Wiggo to Sky done deal (says CN)
The real question: does anyone actually have any feelings about this at all any more?
[Chris here] Like I said, not a day goes by that Wiggo doesn't transfer to Sky. However, this one has a press conference scheduled for tomorrow morning. Might it end differently than the other Wiggo-to-Sky pieces? Or will Wiggo, JV and Brailsford all just stand up there saying nothing?
[Update] CN now has confirmation, as does CyclingWeekly. CW also has a collection of choice bits from the press conference here. I have yet to see any explanation of what Garmin got in return.
9 months ago
Ed K
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The original article
is from the Times, Jeremy Whittle is the journo. Probably reliable. Times.
I’m holding off on a front pager for this one until it’s done and sealed.
Oh Interesting... a Murdoch pub, btw, humm...
I looked around for other sources and found zilch, and was debating whether to post it at all.
They sounded vastly more confident than they ever have before, and somehow that made me think there might be something to it this time. This would certainly explain why.
Apparently, there will be a presser tomorrow morning.
Eh, we’ll see. I debated putting something up too. Thanks for putting me out of my misery ;-)
If I was Garmin, instead of a cash transaction, i would ask for a straight up trade
Ask for Boss Hog, settle for Lovquist
Lovkvist?
wasn’t he going to be team leader yesterday?
If you don't beleive it
ask Levi
"It looks like talking, but it’s just words that comes out"
~ Andy Schleck
Well, there's Vandevelde
he should get the Argyles in. That, never estimate the Evil Vaugthers schmooze skillz.
Good point, that one
Farrar gets them in for surely. But i don’t think they’re invite is in any danger at all.
I thought
that all Pro Tour teams were automatically in the TdF this year. I remember debate about who will get knocked off the tour list since BBox and Cofidis (i think) were dropped to Continental status.
Plus Purdhomme has mentioned expanding the number of teams. Garmin is in. VdV rode to eigth after his crash. Had he not crashed we may have never known Wiggo could do what he did since VdV would have had better fitness. Also, as mentioned above, Farrar is one of a couple people who can challenge Cavs and maybe take a stage on the cobbles.
Tell the truth, Gav
You’re shagged out after the North Shore this week, aren’t you? ;-)
Sky in, yes. Garmin out, I don't see why.
Vandevelde is still a credible top 10 finisher, no?
I’d say the overall consequences of this, with Bert staying at Astana (the thing no one seriously considered as a possibility when discussing Wiggo to Sky) are the most interesting part. How many teams now have credible top 10 threats, or even top 5 threats? Does this spell real competition in the GTs?
Sure
for second.
"The only pain I got time for is the pain I put on fools who don't know what time it is." Edvald Boasson Hagen
Hey!
Our long international nightmare is over! That’s something…
"The only pain I got time for is the pain I put on fools who don't know what time it is." Edvald Boasson Hagen
But I thought you got the memo...
oh wait, nevermind. I forgot those self distruct. ha ha. :-) Fun chats lately. Still working on that other thingy. :-)
I'm ready for this road season to wrap up. Bring on Cross!
[rubs hands diabolically...]
"The only pain I got time for is the pain I put on fools who don't know what time it is." Edvald Boasson Hagen
Not so much, really...
…but as Chris points out, second is the new first, if you’re not an accountant.
Dude! If Contador somehow loses the TdF next year...
…for reasons other than injury, even those of us supporting him will probably be sitting around with our jaws on the floor having witnessed one of the all time classic editions in the history of the race.
By whom do I ask.
Lance no?
Wiggens Surely no
Evans no
Sastre, Menchov, F. Schleck, Kirchen muahaha
A. Schleck….. eeh
Kreuziger, Nibali, Basso! I would sign for that!
Andy's the obvious contender...
…and a duel that he won would be amazing, no?
Basso no, Kreuziger probably no, Nibali hummmm…
I think Andy’s the one with a shot, but part of the point is how unlikely it seems right now.
teams won't be as significant
at least not in traditional ways: no TTT early.
I’ll believe in Leaky’s chances AFTER the cobbles, not before.
In fact, I think the team to watch out for is Saxo: Cancellara and Jens! can get Andy through the early stages.
Astana and Contador could get caught out in the first week.
And the Shack team is old.
I would not write Evans out of this too soon either.
Maybe a car crash
which leads to news being leaked that he has has been having affair’s with porn stars and waitresses……no that could never happen to a top athlete.
Look, it's a bird...no, it's a plane....oh never mind it's just fucking balloon boy
Yes, but unlike golf fans...
…would we really care?
Yes?......NO
I do not care about Tiger’s sex life either and am hitting myself in the head every time the media talks about it…..my head has many bumps on it now.
Look, it's a bird...no, it's a plane....oh never mind it's just fucking balloon boy
Don't be surprised to wake up with bumps on your head tomorrow
or a severed horse head lying next to you…
Look, it's a bird...no, it's a plane....oh never mind it's just fucking balloon boy
Well that explains a lot about you...
Look, it's a bird...no, it's a plane....oh never mind it's just fucking balloon boy
Andy lost all but 54 seconds in le TTs this year
With just one TT, and one Bert should do a little less good at since it’s a long one, who knows?
if conta does a little less good on a longer itt, you think andy will do better?
"Wizard's first rule. People are stupid. They will believe anything they want to be true or fear to be true." -- Terry Goodkind
Not really
But the difference might not be proportional to the distance. ie, conta might put a whole lot more time into andy than the 1:45 he did in Annecy. 2 minutes tops, and I think Andy can be better next year.
Do you think that Andy pushed Alberto in the mountains?
Looked like AC was riding his wheel to me.
"Drawing on my fine command of language I said nothing."- Groucho
I had to follow via text updates, so i don't have the visuals for most of it
I think AC was the stronger climber, no doubt. Question is who improves more this year, and my money is on the Schlecklet.
Because I am unable to help myself
I feel that I must quietly point out that there were some who did indeed ‘seriously consider Bert staying at Astana to be a possibility’. It’s just that no-one paid any attention ;-)
No way, two(long) words why
Tyler Faraaaarrrraaaaaarrrraaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Look, it's a bird...no, it's a plane....oh never mind it's just fucking balloon boy
Yup
and clean urine.
