Sky and David Walsh

LeicesterLad
LeicesterLad Posts: 3,908
edited February 2013 in Pro race
55mDavid Walsh‏@DavidWalshST

I spoke to all the management, and Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome. Every one very welcoming. So far! Written piece for tomorrow's ST.


58mDavid Walsh‏@DavidWalshST

First impressions are that this is a supremely well organised team. It will take more time to be definitive on other questions.

1hDavid Walsh‏@DavidWalshST

It was an enjoyable first experience and I'm looking forward to going back.


1hDavid Walsh‏@DavidWalshST

A week ago I joined up with team on training camp in Majorca. Spent five days living with the team. It was the first of many visits I hope.

1hDavid Walsh‏@DavidWalshST

I asked why he was offering this? "Because we don't have anything to hide, and I'd like you to see that. We want to lead this sport."


1hDavid Walsh‏@DavidWalshST

I asked how much access I'd get? "Total access," he said, "speak to whoever you want, races or training camps for as long as you want."


2hDavid Walsh‏@DavidWalshST

Three months ago Dave Brailsford made an offer I couldn't refuse. "Come and live inside Team Sky anytime you like, for as long as you like."
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Comments

  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 18,879
    FestinaGirl tweeting that they can't claim to be transparent until they give Kimmage the same access.

    Gobshite.
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • FestinaGirl tweeting that they can't claim to be transparent until they give Kimmage the same access.

    Gobshite.

    For once I agree. Twitter kicking up a right sh*t storm about this but I'm not sure why!?

    Some people just can't be satisfied.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,137
    FestinaGirl tweeting that they can't claim to be transparent until they give Kimmage the same access.

    Gobshite.
    Kimmage just copies Walsh's work anyway. No point doubling up.

    Ever since Kimmage has been unemployed he's been smearing Sky (particularly Wiggins) and then goading them into giving him an interview. It's basically blackmail.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • ^wot Rich says.

    Kimmage has seen Walsh feted and lauded as an investigative journalist who stuck at the story for 13 years, and hopes that Wiggo is his Armstrong and Sky his USPS so that he can have some of the same as his best buddy Walsh.

    The lastest Rouleur has an interview between Kimmage and Herbie Sykes, and its a 100% word for word transcript of their interview so no possibility of journalistic interpretation or slant by Sykes. Jeez, Kimmage just comes across as this mad shouty person, all over the place.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,137
    The lastest Rouleur has an interview between Kimmage and Herbie Sykes, and its a 100% word for word transcript of their interview so no possibility of journalistic interpretation or slant by Sykes. Jeez, Kimmage just comes across as this mad shouty person, all over the place.
    That almost makes me want to buy Rouleur (it's about £100 a copy, right?). I like Herbie Sykes, he's a good writer even if he is stuck in 1950s Italy.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • RichN95 wrote:
    The lastest Rouleur has an interview between Kimmage and Herbie Sykes, and its a 100% word for word transcript of their interview so no possibility of journalistic interpretation or slant by Sykes. Jeez, Kimmage just comes across as this mad shouty person, all over the place.
    That almost makes me want to buy Rouleur (it's about £100 a copy, right?). I like Herbie Sykes, he's a good writer even if he is stuck in 1950s Italy.


    Break open your wallet and buy it. Its a seriously good piece of journalism by Sykes (who seems to be branching out these days - he also wrote a great article for Procycling about the Spanish attitude to doping).

    Every other journalist who's interviewed Kimmage has been sycophantic in the extreme - I say interview, the results have been more a pamphlet of the thoughts of Kimmage by Kimmage. Sykes has really taken it to him, and in doing so and through his own words Kimmage has shown himself to be verging on a little bit crazy bonkers.
  • r0bh
    r0bh Posts: 2,163
    "Festinagirl" is just the biggest hypocrite. Feting Walsh until he writes something positive about Sky then deciding he isn't good enough and only Kimmage can be trusted. FFS.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,137
    quote]
    Every other journalist who's interviewed Kimmage has been sycophantic in the extreme - I say interview, the results have been more a pamphlet of the thoughts of Kimmage by Kimmage. Sykes has really taken it to him, and in doing so and through his own words Kimmage has shown himself to be verging on a little bit crazy bonkers.
    It's Armstrong in reverse. Kimmage smears those that slight him and the media fete him as a great champion (of anti-doping), any dissent is attacked by 'fanboys'. And behind it there's a fanatical driven personality.

