2014 TdF

tailwindhome

Sorry to go a bit off topic - Is Millar eligible for the commonwealth games?

Any reaction in Belgium to Boonen's omission?

wallace_and_gromit

Le Commentateur wrote:

I don't think so. Reliable domestique that he was, Wegelius wants to be certain the riders selected can last the whole 3 weeks.

Don't go getting all sensible on us!

Lanterne_Rogue

TailWindHome wrote:

Soory to go a bit off topic - Is Millar eligible for the commonwealth games?

Presume so. Didn't he share accommodation with Cavendish last time out?

Meanwhile, the Millar/Garmin thing reminds me of when a couple start arguing vociferously in a bar. At first it's annoying, then you just order another beer and sit down to enjoy the show... He never loved them anyway, y'know...

tailwindhome

Jonathan Vaughters ‏@Vaughters · 9m
Sorry to upset fans, but in the end, we didn't have confidence in Dave's health holding up - and Ramunas Navardauskas deserved a spot.



David Millar ‏@millarmind · 7m
For Sale. Been raced, not much. Battery fully charged (I think). Good condition. Reasonable offers please

RichN95.

TailWindHome wrote:

Sorry to go a bit off topic - Is Millar eligible for the commonwealth games?

He's certainly in the road team (RR and TT) - he won the TT four years ago. I don't know if he could be parachuted into a track team (or if he'd want to be).

salsiccia1

I do feel a bit sorry for Millar. He's bound to be bitterly disappointed he's now not going on the Tour; however, he's been around the game long enough to know the score, especially as he's been in poor form this season.

It would have been nice from a sentimental point of view for him to ride, but from the team's point of view it makes no sense.

I think he'll hang and do the Commonwealth Games for Scotland and then pack it in.

Omar Little

RichN95 wrote:

TailWindHome wrote:

Sorry to go a bit off topic - Is Millar eligible for the commonwealth games?

He's certainly in the road team (RR and TT) - he won the TT four years ago. I don't know if he could be parachuted into a track team (or if he'd want to be).

There would be space in the team for him in the individual pursuit as no-one made the (rather tough) qualification times for selection

Will.C

I'm gonna put it out there. I got a feeling Gamrin, Miller et al are bluffing.

awavey

Salsiccia1 wrote:

I do feel a bit sorry for Millar. He's bound to be bitterly disappointed he's now not going on the Tour; however, he's been around the game long enough to know the score, especially as he's been in poor form this season.

It would have been nice from a sentimental point of view for him to ride, but from the team's point of view it makes no sense.

I think he'll hang and do the Commonwealth Games for Scotland and then pack it in.

he's now posting pictures of his bike up for sale on twitter bitterly disappointed is probably an understatement, needs to step away from the mobile phone for a bit and clear his head as the season isnt over yet

TMR

Omar Little wrote:

RichN95 wrote:

TailWindHome wrote:

Sorry to go a bit off topic - Is Millar eligible for the commonwealth games?

He's certainly in the road team (RR and TT) - he won the TT four years ago. I don't know if he could be parachuted into a track team (or if he'd want to be).

There would be space in the team for him in the individual pursuit as no-one made the (rather tough) qualification times for selection

It's all in the game, that's what Om...I mean, you say.

RichN95.

Omar Little wrote:

RichN95 wrote:

TailWindHome wrote:

Sorry to go a bit off topic - Is Millar eligible for the commonwealth games?

He's certainly in the road team (RR and TT) - he won the TT four years ago. I don't know if he could be parachuted into a track team (or if he'd want to be).

There would be space in the team for him in the individual pursuit as no-one made the (rather tough) qualification times for selection

Presumably neither has he. Maybe he could have a bash at it.

above_the_cows

Wallace and Gromit wrote:

Above The Cows wrote:

there's a woman with boobs

Something of a tautology here? Size 0 models notwithstanding?

Yeah OK I added boobs for dramatic effect and because it is an ace word. There are some men with boobs too though let us not forget, not riding the Tour mind, but still...

ocdupalais

Coriander wrote:

Above The Cows wrote:

Gosh it's a very weird feeling being the most mercenary, unsympathetic person in a discussion.

I wonder how much James Murdoch cycling fan that he is and son of evil heartless b*stard cares about 'Sky's' image and how much he cares about winning? Maybe he wants to win more than he cares about a few people cancelling their Sky subscription until the football season starts again and they realise they can't watch any games.

I wonder how much Vaughters thinks Millar's happy-go-lucky-plucky-little-reformed-doper-schtick is worth when weighted against him physically deteriorating and needing a TUE and the tsunami of holier than thou posturing from the pseudo-Kimmages and the permanently outraged. Maybe Garmin and/or Sharp would rather have a Tour minus Millar and the ensuing controversy rather than potential 'doping' chat?