"The only pain I got time for is the pain I put on fools who don't know what time it is." Edvald Boasson Hagen
see
this is why community blogs are so important. Has it ever occurred to the UCI that doing the pee tests could become a huge part of the draw, if you could conduct them publicly with announcers on hand? I mean, it’s subtle, but the suspense would be unmistakeable.
"The only pain I got time for is the pain I put on fools who don't know what time it is." Edvald Boasson Hagen
If you want a done deal
Tina Liebig to Mainzer Verkehrsgesellschaft mbH managing some sort of bicycle hire project. And it sounds like she took up the job before the Skyter deal went arse over tit.
if it happens, and it does like it's going to now
i’m totally stoked. when the whole sky thing started i wanted bradley there, and i stand by that. it might not have come together in the best way…but still stoked. my favourite rider on a team where he can realistically grow as a tour contender…sweet
"well...you live in england so: you love the rain. loves the queen. hates cycling. based on mr bean had a tremendous amount of humour. all ride in a mini cooper. all getting drunk before the age of 12. getting drunk at least 3 times a day."- frinking, 7/9/09
He grew enormously as a GT rider at Garmin, how are they not a place where he can grow further?
especially seeing they didn’t sign Bert and wiggo could have been leader there again.
Look, it's a bird...no, it's a plane....oh never mind it's just fucking balloon boy
Wiggo
will grow, either way. As long as he’s not headed to Astana or the Shack, he’ll get his chance.
I do get a slight vibe from Garmin that the team’s confidence and support is not as unconditional and instantaneous as you might prefer. You have to prove yourself to JV. Which is fair, but, well, like any relationship the opportunity for needless complexity is abundant.
"The only pain I got time for is the pain I put on fools who don't know what time it is." Edvald Boasson Hagen
Please, if you grown sideburns JV will let you do anything at Garmin
Look, it's a bird...no, it's a plane....oh never mind it's just fucking balloon boy
And 4th at the Tour, it's all in the evil sideburns
Look, it's a bird...no, it's a plane....oh never mind it's just fucking balloon boy
you're right
but i think at sky he sees a setup where the people running the team turned him into an elite track cyclist, and want nothing more than to do the same for him on the road. as for contador, they might not have signed him but i think the whole incident damaged his relationship with the team, and JV.
it’s nothing against garmin, they have been my favourite team for the last couple seasons, and JV is awesome. but i honestly think that brad always wanted to be part of sky from the beginning, regardless of the garmin situation. it’s just unfortunate.
"well...you live in england so: you love the rain. loves the queen. hates cycling. based on mr bean had a tremendous amount of humour. all ride in a mini cooper. all getting drunk before the age of 12. getting drunk at least 3 times a day."- frinking, 7/9/09
He probably wanted to go to Sky but I don't see much support they can give him
and that Garmin didn’t sign Bert pisses me off more now, errrrrrrrrrrrrr.
Look, it's a bird...no, it's a plane....oh never mind it's just fucking balloon boy
yeah it's a bummer
but i wouldn’t be surprised if they went for him again when his contract runs out. i mean, why not?
"well...you live in england so: you love the rain. loves the queen. hates cycling. based on mr bean had a tremendous amount of humour. all ride in a mini cooper. all getting drunk before the age of 12. getting drunk at least 3 times a day."- frinking, 7/9/09
Maybe, but I have no patience
and CdE is still always going to be the top choice for Bert.
Look, it's a bird...no, it's a plane....oh never mind it's just fucking balloon boy
except that cde's sponsorship is set to end after the 2010 season....
"Wizard's first rule. People are stupid. They will believe anything they want to be true or fear to be true." -- Terry Goodkind
for garmin to have any chance at bert,
they gotta change the kit. I just can’t see conta in argyle. Plus they’ll never win in that argyle stuff – it’s impossible. You sit by fires and sip martinis in argyle – you don’t win frickin bike races in it.
I'm not so sure about this last bit...
… Garmin are still in the hunt for Bert next year. Meanwhile CVV gets one last shot (and after this he probably will have had his shot, just on age terms) and happily slides back into super-domestique role for Bert if they sign him next year. Meanwhile, Garmin also has another year to really build a team to support Bert, and put other pieces in place. And Bert does his contractual duty, gets paid handsomely, and gets to move into a spot prepared for him on the flag-waving ‘clean’ team in the peloton, a team which now has two well funded title sponsors.
I'm glad Garmin doesn't have Bert
I’ll be dissapointed, though, if Fragile VandeVelde gets hurt again :(
I'm wishing Garmin did have him and what's up with the fragile bit?
Man still kicks butt. :-) I’m missing the fragile piece of his resume.
I'm ready for this road season to wrap up. Bring on Cross!
But why on gods holy earth did he sign for two years then?
If I was Brailsford I’d be kicking him in the arse and telling him the transfer fee is being deducted from his salary.
Yep.
I think that he started out not caring so much and then got a bee in his bonnet about British Cycling (which he has a powerful relationship with) and the idea of being the guy that team is built around. I can see the appeal and I can see how it’d be awfully hard to turn down.
I think he didn't think at all. I don't think he does, much.
But then also you can see why Garmin would go for two years. & we also don’t know what, if any, other options Wiggins had. Stay at Columbia & be a (yet another) leadout man?
yeah i think you guys are all right
he’s impulsive, he wants to be the main guy, he’s a bit sensitive…like most people i guess. as for the contract thing, my guess would be that JV was smart enough to know what he’s like, and wanted to tie him down for as long as possible.
"well...you live in england so: you love the rain. loves the queen. hates cycling. based on mr bean had a tremendous amount of humour. all ride in a mini cooper. all getting drunk before the age of 12. getting drunk at least 3 times a day."- frinking, 7/9/09
I’m amused that Sky are trumpeting that he’s signed a four year deal. Like, actually sticking around for the full term of a contract has ever been an issue for Wiggins.
Truth be told though, he’s always made it clear he wanted to ride for Team GB, that that’s where whatever loyalties he has lie. I do wish though he’d actually honour a contract he’d signed and pay back the faith shown in him by people who’ve taken a chance on him in the past.
pounding along in three ratios like a sonata
like a Ritter with pommelled scrotum atra cura on the step
Botticelli from the fork down pestling the transmission
tires bleeding voiding zeep the highway
Well. I think the fee that mysr be paid for the rider is his month salary*months left.
