Team Sky and British Cycling
I am still relatively new to the pro cycling world but there seems to be a huge amount of hate for Sky and BC. I understand the perception that they have a big budget but as this article from INRNG will show in the year 2011 they had the fourth or fifth biggest budget- I think I also saw someone else post this article in another thread.
http://www.inrng.com/2012/08/team-sky-budget-accounts/
It seems a common perception on places like twitter (see parody accounts of Pat McQuaid and Cipollini) that they have been throwing money at cycling and ruining the sport. I always wonder why these fools (I hold a low level of respect for people who have to pretend to be someone else to get opinions out) cannot see that surely the results justify the spending here is a snap shot of some results:
World Champion Mark Cavendish
2nd and 3rd in the Veulta
1st and 2nd in the Tour de France
Olympic champion and bronze in mens TT
Olympic Gold in the womens RR
Olympic Silver in the womens RR
Womens BMX world champion
A full list of BC achievements is on this list:
http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/gbcycl ... History--0
I always wonder why people can't accept that what Sky and BC are doing isn't just throwing money at something and not producing, from what I can see they have changed the way pro cycling works (training, equipment, the care for the riders etc) so is it just jealousy?
I would be interested in hearing some other views on this rather than just being told I'm a Nationalist and I have to piss off.
http://www.inrng.com/2012/08/team-sky-budget-accounts/
It seems a common perception on places like twitter (see parody accounts of Pat McQuaid and Cipollini) that they have been throwing money at cycling and ruining the sport. I always wonder why these fools (I hold a low level of respect for people who have to pretend to be someone else to get opinions out) cannot see that surely the results justify the spending here is a snap shot of some results:
World Champion Mark Cavendish
2nd and 3rd in the Veulta
1st and 2nd in the Tour de France
Olympic champion and bronze in mens TT
Olympic Gold in the womens RR
Olympic Silver in the womens RR
Womens BMX world champion
A full list of BC achievements is on this list:
http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/gbcycl ... History--0
I always wonder why people can't accept that what Sky and BC are doing isn't just throwing money at something and not producing, from what I can see they have changed the way pro cycling works (training, equipment, the care for the riders etc) so is it just jealousy?
I would be interested in hearing some other views on this rather than just being told I'm a Nationalist and I have to piss off.
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Others are just jealous because if they could have the same funding they would take it without hesitation.0
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As above - plus the twitterati's USP is doping. Without it they re no one. Notice they never comment on the racing, just the controversy.
Having said that, the playing field clearly is nt level, but it was ever thus since roman gladiator contests...We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
- @ddraver0 -
You have a lot to learn.
Cyclists, no actually the clique on here I doubt most know how to ride a bike, are to cool for school and cannot been seen to endorse a successful team born from these shores.0 -
A few reasons that people dislike them:
1. They have been very successful. This is always unpopular
2. They had the two best GC riders in the tour. That makes them look greedy and like a wealthy football team with a world class striker on the bench.
3. The performances of the whole team have been unbelievably good. Cycling has a dark precendent for this.0 -
TheBigBean wrote:A few reasons that people dislike them:
1. They have been very successful. This is always unpopular
2. They had the two best GC riders in the tour. That makes them look greedy and like a wealthy football team with a world class striker on the bench.
3. The performances of the whole team have been unbelievably good. Cycling has a dark precendent for this.
Juan Antonio Flecha? Thomas Ljungvist?
Can I come and work for you?"In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"
@gietvangent0 -
is there a huge amount of hate for Team Sky / BC? I don't reckon there is in the UK, at least. Any hate for Sky in the UK probably stems more from the title sponsor, than the actual cycling team. Not sure what non-UK residents think.0
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Where is the hate?
You are making up a statement to justify your post. Fail.
Evidence your statement before you then explore it! Otherwise = blather.0 -
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Rick Chasey wrote:Where is the hate?
Over on the cycling news forum?
I'm not especially fussed either way by Team Sky, but I like that so many people are getting into the sport, we had more newbies than members on our newbie friendly, first Sunday of the month clubrun yesterday, pretty amazing!You live and learn. At any rate, you live0 -
Hm, I definitely don't hate Sky. What a remarkable year they''ve had. They have been the predominant team by far. I'm not fan either, though. I think the reason why they would get a lot of stick, and I have jumped that wagon myself at times, is way they win. It's not very spectacular. It's clever, it's analysing, it's heavy, it's hard and it's new. We are not used to see british riders dropping quality riders one by one - not by attaking but simply just by riding a tempo that is just right on what the limit is on the little computer on the handlebar. This progress has happend so fast that few have got used to see new and changed riders dominating in everything.