I also think we are running the risk of thinking that because we care about/like these riders (e.g. Wiggins and Millar) that other people in other places do too.

This is a large part of what I wanted to say, but was too lazy to type out.

I'm disappointed, you two.
I'll take the inevitable flak for being naive, but I genuinely believe that, directly, the Sky corporation and Jim-Boy Murdoch have had very little to do with it (although that's not to say that Brailsford hasn't considered their angle a smidgen in the midst of his deliberations). Do you not remember the Wiggo masks and stick-on sidies at the Tour and then Olympics? The whole dandy-English/Scotsman Ponce thing that Wiggins and Millar cultivate?... The media sound bites that give the baying cycling press headline copy for the next day (as opposed to those gems that Navardauskas and Nieve are always coming out with)?...
Were this Tour to start in Austria or Latvia - and Wiggins and Millar weren't victor and multi-stage winners who professed nothing but love for the race, the country and the French - then fair enough (OK - Millar's form is suspect; but Wiggins is storming); but to deny these 2 grand old dames a place for such trifling matters as team cohesion and sporting success is so petty.


Actually, now I don't know where I stand...

above_the_cows

OCDuPalais wrote:

Coriander wrote:

Above The Cows wrote:

Gosh it's a very weird feeling being the most mercenary, unsympathetic person in a discussion.

I wonder how much James Murdoch cycling fan that he is and son of evil heartless b*stard cares about 'Sky's' image and how much he cares about winning? Maybe he wants to win more than he cares about a few people cancelling their Sky subscription until the football season starts again and they realise they can't watch any games.

I wonder how much Vaughters thinks Millar's happy-go-lucky-plucky-little-reformed-doper-schtick is worth when weighted against him physically deteriorating and needing a TUE and the tsunami of holier than thou posturing from the pseudo-Kimmages and the permanently outraged. Maybe Garmin and/or Sharp would rather have a Tour minus Millar and the ensuing controversy rather than potential 'doping' chat?

I also think we are running the risk of thinking that because we care about/like these riders (e.g. Wiggins and Millar) that other people in other places do too.

This is a large part of what I wanted to say, but was too lazy to type out.

I'm disappointed, you two.
I'll take the inevitable flak for being naive, but I genuinely believe that, directly, the Sky corporation and Jim-Boy Murdoch have had very little to do with it (although that's not to say that Brailsford hasn't considered their angle a smidgen in the midst of his deliberations). Do you not remember the Wiggo masks and stick-on sidies at the Tour and then Olympics? The whole dandy-English/Scotsman Ponce thing that Wiggins and Millar cultivate?... The media sound bites that give the baying cycling press headline copy for the next day (as opposed to those gems that Navardauskas and Nieve are always coming out with)?...
Were this Tour to start in Austria or Latvia - and Wiggins and Millar weren't victor and multi-stage winners who professed nothing but love for the race, the country and the French - then fair enough (OK - Millar's form is suspect; but Wiggins is storming); but to deny these 2 grand old dames a place for such trifling matters as team cohesion and sporting success is so petty.


Actually, now I don't know where I stand...

You see, your problem is you think too much. Maybe its just all about trying to win, which is kind of the original point of competitive sport (OK cycling aside, cycling was always originally about seeing newspapers) before all the other hullabaloo got added.

ocdupalais

Perhaps - but you can't "un-add" the hullabaloo.
It's an integral part of the Tour. It's not like some other sports in that respect. It's a circus where the main event is the GC competition; everything else is a side show.

Would it have really been so impossible for Brailsford to have brokered a series of meeting with himself, Froome and Side Show Brad to determine exactly how genuine BW was about his pledged allegiance? Could he not have requested some contractual guarantees on this? Could he not have put their personal relationship/trust on the line as another condition (BW & DB's)?

And Dave Millar has done as much for the Garmin team with his media contributions as the rest of the team put together; that's before you consider his Tour experience and the fact that he won a stage as recently as 2012...

TMR

Above The Cows wrote:

You see, your problem is you think too much. Maybe its just all about trying to win, which is kind of the original point of competitive sport (OK cycling aside, cycling was always originally about seeing newspapers) before all the other hullabaloo got added.

Err...no. The TdF & Giro were about selling newspapers. Cycling as a whole wasn't about selling newspapers.

frenchfighter

Cofidis for the 2014 Tour de France: Rein Taaramäe, Daniel Navarro, Luis Angel Mate, Rudy Molard, Nicolas Edet, Julien Simon, Egoitz Garcia, Adrien Petit and Cyril Lemoine.

specialgueststar

frenchfighter wrote:

Cofidis for the 2014 Tour de France: Rein Taaramäe, Daniel Navarro, Luis Angel Mate, Rudy Molard, Nicolas Edet, Julien Simon, Egoitz Garcia, Adrien Petit and Cyril Lemoine.