Not sure but if that’s the deal I get why they signed him for 4 years
I wish evil garmin
kicks his ass as frequently as possible next year.
Your bike doesn't want to crash so relax and let it roll!!!
Just watch as Katusha and Garmin team up and nullify every move a Sky rider makes …
pounding along in three ratios like a sonata
like a Ritter with pommelled scrotum atra cura on the step
Botticelli from the fork down pestling the transmission
tires bleeding voiding zeep the highway
that would be fun
cant wait to see what is going to happen
Your bike doesn't want to crash so relax and let it roll!!!
Are the teams
the ones insisting on extra years? To get the chance to cash in on an investment?
"The only pain I got time for is the pain I put on fools who don't know what time it is." Edvald Boasson Hagen
But surely Wiggo wasn't desperate?
he could have done a one year stint at Columbia,(or Barlo or wherever) mailed it in and prepared for Sky in 2010.
He’s couldn’t do a one year stint at Columbia – he’s already done that.
As for mailing it a year – d’you hear that noise? That’s the sound of the clock ticking, tick-tock-tick-tock. The guy’s running out of time. He woke up to that this year and actually tried to ride a proper road season. And with him probly due a year out for the 2012 Olympics …
pounding along in three ratios like a sonata
like a Ritter with pommelled scrotum atra cura on the step
Botticelli from the fork down pestling the transmission
tires bleeding voiding zeep the highway
there's 'owt in the olympics for him
now they’ve emasculated the endurance events
by thebongolian on Dec 10, 2009 4:28 PM EST up reply actions
He'll still likely do the Team Pursuit
maybe road TT too
road yes, pursuit no
presumably he’ll be gunning for the 2012 tour and putting the bulk and power back on for a month later seems unlikely to me – especially with some good young’uns coming through
of course if he sucks in the next 2 tours, watch this space ;-)
by thebongolian on Dec 10, 2009 4:58 PM EST up reply actions
I can see your logic, but from an interview today
“The team pursuit’s still there, which is high on the agenda, and I will certainly be at the Olympics going for gold in one event.”
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hAlDM1XSpStSK3nz61szAx7e5ucA
they might have enough lads to win the TP without him by then
but then again, depends how much he wants that knighthood
I had no idea there were 28 Team Sky's out there
and all are getting a piece of Brad Wiggins.
Look, it's a bird...no, it's a plane....oh never mind it's just fucking balloon boy
"Or will Wiggo, JV and Brailsford all just stand up there saying nothing?"
… if there is a deity inclined to smile upon me :-).
Yeah, yeah.
Are we sure that the press conference isn’t to announce the big switch—confirmed by Scott Sunderland on Twitter—in the spelling of Thomas’s name from Lövkvist to Löfkvist?
It was just a long race--Edvald Boasson Hagen, on the Giro
Ohmigod! It gets worse!
Löfkvist’s first name isn’t even Thomas—it’s Karl. I thought I had a handle on Thomas Lövkvist—this Karl Löfkvist I don’t know at all.
It was just a long race--Edvald Boasson Hagen, on the Giro
there are others??
i’ve only ever seen henry.
"well...you live in england so: you love the rain. loves the queen. hates cycling. based on mr bean had a tremendous amount of humour. all ride in a mini cooper. all getting drunk before the age of 12. getting drunk at least 3 times a day."- frinking, 7/9/09
It's like a different world.
But don’t you feel guilty asking them to snort up dead spiders and cat hair for you?
It was just a long race--Edvald Boasson Hagen, on the Giro
This one's got a lot to learn about teamwork
eh, Pistolero
I do wonder
of all the Wiggins-to-Sky threads out there currently clogging up the cycling boards on the internet…is ours the only one with pictures of anthropomorphized vacuum cleaners?
It was just a long race--Edvald Boasson Hagen, on the Giro
Like we could tell.
After all, we took “Thomas” at his word, didn’t we?
It was just a long race--Edvald Boasson Hagen, on the Giro
This is why I love this place
A thread starts, and you never know where it will go to
Age and treachery will overcome youth and skill (F. Coppi)
rofl
seriously. this is the best wiggins thread ever. and we’ve had so many to choose from.
though i often name my household appliances, furnishing, and whatnot, i’ve never seen a vaccuum with a name tag. this is a first. if i could spell it, i’d say that faux dutch off the hook thing. but i can barely spell actual english, so forget about fake anything.
Seriously? You name appliances, furniture etc?
Oh, so do I, I guess, on occasion. But everything gets the same name: ‘You Bastard’.
In my experience vacuum cleaners are always 'You f...ing bastard'.
"How strange it was to see men doing something beautiful. Something pointless and elegant." Tim Winton, 'Breath'
Very clever, but of course it's more like
‘I wished you sucked’…
"How strange it was to see men doing something beautiful. Something pointless and elegant." Tim Winton, 'Breath'
If I had a dollar for every time I've heard that...
It was just a long race--Edvald Boasson Hagen, on the Giro
Any reply will inevitably lead to the Crashdan photo...
"How strange it was to see men doing something beautiful. Something pointless and elegant." Tim Winton, 'Breath'
This
Is beyond awesome
"The only pain I got time for is the pain I put on fools who don't know what time it is." Edvald Boasson Hagen
by Chris... on Dec 9, 2009 10:15 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
So fucking awesome Chris has to post it twice!
Look, it's a bird...no, it's a plane....oh never mind it's just fucking balloon boy
he did it the second time with new cranks and pedals
the first time he had a bigger Q factor
shit
I planned to delete that (if only to demonstrate my awesome powers) but now I can’t.
"The only pain I got time for is the pain I put on fools who don't know what time it is." Edvald Boasson Hagen
I already tried that...
…do you see it having worked?
Pull up a stool
the Cafe is always open. Just watch which posts you click on.
"The only pain I got time for is the pain I put on fools who don't know what time it is." Edvald Boasson Hagen
Yes and when you wake up we will have plenty of positive doping news for you!
Look, it's a bird...no, it's a plane....oh never mind it's just fucking balloon boy
This ain’t never goin away civetta. Just wait til the wheels actually start turning and the breathless reporting of Team Sky actually finishing a race begins.
pounding along in three ratios like a sonata
like a Ritter with pommelled scrotum atra cura on the step
Botticelli from the fork down pestling the transmission
tires bleeding voiding zeep the highway
i dunno
i ignored this story for ages cause i was so convinced it was not going to happen…it’s way better than the contador/astana business. ok, maybe not way better.
