'Team Sky'

SACH Central

Yes folks the worst kept secret in British cycling is finally out!

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/Team_Sky_takes_off_Britains_pro_team_dream_is_a_reality_article_277570.html

has the lowdown.

smithslist

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2009/feb09/feb26news

SACH Central

Hope it doesn't go pear shaped for them like ANC-Halfords & Linda McCartney before them. They certainly won't have, it seems, any money problems. I wonder what D Brailsford's cut of the annual £10 Mil is?

Raam

Huge budget. I hope they do well.

Chips Lovell

I can see them bending over backwards to sign Cavendish.

Raam

el tonto wrote: »

I can see them bending over backwards to sign Cavendish.

He'll cost a fortune.

Chips Lovell

Raam wrote: »

He'll cost a fortune.

They've got a fortune. And they need a star.

Esroh

After the flight home from Bejing episode( as the only cyclist with no medal he was left down in the cheap seets while all others were in first class) where they showed what his Grand Tour stage wins were worth to them they will have to bend over along way.He mentioned it enough in interviews over the winter to show it cut deep

Raam

el tonto wrote: »

They've got a fortune. And they need a star.

They've stated that they want a tour winner also. Cav will never win it, so who is going to be their prospect?

Chips Lovell

Raam wrote: »

They've stated that they want a tour winner also. Cav will never win it, so who is going to be their prospect?

Who knows. Can't see Miller, Wiggins or Charlie Wegelius doing it.

RobFowl

Raam wrote: »

They've stated that they want a tour winner also. Cav will never win it, so who is going to be their prospect?

Expect strong overtures to Dan Martin to revert to british status

Otherwise Maybe Johnaton Bellis ?

Raam

el tonto wrote: »

Who knows. Can't see Miller, Wiggins or Charlie Wegelius doing it.

Isn't Millar a part owner of Slipstream? He's gonna be stuck there for a while. Stuck is probably the wrong word.

Chips Lovell

Raam wrote: »

Isn't Millar a part owner of Slipstream? He's gonna be stuck there for a while. Stuck is probably the wrong word.

That's right, I'd forgotten that. Sans EPO though, I don't think he's capable of winning big stage races.

TinyExplosions

It does say that they're no going to sign exclusively British riders at the start... I do have a bit of a feeling that this is going to be like a Rock Racing or a Real Madrid -as in, let's throw money at the problem and see if we can buy success (at least in the start)

scottreynolds

Raam wrote: »

They've stated that they want a tour winner also. Cav will never win it, so who is going to be their prospect?

Not only a winner..... but "Create the first British winner of the Tour de France, within five years.". There's a god bunch of young british riders on a few teams but I don't think that any have shown the real talent to succeed at the TDF. I guess they plan on finding a talent who's 18-20 now and build them into a TDF rider.

stuf

TinyExplosions wrote: »

It does say that they're no going to sign exclusively British riders at the start... I do have a bit of a feeling that this is going to be like a Rock Racing or a Real Madrid -as in, let's throw money at the problem and see if we can buy success (at least in the start)

TBH - I don't see how you could create an exclusively British team in the beginning and expect success. A successful road race team needs a large squad and needs experienced and talented domestiques. Also because it is a financial venture then they need returns quickly to make it work long term.

Very analogous to the rugby situation where Munster would never have had their success without some key overseas signings, beginning with Jim Williams in 2001 who brought not only talent and dedication to the team but became part of the team culture and history, going on to coach them after his playing days were over.

Track cycling was much easier to create success in as it relies on individuals and small team units. The road project is far more complex.

cantalach

stuf wrote: »

Very analogous to the rugby situation where Munster would never have had their success without some key overseas signings, beginning with Jim Williams in 2001 who brought not only talent and dedication to the team but became part of the team culture and history, going on to coach them after his playing days were over.

Going way off topic here I know...but a personal connection requires me to point out that John Langford was the first big overseas signing. He had two very successful seasons (including a Heineken Cup Final appearance) before Williams ever came along. And as his former Brumbies team mate, Langford was actually instrumental in persuading Williams to sign for Munster.

stuf

cantalach wrote: »

Going way off topic here I know...but a personal connection requires me to point out that John Langford was the first big overseas signing. He had two very successful seasons (including a Heineken Cup Final appearance) before Williams ever came along. And as his former Brumbies team mate, Langford was actually instrumental in persuading Williams to sign for Munster.

fair point - I'm a begrudging Leinster supporter so I make it my business to know as little as possible about Munster rugby and their success - of course there was a less successful overseas signing that year when Rob Henderson moved to Limerick

smithslist

Raam wrote: »

They've stated that they want a tour winner also. Cav will never win it, so who is going to be their prospect?

he may not win it, but is a good contender for the 'green jersey' which will keep the sponsor on for a extra year or two.

In general, your looking at a British version of the 'an Post' team, just bigger financially and goal settings, nourishing British talent and bringing them on, and having older experience riders in the team to bring them along (as with the non-Irish at an post). I hope they do it right and not fall apart.

Oh, wouldn't Duffield loved to be back in the commentary seat now!!!!!!

Raam

RobFowl wrote: »

Expect strong overtures to Dan Martin to revert to british status

I hope he doesn't! CyclingWeekly always need to remind us in every article that he is British born.

petethedrummer

On this podcast there is a speech from Dave Brailsford detailing his philosophies on training and management. Seems like a decent bloke. (Also an interview with bike snob).

http://thebikeshow.net/9-february-2009-british-cycling-bikesnobnyc/

jamesd

http://news.sky.com/story/sky-to-end-investment-in-professional-cycling-and-team-sky-11578462

Sirius Boner

Perhaps the thread that announced Team Sky is the best place to announce its end..... Sky pulling it's backing next year

retalivity

Jesus....didn't expect that.

