Team Sky - a success?

secretsam
secretsam Posts: 5,098
edited June 2016 in Pro race
Now, I'm going to be honest: I'm new to the whole "interested in pro cycling" thing

But as I've been watching the Giro, a thought has occurred: given the level of funding Sky has had, compared to other teams, has the return on investment justified the level of money poured into it? (admittedly, 3 TdF isn't bad!)

Another thing: where the hell is the Sky ladies' team?????

It's just a hill. Get over it.
«134

Comments

  • mrb123
    mrb123 Posts: 4,581
    The Tour de France is probably worth more to team sponsors in terms of exposure and publicity than all of the other races in the calendar put together.

    Winning the tour was effectively Sky's raison d'etre when they were set up. Having won 3 out of the last 4 I think it's safe to conclude that Team Sky has been a resounding success. It's only now that they're seriously looking at becoming a more complete team to compete in the classics and all 3 Grand Tours.
  • topper_harley
    topper_harley Posts: 597
    Sky funding? BMC and Katusha have bigger budgets than sky yet no one questions their success and compared to sky its is nowhere
  • The_Boy
    The_Boy Posts: 3,099
    Sky funding? BMC and Katusha have bigger budgets than sky yet no one questions their success and compared to sky its is nowhere

    I do.
    Team My Man 2018: David gaudu, Pierre Latour, Romain Bardet, Thibaut pinot, Alexandre Geniez, Florian Senechal, Warren Barguil, Benoit Cosnefroy
  • napoleond
    napoleond Posts: 5,992
    Sky (the company) would measure success not by wins but by market penetration in Europe. It apparently has not provided the return they wanted.
    Segafredo on the other hand have stated that this year has been amazing for them, the returns are better than they could've imagined.

    Sky the team however? Incredibly successful.
    Insta: ATEnduranceCoaching
    ABCC Cycling Coach
  • durhamwasp
    durhamwasp Posts: 1,247
    3 Tour de France victories, all with Brits. Yes, a success.
    http://www.snookcycling.wordpress.com - Reports on Cingles du Mont Ventoux, Alpe D'Huez, Galibier, Izoard, Tourmalet, Paris-Roubaix Sportive & Tour of Flanders Sportive, Amstel Gold Xperience, Vosges, C2C, WOTR routes....
  • joelsim
    joelsim Posts: 7,552
    I read that The Tour accounted for 64% of total cycling media value. That leaves 36% for all the other races combined.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,137
    Joelsim wrote:
    I read that The Tour accounted for 64% of total cycling media value. That leaves 36% for all the other races combined.
    I've seen estimates over 80%.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • AJBall
    AJBall Posts: 4
    so SecretSam, i hope your knowledge has grown exponentially from these responses.

    Sky are successful, but you cannot compare Pro Cycling to any other team sport, success comes in many many forms not all are obvious like jersey wearing, but provide the interest, the intrigue and the beauty of racing at this level.
  • gsk82
    gsk82 Posts: 3,439
    From reading the above you'd think they'd never for anything away from the tour. They've had multiple podiums in the other grand tours and won just about every other serious stage race. They've also been visible in the cobbled classics, winning a number of the smaller ones and they even won a monument the other week.

    A roaring success, I don't see that there's much to debate.
    "Unfortunately these days a lot of people don’t understand the real quality of a bike" Ernesto Colnago
  • secretsam
    secretsam Posts: 5,098
    Well, that's me told!

    So me thinking that Sky winning the TdF was like winning the champions league, whilst winning nothing else

    Would you judge their Giro a success?

    It's just a hill. Get over it.
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    SecretSam wrote:

    Would you judge their Giro a success?

    Lost their leader, took a stage and won the best climber jersey.

    Certainly a success.
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • joelsim
    joelsim Posts: 7,552
    SecretSam wrote:
    Well, that's me told!

    So me thinking that Sky winning the TdF was like winning the champions league, whilst winning nothing else

    Would you judge their Giro a success?

    When you say whilst winning nothing else...

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Team_Sky_wins

    So far in 2016 they have won Cadel Evans GORR, Herald Sun Tour, Valenciana, Algarve, E3, Paris-Nice, Trentino, Liege...

    And they still have Froome to start racing properly.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,213
    Everyone laughed at the original 'British Tour winner in 5 years' aim they set and they achieved it in 3 then managed it with a second British rider for good measure. They've taken all the major one week races I think as well as Giro and Vuelta podiums although they have tended to have misfortune with their main Giro man most years. Chuck in a Monument and several Classics / Semi Classics and I'd say they'd been a success. I think people forget how well they've done in one day races because they've never quite done it in the Monuments before this season and they' are seen as a stage race team. I've been impressed by how they've managed a plan B in the years where their Giro has hit problems and they've done it again this year.
  • effillo
    effillo Posts: 257
    I think you also need to look outside of the actual race results and look at how cycling has grown in Britain since they were formed. I know a lot of it was off the back of the olympics but Brads success at the tour and then a continued interest with a British world tour team certainly was the way in for a lot of British fans.
  • ben@31
    ben@31 Posts: 2,327
    Team Sky - a success?