Looks a good mix - the Spaniards were good signings - experience and strength

above_the_cows

OCDuPalais wrote:

Perhaps - but you can't "un-add" the hullabaloo.
It's an integral part of the Tour. It's not like some other sports in that respect. It's a circus where the main event is the GC competition; everything else is a side show.

Would it have really been so impossible for Brailsford to have brokered a series of meeting with himself, Froome and Side Show Brad to determine exactly how genuine BW was about his pledged allegiance? Could he not have requested some contractual guarantees on this? Could he not have put their personal relationship/trust on the line as another condition (BW & DB's)?

And Dave Millar has done as much for the Garmin team with his media contributions as the rest of the team put together; that's before you consider his Tour experience and the fact that he won a stage as recently as 2012...

I agree re. Brailsford's poor mishandling of the situation but firstly that should have been done a long, long time ago and secondly I still think this is first and foremost for Sky at least about winning a bike race rather than pleasing the fans. I'm not sure I'd trust contractual obligations to hold for something as important as the Tour, I'd rather not run the risk myself. Best to preemptively avoid the situation completely rather than try and paperwork your way out of the problem. I get that people want to see Wiggins and that he has good form but is he so necessary, is the job he can do in the racing so unique that it can't be done by another person?

We might not like it (to be honest I'm not fussed either way, Wiggins, Froome, whatever, two great bike riders. I'd watch it if Pol Pot was duking it out with Idi Amin up the Tourmalet, I like the racing first and foremost) but I guess that is what they're trying to do, win. Can you imagine the crap they'd get from other quarters and probably from some of the same people if Sky took a team that imploded? Either way they can't win re. the fans, what they can win is the race. I get that the fans are important, but I don't think we can demand Garmin for example take out of form or ill riders solely for our benefit whether or not they are great media personalities (in the UK at least) or that they won a stage two years ago. That is not to discount the way Garmin have, according to Mr Millar at least, handled the situation which looks to be very poor indeed.

iainf72

Kenny Pryde sez Holy David too sick to ride the Tour and that's what it's about

above_the_cows

iainf72 wrote:

Kenny Pryde sez Holy David too sick to ride the Tour and that's what it's about

But, but the fans!

frenchfighter

iainf72 wrote:

Kenny Pryde sez Holy David too sick to ride the Tour and that's what it's about

Why is he putting that in print? Never liked him and this doesn't help. How much is Vaughter's paying him?
http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/oth ... r.24636337

mechanism

Above The Cows wrote:

iainf72 wrote:

Kenny Pryde sez Holy David too sick to ride the Tour and that's what it's about

But, but the fans!

"F**k the fans!" Brailsford and Vaughters cry in unison.

Coriander

iainf72 wrote:

Kenny Pryde sez Holy David too sick to ride the Tour and that's what it's about

If Millar is as ill as that article says, his reaction was bizarre. While, I don't doubt that he is that ill, I suspect we have some superbly bad man management and communication here. He knew something was up on Sunday night when he tweeted that nobody was answering the phone to him.

All very strange, I'd have had JV down as better than that at communication and man management. (Though sadly it's not unusual. If anyone wants experience of bad man management and a total absence of communication, I offer you my boss. Please feel free to take him. Please take him. Please.)

Omar Little

The longer it takes OGE to name their team the more i think Yates is in with a real chance of making it and they are delaying it for maximum publicity. Although maybe thats just me getting carried away with the pre tour excitment

frenchfighter

I was thinking that it would be tough to take one Yates and not the other but taking two neo-pros maybe a risk therefore they would go for Chaves...who has shown he is strong and classy.

ocdupalais

frenchfighter wrote:

I was thinking that it would be tough to take one Yates and not the other but taking two neo-pros maybe a risk

They could officially take one Yates - but secretly have both there and swap them on each stage: no bugger seems to be able to tell them apart on t'telly.

RichN95.

frenchfighter wrote:

I was thinking that it would be tough to take one Yates and not the other but taking two neo-pros maybe a risk therefore they would go for Chaves...who has shown he is strong and classy.

The Yates aren't the Schlecks. They've spent the last few years each doing their own thing. And Simon has been injured so understandable not to consider him.

No first year pro has been selected by any team so far.

iainf72

One of the Yates would give OGE a good chance of yellow in the UK - Supported by Gerri, just to infuriate everyone.

I reckon they'll be more than tempted

frenchfighter

Well no, but it doesn't preclude it happening with Orica.

Matt White has told Cyclingnews that there will be a few surprises in Orica-GreenEdge’s nine-man roster for the Tour de France. The final selection has been made internally but a public announcement will be issued at the start of next week.
-Jun 29