British Cycling: The Road to Glory

[Dante Lavelli]

Anyone watched this series of SKY documentaries about the SKY/GB cycling teams?  Great watching if you’re interested in the science, technology and psychology of sport. 

I would love to see a similar documentary about a football club.  Certainly the “Being Liverpool” show suggests football is miles behind in their professionalism.

It’s great viewing and I highly recommend trying to get your hands on it.

[lazy villain]

I watched it, thought it was superb. Dave Brailsford came across especially well and the episode where he shows how 'marginal gains' can make up the difference between clean riders and those who use performance enhancing drugs was brilliant.

When comparing it to football teams, there is an article in Outdoor Fitness magazine this month in which Tony Daley describes the work he now does at the Wolves. Very interesting read, he got a sports science degree after he was forced to retire and is highly regarded fitness coach now( and he's now built like a brick s**thouse!!!).
The way they track players output in matches and training and the use individual fitness and nutritional plans is light years from what has gone on in the past. Its a shame our Tony never had that kind of regime when he played as it may well have solved his injury problems.

[lovejoy]

Did it cover their investigation into Dr Leinders and their decision not to renew his contract just as the case of Michael Rassmussen is to be heard? Dr Leinders was working with Rassmussen's Rabobank team at the time he was kicked off the tour in 2007. Or was it just a polished PR exercise by Sky?

[Dante Lavelli]

Did it cover their investigation into Dr Leinders and their decision not to renew his contract just as the case of Michael Rassmussen is to be heard? Dr Leinders was working with Rassmussen's Rabobank team at the time he was kicked off the tour in 2007. Or was it just a polished PR exercise by Sky?

It only covered events in 2012 but regardless it is definitely polished PR exercise on Sky's part but regardless I think it is great viewing.

Can you expand/explain the comment above re Dr Leinders, I do not know who he is and the significance of your comment.

[lovejoy]

Well Sky like to come across as a transparent, violently anti-drug team. I tend to think they are this as well. However they have been a little embarrassed recently as accusations that an employee Dr Leinders was involved with a drug programme at his previous employers, Rabobank. He was at Rabobank when Michael Rassmusen, then leader of the Tour de France in 2007 was thrown out for giving misleading information about his whereabouts with the implication being he was seeking to avoid drug testers. Sky have done an internal investigation and decided not to renew this guys contract and not revealed the results of their investigation. In the background Rasmussen has taken his team to court for unlawful sacking, claiming they new of his misleading location information. The perception is Sky don't want this guy on their team if the Rasmussen verdict is going to be played out in the media.

Personally I'd be very surprised if Sky were doing anything untoward and perhaps here they're hanging the guy out for a perception perspective rather than any specific reason from his work with the team. With a self made image of being entirely transparent Sky have made a rod for their own back.

These behind the scenes documentaries make me mad they are anything but. I must admit I didn't watch they Sky one for this reason.

[Dante Lavelli]

Thanks Lovejoy. 

[lovejoy]

From Guardian website:
Brailsford conceded that he had made an error in hiring the Rabobank doctor Leinders, who was in place at the Dutch team in 2007 when it became embroiled in a scandal over the Dane Michael Rasmussen but was never convicted of any wrongdoing. That went against the team's policy of not hiring medical staff with past involvement in cycling. Asked why he had not retained Leinders, Brailsford said: "It was not about medical practice, there was some information coming out that we hadn't been aware of."

"He was a brilliant doctor, he was more forceful on [doping] issues than anybody. We went through the screening process with him, he sat down with [Sky and GB psychiatrist] Steve Peters, who really trusted him."

Brailsford hired Leinders in the wake of the death of the team's carer Txema González and said his primary concern was to resolve medical issues rather than communicate the change of policy to the media. He added that their recruitment policy would be tightened in future. "You learn and adapt. If you get something wrong once, not learning from it is unforgivable."

[TopDeck113]

Cav's left Sky for Omega Pharma-QuickStep.  I guess it makes sense: teaming up with his old HTC sports director and having a team built around him and one-day Classics or stage wins, rather than being an expensive bit part in a team focussing on Wiggins and/or Froome and GC. 

Pity it didn't work out at Sky.  However, the image of the Yellow Jersey leading out the Rainbow Jersey for a fourth straight win on the Champs-Élysées will remain forever.  Just hope it won't be seen in years to come, on the road at least, as British Cycling's high-water mark.

[lovejoy]

Leinders is now part of a judicial investigation as part of the Rabobank fall out in Belgium.