"well...you live in england so: you love the rain. loves the queen. hates cycling. based on mr bean had a tremendous amount of humour. all ride in a mini cooper. all getting drunk before the age of 12. getting drunk at least 3 times a day."- frinking, 7/9/09
David Brailsford resembles a testicle
discuss…
Look, it's a bird...no, it's a plane....oh never mind it's just fucking balloon boy
David Brailsford resembles a testicle
a right one
pounding along in three ratios like a sonata
like a Ritter with pommelled scrotum atra cura on the step
Botticelli from the fork down pestling the transmission
tires bleeding voiding zeep the highway
i disagree
he has plenty already…
"well...you live in england so: you love the rain. loves the queen. hates cycling. based on mr bean had a tremendous amount of humour. all ride in a mini cooper. all getting drunk before the age of 12. getting drunk at least 3 times a day."- frinking, 7/9/09
Plenty’s never enough. Not when there’s Belgian beer to buy …
pounding along in three ratios like a sonata
like a Ritter with pommelled scrotum atra cura on the step
Botticelli from the fork down pestling the transmission
tires bleeding voiding zeep the highway
lol
he does love the amarone
"well...you live in england so: you love the rain. loves the queen. hates cycling. based on mr bean had a tremendous amount of humour. all ride in a mini cooper. all getting drunk before the age of 12. getting drunk at least 3 times a day."- frinking, 7/9/09
did
who said
" it would be irresponsible to build the team around me" ?
"The real question: does anyone actually have any feelings about this at all any more?"
Big time feelings about this. Mucho excited for Wiggo. I guess the front page and number of comments answer your question though. Of course, sadly not much is going to top LA in the new Shack kit. At PdC: “We love our fashion” and any opportunity to drag LA through the snark tank.
No horn, watch for finger.
Meh
For less devoted Wiggo fans this is more than a little anticlimactic. But big nieuws anyway.
"The only pain I got time for is the pain I put on fools who don't know what time it is." Edvald Boasson Hagen
by Chris... on Dec 9, 2009 10:18 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
meh
is right.
but i’m not a wiggins fan. for fans, yeah, it’s news. me, i’m like could you people get this over with all ready? kinda like when the neighbors are having loud, raunchy sex and she’s fakin’ it for all she’s worth and he’s still not coming…
ahem.
ROFL
Finally, someone who put it all in the proper perspective.
Brailsworth, btw, is not that great a faker. Must be why it took so long…
Brilliant analogy!
I’ll be chuckling over that all day.
It was just a long race--Edvald Boasson Hagen, on the Giro
This is another way of expressing what I was feeling with the...
…‘does anyone have any feelings about this at all any more?’ question.
We figure, if Lance hasn't drowned in his large ego, he surely won't in the snark tank
Look, it's a bird...no, it's a plane....oh never mind it's just fucking balloon boy
Thank you kind sir
Look, it's a bird...no, it's a plane....oh never mind it's just fucking balloon boy
I think the ego is a flotation device...
…dunno about snark repellant though.
I was at one point really hoping Wiggo'd remain at Garmin...
…but my question was motivated largely by how exhausting the perpetual rumor-mongering has become.
That said, how it’s playing out now has lots of interesting implications, doesn’t it? Amazing how much more there is to think about when something actually happens than when it might just happen (assuming that the Times and CN haven’t screwed the pooch here, of course).
Makes sense that it would eventually happen.
I’m dieing to know what Garmin gets in return. Besides a more cohesive team.
"Drawing on my fine command of language I said nothing."- Groucho
$$$$$$?
(I can’t just post that, apparently it’s not a subject or comment…psssht)
Look, it's a bird...no, it's a plane....oh never mind it's just fucking balloon boy
Cue the DENIAL in 3... 2...
According to the Independent, the transfer is a no-go.
Wiggins douses talk of move to Sky. Journo is Alasdair Fotheringham.
And no, I did not make this a separate thread
because I would not want anyone to miss the anthropomorphic vaccuum cleaners. That was so totally worth it.
Does this mean we get to put Wiggo though the snark tank all over again tomorrow?!
Look, it's a bird...no, it's a plane....oh never mind it's just fucking balloon boy
Are the snarks sort of like the smurfs?
Look, it's a bird...no, it's a plane....oh never mind it's just fucking balloon boy
Luckily Pdc's snark is always served warm
Look, it's a bird...no, it's a plane....oh never mind it's just fucking balloon boy
in a fanshot
"The only pain I got time for is the pain I put on fools who don't know what time it is." Edvald Boasson Hagen
I don't know about that denial
that’s an older story. I tdon’t think it’s a denial of this more recent speculation.
No horn, watch for finger.
Oh, for crying out loud
Here’s a story they might all want to read
check the date
Fotheringham’s story is from Monday.
"The only pain I got time for is the pain I put on fools who don't know what time it is." Edvald Boasson Hagen
Having said that, read thing the story again
Vaughters has by implication admitted that he is clinically insane.
I don’t see why Wiggins had to ‘break weeks of silence’ to say something silly like ‘I still have to see my contract out with Garmin… It was never going to happen, so I never built up my hopes’, only to contradict it within days. Could he not have either (a) stayed silent or (b) been a little less definitive in his interview?
Oh well. I suppose he’s happy now.
Having said that, read the story again
Vaughters has by implication admitted that he is clinically insane.
I don’t see why Wiggins had to ‘break weeks of silence’ to say something silly like ‘I still have to see my contract out with Garmin… It was never going to happen, so I never built up my hopes’, only to contradict it within days. Could he not have either (a) stayed silent or (b) been a little less definitive in his interview?
Oh well. I suppose he’s happy now.
Double-posting, eh Drongo?
Two can play at this game…
"The only pain I got time for is the pain I put on fools who don't know what time it is." Edvald Boasson Hagen
Journo is Alasdair Fotheringham.
right, and he’s been so spot on bout things in the past …
pounding along in three ratios like a sonata
like a Ritter with pommelled scrotum atra cura on the step
Botticelli from the fork down pestling the transmission
tires bleeding voiding zeep the highway
Wigan?
Wiggo:
“It’s like trying to win the Champions League – you need to be at Manchester United, but I’m playing at Wigan at the moment so I have to make that step up.”
