Inside Team Sky - David Walsh *Spoilers*

nic_77
nic_77 Posts: 929
edited December 2013 in Pro race
No doubt FF has finished reading this already... :) but I'll post a few snippets in case anyone else is interested.

Reflections so far - DW is doing his best to demonstrate some distance between him and DB. The book also certainly gives some interesting insight on day-to-day details in the team during a grand tour. I've already enjoyed the first four chapters enough to warrant recommending this book.

Best gossip so far involves the story that BW failed to pay CF his share of the 2012 TdF prize pot. (I understand that BW did eventually make good on this at the World Championships in 2013).

DW also reveals how DB had intended to handle the leadership situation between CF and BW at the 2013 Tour. He planned to get them together and ask BW if he was committed to helping CF. Assuming BW said yes, he would then suggest a clause which meant that BW would be fined several months wages (>100K) if he broke the deal. Assuming BW said yes again. CF would be told that he would get to keep that money in this event.

Effectively DB was settling for "goal harmony" if not "team harmony". DB is also quoted as saying that "Money is important to Chris, he makes that clear which I think is good", so maybe the plan would have worked.
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Comments

  • Yeah, it would have been a fair chunk of moolah
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,217
    Based on that arrangement maybe Brad was applying it retrospectively to Froome for the 2012 Tour hence no payment of his prize cut :wink:
  • Pross wrote:
    Based on that arrangement maybe Brad was applying it retrospectively to Froome for the 2012 Tour hence no payment of his prize cut :wink:


    :D
  • nic_77
    nic_77 Posts: 929
    [DB] "three or four months' wages"
    [DW] "worth maybe as much as a few hundred thousand"

    So not an accurate neans of calculating BW's salary... But even on 4M a year, take-home would be 160k a month so the max might be 640k....

    Anyway it never happened this was DB's proposed plan, but the Giro and injury took it out of his hands.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,137
    There's a mistake six words into chapter one, which isn't a good start.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • RichN95 wrote:
    There's a mistake six words into chapter one, which isn't a good start.


    What's a month between friends? He's also confused Conti with ProConti later on

    Should have given it to BR to proof-read it first
  • mm1
    mm1 Posts: 1,063
    No one has answered the critical question yet, are the folks over in the asylum go to wet themselves when they read it?
  • Crankbrother
    Crankbrother Posts: 1,695
    edited November 2013
    [Mod Edited]if he needs to be financially penalised to carry out his job, especially when the teammate in question did the same job in reverse the year previous ...

    Brailsford made the mistake of giving him the pay increase after the TdF win ... If he was refusing to play ball, put him out to pasture and tell him to ride more Olympic events ... If he thinks about refusing he tarnishes his own reputation via his own ego, so be it ...

    At least Jim fixed it for a few folks ...
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 18,878
    mm1 wrote:
    No one has answered the critical question yet, are the folks over in the asylum go to wet themselves when they read it?


    The asylum is an extraordinary forum.

    Some very special posters there.
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,137
    mm1 wrote:
    No one has answered the critical question yet, are the folks over in the asylum go to wet themselves when they read it?
    They don't need to read it to wet themselves. They are already outraged about everything they haven't actually read. But hope is at hand - they are holding out for some genuine truth from the Kimmage film (seemingly ignoring that he rarely turned up and the articles he wrote were insipid).
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • nic_77
    nic_77 Posts: 929
    [Mod Edited] if he needs to be financially penalised to carry out his job, especially when the teammate in question did the same job in reverse the year previous...

    I think the point is that the teammate didn't exactly do his job previously. Or if he did it was whilst flicking the V's at his line manager.

    Of course two wrongs don't make a right (as I'm tired of telling my two toddlers).
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,137
    nic_77 wrote:

    I think the point is that the teammate didn't exactly do his job previously. Or if he did it was whilst ******* the V's at his line manager.

    Of course two wrongs don't make a right (as I'm tired of telling my two toddlers).
    Having read that section of the book, Walsh says that some team members who like Wiggins said he was wrong. And he is. I don't think you can defend it.

    However, the strange thing is that I thought the distribution of wealth these days was contracted.

    As for your toddlers - you need to pitch them against each other. Put their fights on YouTube if necessary. I'll have a fiver on the smaller one.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • nic_77
    nic_77 Posts: 929
    The mention of my children was deliberately metaphorical with respect to BW and CF.
    The trouble is one minor provocation will often elicit a heavy-handed retaliation (which incurs greater parental condemnation).
    RichN95 wrote:
    As for your toddlers - you need to pitch them against each other... I'll have a fiver on the smaller one.
    No bookie would take that bet - she's handy.
  • Macaloon
    Macaloon Posts: 5,545
    RichN95 wrote:
    As for your toddlers - you need to pitch them against each other. Put their fights on YouTube if necessary. I'll have a fiver on the smaller one.