What annoys me is the explanations for this success when questions are asked. They are asked and should be asked because what a few riders have managed to do lately on this team IS remarkable, IS spectacular and IS suspucious - that is based on the history of this sport. You can't deny that. I'm not saying they are doped but when answers are almost Lance-ish 'you are a buch of w'ankers for questioning my results in this sport with its pure and elegant history' it's getting a bit on my tits. Also, I'm a bit uneasy on all the moral statements about having a unique anti-doping policy when, in fact, it's just the same as every other team with plenty of strings to doping related people.
Oh, and I wouldn't read too much into the CN's Clinic forum. You can't win a point sprint 10 km in the beginning of a race without being juiced there. I do like their Lance 'witch hunt' ,as Lance would have called it, though. They find and speculate in pretty much everything there is to speculate on to get that bully down. It's good read. You don't want to start a defense of Wonderlance in there.0 -
Gazzaputt wrote:You have a lot to learn.
Cyclists, no actually the clique on here I doubt most know how to ride a bike, are to cool for school and cannot been seen to endorse a successful team born from these shores.
Can you explain what riding a bike has to do with being a fan of bike racing please?Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.0 -
So for the OP - I'm not a Sky hater, but I'm not a fan. They're just a successful team to me.
Why don't I like them? Well, 2 reasons. Cycling isn't football so I don't follow a "team". I tend to follow riders, regardless of which teams they ride for. I'm not really a fan of anyone on Sky - Geraint seems like a nice fellow and I'd like to see him get some good results.
Another reason there is "Sky hate" is the way they behaved when they first popped onto the scene. They've improved but the whole "we're transparant unless you ask us an awkward question" thing left a bad taste for some.
I also think, in part, their lower than expected budget is down to a bit of creative accounting.Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.0 -
There always seems to be the missing element of passion in the way Sky/GB race ... Wins almost seem a relief (Cav/Pendleton/Hoy) or, worse still, an entitlement (Wiggins) ... and this mentality seems to carry over to the 'fans' ...
Compare that to the Belgians, Italians or Spanish (esp. the Basques) and they love the sport rather than just the victory ... riders and fans alike ...
People at my work asked why I found no joy in Wiggins or Hoy winning ... and all I could think of was that although the rides were impressive athletic achievements they had none of the passion associated with the sport (this includes the TdF as well as Olympics) ...0 -
I hate* Sky/BC.
It's their dominance and their self-righteousness and their suffocating climbing in the Tour and their resources and their tallness and their technology and their perfection. And it's the possibility that, seeing their success, other teams will try to mimic Sky, and everyone will become perfect and boring, impeccably paced and specially stitched. Of course if I were Sky I'd do no different.
*Hate is probably too strong a word. Like, I wouldn't molotov a Sky bus if I saw it, or do anything else so extreme, like turn down Wiggin's autograph if I could get it, if I thought positively or neutrally of that tradition. Unless I had the means with me, but then I suppose it would, in the end, just be for kicks. But 'hate' will do for our purposes here.1968, human content on bitumen.0 -
It seems a common perception on places like twitter (see parody accounts of Pat McQuaid and Cipollini)
The Cipollini parody acct on Twitter is awful, if I was that cynical about life I'd probably kill myself. In fact I might offer to buy the rope for him, make the world a rosier place.0 -
Rick Chasey wrote:Where is the hate?
Our Wendy from Norn Iron has a suicase full of it.
She'd slap the bake of that Shane Sutton so she would.“New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!0 -
Some good replys.
In regards Iain the reason I follow Sky is it was them that brought me to the sport of road racing through going to a sky ride and then onwards from there. I do have many favourite riders, Thomas de Gendt was the first rider I became attached to outside BC (Cav's worlds win had me almost in tears) after his break away and then solo attack in the TDU 2012. Sagan for his sheer ability and antics. Cancellera. Boonen for Paris Roubix (the first classic I had watched) this year. THe list is endless.
People always seem to say that because they are so good the should be disliked but in fact the same people go on and on about how good Barcelona are, but isn't it just the same thing.
I suppose I am Nationalistic at times as well but I am very proud to be British.0 -
In my oppinion it's not good for any sport that one team or one person can be so dominant in any sport, for example Barcelona, Red Bull in formula one (though this season seems to be totally different to usual and that's why I'm more interested this year), Citroen and Loeb in WRC, Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps etc etc
If it's not competitive then there's little point watching. I now find I tend to favour the underdog.
What I like(d) about this great sport of cycling is that it's pretty competitive, so when I read that Sky want to quote "be the Barcelona of cycling", that put me right off and I've began to resent them and if they do go on to dominate it will kill the sport for me. I don't want to see Sky win everything.
