SKY want all three GTs
I riased this question a while back when Uran, Froome and Porte looked capable of each winning one ( I was pretty much shot down, and of course they are not really near to doing it even now).
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/team-sky-could-target-grand-tour-triple-in-2016/
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/team-sky-could-target-grand-tour-triple-in-2016/
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Most of the big teams who have several GT contenders presumably enter every GT with the intention of doing as well as they possibly can in it and a vague hope of winning it. It may be that come the Vuelta when it's their 3rd or 4th best GT rider with a weakened squad their plan is to stay as high as possible on GC and hope for a stroke of luck or some of the favourites to lose the race.
I suppose what I'm trying to say is if you look at Sky, Astana, Tinkoff-Saxo, BMC, Movistar or Katusha can you really point to that many GTs over the last couple of years that they started without having some hope of winning it (even if that hope did rely on the under performance of other contenders).0 -
It's hardly an unusual ambition for a big team. In fact it should be standard (if very difficult to actually achieve). Movistar, Astana and Tinkoff all had riders in the top five in all three GTs this year. Sky only managed 1st, 6th & 8th but their leader crashed out in two of those.Twitter: @RichN950
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Well, I very much doubt it will happen
And I hope it doesnt0 -
Can't see it myself. Unless they 100% sacrifice every other race to protect the domestiques.[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19714149#p19714149]Richmond Racer 2[/url] wrote:Well, I very much doubt it will happen
And I hope it doesnt0 -
Can't see it myself. Unless they 100% sacrifice every other race to protect the domestiques.[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19714149#p19714149]Richmond Racer 2[/url] wrote:Well, I very much doubt it will happen
And I hope it doesnt
Its just Brailsford being Brailsford0 -
[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19714160#p19714160]Richmond Racer 2[/url] wrote:
Can't see it myself. Unless they 100% sacrifice every other race to protect the domestiques.[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19714149#p19714149]Richmond Racer 2[/url] wrote:Well, I very much doubt it will happen
And I hope it doesnt
Its just Brailsford being Brailsford
And the english speaking media leaping at his every word...0 -
When sportspeople and teams start to talk about grandslams, clean sweeps, trebles, doubles and unbeaten runs, that's when the wheels tend to come off......“New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!0
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When sportspeople and teams start to talk about grandslams, clean sweeps, trebles, doubles and unbeaten runs, that's when the wheels tend to come off......
Still, it is better when they are talking about grand slams in the context of winning a set of events. I had hoped that Serena would complete the Grand Slam this year by winning all four "Grand Slams" and thus the media would twist itself in knots trying to work out how to report it.0 -
Well if Landa has the same form as last year then he is capable of winning the Giro.
Froome is capable of winning the Tour, although there's Quintana to consider for sure.
Not sure they could do all 3 though.0 -
Even just in those two cases they then need to field two strong GT teams made up of riders with enough form to do the job required of them in each GT. It's not just down to having 3 riders capable of winning a GT. I suppose the best strategy is to have 1 rider target the tour and another target the Giro/Vuelta double and then have a core team of domestiques who would do the same thing. Doesn't leave many riders left over to have a proper tilt at the classics though, especially as they're saying they'd like to win a monument.Well if Landa has the same form as last year then he is capable of winning the Giro.
Froome is capable of winning the Tour, although there's Quintana to consider for sure.
Not sure they could do all 3 though.0 -
Even just in those two cases they then need to field two strong GT teams made up of riders with enough form to do the job required of them in each GT. It's not just down to having 3 riders capable of winning a GT. I suppose the best strategy is to have 1 rider target the tour and another target the Giro/Vuelta double and then have a core team of domestiques who would do the same thing. Doesn't leave many riders left over to have a proper tilt at the classics though, especially as they're saying they'd like to win a monument.Well if Landa has the same form as last year then he is capable of winning the Giro.
Froome is capable of winning the Tour, although there's Quintana to consider for sure.