    All of the Apollo astronauts were first born: learned obedience to parents overcoming their curiosity to find out what that button does. There's never been a conservative revolutionary who was a second born (of two). That said, birth-order effects may be less prevalent amongst elite athletes.
    ...a rare 100% loyal Pro Race poster. A poster boy for the community.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,137
    Macaloon wrote:
    All of the Apollo astronauts were first born: learned obedience to parents overcoming their curiosity to find out what that button does.
    Not actually true though. For example Buzz Aldrin had two elder sisters (maybe he still does). And besides, they knew exactly what all the buttons did.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • Macaloon
    Macaloon Posts: 5,545
    RichN95 wrote:
    Macaloon wrote:
    All of the Apollo astronauts were first born: learned obedience to parents overcoming their curiosity to find out what that button does.
    Not actually true though. For example Buzz Aldrin had two elder sisters (maybe he still does). And besides, they knew exactly what all the buttons did.
    The effects are optional with more than one sibling :) Pretty sure it came from the extreme psychological tests NASA put Gemini and Apollo astronauts through and then 'social scientists' started looking for other examples.
    ...a rare 100% loyal Pro Race poster. A poster boy for the community.
  • rayjay
    rayjay Posts: 1,384
    Wasn't Lance Armstrong the first man on the moon ? :lol:
    Some school kid actually answered with Lance on a test paper.
    We all know it was his dad Neil :lol::lol::lol:
  • Macaloon
    Macaloon Posts: 5,545
    rayjay wrote:
    Wasn't Lance Armstrong the first man on the moon ? :lol:
    Some school kid actually answered with Lance on a test paper.
    We all know it was his dad Neil :lol::lol::lol:
    Three of the biggest balls in history.
    ...a rare 100% loyal Pro Race poster. A poster boy for the community.
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 18,878
    edited November 2013
    I would have assumed that prize money would have been paid to the team rather than to the individual riders.

    Does Walsh reveal how Wiggins actually split the money - there's a big difference between Wiggins splitting the money 7 ways (rather than 8 ) and Wiggins retaining Froome's share (which wouldn't be unreasonable if the latter held on to his 2nd place money and stage wins)

    To me the whole incident says more about Brailsford than Wiggins....
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • Macaloon
    Macaloon Posts: 5,545
    ^Correct. Nursing brittle Wiggins to first Brit winner of the Tour was miraculous.
    ...a rare 100% loyal Pro Race poster. A poster boy for the community.
  • Wiggins got 650,000 for winning the tour
    Froome 200,000 for finishing second

    So if Brad splits it 9 ways, Froome ends up with 272,222 compared to Brads 72,222 doesn't seem right to me.

    Maybe he split the money between the 8 others so that they all get 81,250 bar Froome who trousers 200,000. That seems more fair no?
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,137
    rayjay wrote:
    Wasn't Lance Armstrong the first man on the moon ? :lol:
    Some school kid actually answered with Lance on a test paper.
    It wasn't a school kid. It was a woman on a TV show. Watch from 0:50 in this clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Iy0R0bIZ68
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,137
    antsmithmk wrote:
    Wiggins got 650,000 for winning the tour
    Froome 200,000 for finishing second

    So if Brad splits it 9 ways, Froome ends up with 272,222 compared to Brads 72,222 doesn't seem right to me.

    Maybe he split the money between the 8 others so that they all get 81,250 bar Froome who trousers 200,000. That seems more fair no?
    All prizes get split between the team - not just the winner's. No Froome splits his too - as does Cavendish for his stage wins.

    At least that's how it's meant to work.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • mike6
    mike6 Posts: 1,199
    RichN95 wrote:
    antsmithmk wrote:
    Wiggins got 650,000 for winning the tour
    Froome 200,000 for finishing second

    So if Brad splits it 9 ways, Froome ends up with 272,222 compared to Brads 72,222 doesn't seem right to me.

    Maybe he split the money between the 8 others so that they all get 81,250 bar Froome who trousers 200,000. That seems more fair no?
    All prizes get split between the team - not just the winner's. No Froome splits his too - as does Cavendish for his stage wins.

    At least that's how it's meant to work.

    That's been my understanding. The winner splits his prize money between the team, as the victor usually gains a lot more from sponsorship/promo and a bigger retainer. Its been like that since at least the Merckx era.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,137
    mike6 wrote:
    Its been like that since at least the Merckx era.
    Louison Bobet was the first to do it in 1953. It was national teams back then and riders often rode to their own agendas, so it was his way of getting them to ride for him.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • rayjay
    rayjay Posts: 1,384
    lets talk about how David Walsh only got to see what DB wanted him to see.
    It's sugar coated nonsense with a few token gestures thrown in. "Where's the pooh"

    Someone also said that Buzz Lightyear was the 2nd man on the moon. :lol:
  • rayjay wrote:
    lets talk about how David Walsh only got to see what DB wanted him to see.
    It's sugar coated nonsense with a few token gestures thrown in. "Where's the pooh"

    Doesn't matter if you are looking for Walsh pooh, or Sky pooh, this convenience for the public is filled with it:

    http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showthread ... ost1370189

    Get yer waders on.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • nic_77
    nic_77 Posts: 929
    rayjay wrote:
    lets talk about how David Walsh only got to see what DB wanted him to see.
    It's sugar coated nonsense with a few token gestures thrown in. "Where's the pooh"
    How far through the book have you got? DW makes it pretty clear he had unlimited access.
  • mike6
    mike6 Posts: 1,199
    nic_77 wrote:
    rayjay wrote:
    lets talk about how David Walsh only got to see what DB wanted him to see.
    It's sugar coated nonsense with a few token gestures thrown in. "Where's the pooh"
    How far through the book have you got? DW makes it pretty clear he had unlimited access.

    Makes no difference Nic, people that have an anti Sky agenda only want there prejudice confirming, they are not interested in hearing what an un biased report or story has to say. :roll:
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    mike6 wrote:

    That's been my understanding. The winner splits his prize money between the team, as the victor usually gains a lot more from sponsorship/promo and a bigger retainer. Its been like that since at least the Merckx era.

    Agreed. That's why I usually end up rolling my eyes when people talk about "prize money" when talking big races.

    There is of course a pay day for winning, but that pay day isn't provided by prize money.

    Didn't Savoldelli complain he didn't get his share of the winnings at the 2005 TdF?
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
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