Um, on behalf of Team Garmin, fuck you. I mean, did you look down at your bars? That’s an original Edge 705!
"The only pain I got time for is the pain I put on fools who don't know what time it is." Edvald Boasson Hagen
"they are so confusing these journalists, they get you to say things perhaps you didn't really mean"
Tricksy, these master manipulators.
So we're doing this again?
I’ve come to the conclusion that the University of Maximegalon is in charge here, probably Maximegalon Institute of Slowly and Painfully Working Out the Surprisingly Obvious.
Staring at the swim team gets you killed by a gang of dancing ninja men who know how to twirl.
It's confirmed now.
(Note to Frinking: Yes, on twitter.)
Staring at the swim team gets you killed by a gang of dancing ninja men who know how to twirl.
So - Sky are loaded for bear and guaranteed a TdF invite
A team of Wiggo, EBH, Tommy L, Gerrans, with domestiques such as Chris Froome. Looks to me to be a pretty powerful team, although I think it is missing a David miller type powerhouse to get Wiggo to the front at the start of climbs.
I still think Wiggo is just a little behind the other GC guys – especially on the climby route that is this years parcours – but this is definitely a team that will be fun to watch now
They might have a lot of strong guys but that does not mean that they are going to be that great come Tour time...
Lovkvist is going to be pissed of that he has to sit second wheel to somebody again. It just looks like a big stage hunting team with Wiggins having a bit of protection with Lovkvist, Froome and Augustyn.
by Vlaanderen90 on Dec 10, 2009 8:02 AM EST up reply actions
I wonder... Assuming form and fitness, I think you can stick together quite a good GT team from what they have
You have Wiggo for the GC, Tommy L as 2nd option and White Jersey (is he still young enough?), EBH and Gerrans as stage hunters, and then a core of experienced domestiques to work: K-A Arvesen, Michael Barry, Chris Froome, Serge Pauwels, Gerraint Thomas.
And that is without doing anything with Flecha or any of the second tier spriners they have.
I think that team is at least as good as Cervelo, and probably on the level with the Shack.
Could well get multiple stage wins, plus a place in the range of 4-8 in the GC, and a challenge for the white jersey. Not bad for a first year?
True...I guess it depends on what Sky wants to do. Are they going to give Wiggins a full team in the TOur
and try to spread out the other guys in the Giro and Vuelta and othe races or take a mixed approach.
I don’t think EBH will go for green. Gerrans will get his stage chance. Pauwels is the dark horse to me because he is going to have to get some attention because he is arguably stronger than Lovkvist if you look to last years Giro. He has more claim to the 2nd in command place than he does.
by Vlaanderen90 on Dec 10, 2009 9:44 AM EST up reply actions
I think you go all in for the TdF
It’s the only race that registers on the non-fan’s radar screen.
Unless, as Benrazor points out further down, you work on the theory that July = World Cup, and no-one gives a toss about anything until England lose on penalties in the Quarter Final
I must have misread that...
Cervelo = Sky?
So therefore:
Sastre = Wiggo and
Thor = EBH?
Not sure how you came to that conclusion…
"It looks like talking, but it’s just words that comes out"
~ Andy Schleck
But no bubble-boy.
How good can steam be w/o TD?
by R Mc on Dec 10, 2009 8:58 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Now that the deal is done, time to start the speculation:
1. What did Garmin get in return, and how will this impact their win total next year?
2. Is Wiggins a GC real deal or a flash in the pan? What a great tour he had last year, but was that an outlier or is that the new norm. He’s got such a small sample size that it’s impossible to predict, but fun to speculate about. We know he has the engine, but he admits the discipline is not always there. What are the chances he falls off the wagon, has a few too many brews as the “rockstar” of the team, and fails to perform as well as he did in 2009? Is this a real possibility?
Also, who will be his Dave Z and CVV? Last year, Wiggins could have lost a boatload of time without those two pacing him back to the group (don’t remember the stage) after he was yo yoing off the back. Who will do that at Sky? Lovkvist? Hardly, i assume he has his own ambitions.
In my opinion, we will see a huge drop off in his performance this year. If the TdF route doesn’t crack him, the pressure of the move and team leader status will.
2 is a v interesting question
I think he can be competing for top 5 again (he has loads of talent) but doubt he will compete for the win or even podium. But it adds another strong team to the mix – next year’s tdf might be really hard for any one team to control.
As for part 2
No team time trial this year; at least 2 major GC contenders got shelled off in stage 4 (?) last year.
I think middle-top-10 is the best bet for this year. But if Bradley seals the deal for a tour invite to Sky, then he’s worth whatever they just spent.
by ManBicycleThing on Dec 10, 2009 9:42 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Headline at Eurosport Sweden: Lövkvist's Nightmare: Wiggins Set for Team Sky
Or something like that. If only we had Swedish speakers here.
It was just a long race--Edvald Boasson Hagen, on the Giro
Is it changed?
Because now it’s just Wiggins Set for Team Sky.
Staring at the swim team gets you killed by a gang of dancing ninja men who know how to twirl.
by TheFigurehead on Dec 10, 2009 10:37 AM EST up reply actions
Yup--here's the original, pulled out of Google cache
It was just a long race--Edvald Boasson Hagen, on the Giro
OK
You’re translation was correct.
Staring at the swim team gets you killed by a gang of dancing ninja men who know how to twirl.
by TheFigurehead on Dec 10, 2009 10:51 AM EST up reply actions
"Wiggins will be a huge asset"
He has talked to BW and Brailsford today and nothing has changed in his objectives or the support he will get. Knows and likes Wiggo from Columbia and they will have no probs getting along. GettingBW will help secure Tour-ticket so that’s good.
Then they use the phrase “I’m not bitter” which has some funny connotations for swedes but that’s impossible to explain unless you are a swede, a fan of a certain swedish comedian and speedway.
Basically i don’t think much has changed for him
certainly in English
“I’m not bitter” is one of those phrases that automatically carries the assumption that the opposite is true
Given special emphasis by an imitation
of multiple World Champ speedway driver Tony Richardsson who was repeatedly snubbed in the Sportsman of the Year contest. “”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k03ak-hi_zw" target="new">Jag e’ inte bitter" (I’m not bitter) said in a regional dialect has become a catchphrase
Does the Swedish language
even have a word for “bitter”? I would think it’s like the Eskimo word for snow, i.e. about 25 different variations.