    Has anyone else noticed the irony that we've constantly mentioned their sponsors name. From a sponsorship point of view, that publicity is a success.
    "The Prince of Wales is now the King of France" - Calton Kirby
  • Matthewfalle
    Matthewfalle Posts: 17,380
    durhamwasp wrote:
    3 Tour de France victories, all with a Belgian and a Kenyan Yes, a success.


    There - fixed that for you. A pleasure any time.
    Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am

    De Sisti wrote:
    This is one of the silliest threads I've come across. :lol:

    Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honour :D
    smithy21 wrote:

    He's right you know.
  • joelsim
    joelsim Posts: 7,552
    durhamwasp wrote:
    3 Tour de France victories, all with a Belgian and a Kenyan Yes, a success.


    There - fixed that for you. A pleasure any time.

    So Wiggo is Belgian despite spending 35 of his 36 years in England and having an English mum?
  • The_Boy
    The_Boy Posts: 3,099
    Joelsim wrote:
    durhamwasp wrote:
    3 Tour de France victories, all with a Belgian and a Kenyan Yes, a success.


    There - fixed that for you. A pleasure any time.

    So Wiggo is Belgian despite spending 35 of his 36 years in England and having an English mum?

    Of course he is. It's the way these threads go every time. In the same way as the nuances of dual citizenship are thrown out of the window for the purposes of bizarre point scoring and lols.
    Team My Man 2018: David gaudu, Pierre Latour, Romain Bardet, Thibaut pinot, Alexandre Geniez, Florian Senechal, Warren Barguil, Benoit Cosnefroy
  • Matthewfalle
    Matthewfalle Posts: 17,380
    Joelsim wrote:
    durhamwasp wrote:
    3 Tour de France victories, all with a Belgian and a Kenyan Yes, a success.


    There - fixed that for you. A pleasure any time.

    So Wiggo is Belgian despite spending 35 of his 36 years in England and having an English mum?


    Yes. He was born there - therefore Belgian. and as he has an Aussie father, that diminishes percentages of perceived Britishness even more.
    Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am

    De Sisti wrote:
    This is one of the silliest threads I've come across. :lol:

    Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honour :D
    smithy21 wrote:

    He's right you know.
  • joelsim
    joelsim Posts: 7,552
    Joelsim wrote:
    durhamwasp wrote:
    3 Tour de France victories, all with a Belgian and a Kenyan Yes, a success.


    There - fixed that for you. A pleasure any time.

    So Wiggo is Belgian despite spending 35 of his 36 years in England and having an English mum?


    Yes. He was born there - therefore Belgian. and as he has an Aussie father, that diminishes percentages of perceived Britishness even more.

    So Brooklyn Beckham is American then as the seed was sown under the bridge after a kebab?
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,196
    With Froome I can see the argument but with Wiggins it's just dumb.
  • Matthewfalle
    Matthewfalle Posts: 17,380
    Joelsim wrote:
    Joelsim wrote:
    durhamwasp wrote:
    3 Tour de France victories, all with a Belgian and a Kenyan Yes, a success.


    There - fixed that for you. A pleasure any time.

    So Wiggo is Belgian despite spending 35 of his 36 years in England and having an English mum?


    Yes. He was born there - therefore Belgian. and as he has an Aussie father, that diminishes percentages of perceived Britishness even more.

    So Brooklyn Beckham is American then as the seed was sown under the bridge after a kebab?

    Not sure if he was born there, but having lived there for donkey's years he's probably got US citizenship/nationality at least.

    But if you mean that he's British because he was born in Britain then thank you confirming that "Wiggo" is Belgian for being born in Belgium.
    Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am

    De Sisti wrote:
    This is one of the silliest threads I've come across. :lol:

    Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honour :D
    smithy21 wrote:

    He's right you know.
  • joelsim
    joelsim Posts: 7,552
    Joelsim wrote:
    Joelsim wrote:
    durhamwasp wrote:
    3 Tour de France victories, all with a Belgian and a Kenyan Yes, a success.


    There - fixed that for you. A pleasure any time.

    So Wiggo is Belgian despite spending 35 of his 36 years in England and having an English mum?


    Yes. He was born there - therefore Belgian. and as he has an Aussie father, that diminishes percentages of perceived Britishness even more.

