[SPOILER] Team SKY - Tour de Romandie

[andrew_s]

A pity they couldn't get Rogers in shot wearing the points jersey.

 

[raindog]

Indeed RD!
By the way, we spell it meringue over here en Angleterre

oops

 

[Flying_Monkey]

An unexpected win for Jonathan Hivert, but that was well-controlled today for Brad. Not so good for Cav though - I know he's probably here to work on his mountain legs for the TdF, but he certainly hasn't got them yet and he's being dropped on the most inoccuous climbs (by GT standards) and it looks like he's pretty much being left to fend for himself as a result. It wasn't that bad a parcours for the sprinters either - GreenEdge managed to get Alan Davis near to the front in the final showdown, even if he couldn'd do much once he got there...

 

[smutchin]

he's being dropped on the most inoccuous climbs (by GT standards) and it looks like he's pretty much being left to fend for himself as a result.

Presumably that will change when they bring Eisel into the team?

d.

 

[Dave Davenport]

Love this picture

Almost like a Photoshopped image of an amateur English sportive rider kicking a bunch of Euro-poseurs' bottoms !

And so thoughtful of him to point out what 'Sky' is to all them forriners as he crosses the line.

And chewing a toffee at the same time!

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Presumably that will change when they bring Eisel into the team?

Oh, no doubt. They will have a bit more room for manouevre with the larger team sizes in the GTs. I think Cav is basically just using this as mountain training, and to take opportunities if they happen to come up.

 

[thom]

Oh, no doubt. They will have a bit more room for manouevre with the larger team sizes in the GTs. I think Cav is basically just using this as mountain training, and to take opportunities if they happen to come up.

There's Edvald B-H to come in too. If he's fit, you can't see him being left out of the tour given he won 2 stages last year.
It means the likes of Rogers, Pate and Sivtsov are likely after two places along with Uran of course - Geraint Thomas won't be there due to the Olympics.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

There's Edvald B-H to come in too. If he's fit, you can't see him being left out of the tour given he won 2 stages last year.
It means the likes of Rogers, Pate and Sivtsov are likely after two places along with Uran of course - Geraint Thomas won't be there due to the Olympics.

I wouldn't count Henao out either. If you want a specialist climber, he is the real thing - though I think they will use him in the Giro and/or the Vuelta instead.

 

[thom]

I wouldn't count Henao out either. If you want a specialist climber, he is the real thing - though I think they will use him in the Giro and/or the Vuelta instead.

Absolutely - they have a pile of talent. I hope that the rest, including Froome, properly get their heads and proper support in either the Giro or Vuelta.

 

[smutchin]

What's really great is that they don't just have a pile of talent, they have a proper team. OPQS arguably have a bigger pile of talent but don't appear to have the same level of organisation as Sky.

d.

 

[lukesdad]

What's really great is that they don't just have a pile of talent, they have a proper team. OPQS arguably have a bigger pile of talent but don't appear to have the same level of organisation as Sky.

d.

I ll hold fire on the organisation untill the fireworks kick off in the big one. Im still not sure about Eisels role, if he s there just to look after Cav they re still lacking a road captain to make the descions on the big calls IMO.

 

[raindog]

My FP for today's stage is Pierre Rolland.

 

[thom]

What's really great is that they don't just have a pile of talent, they have a proper team. OPQS arguably have a bigger pile of talent but don't appear to have the same level of organisation as Sky.

d.

I dunno. Seems like Tom Boonen is pretty happy with the organisation this year...
Did you see the bit of Paris Roubaix where he held off 4 chasing SKY riders with his team mate disrupting the SKY guys ?

I reckon OPQS could turn into something pretty special now, although maybe not going for Grand Tour GC so much - they are after all relatively new in terms of personel and I think it's interesting that this is where Brian Holm ended up after HTC.

 

[smutchin]

I dunno. Seems like Tom Boonen is pretty happy with the organisation this year...

Fair point.

Did you see the bit of Paris Roubaix where he held off 4 chasing SKY riders with his team mate disrupting the SKY guys ?

Tbh, I didn't really see it that way - I thought it was just that Boonen was too strong and EBH was having a bad day. But maybe you're right. It was definitely a very clever bit of teamwork from Terpstra to help get the Boonen breakaway started though. Also, I suppose if Sky's teamwork was really that good, they would have got Plan B into action sooner when they realised EBH was off colour.

d.

 

[thom]

Fair point.



Tbh, I didn't really see it that way - I thought it was just that Boonen was too strong and EBH was having a bad day. But maybe you're right. It was definitely a very clever bit of teamwork from Terpstra to help get the Boonen breakaway started though. Also, I suppose if Sky's teamwork was really that good, they would have got Plan B into action sooner when they realised EBH was off colour.

d.

Well I think you're right in that Boonen was too strong and that was the clincher. But my point would be that for all his individual enviable success, there was undoubtedly planning and tactics that were executed by the team to put him in positions to win.

Flecha did do well in PR given he'd had some kind of hand or wrist injury not long beforehand though.