    Who was it that said that slowly we become the things we hate?*


    (*For example, IainF72 is now 27% velodrome, 15% HTC phone)
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • ocdupalais
    ocdupalais Posts: 4,224
    RichN95 wrote:
    quote]
    Every other journalist who's interviewed Kimmage has been sycophantic in the extreme - I say interview, the results have been more a pamphlet of the thoughts of Kimmage by Kimmage. Sykes has really taken it to him, and in doing so and through his own words Kimmage has shown himself to be verging on a little bit crazy bonkers.
    It's Armstrong in reverse. Kimmage smears those that slight him and the media fete him as a great champion (of anti-doping), any dissent is attacked by 'fanboys'. And behind it there's a fanatical driven personality.

    Who was it that said that slowly we become the things we hate?*


    (*For example, IainF72 is now 27% velodrome, 15% HTC phone
    )...

    ...and 58% bicycle?
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    The biggest problem with this is that in the grand scheme of things, Sky and Walsh have the same employers. If Walsh was writing it up about a cycling team and a governing body having a link like that he'd be frothing about the conflict of interest etc etc.

    As long as he asks why when the team first started they were anything but transparent and did they think black listing people was a good idea.
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • What would you expect from someone with a twittername like Festinagirl. Glad I'm not a tweeterer. I feel sorry for Kimmage, getting banned from BR as Biking Bernie hit him hard.
    @JaunePeril

    Winner of the Bike Radar Pro Race Wiggins Hour Prediction Competition
  • dabber
    dabber Posts: 1,924
    Excuse my ignorance but I don't do Twitter, Facebook etc but who is festinagirl? Why do her/his/whatever have any relevance and why do they keep getting quoted as some sort of significant opinion?
    “You may think that; I couldn’t possibly comment!”

    Wilier Cento Uno SR/Wilier Mortirolo/Specialized Roubaix Comp/Kona Hei Hei/Calibre Bossnut
  • iainf72 wrote:
    The biggest problem with this is that in the grand scheme of things, Sky and Walsh have the same employers. If Walsh was writing it up about a cycling team and a governing body having a link like that he'd be frothing about the conflict of interest etc etc.

    As long as he asks why when the team first started they were anything but transparent and did they think black listing people was a good idea.


    No doubt he'll be going into it again, but when Walsh interviewed DB 3 months ago he grilled him on Leinders and on the hardening of the zero tolerance to let go of De Jongh, Julich etc - most of the resulting article published, focused on these points.

    Re him writing for the STimes, its an interesting point. What I have found is that that by far the toughest questioning of Sky and Brailsford across all of the British papers has come from the Times with Jeremy Whittle, and even Owen Slot, and then the Sunday Times with Walsh.

    It might be worth looking at it another way: Walsh's reputation is at an incredible high right now, he can basically write his own ticket anywhere. If Sky are up to something, and he misses it, he's now got an incredibly high position to fall from - that's a long way down. He's put himself out there now as the ultimate detector of lies and bullsh*t.
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,348
    I love it when the Twiiter Taliban get in a tizzy....
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • ddraver wrote:
    I love it when the Twiiter Taliban get in a tizzy....


    Are you baiting them again?
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,348
    Not this time, They don't need me to look stupid at the moment! ;)

    Feeling rather spritely today as it happens :D
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • ddraver wrote:
    Not this time, They don't need me to look stupid at the moment! ;)

    Feeling rather spritely today as it happens :D


    Me too. Great CX watching yday, Qatar and Mallorca both start today. Good times!
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,348
    hmmm, It's childish but it's more the England Won, Wales lost sort of spritely....

    Childish, I know, but meh!
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • mooro
    mooro Posts: 477
    Quick question before i brave the rain this morning.... has anyone got a link to the article walsh has written today? times is paywalled but usually see it referenced in other parts of the press which i cant seem to find this morning
  • Mooro wrote:
    Quick question before i brave the rain this morning.... has anyone got a link to the article walsh has written today? times is paywalled but usually see it referenced in other parts of the press which i cant seem to find this morning


    Dont think so. Time to brave the elements...
  • Mooro wrote:
    Quick question before i brave the rain this morning.... has anyone got a link to the article walsh has written today? times is paywalled but usually see it referenced in other parts of the press which i cant seem to find this morning


