Wiggo and Froome

motdoc

Looking at the two of them, I want them to be friends again.

Just completed the most impressive year in British cycling history and they look like they can barely stand each other.

I hope I am being paranoid about this.

Guys, congratulations to both, you are legends! From the fans, I hope you stick together!

Yellow Peril

A couple of interesting autobiographies to look forward to, don't you think?

alihisgreat

motdoc wrote:

Looking at the two of them, I want them to be friends again.

Just completed the most impressive year in British cycling history and they look like they can barely stand each other.

I hope I am being paranoid about this.

Guys, congratulations to both, you are legends! From the fans, I hope you stick together!

In the real world sometimes people aren't all best friends.

20eyes

motdoc wrote:

Looking at the two of them, I want them to be friends again.

Just completed the most impressive year in British cycling history and they look like they can barely stand each other.

I hope I am being paranoid about this.

Guys, congratulations to both, you are legends! From the fans, I hope you stick together!

Thought exactly the same thing when I saw the two of them "congratulate" each other this afternoon.

tim_wand

It will be a difficult one for Brailsford to manage, but its Cav who's come away with nothing again, whilst Brad has now attained God Like status and Froome has proved that if theres any elevation in a stage he can kick Twiggos ass.

Personally I think team sky is going to implode, there were always too many egos with different agendas, whilst I totally applaud what they have achieved ahead of schedule.

Unless they specifically tell Froome that they are going to ride next year to give him the G.C in the grand tours then he'll be off, and obviously the hottest property in the transfer market. ( My money is on Radioshack)

Yellow Peril

tim wand wrote:

It will be a difficult one for Brailsford to manage, but its Cav who's come away with nothing again, whilst Brad has now attained God Like status and Froome has proved that if theres any elevation in a stage he can kick Twiggos ass.

Personally I think team sky is going to implode, there were always too many egos with different agendas, whilst I totally applaud what they have achieved ahead of schedule.
Unless they specifically tell Froome that they are going to ride next year to give him the G.C in the grand tours then he'll be off, and obviously the hottest property in the transfer market. ( My money is on Radioshack)

I think that's the point. It doesn't really matter that much now, job done. Brailsford has gone from the fear of failing to achieve the 5 year target (and let's face it, it wasn't looking that clever 12 months or so ago)to now suffocating under a weight of expectation and a quandry about making the whole thing work with 2 GC leaders and the world's greatest sprinter. I'm sure he'd be mightily relieved if some of these decisions were taken out of his hands.

raymondo60

Typical! You wait a century for a GC contender to come along, then TWO show up at the same time! Huh!!!

Blacktemplar

I'm sure I read somewhere that Cav's been told that the Green Jersey isn't a priority, and although he's got a 3-year contract, Sky won't hold him to it if he wants to go.

I suspect Froome was under 'team orders' this year, so I hope he's getting well-paid. Unless he's on megabucks I don't see him sitting in Wiggo's wake again if he's not allowed to go for the GC..... and even then, it's not always about the money*






* [cynical] oh yes it is [/cynical]

Gizmo_

tim wand wrote:

It will be a difficult one for Brailsford to manage, but its Cav who's come away with nothing again, whilst Brad has now attained God Like status and Froome has proved that if theres any elevation in a stage he can kick Twiggos ass.

Personally I think team sky is going to implode, there were always too many egos with different agendas, whilst I totally applaud what they have achieved ahead of schedule.

Unless they specifically tell Froome that they are going to ride next year to give him the G.C in the grand tours then he'll be off, and obviously the hottest property in the transfer market. ( My money is on Radioshack)

Agreed, but maybe BMC. I wouldn't be surprised if Cadel retired, and TJVG isn't going to be team leader for a year or two.

Monkeypump

Question from my naive POV (which is the reason I rarely read Pro Race) - if Frome goes elsewhere, would he have/get the team to support him as a true GC contender?

Will there also be a 'been there, done it' attitude at Sky next year, maybe meaning Frome can stay on and win Le Tour?

Bozman

Froome will get his chance and I think he'd be mad to leave Sky, it'll be a big mountain TDF next year so I can't see Wiggins going for GC. As for Cavendish, he got three stage wins and crashed out on two, if he'd stayed upright that could've been 5 and "cav" would have had a great tour, plus he wouldn't have got green if they'd tried this year.
That team has a great set up, why would you leave?

BelgianBeerGeek

^this.
There may also be more pressure on Dave B to keep the team together. It is a British team. How would it look if all his British stars moved suddenly to other "foreign" teams.

Pross

tim wand wrote:

It will be a difficult one for Brailsford to manage, but its Cav who's come away with nothing again, whilst Brad has now attained God Like status and Froome has proved that if theres any elevation in a stage he can kick Twiggos ass.

Personally I think team sky is going to implode, there were always too many egos with different agendas, whilst I totally applaud what they have achieved ahead of schedule.

Unless they specifically tell Froome that they are going to ride next year to give him the G.C in the grand tours then he'll be off, and obviously the hottest property in the transfer market. ( My money is on Radioshack)

No he hasn't.

tim_wand

Stage 17 to Peyragudes this year, I think it was generally accepted and certainly my view that Froome held back for Wiggins and could have taken the stage win from Valverde. Whether it would have been enough time to give him G.C overall (probably not) and maybe Wiggins was just doing what he needed to do.

Twiggo has improved no end in the Mountains but I still think in a classic tour with more climbs and Froome not riding as a domestique but a G.C contendor, he would take Wiggins.

Pross

I think he was showboating so people would think that when in reality he had nothing left to close the gap.

bobtbuilder

tim wand wrote:

Stage 17 to Peyragudes this year, I think it was generally accepted and certainly my view that Froome held back for Wiggins and could have taken the stage win from Valverde. Whether it would have been enough time to give him G.C overall (probably not) and maybe Wiggins was just doing what he needed to do.

Twiggo has improved no end in the Mountains but I still think in a classic tour with more climbs and Froome not riding as a domestique but a G.C contendor, he would take Wiggins.

+1

It's not just about the last couple of kilometres when Froome kept waiting for Wiggins. If Froome was the team leader on another team, he would be free to attack lower on the final mountain of stages and take big chunks of time from Wiggins who can't respond to the vicious accelerations of pure climbers.

inseine

Froome's not going to RadioShack because there is no RadioShack next year. Don't see him or Cav going anywhere. Both on mega bucks at SKY.

tim_wand

Arise Sir Bradley Wiggins, U.C.I world ranked No1 , Tour Winner, Olympic T.T champion. Dauphine Winner, Paris Nice Winner Tour de Romandie winner and S.P.O.T.Y, (he ll win it even if Ennis performs naked)

Can you really see anyone with ambitions of achieving a similar palmares ( and the potential in Froomes case), riding as his domestique.

They are all well paid, and would be elsewhere, they ve probably earned more money in One year than Merckx did in his entire career, but I bet every single one of them would give it back for Merckx Palmares,

Cav will remain and pick up the pieces where the course allows, Froome is 28 and in the form of his life and at the right stage to be the leader of a team with Grand tour ambitions, Maybe the Giro or Veulta would be enough for him for now as Twiggo isnt getting any younger. Its going to be interesting to see what develops.

heavymental

I think Brailsford has shown he's got a very sensible head on his shoulders and is an excellent manager of men. I trust him, and for that matter the riders, to be able to sort out their personal agendas and make the right decisions to do as well as possible next year. This year the plan was for Wiggo to get yellow. Cav knew that, Froome knew that and they did their bit to make it happen. Unfortunately it didn't work out for Cav at the Olympics but he doesn't read like a bitter man... https://twitter.com/MarkCavendish I don't think there can be much bitterness. If Froome wants to leave then he will and I don't think anyone would blame him unless they decide to ride for him next year in which case he'll undoubtedly stay. They'll look at the course for next year and make a professional decision. I'm looking forward to seeing what that decision is.

mattshrops

The whole Wiggins vs Froome thing still remains to be decided. Just because at one point on a particular day for a short period it APPEARED that froome could go on and attack. And lets say he did do exactly that , how long exactly would his attack have lasted?could he then have settled back to the same output as before or would he have gone into the red? would he gain 2 mins then lose 1.45 when wiggins dieseled his ass? Did anyone else attack? did they stay away?-so..? You cant answer. no-one can.
Hopefully those questions can be answered if Froome goes elsewhere.

My opinion- this tour, Wiggins still would have spanked him.On a more mountainous less tt style parcours ooh could be close.I shall look forward to that one.But were just guessing,

Feltup

I've just scanned this thread and all I can remember reading and remembering are three words:-
Ennis, Naked and Spanked

tim_wand

Feltup wrote:

I've just scanned this thread and all I can remember reading and remembering are three words:-
Ennis, Naked and Spanked

Good call and thanks , none of us know and only the future will show, but I hope its one with NAKED SPANKED ENNIS.