Not sure they could do all 3 though.
Just use the GT team to win at Lombardy... monument win done.
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I think winning all three will be too much for them, and in a way I hope it is. If they did win all three I think it would be detrimental to the sport as fans would be fed up with the same team winning.
I think Froome may well end up winning the Tour again, & if Landa carries the same form as this season he could take the Giro or Vuelta.
However, both will rely on the strength of the team & as contador & tinkoff found out, a GT takes so much out of the team, success in more than one is very very hard.
This said, if any team has the resources to claim all 3 it is Sky.0 -
there's enough TTing in the 2016 Giro for Geraint to be a good shout
Landa could be saved for the Vuelta"I get paid to make other people suffer on my wheel, how good is that"
--Jens Voight0 -
Can't help feeling that a lot of the snark from this announcement would be equally vehement, and funnily enough, from the same people if they'd said "we want to win the Tour and the Giro, but the Vuelta, meh who cares, we re not bothering with a winning team for that" - which is the alternative...We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
- @ddraver0 -
Can't help feeling that a lot of the snark from this announcement would be equally vehement, and funnily enough, from the same people if they'd said "we want to win the Tour and the Giro, but the Vuelta, meh who cares, we re not bothering with a winning team for that" - which is the alternative...
No snark from me. Its quite simple: I dont want to see ANY single team dominating all 3 GTs. One of the reasons I love cycling over any other sport is for its variety of winners. I have no longing for that to change.0 -
That's fair enough, but we want them to win because they re the best, not because the other team has won their turn and CBA this time...?
I want to see variety
I dont want to see complete domination by any single team
And you know what? If that happened I would start to struggle with belief
I cant summarise it any better than that0 -
Spain often seems to have an "unexpected" winner.
It's a lofty ambition = shoot for the moon and see what you hit.
1/3 is a pretty bloody good season though.
3/3 is probably suspiciously good.0 -
But what is dominance? I wouldn't consider one season of a team winning all GTs dominance - I would see it as momentary greatness. If it continues, it is dominance. I think great seasons should be celebrated and are great for any sport.[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19719188#p19719188]Richmond Racer 2[/url] wrote:That's fair enough, but we want them to win because they re the best, not because the other team has won their turn and CBA this time...?
I want to see variety
I dont want to see complete domination by any single team
And you know what? If that happened I would start to struggle with belief
I cant summarise it any better than that
For example, in 2004 Arsenal won the League without losing a game. They are rightly lauded as 'The Invincibles'. If they'd continued that it would have grated, but in reality they haven't won the league since.
It's dominance over several seasons that irks. Making the exceptional look mundane and predictable.
That's why Gilbert in 2011 and Wiggins in 2012 (which I'm guessing you didn't object to) are not the same as Indurain 91-95 and Armstrong 99-05.
(Of course, if you're on the inside of a sport rather than a fan then repeated dominance is the ultimate goal and the true mark of greatness)Twitter: @RichN950 -
This isn't something where there is a 'right' or 'wrong' answer, Rich, but personal preference and attitude.
And my personal preference is not to see one team win all 3 GTs in the same season
finis0 -
I know there's no right or wrong opinions. But in this sport we celebrate Giro-Tour doubles, RVV-Roubaix doubles etc.[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19719984#p19719984]Richmond Racer 2[/url] wrote:This isn't something where there is a 'right' or 'wrong' answer, Rich, but personal preference and attitude.
And my personal preference is not to see one team win all 3 GTs in the same season
finis
Now this year, as I have mentioned, three teams had riders in the top five (and therefore in contention) for all three GTs. I think a one off achievement would be great (if done right).
Of course, we are genuinely in an age of Cyclisme a Deux Vitesse - defined by money, not drugs. But with no centralised funding mechanism this will continue - much to the chagrin of Marc Madiot (who, for the benefit of the Cycling Podcast, is the Jeremy Corbyn of cycling)Twitter: @RichN950
