Le Tour 2012

[UK Redsox]

[Hopadop]

My only regret is I've developed an interest in the Tour the year a British bloke first wins it. It's a coincidence, honest.

Well done Bradley

[TopDeck113]

British Cycling and, by extension, Team Sky have shown every other sport that not only can we compete, but with the single-minded application of coaching, sports science and bloody hard work, we can kick the arse of every other country in the world.   

The fact that we we haven't had a Wimbledon Champion for decades, the national football team's par performance in a major championship is a quarter final exit on penalties and in a fortnight our 4x100m relay team will no doubt manage to drop the baton should no longer be deemed acceptable.   We have the talent pool, the resources and the public love of sport.  If British cycling can in the two decades from Chris Boardman's "unexpected" gold at the Barcelona Olympics go from being miles behind the rest of Europe and America to now being the predominant nation on the track and both winning the most prestigious road race and having it's most successful ever sprinter, every other sport is just making excuses.

[steffo]

A vaild point. For those listening to TMS on R4 today. At teatime Aggers was speaking to Roy Hodgeson. He essentially implied that his players were on 'loan' from the clubs when playing for England.

Aggers commented that the English Cricket Team are where they are today because the coach controls the selection process. Ian Bell has to ask permission to play for Warwickshire.

The FA created a monster of which the owners of the FA (premier league chairmen) care more about money than the national team. William McGregor was right.

[olaftab]

22nd July 2012: the day Bradley Wiggins becomes the 1st Brit to win the Tour de France
It has taken 109 years of the Tour de France for a Brit to win this extraordinary competition of endurance.  Bradley Wiggins has displayed the commitment, strategy and intelligence, dilligence and determination it takes to pursue a dream as difficult as this one.  He stepped into a completely different world from the velodrome.  It had been his dream since he was a child. Dreams can come true.   

[SteveN]

Finished off today in some style.

This has been the finest British team performance in any sport in many a year.

[London Villan]

I wonder what would happen if Sky applied the same thing to a football club or an F1 team? Be an interesting experiment.

[SteveN]

I wonder what would happen if Sky applied the same thing to a football club or an F1 team? Be an interesting experiment.

Someone on the radio was saying that they wouldn't be surprised if another sport came looking for Brailsford after the Olympics.

I hope not, he looks to be dedicated to road cycling and next year's 100th Tour will be something special to aim at.  But...money talks.

[UK Redsox]

A bit disappointed in the likes of Radio Beeb 5 and the Telegraph this morning.

In their headlines, they seemed more concerned about what the achievements of Wiggins et al means in terms of the Olympics rather than recognising the Tour as a stand-alone event.

Having said that, inside the Telegraph's sport section, the coverage is excellent.

[philthebar]

Sorry to put a damper on it, but I just don't get the Bradley Wiggins hype.  As far as I understand it, the Tour is a team event.  The team were riding under team orders and he was being protected most of the way.

Yes, great achievement, but as part of a team, not as an individual.  A few seconds over a couple of thousand miles is as much down to the team as the individual.

I know Wiggins has alluded to this.

[AV82EC]

Sorry to put a damper on it, but I just don't get the Bradley Wiggins hype.  As far as I understand it, the Tour is a team event.  The team were riding under team orders and he was being protected most of the way.

Yes, great achievement, but as part of a team, not as an individual.  A few seconds over a couple of thousand miles is as much down to the team as the individual.

I know Wiggins has alluded to this.

I'll disagree.  Did you see him in the Time Trial on Sunday?  Did you see him pretty much stay with the climbers all the way on Stage 17/18 in the Pyrenees, did you see the way he led out Cav yesterday which he didn't need to do.  Yes I'll admit its a team sport but I won't take away one iota of praise from the man who led them all around France to sporting success.  Sometimes you need a leader, a figurehead in sports team and Bradley Wiggins has been all that and more IMO. 

Oh and we'll brush his 6 Olympic medals including 3 Golds under the carpet as well.

Allez Wiggo.

[TopDeck113]

Someone on the radio was saying that they wouldn't be surprised if another sport came looking for Brailsford after the Olympics.

I hope not, he looks to be dedicated to road cycling and next year's 100th Tour will be something special to aim at.  But...money talks.

Or maybe he'll look at Sir Clive Woodward and realise that perhaps he's better served staying in the sport he knows back to front and upside down. 

[AV82EC]

Someone on the radio was saying that they wouldn't be surprised if another sport came looking for Brailsford after the Olympics.

I hope not, he looks to be dedicated to road cycling and next year's 100th Tour will be something special to aim at.  But...money talks.

Or maybe he'll look at Sir Clive Woodward and realise that perhaps he's better served staying in the sport he knows back to front and upside down. 

I'd agree with that, though after his somewhat disappointing time in Football, at least Woodward has put his skills to good use at the highest levels of sport with the BOA.  I'm pleased that people like him and Brailsford are at the top levels of sport as they put so much emphasis on coaching, science and professional preparation and try to keep the traditional "British sports administrator blazer brigade" away from front line decision making.  Unfortunately we haven't got our Woodward or Brailsford in Football yet but I'm sure one will arrive sooner or later.

[Dave Cooper please]

Sorry to put a damper on it, but I just don't get the Bradley Wiggins hype.  As far as I understand it, the Tour is a team event.  The team were riding under team orders and he was being protected most of the way.

Yes, great achievement, but as part of a team, not as an individual.  A few seconds over a couple of thousand miles is as much down to the team as the individual.

I know Wiggins has alluded to this.

His team certainly rode superbly for him, but they didn't blow away the opposition in both time trials and they couldn't actually ride up those mountains for him, Wiggins had to do that himself.

[Dante Lavelli]

Someone on the radio was saying that they wouldn't be surprised if another sport came looking for Brailsford after the Olympics.

I hope not, he looks to be dedicated to road cycling and next year's 100th Tour will be something special to aim at.  But...money talks.

Or maybe he'll look at Sir Clive Woodward and realise that perhaps he's better served staying in the sport he knows back to front and upside down. 

I'd agree with that, though after his somewhat disappointing time in Football, at least Woodward has put his skills to good use at the highest levels of sport with the BOA.  I'm pleased that people like him and Brailsford are at the top levels of sport as they put so much emphasis on coaching, science and professional preparation and try to keep the traditional "British sports administrator blazer brigade" away from front line decision making.  Unfortunately we haven't got our Woodward or Brailsford in Football yet but I'm sure one will arrive sooner or later.

Football in this country is so far behind when it comes to the cutting edge science side of things. 

This, in my opinion, is partly due to the old boys network (look how Redknapp treated Woodward at Southampton) and also because of the fragmented nature of how football is organised.  By this I mean the clubs hold all the power and therefore dictate the training etc whereas in cycling (Team Sky) and cricket (central contract) there is joined up thinking in everything that they do.