Yes it was nice that Wiggins won this time, but I don't much like the way Sky dominated the Tour, and next year I hope they fail miserably, which they probably won't, but at least Contador should be back to challenge them.0 -
ThomThom wrote:They have been the predominant team by far. I'm not fan either, though.
Do you think? I would suggest that Omega Pharma Quick Step so far have had just a good a year as Team Sky.0 -
greasedscotsman wrote:ThomThom wrote:They have been the predominant team by far. I'm not fan either, though.
Do you think? I would suggest that Omega Pharma Quick Step so far have had just a good a year as Team Sky.
Shhh! Facts have no place on the internet!We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
- @ddraver0 -
greasedscotsman wrote:ThomThom wrote:They have been the predominant team by far. I'm not fan either, though.
Do you think? I would suggest that Omega Pharma Quick Step so far have had just a good a year as Team Sky.
Different style of racing, though. You can't win the classics by getting an early lead and shutting everything out for the next three weeks.0 -
greasedscotsman wrote:ThomThom wrote:They have been the predominant team by far. I'm not fan either, though.
Do you think? I would suggest that Omega Pharma Quick Step so far have had just a good a year as Team Sky.
You are right. OPQS should too be considered in that category.0 -
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afx237vi wrote:Different style of racing, though. You can't win the classics by getting an early lead and shutting everything out for the next three weeks.
Sure, but I would suggest that the way Boonen won Paris Roubaix was far more dominating than the way Sky won the Tour.0 -
greasedscotsman wrote:afx237vi wrote:Different style of racing, though. You can't win the classics by getting an early lead and shutting everything out for the next three weeks.
Sure, but I would suggest that the way Boonen won Paris Roubaix was far more dominating than the way Sky won the Tour.
Would you? I would say that 6 stage wins, top 2 positions and 6 minutes between Wiggins and Nibali is just as dominant a performance.0 -
greasedscotsman wrote:afx237vi wrote:Different style of racing, though. You can't win the classics by getting an early lead and shutting everything out for the next three weeks.
Sure, but I would suggest that the way Boonen won Paris Roubaix was far more dominating than the way Sky won the Tour.
I'd argue it's not about dominance, per se, but the manner in which you dominate. Attacking a cobbled classic from 50 km out and soloing to the finish line is not the same as getting a leader's jersey in a TT and then strangling the race to death for the next two weeks.0 -
Take Boonen away, and OPQS have a 4th in Roubaix and a 5th in Flanders (amongst other good results)
Take Wiggins away, and Sky still win le tour.
Sky also dominated in a fairly dull way, whereas Boonen's Roubaix win was full of panache!!!You live and learn. At any rate, you live0 -
johnfinch wrote:greasedscotsman wrote:afx237vi wrote:Different style of racing, though. You can't win the classics by getting an early lead and shutting everything out for the next three weeks.
Sure, but I would suggest that the way Boonen won Paris Roubaix was far more dominating than the way Sky won the Tour.
Would you? I would say that 6 stage wins, top 2 positions and 6 minutes between Wiggins and Nibali is just as dominant a performance.
I've said it a few times now on similar threads, but Team Sky's performance at this year's race was good, but wasn't really that dominant. The La Vie Claire team from the 1986 Tour got 1st, 2nd, 4th and 7th. The won the KOM, best rookie and combination jerseys. The won 6 stages and also the team competition. I think they have a little way to go to beat that record.0 -
afx237vi wrote:greasedscotsman wrote:afx237vi wrote:Different style of racing, though. You can't win the classics by getting an early lead and shutting everything out for the next three weeks.
Sure, but I would suggest that the way Boonen won Paris Roubaix was far more dominating than the way Sky won the Tour.
I'd argue it's not about dominance, per se, but the manner in which you dominate. Attacking a cobbled classic from 50 km out and soloing to the finish line is not the same as getting a leader's jersey in a TT and then strangling the race to death for the next two weeks.
Well, I don't think there is much in it, other than that in the Tour, it was the team on the front whereas at Roubaix, Boonen had to do it for himself.0 -
Jez mon wrote:Take Boonen away, and OPQS have a 4th in Roubaix and a 5th in Flanders (amongst other good results)
Take Wiggins away, and Sky still win le tour.
Sky also dominated in a fairly dull way, whereas Boonen's Roubaix win was full of panache!!!
If you take Wiggins out of Team Sky (and Team GB), they wouldn't have won Paris Nice, the Tour of Romandie, the Dauphine or the Olympic TT. It's that combination of races that's similar to Boonen winning E3 Harelbeke, Gent Wevelgem, Tour of Flanders and Paris Roubaix.
(edit: Oops, just checked who was 2nd at the Dauphine this year and it was Micheal Rogers, so without Brad, Sky would have still won that race... :oops: )0
