not be top 5 but battling for places is what you do when you're competitive. He could 'do a Brad' and let go of that goal but he doesn't want to. And he is the team leader. If the DS and sponsors want to support and push a 100% French national up the GC then they shouldn't have made Roche team leader.

Latest instalment for the Irish Indy from Thursday's stage:

http://bit.ly/bVUyFT

And on the subject of Irish cyclists, here's an experienced Irish rider who rode up the Tourmalet on Wednesday.



Legend! Some words. More pics of Kelly, Indurain, Hinault and others at http://www.flickr.com/photos/georgiefrancis/

cajun_cyclist

http://www.sportsgrid.com/media/if-team ... h-cyclist/

Saw this blog on this subject too.

cajun_cyclist

Simon E wrote:

SpaceJunk wrote:

As to who cares what position he finishes in - well obviously he does.

And so would I. He might not be top 5 but battling for places is what you do when you're competitive. He could 'do a Brad' and let go of that goal but he doesn't want to. And he is the team leader. If the DS and sponsors want to support and push a 100% French national up the GC then they shouldn't have made Roche team leader.

Latest instalment for the Irish Indy from Thursday's stage:

http://bit.ly/bVUyFT

And on the subject of Irish cyclists, here's an experienced Irish rider who rode up the Tourmalet on Wednesday.



Legend! Some words. More pics of Kelly, Indurain, Hinault and others at http://www.flickr.com/photos/georgiefrancis/

Kelly is done up like an old time cyclist, a bit like Bottecchia in the '20s or any # of others, except it looks like he is wearing an inner tube like a tie, has the goggles and of course, cap like they wore.

ms_tree

Why if anyone does well and speaks English do they HAVE to go to Sky (sorry Paul TEAM Sky)? They could have picked Roche up - or Dan Martin for that matter - but we know what he thought of BC! Not everybody is going to fit into that set-up are they vis a vis Hunt, Lloyd, Hammond, even Cavendish?

RichN95.

Ms Tree wrote:

Why if anyone does well and speaks English do they HAVE to go to Sky (sorry Paul TEAM Sky)? They could have picked Roche up - or Dan Martin for that matter - but we know what he thought of BC! Not everybody is going to fit into that set-up are they vis a vis Hunt, Lloyd, Hammond, even Cavendish?

They don't, but it's been widely rumoured that Roche talked to Sky. On the ITV podcast Ned Boulting even said that Roche wanted to go to Sky, but AG2R blocked it. (no idea if there's any truth in that).