Giro d'Italia / Tour de France Cycling thread 2013

[N'Rexy]

Yep. The Skyborgs, UK Postal (reference to Armstrongs team), and several other names are regularly in use now. And their times and methods are under massive focus as a lot of people are convinced that their level of success can't be 'normal'. There is no real evidence out there to speak of but people will talk.

[Dave Cooper please]

They can talk all they want, but the very success that Sky are having means they will be tested more than anyone.
The fact is, Sky riders aren't destroying records and storming up mountains at unprecedented speeds, they are just well ahead of their rivals in this post-doping era. They won't have a rider who will dominate a stage, they will have several riders who will grind down the opposition and take the team leader through to the end. It's a whole new era and the other teams are going to have to adapt fast.

[Dante Lavelli]

During the olympics Team GB used the excuse that no other riders/teams took their turn to lead the peleton which mean that Team GB had nothing in the tank to chase a break away group (or something like that). 

Is there a risk that similar could happen in the TdF, or are there more riders within Team Sky that they can rotate better?  Or more simply as an average the Skyborgs will consistently finish near the top and therefore have a rider winning the whole thing?

[Dave Cooper please]

Who knows? They'll be a marked team for sure and it will be interesting to see which other teams will be willing to chase down breakaways or will they just let Sky tire themselves out?

I think in the TDF more teams will have a vested interested in the general classification, it would be bad form to be worrying purely about Froome and not trying to get their own man into yellow.

[SteveN]

Olympic Team only had 6 riders as opposed to 9 in the Tour, far more difficult to control.   I think Sky will jmainly ride at their own tempo, the concern might be that without Mick Rogers, who will be riding for Contador this year, they might lack a leader on the road with his experience.

[lovejoy]

I think a lot will depend on how much steak Contador eats before the Tour.

[Dave Cooper please]

Olympic Team only had 6 riders as opposed to 9 in the Tour, far more difficult to control.   I think Sky will jmainly ride at their own tempo, the concern might be that without Mick Rogers, who will be riding for Contador this year, they might lack a leader on the road with his experience.

Judging by his performance this week I think Richie Porte has shown he can do the job of Froome's lieutenant going up the mountains, and Christian Knees has ridden seven consecutive TDFs so he has the experience to be the major Sky domestique.

[Jon Crofts]

Anyone follow the Tour Series in the UK? http://www.tourseries.co.uk
I'm going to watch in Woking tomorrow evening, the IG Team Sigma Sport are the ones to watch, Joe Perrett won the UK 25 TT at the weekend.

[N'Rexy]

I think the new tactic is being defined as massive breakaway groups on hilly days. This is what happend over three days in the Dauphine and again today in the Tour de Suisse. On flat days the sprint teams will close them down but on hilly days everyone will leave any closing down to Sky. We can then expect a Spanish Armada once Sky's numbers are reduced. Its going to be tough to break them (Sky) but with enough co-operation amongst other teams its possible.

 

[lovejoy]

Isn't co-operation between teams against the rules?

[Dave Cooper please]

Isn't co-operation between teams against the rules?

How can it be? Teams will always work together in the peleton, taking it in turn on the front etc.

[Jon Crofts]

The breakaways always fascinate me on a psychological level.  If you've ever heard of the Prisoner Dilemma you'll know what I mean.  Imagine you & 1 other rider ahead of the peloton, a mile to go, the peloton out of reach, the other rider urges you to work with him, do you?  Are you the stronger better sprinter?  You don't know this rider, so do you work with him or not?

Self interest or co-operate?

[Dave Cooper please]

It;s even better if the peleton IS within reach, then the two of them have to work together or neither of them will win.

[Jon Crofts]

I need to tell my cycling partner about this co-operation thing, he's never heard of it.

[N'Rexy]

Teams co-operate openly.  Some managers even offer money for help (which is illegal).   Riders from different teams will also work with each other too based on favors either done or promised. Unpopular riders (voeckler for example) or teams (Sky) wont get much help from anyone though.

Dont forget that the end game here for most teams is TV time. If they get people in breaks they get more TV time with the added advantage of possibly breaking Skys domination.