Sky: mixed feelings

Lichtblick

I realise that what Dave Brailsford has achieved is marvellous (track as well as road), but

when you see the Sky Team like a squad of soldiers dominating again (this time it's the Dauphine), don't you sorta kinda think, (might as well say it) .... boring? And just long for an unexpected turn-around?

Like last year's Tour (boring) v. last year's Vuelta?

If I'm alone in this, ok. It's just a thought.

goonz

No not alone, Sky are just too efficient and well, boring imo too.

oneof1982

Not as boring as this thread is going to be..

Yaawwnnnn

wombly_knees

"If I'm alone in this, ok. It's just a thought."

Nope, Sky's domination in stage races is boring. Not necessarily the manner of their riding (though it's metronomic), just that any domination is a bit dull really.

And I don't dislike them, nor do I particularly like them.

TheBigBean

A bit of a can of worms you've just opened there. I find it dull when Man Utd win the league, but I'm fairly sure their fans don't. Exactly the same applies to Sky.

mike6

Quite agree. A well managed, well trained and coached squad, picking there target races and doing there best, supporting there team leader. Its almost cheating.
Imagine how much more boring it would be if all the Pro teams started doing this?

We all have opinions, but surely there are things wrong with cycling that are are more worthy of comment than another anti Sky rant?

nevman

Nothing stopping the other teams from being boring as well.Winning is a habit.Being the strongest team in depth helps as well.I think we should admire the GC squad for as long as it lasts.

ddraver

Rest assured if Sky hadnt done it today, Saxo-Tinkoff would have done, and if not then Movistar etc etc all the way down to Euskatel and FdJ.

It's how bike races are won, always has been, always will be (it's just now we get to see it)

Lichtblick

oneof1982 wrote:

Not as boring as this thread is going to be..

Yaawwnnnn

Why post that then? :shock:

tailwindhome

Sky's dominance is vastly overstated.

They've only won one GT in 10 attempts and have never won a classic.

Lichtblick

mike6 wrote:

Quite agree. A well managed, well trained and coached squad, picking there target races and doing there best, supporting there team leader. Its almost cheating.
Imagine how much more boring it would be if all the Pro teams started doing this?

picking their target races and doing their best, supporting their team leader.......

Their
There
They're
all sound the same but have different meanings.

We all have opinions, but surely there are things wrong with cycling that are are more worthy of comment than another anti Sky rant?

I have never posted an "anti-Sky rant" before, mike.

RichN95.

There are two parts to this. Firstly that they are boring for winning all the time. Well maybe. Domination tends to get a little dull. But you can't blame them for winning. The blame has to go to the other teams for not challenging them. Some do - Nibali, Quintana, Rodriquez and they have some success. But too many are riding for the points.

As to Sky's manner of winning - check your calenders - it's not 2012 anymore. Last year, sure, they used a dull defensive tactic design to neutralise the opposition and let Wiggins do his stuff in the TT.
But this year it's all change. They commit their resources earlier to burn off others' domestiques (and their own) to allow room for attacks.
As a result, on MTFs this season, Froome has won in Oman, Tirrano, Criterium International and now the Dauphine. Porte at Paris-Nice and Pais Vasco, Uran in the Giro, Henao in the Algarve, Siutsou in Trentino and Thomas Down Under.

If that is boring, what is entertaining?

Lichtblick

TailWindHome wrote:

Sky's dominance is vastly overstated.

They've only won one GT in 10 attempts and have never won a classic.

Didn't Wiggins win the Dauphine last year? And the Paris-Nice?

tailwindhome

Lichtblick wrote:

TailWindHome wrote:

Sky's dominance is vastly overstated.

They've only won one GT in 10 attempts and have never won a classic.

Didn't Wiggins win the Dauphine last year? And the Paris-Nice?

Two races which are neither Grand Tours nor classics.

Abdoujaparov

I quite enjoy watching people getting dropped - especially when the peloton is reduced to 15-odd riders with most of the climb to go. Boring is a big group reaching the flamme rouge together.

No_Ta_Doctor

Abdoujaparov wrote:

I quite enjoy watching people getting dropped - especially when the peloton is reduced to 15-odd riders with most of the climb to go. Boring is a big group reaching the flamme rouge together.

The whittling down process as the tempo slowly increases - who will break -who can hang in. I like that. It can be quite tense at times.

Abdoujaparov

No tA Doctor wrote:

Abdoujaparov wrote:

I quite enjoy watching people getting dropped - especially when the peloton is reduced to 15-odd riders with most of the climb to go. Boring is a big group reaching the flamme rouge together.

The whittling down process as the tempo slowly increases - who will break -who can hang in. I like that. It can be quite tense at times.