    So Brooklyn Beckham is American then as the seed was sown under the bridge after a kebab?

    Not sure if he was born there, but having lived there for donkey's years he's probably got US citizenship/nationality at least.

    But if you mean that he's British because he was born in Britain then thank you confirming that "Wiggo" is Belgian for being born in Belgium.

    Brad De Viggo
  • Matthewfalle
    Matthewfalle Posts: 17,380
    bobmcstuff wrote:
    With Froome I can see the argument but with Wiggins it's just dumb.


    Why? Are you denying him his country of birth? Braver man than I am to deny someone their birthright.
    Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am

    De Sisti wrote:
    This is one of the silliest threads I've come across. :lol:

    Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honour :D
    smithy21 wrote:

    He's right you know.
  • joelsim
    joelsim Posts: 7,552
    bobmcstuff wrote:
    With Froome I can see the argument but with Wiggins it's just dumb.

    No one from Belgium has hair like a mod and a British roundel as their logo.

    Froome on the other hand is British in the same way that Zola Budd and Greg Rusedski are. Oh and Lennox.
  • awavey
    awavey Posts: 2,368
    SecretSam wrote:
    Another thing: where the hell is the Sky ladies' team?????

    ask Shane Sutton or those left at BC...you have to go back to how Team Sky came into being in the first place, its was Brailsfords vision/belief/obsession that he could create a road cycling team, based on his experience from the TeamGB track programme, and through that deliver a Brit winner of the TdF within 5 years, which was something Sky could sign upto sponsor happening.

    but in womens cycling,well British Cycling have never really been that interested in pushing anything other than the track side of things & so theres never been anyone lately inside the organisation pushing the cause forward in the same way DB could for the men.

    Even if there was what would be the aim of the team, theres no TdF equiv, maybe the Giro Rosa & just one off day races and a world cup that gets so little coverage youd be forgiven for thinking it was even still happening sometimes, which isnt a situation that appeals to potential sponsors, Even if as its believed Team Sky spend more money on filling their fleet of vehicles up with fuel per year than they would need to fund a top level womens team, it would very much have to be an altruistic choice on their part.
  • Matthewfalle
    Matthewfalle Posts: 17,380
    Joelsim wrote:
    bobmcstuff wrote:
    With Froome I can see the argument but with Wiggins it's just dumb.

    No one from Belgium has hair like a mod and a British roundel as their logo.


    Seriously? A haircut and a sticker? Does that mean that every Japanese Elvis impersonator is actually from Tupelo, MS

    Serious grabbing at straws here my learned friend .....

    He's Belgian.
    Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am

    De Sisti wrote:
    This is one of the silliest threads I've come across. :lol:

    Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honour :D
    smithy21 wrote:

    He's right you know.
  • joelsim
    joelsim Posts: 7,552
    awavey wrote:
    SecretSam wrote:
    Another thing: where the hell is the Sky ladies' team?????

    ask Shane Sutton or those left at BC...you have to go back to how Team Sky came into being in the first place, its was Brailsfords vision/belief/obsession that he could create a road cycling team, based on his experience from the TeamGB track programme, and through that deliver a Brit winner of the TdF within 5 years, which was something Sky could sign upto sponsor happening.

    but in womens cycling,well British Cycling have never really been that interested in pushing anything other than the track side of things & so theres never been anyone lately inside the organisation pushing the cause forward in the same way DB could for the men.

    Even if there was what would be the aim of the team, theres no TdF equiv, maybe the Giro Rosa & just one off day races and a world cup that gets so little coverage youd be forgiven for thinking it was even still happening sometimes, which isnt a situation that appeals to potential sponsors, Even if as its believed Team Sky spend more money on filling their fleet of vehicles up with fuel per year than they would need to fund a top level womens team, it would very much have to be an altruistic choice on their part.

    Correct. For the same reason as most sponsorship deals are struck. Rightly or wrongly the media value is nothing. I personally think that Sky should have led the way. After all they have a media network, but hey it's not my decision.
  • Matthewfalle
    Matthewfalle Posts: 17,380
    Oh. Belgian mods. Sorry. Just imagine if some of them rode a bicycle.

    https://www.facebook.com/ModsAndRockersBelgium/
    Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am

    De Sisti wrote:
    This is one of the silliest threads I've come across. :lol:

    Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honour :D
    smithy21 wrote:

    He's right you know.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,196
    bobmcstuff wrote:
    With Froome I can see the argument but with Wiggins it's just dumb.


    Why? Are you denying him his country of birth? Braver man than I am to deny someone their birthright.
    Because nationality is about more than place of birth.

    (I assume you are just trolling)