"The only pain I got time for is the pain I put on fools who don't know what time it is." Edvald Boasson Hagen
Another question - what's the skinng on Garmin?
I just wonder if there is something not right about that team. Wiggo gets a career breakthrough and somehow falls out with the guys who helped him do it. Allen Lim legs it (admittedly for 500k pretty pieces of paper). JV seems to care less about his team and more about being a mover and shaker (when was the last time he DSsed?)
Odd and odder
Wiggins made it clear he didn't fall out with Garmin
he just really wanted in on Team Sky from the beginning. Given his relationship with the British Cycling guys, it’s not that surprising.
Vaughters has said in interviews that he’s not the best DS, and prefers to leave that to Matt White. Very different skills, running a team at the macro level and running a race from the team car. JV’s evil schmoozing is necessary for big things like bringing in sponsorship.
Don’t know much about Lim, but people do move on from job to job without there necessarily being trauma behind the scenes.
My take, anyway. I don’t have any inside knowledge.
It was just a long race--Edvald Boasson Hagen, on the Giro
+1
Wiggins wants to play for the home team where he can be a rock star to his team and to the home town fans. Has nothing to do with Garmin and its setup or the guys on the team.
Lim got a better offer from The Shack, so he switched jobs.
The only problem at Garmin is turning second places to wins. They reversed this trend late last season, and I think they will continue to do so this year.
Intersting - thanks
I know Wiggo has had a long history with Brit Cycling, so I can understand that. But it still seems a little odd to have a massive career breakthrough and then immediately leave the guys who helped you do it.
And while you can’t fault the record of track success brailsford has, road racing is different and more complex. Brailsford has a couple of experienced DSes to help him, but will be interesting to watch him learn.
As a brit, I hope both Wiggo and Brailsford do well – and for Sky this signing is massive to make Sky marketable in the UK. But I do wonder if from a personal career perspective Wiggo would be better off being one of the guys at Garmin rather than the leader of Sky. Popup’s question is more than valid – can he do it as team leader rather than as dark horse?
How I think this move plays out for Wiggins
My two cents.
Celebrity Perspective: Excellent move! You just made a ton of money, have financial security for the next four years, and you now rival Cavendish and Hoy as the face of British Cycling. Sky is going to put your mug everywhere, and you will be instantly recognizable at every pub and Sky Ride in England.
Cycling Perspective: Terrible move! You just placed yourself in a high pressure situation where the weight of a country is on your shoulders. You are now the undisputed leader, and not just of a Tour team, but of an entire team. You will be expected to talk to the press a lot more now. You also will have to answer the inevitable questions about why you have no wins and it’s June. One bad day in the mountains, and every journo will be talking about how Sky wasted so much money to bring you on board. You will wilt under this pressure and a tougher TdF route. You will place 11th at this year’s TdF.
weight of a country?
that’s a bit of an exaggeration man. as a british cycling fan, and as a british cyclist, i can’t see the publicity getting much bigger than last year unless he wears yellow for an extended period of time, at the very least. the sky media machine can only do so much. the only journos asking him questions on a regular basis will be the ones that do so already. plus the tour this year will get even less coverage in the mainstream press, because of the world cup. wiggins places 5th in a mountain stage or england v algeria? no contest. i think he can handle any amount of pressure that comes his way.
"well...you live in england so: you love the rain. loves the queen. hates cycling. based on mr bean had a tremendous amount of humour. all ride in a mini cooper. all getting drunk before the age of 12. getting drunk at least 3 times a day."- frinking, 7/9/09
Oddly, I find myself agreeing with both Popup and Ben
So I must be completely schizo.
To be fair to wiggo, the guy is used to pressure – the Olympics were pretty hard core.
On the other hand, I don’t think he will come 4th this year- so it will “look” like a failure.
My guestimate finishing order…
Accountant
Schlecklet
Cuddles
Sastre
Dark Helmet
think british cycling were helping behind the scenes
their nutritionist helped him slim down and he was talking to their psychiatrist – plus they were implicit in him not riding a heavy track schedule
by thebongolian on Dec 10, 2009 4:42 PM EST up reply actions
I think the WIgan comment was honest
and . . . there’s plenty of anti-Vaughters commentary out there from folks.
As for Lim, NYVelocity commentors assert that he was chafing about being turned into a soigneur with a Ph.D., despite being promised the opportunity to do real research.
Lim
TBH, how much ‘real research’ has Lim done? He’s got his guru status well and truly sewn up, but is he publishing stuff? Submitting it to peer review, or keeping the ‘magic formula’ under wraps? To the extent that it’s the latter, and my impression is that it is, this complaint strikes me as self-serving bs if he’s making it. To complain about that when the team just replaced you with a team of 4 people, headed by a university based academic who will remain precisely that rings hollow to me.
Interesting, but I don't see it in the article?
This is all it says on his motivation for leaving:
Lim cited a desire to scale back his traveling days and the prospect of working with Taylor Phinney again as reasons for the move.Is there another article on the subject that I’m missing?
They do speculate that Lance and Johan hired Lim away to spite Garmin, but don’t give any evidence for that.
—Link
It was just a long race--Edvald Boasson Hagen, on the Giro
Agreed
I think the Lim move was really all about Phinney. Which is pretty understandable – it would be difficult in his position to resist an opportunity like that.
As for Garmin, they are still a very popular team with many of the young riders, because they know the team will give them a shot at riding big races and getting results. I don’t think Wiggins departure says anything about the team – it says a great deal about the ambitions of both Wiggins and Team Sky.
I read the same thing also about Lim...
he was probably fed up with having to go away to Girona and make 1,000 of those rice bars for everybody and drive the second team car. I know he wanted to do some of his own research and he was never able to. I know this move was not all about Phinney. The kid is very talented but he might need a coach that has won big races like Roubaix before.
by Vlaanderen90 on Dec 10, 2009 12:56 PM EST up reply actions
They better have gotten a shit ton of money for Wiggins so that they can give Bubble Boy as much support
for his “Eskimo” body as humanly possible. And to get therapy sessions for Vaughters. Garmin is still going to be a much much stronger team than is the past couple of years though.
I have a feeling the $$$ may just go to JV's pursuit of fashion
Or maybe matching argyle blazers for press conferences.