And how will they go? Fizzle or pop? Love it.

Anonymous

Froome attacked today, I assume the OP found the GIro boring, as once Nibali was in the pink they rode exactly as Sky have for two years.

Just because they have dominated a few races, doesn't mean they have complete domination.

Froome today basically waited for Steak boy to go today so he could pass him and show him who was the stronger rider, he could have went further out but needed the mental damage passing Steak boy would have for the tour next month.

above_the_cows

Abdoujaparov wrote:

No tA Doctor wrote:

Abdoujaparov wrote:

I quite enjoy watching people getting dropped - especially when the peloton is reduced to 15-odd riders with most of the climb to go. Boring is a big group reaching the flamme rouge together.

The whittling down process as the tempo slowly increases - who will break -who can hang in. I like that. It can be quite tense at times.

And how will they go? Fizzle or pop? Love it.

And how long is the camera going to linger on the poor sod - usually Ivan Basso of late - sliding out the back door?

So much sadistic fun to be had.

petemadoc

The Sky "train" is nothing new and it's not boring, it's just the best way to keep control of the race. If you're a GT contender then there's nothing stopping you from riding the train and jumping in the last few K

However, I'm finding it very difficult to support Froome, he's just so.... well annoying.

And who else is there to support at this years TDF? Contador, dirty but entertaining. I can't really get excited about the tour yet.

adr82

I don't see how you can blame Sky for doing something that is obviously working well for them. It's up to the other teams to find a way to beat them. Also, please remember success typically comes in cycles - look at Barcelona in football for example. They seemed to be near unbeatable for a few seasons and people were making similar complaints about their dominance and "passing teams into submission" and all that crap. Then this year they get taken apart 7-0 by Bayern in the Champions League. You can't sustain top level success year after year after year. Sky are no exception to this. Sooner or later they'll start dropping off from their current high standard, due to personnel changes if nothing else.

Lichtblick

TailWindHome wrote:

Lichtblick wrote:

TailWindHome wrote:

Sky's dominance is vastly overstated.

They've only won one GT in 10 attempts and have never won a classic.

Didn't Wiggins win the Dauphine last year? And the Paris-Nice?

Two races which are neither Grand Tours nor classics.

Thanks for that.
One week races don't count then.
OK.

hammerite

I'm like Abdou and ATC, I really like watching who is about to blow and wait for the rider to wave at the camera either with a look of "can't hack it no more, oh well", or "f*ck off' I'm dying on my backside"

It's a shame we have to be critical of a team that seem to have a winning formula (that plenty of others have used over the years), they've tweaked it this year and started winning stages as well as entire races.

I'm a West Ham supporter, over the years we've had lots of people say that they like the way we play. Not done us a lot of good though, rarely won anything!

RichN95.

hammerite wrote:

I'm a West Ham supporter, over the years we've had lots of people say that they like the way we play. Not done us a lot of good though, rarely won anything!

Like Sam Allardyce said: 'What's so great about the West Ham way, it keeps getting you relegated'

In sport you can worry about the manner of your winning only once you start winning.

hammerite

RichN95 wrote:

Like Sam Allardyce said: 'What's so great about the West Ham way, it keeps getting you relegated'

In sport you can worry about the manner of your winning only once you start winning.

Exactly.

IrishMac

Money ruins competition, i.e. Richie Porte could've left Sky and joined Orica-Greenedge and hey presto, we've another real GC contender and not end up the like last years tdf when Wiggins and arguably nibali were the only real GC contenders. An I know Froome was there, but he was never going to win it

thomthom

Last year was too much. It became boring. It was soooo defensive and conservative.

I don't get the critism this year, though. With the riders and money Sky have they have been quite dissapointing, really. I think Moviestar has been in front of a peloton more than Sky have this season.

RichN95.

ThomThom wrote:

Last year was too much. It became boring. It was soooo defensive and conservative.

I don't get the critism this year, though. With the riders and money Sky have they have been quite dissapointing, really. I think Moviestar has been in front of a peloton more than Sky have this season.

In stage races Sky have had better results than last year.

thomthom

Surely not in terms of winning them (without having checked the all results, admitted)

RichN95.

ThomThom wrote:

Surely not in terms of winning them (without having checked the all results, admitted)

Well here's an analysis of their results, this year and last. Make of it what you will. I'd say they are up on last year. Their improvements have been in big races, while the lesser results are outside WT. Stage wins are down, but that's expected due to Cav.

inseine

As far as the tour goes, we had 12 years of lance and Indurain, many if which were boring. Even if I thought they were a bit boring I'd accept it if its the price of a cleaner sport ( fingers crossed).