I guess they just couldn't go on without Phil deignan.

Thinkingaboutit

Will they do a tie up with inhalers or ventolin?

Tom Mann Centuria

Sorry, not a cyclist just saw this on first page of boards, going by Sky's usual practice, stand by for a massive drop off in coverage of cycling on Sky Sports News.

py

https://www.the42.ie/team-sky-sky-2019-involvement-in-cycling-end-4389704-Dec2018/



Edit: Hope Eddie gets sorted though.

Steve SilverMint

A very controversial team, not much love for them outside the UK to be fair.

I'm glad they are going as I've never enjoyed watching them race and have always been sceptical about their many achievements.

TheBlaaMan

A couple of months after the team agree a 5 year contract with one of the sports up and coming stars?
What happens to this now..... somebody, not the sponsor, is on the hook for 4 more years after 2019...
It suggests someone wasn't 'on message'

Macy0161

I'm sure there's lots of good people who could lose their jobs in the background, so kinda find it hard to rejoice even if I am delighted as even if they survive as a team, hard to see the budget being matched (so hopefully a knock on effect of less control of racing).

I hope Eddie does enough this year to get sorted should it go belly up.

My other thought is that they signed up Bernal on a 5 year contract just a couple months ago (and a few other young riders on multi year deals). For all the stick Delaney (rightly) got, not sure that says great things about Brailsfords people management...

mloc123

Has to be good news for cycling in general? Having a single team with a budget so much bigger than all others has made for a pretty boring 5yrs of tours.

neris

https://twitter.com/ukcyclingexpert/status/1072778690575122432?s=19

Diarmuid

Not a huge surprise really.

godtabh

I doubt they will fold but they wont get a £15m a year sponsor again.

CrowdedHouse

https://twitter.com/TourDeJose/status/1072766516620378112

irishrover99

I think all the bad publicity has finally put pressure on the Sky and Fox to pull the plug on this before its too late.
<Snip>
No company pulls out of sponsorship when they are wiping the field in all the major events.

So i'd expect one last year of dominance in the GT's and then welcome back to exciting cycling in 2020 as i cannot see them being able to keep this team together after next year unless Froome takes a major pay cut.

Diarmuid

irishrover99 wrote: »

SNIP

It's completely NOT obvious that that is correct.

irishrover99 wrote: »

No company pulls out of sponsorship when they are wiping the field in all the major events.

Pro cycling is literally a case study in this exact phenomenon! Open your history books.

Hurrache

I once worked for a company during the 90s into the 2000s who sponsored a pretty successful pro cycling team, reaping the rewards from the TV and media exposure. Once there was a whiff of cordite they got out of there before things really blew up.

I wonder if it's the same situation, ordinarily it would be odd for a financially stable company to pull away from such a 'successful' team. However if it is because Sky are starting to fear the backlash against the team, the horse has well and truly bolted on that already.

irishrover99

Diarmuid wrote: »

It's completely NOT obvious that that is correct.



Pro cycling is literally a case study in this exact phenomenon! Open your history books.

Froome been allowed to race while under a very dodgy appeal last year for a very dodgy PED test when other riders were given bans straight away is obvious that they were playing by different rules than the rest.
IF you cannot see that then you have your head in the sand so to speak.

None of those other sponsors from years past have the cash resources that Sky have.
They are not tiling company or sunglasses company.
Both Fox and Sky are 2 of the biggest companies in the world.

py

One thing to consider is the potential for descent amongst the ranks within races. If the team has the potential to fold, how many of the riders will want to pull for other people when they need to show other teams they can race?

Diarmuid

irishrover99 wrote: »

None of those other sponsors from years past have the cash resources that Sky have.
They are not tiling company or sunglasses company.
Both Fox and Sky are 2 of the biggest companies in the world.

You're already moving the goals. So is it the size of the company or the fact that they have been successful that made it a surprise to you that they are moving on?

El CabaIIo

py wrote: »

One thing to consider is the potential for descent amongst the ranks within races.

They definitely won't win anything if they can't get off the ascents anyway.

LennoxR

One of the interesting things about Team Sky is that even in Britain they do not seem to capture the imagination anymore. When Wiggins won the Tour in 2012, yes, but he was successfully marketed as 'working class lad done good'. There doesn't seem to be be the same level of popular enthusiasm across the water for Froome at all or for Geraint Thomas. Very hard to blame them though, the two are not exactly flamboyant personalities either on or off the bike.
Now Team Sky will be no more. Don't expect much mourning in the cycling world.

Thud

Spare a though for poor Carlton Kirby at this time......mind you he has the Yates bros now to go on about

lissard

Things might get a bit harder for the team when they can no longer hire GT contenders and use them as mountain domestiques :-).

mcdonrob

Hopefully my non-sky castelli gear will regain some street cred.

Daroxtar

Brailsford having visions of Oleg writhing around on a bed made from €100 notes, like a middle aged trans Mena Suvari, licking his lips.

Harrybelafonte

I wonder if the British Cycling element has a part to play in this. Jess Varnish currently working out some legal basics in order to sue them and then general tainted state of BC

RobFowl

Maybe Aquablue could take over sponsorship?

El CabaIIo

Or GlaxoSmithKline...

Chips Lovell

I'd love to see them sponsored by someone like Tesco or Nandos.