Alternatively
He could grow a pair, stop snivelling, ride hard, and be there if Wiggo struggles. Sort of like Wiggo did with CvV. Teams can carry two GC threats in a GT. Be fit, be strong, and ride shotgun for Wiggo – he may inherit the mantle.
plus
he’ll be the leader at the giro and/or vuelta. the tour isn’t the best place to learn about team leadership anyways.
"well...you live in england so: you love the rain. loves the queen. hates cycling. based on mr bean had a tremendous amount of humour. all ride in a mini cooper. all getting drunk before the age of 12. getting drunk at least 3 times a day."- frinking, 7/9/09
Also
To be controversial for a second – has he actually done anything to deserve leadership of a TdF team?
I can take his point about wanting not to be in a sprint lead out train fo Cav all the time. But being pissy because he is 2nd seat to a proven GT threat… if he is last man standing next to Wiggo on the climbs, he will be in good shape for the GC anyway. He’s hardly going to be fetching bottles all the time.
totally agree
i think he has the potential, but nothing more, at the moment anyways.
"well...you live in england so: you love the rain. loves the queen. hates cycling. based on mr bean had a tremendous amount of humour. all ride in a mini cooper. all getting drunk before the age of 12. getting drunk at least 3 times a day."- frinking, 7/9/09
I'm biased
But this is ridiculous. Can we wait until we hear something from Lövkvist? Because to me, that doesn’t sound like Thomas.
Staring at the swim team gets you killed by a gang of dancing ninja men who know how to twirl.
by TheFigurehead on Dec 10, 2009 10:45 AM EST up reply actions
He talked a while back about what would happen if Wiggins came to Sky
“For me personally it is a big difference whether he comes or not," the 25-year-old Swede told nettavisen.no. "If he signs, he will have the major responsibility at the Tour de France. All eyes will be on him and it will be a quieter Tour for me.” No matter who the team captain will be, Lövkvist has his eye on a top spot. "I can climb as well as the others, but you can’t allow yourself one bad day over three weeks. I can be top 10. Top five is perhaps a little high, but hopefully I’ll be in there and fight for victory again."
CN
“A quieter Tour for me” doesn’t sound like he’d be pulling his hair out right now—but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he’s a bit disappointed.
It was just a long race--Edvald Boasson Hagen, on the Giro
Swedish Eurosport
Here. It’s of course open for interpretation, he says that he has talked with Brailsford and Wiggins and that there won’t be much of difference with Bradley on the team.
Staring at the swim team gets you killed by a gang of dancing ninja men who know how to twirl.
by TheFigurehead on Dec 10, 2009 11:05 AM EST up reply actions
Maybe I've been doing him a disservice
I just had in my head that he had made stroppy comments along the lines of Wiggo coming being bad news for him.
from the quote, it looks like he has actually the right ’tude – ride with Wiggo and see what comes.
as a hockey fan (and an Edmonton Oilers fan at that)...
I’ve become really tired of athletes with perfectly valid contracts demanding (or negotiating) trades/moves etc when there doesn’t appear to be any major problem with their current team, comes across to me as really selfish and as mentioned previously in the comments here about Wiggins, why would they (these selfish athletes in general) sign the contract in the first place? (Read – Dany Heatley, Chris Pronger). It certainly does not endear them to fans like myself, fans of the team they were on, the team that we fans had hoped they’d do wonderful things as a member of. I realize that too many athletes don’t actually seem to care about the fans anymore, but they have to realize at some point that if there weren’t fans, they wouldn’t be able to make a living (a really good living at that) doing their sport.
I realize that cycling, unlike hockey, has more provisions for the buying out of contracts (in hockey, it comes across much more petulant as you can’t buy out your own contract, instead you have to demand a trade and hope that your team can actually carry it out, the team could always refuse but then they’re stuck with a disgruntled player). Also, cycling has more of an individual aspect and so probably most cyclists are more concerned about themselves than the team success aspect – but we fans can and do become fans of cycling teams as well as of individual cyclists. But, to me, it just somehow seems wrong that you can sign a contract to do a sport for however many years, and then a year or two in without any real significant change or problem with your current situation you can decide you’d rather do something else so let’s just get rid of that original contract.
(note my provisos about “without any significant change or problem”, “doesn’t appear to be any major problem with their current team” – because otherwise my position would be entirely hypocritical as I’m quite happy that Cadel found a new team and would have been happy for Contador had he been able to do the same ;-) ).
I find it uncomfortable too. In football (by which I mean football, obviously)
players have all the power & if they want a transfer, usually they get it. I’ve said this before, but Wiggins/Garmin/Sky reminded me a lot of Joleon Lescott/Everton/Man City, where basically Lescott put it about that he would like to go to City, City put it about that he was going, Everton resisted for a while but then Lescott was playing really badly, sulking on the bench etc. & in the end it it no longer was worth their while to keep him, especially given the ridiculous sums City were prepared to pay. Everton still aren’t doing terribly well without him, but Lescott’s hardly setting the world alight at City either. He came over very badly throughout the whole business but frankly didn’t care. City came over as being daft enough to pay well over the odds for a defender who prefers to go forward rather than actually defend.
Where I think the cases are really similar is the way that “sources” close to the player/rider & the team (but not actually the parties themselves) have used the media to heap pressure on the player/rider’s existing team. In football, if you say something often enough, it turns out to be true. Now it seems, in cycling too. I wonder if any rider’s contract is worth the paper it’s written now, or to the teams, at least (& fmk’s point about the irony of Wiggins – of all people – signing a four year contract’s very well taken). & though I’ve argued against the notion before, that would represent the “footballization” of cycling. Or the “Murdochization” , which, more’s the pity, probably amounts to the same thing.
I think you make a good point
I am a massive Wiggo fan but this whole hullabaloo appears to be the thin of the wedge.
Conversely, I’m also inclined to think Wiggo may have played less of a part in all of this than the Murdoch child. I.e., I think wiggo would not have behaved as lescott did!
I kinda agree but to be a top level athlete you probably have to be quite selfish
plus cycling has always had the aspect of being rather mercenary – riders are billboards for their sponsors, lots of the major races were set up by newspapers to raise circulation – and some of that culture still exists a little… in some ways it’s part of its charm
by thebongolian on Dec 10, 2009 4:54 PM EST up reply actions
Incidentally
This is getting towards some sort of record
We are up to 215 comments on the off season transfer or a rider who has had precisely one good road race result to a team that has never raced
Slow day, guys?
:)
I like prawns. Pink and tasty little things.
pounding along in three ratios like a sonata
like a Ritter with pommelled scrotum atra cura on the step
Botticelli from the fork down pestling the transmission
tires bleeding voiding zeep the highway
some of them are not so little
Christmas lunch we normally have some absolute whoppers, tiger prawns barbequed in garlic butter.
The bomb.
This is nothing.
Last year during the off-season we had over 300 posts on a thread about hair.
It was just a long race--Edvald Boasson Hagen, on the Giro
Hair Thread
That was the best thread… ever.
by ManBicycleThing on Dec 10, 2009 12:23 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Calls for formalised transfer system in cycling to avoid future problems
Where do I sign the petition?
pounding along in three ratios like a sonata
like a Ritter with pommelled scrotum atra cura on the step
Botticelli from the fork down pestling the transmission
tires bleeding voiding zeep the highway
+1
It’s a bad situation when a team has to be pressured into giving up a key rider for fear of a lengthy court battle. Does not give much hope for teams with modest budgets.
by PopUp Rolen on Dec 10, 2009 11:57 AM EST up reply actions
any one else think he might be a one hit wonder? too much news over someone who “could” finish on the Tour podium.
Save The Legs!!!
I'm with guidemd
This whole fiasco put so much pressure on a team that gave him his first real shot on the road that they felt getting rid of him was the best solution, total shite! Personally, it goes to character, or lack thereof. His history of jumping teams should clue Sky in to the fact that he is unreliable. Personally, I don’t think he showed enough at the Tour to warrant this kind of attention from Sky. I don’t fault him for wanting to be on Sky, I just fault him for weaseling out of his contract to do it. I’m sure that JV will feel a certain satisfaction if Wiggo blows up spectacularly next year or if Sky can’t support him teamwise. Either way, I say good riddance to bad rubbish.
If I just had one more gear, I...
fair enough
but he’s not bad rubbish is he?
"well...you live in england so: you love the rain. loves the queen. hates cycling. based on mr bean had a tremendous amount of humour. all ride in a mini cooper. all getting drunk before the age of 12. getting drunk at least 3 times a day."- frinking, 7/9/09
Rubbish in the way he is behaving
At some point you have to man up to a commitment you have made and come through on the trust that has placed in you, that’s probably the best way to say it. I’m disappointed in this whole thing as I am sure JV must be. If Wiggo can’t deliver this year, and there is a strong possibility that will be the case, than Garmin will not have lost anything in the end except a domestique which they can replace. The only question remaining is, will they bring on another rider to fill the void?
If I just had one more gear, I...
yeah i agree
i was being a little provocative :) it is interesting though, i’m guessing the compensation was a financial one, and if garmin manage to snag bert in a years time, who’s got the better deal in the end? perhaps we should trust in JVs’ evil scheming.
"well...you live in england so: you love the rain. loves the queen. hates cycling. based on mr bean had a tremendous amount of humour. all ride in a mini cooper. all getting drunk before the age of 12. getting drunk at least 3 times a day."- frinking, 7/9/09
More info from the Bicycling.com
Story here.
It’s a great read, and has more details and comments from D. Millar and JV than anywhere else I’ve seen. Based on what they are saying, i think way less of Brad Wiggins and the whole Sky endeavor than I did yesterday. Teams with money and ego-driven riders bullying lesser funded teams through courts and legal actions is straight up shite.
Between Wiggins and Swift, methinks Sky’s management is chock full of jack-holes.
If they literally played ...
… we’ll bankrupt you with probably-frivolous lawsuit bingo to get him, this is by far the scummiest thing I’ve heard of in ages.
But if you want to know why I’ve had reservations about Sky since it’s inception, it’s been precisely these lists they’ve been floating of riders under contract who they want, as if they have any right to them. Even that was gross. If they really strong-armed Garmin into settling, this is sickening.
With his backers
are you seriously telling me JV doesn’t know a good lawyer or two? (I accept that the team per se might not have the money to pay them itself but…)
(It has to be said, every time I want to cheer myself up about Murdoch owning Sky, I treat myself to a little look at what JV’s “hero” Mark Holowesko has been tweeting from the Bahamas lately. But that would be politics. So I’ll stop there.)
The point is not whether the lawyers are good...
…the point is the cost. This is the way these suits work. We know we’ll lose in the end, but we’ll bankrupt / hurt you badly making you defend yourself, so why not just give in?
It’s very common.
I'll make him
a nice deal. Payable in bikes.
"The only pain I got time for is the pain I put on fools who don't know what time it is." Edvald Boasson Hagen
Is he still alive?
I was hoping santa might bring him a pretty bikey for Christmas but someone blew my whole holiday by trying to tell me there is no santa today. He apparently hasn’t spoken to Bruce lately. :-) Gav made it better though in reminding me there is a tooth fairy and surf fairy still out there. And I’m still not believing the line about no Santa. ….someone’s met Bruce, right?!?
I'm ready for this road season to wrap up. Bring on Cross!
Millar cracks me up though.
Fran still doing Sky’s PR, is she? & is Millar still managed by her company?
I also think
if you’re a Brit & you’ve lived through the last however many years of the Murdochization of football, rugby league, cricket (to a point where cricket is totally lost to me) etc. what’s rather more shocking is the level of outrage & apparent naïveté of cycling in general.
+1
"well...you live in england so: you love the rain. loves the queen. hates cycling. based on mr bean had a tremendous amount of humour. all ride in a mini cooper. all getting drunk before the age of 12. getting drunk at least 3 times a day."- frinking, 7/9/09
wow some choice quotes from Millar in there
“best anglophone rider” hehe
I'm feverished, or the way you want to spell it
by plinytheelder on Dec 11, 2009 12:04 AM EST up reply actions
particularly for Rupert's mob, nothing new at all
(occasionally he has done some good, I suppose)
Really interesting read.
The other good thing Rupert did was to become an American :)
"How strange it was to see men doing something beautiful. Something pointless and elegant." Tim Winton, 'Breath'
Us... Australians that is...
Come on, you guys can cope!
"How strange it was to see men doing something beautiful. Something pointless and elegant." Tim Winton, 'Breath'
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