    Dont think so. Time to brave the elements...
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,348
    Hmm, I'd probably stump up 4 squids for a week to read it, but not if I have to buy in to 12 months of it...!
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • dougzz
    dougzz Posts: 1,833
    Dabber wrote:
    Excuse my ignorance but I don't do Twitter, Facebook etc but who is festinagirl? Why do her/his/whatever have any relevance and why do they keep getting quoted as some sort of significant opinion?
    An excellent question. I followed her because at one time she seemed to be mentioned on these forums quite positively. I found her tweets completely pointless and just ceased the follow. I'm never quite sure how she got the notoriety in the first place.
  • ratsbeyfus
    ratsbeyfus Posts: 2,841
    dougzz wrote:
    Dabber wrote:
    Excuse my ignorance but I don't do Twitter, Facebook etc but who is festinagirl? Why do her/his/whatever have any relevance and why do they keep getting quoted as some sort of significant opinion?
    An excellent question. I followed her because at one time she seemed to be mentioned on these forums quite positively. I found her tweets completely pointless and just ceased the follow. I'm never quite sure how she got the notoriety in the first place.

    I think it's coz she's a girl, and, by retweeting her, her followers think they have a slightly better chance of actually having sex. Might add 'girl' to my twitter-name in a desperate attempt to get more followers...


    I had one of them red bikes but I don't any more. Sad face.

    @ratsbey
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,137
    Main points from Walsh's article:

    Joe Dombrowski is frightened of needles - he has to lie down for blood tests in case he faints.

    When Dombrowski turned up to his first team meeting he had a Livestrong wristband on. Wiggins said "You can start by taking that ******* thing off"

    Brailsford says they were too defensive regarding doping questions in the summer - hence the offer to Walsh

    Kerrison says he finds it harder to train the guys who don't speak much English

    Kerrison admits to getting demoralised by a google search suggesting the word doping next to his name.

    In the first year they planned strategy for the Giro four days before the race, last year four weeks before, this year four months before.

    Ellingworth says EBH doesn't win enough and Kennaugh needs to turn potential into reults.

    Josh Edmondson doesn't answer his phone.

    Walsh will return.

    Edit: It seems to be online: http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/spo ... ea10f8b076
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    edited February 2013
    Perhaps to add a little to Rich's summary:

    Walsh: 'Last season when you were winning so much, the team reacted defensively when asked doping-related questions. You didnt seem to want to discuss it. That fuelled suspicion.'

    DB: 'We were too defensive...I see that now and we're going to try to change that. How would you like to come and live with the team?...You join the team any time you like, for as long as you like. You live in the hotel, eat with us, attend our meetings. Everything. Access to all areas and that doesnt mean you see what we want to show you. You want to go to a doctor's bedroom and see what he is carrying with him, you knock on the door. He wont have a problem.'

    Walsh: The riders?

    DB: You speak to who you want, when you want, but try not to p*** them off. Thats my only issue. Link up with the team any time you like; when we're on a training camp, when we're at a race, we'll find a room. If we're short of a room, our doctor says you can share with him, and we will carry on doing exactly what we'd normally do. Who you talk to, that's entirely up to you.'

    Walsh: 'Why are you offering this?

    DB: Because we dont have anything to hide and we want people to see that'
  • ratsbeyfus
    ratsbeyfus Posts: 2,841
    DB: You speak to who you want, when you want, but try not to p*** them off. Thats my only issue.

    Which succinctly explains why Kimmage would never get the job.


    I had one of them red bikes but I don't any more. Sad face.

    @ratsbey
  • absolutement
  • Jez mon
    Jez mon Posts: 3,809
    ratsbeyfus wrote:
    dougzz wrote:
    Dabber wrote:
    Excuse my ignorance but I don't do Twitter, Facebook etc but who is festinagirl? Why do her/his/whatever have any relevance and why do they keep getting quoted as some sort of significant opinion?
    An excellent question. I followed her because at one time she seemed to be mentioned on these forums quite positively. I found her tweets completely pointless and just ceased the follow. I'm never quite sure how she got the notoriety in the first place.

    I think it's coz she's a girl, and, by retweeting her, her followers think they have a slightly better chance of actually having sex. Might add 'girl' to my twitter-name in a desperate attempt to get more followers...

    I think she got retweeted and replied to by a number of key figures in the sport (thinking Vaughters here) and gained some notoriety that way. Plus a lot of people don't bother to unfollow, which is something I was guilty of.

    As to team sky, it's great that they are I finally offering the openness they said they would when they first started. They are never going to please everyone but they seem to be doing the right thing, gradually.
    You live and learn. At any rate, you live
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,348
    They re are never going to please some people until they are found to have doped themselves to hell and back....
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver