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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2016 14:21:34 GMT
Froome signed on until 2018 - good for him but let's hope G can be accommodated also. Maybe in the classics but I don't see how they will accommodate any GT aspirations. He can do whichever GT Froome doesn't but he'll also need to be available as Froomes right hand man now that Porte is gone. G will be handsomely paid at least.
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Post by Radchenister on Jan 12, 2016 14:27:30 GMT
True, I think it's up to him where he takes it, he has talked of two pronged opportunities in interviews recently but is keen to point out he'll be supporting Froome with an open mind to possibilities opening up, reviewing it over time. I think he's not after a silly media 'battle', as set out in years gone by. He's said it would be good to stay at Sky but isn't ruling out a move, not for now though and not for any old reason, to any old team. There's a lot of miles ahead, they just need to get moving this year before we can even contemplate seriously preempting how it pans - also depends who's hungry for burgers or victories, one hell of a commitment to keep aiming at top end GC classifications, as there's the whole lifestyle sacrifice thing, to win you need to go that extra mile on top of an already hard regime.
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Post by stevo on Jan 12, 2016 14:56:21 GMT
Indeed, reading his book 'The World of Cycling according to G' (which is excellent by the way) I get the feeling that he 'enjoys life too much' to make THAT level of sacrifice, as supremely talented and committed that he currently is.
Would love to see him succeed though.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2016 14:56:51 GMT
From what I can remember Porte was the plan B sometimes if Froomedog crashed out of a grand tour. It didn't work out when it did. Maybe G can produce the goods as a protected rider (if needed) second only to Froome when competing in the same race. As a workhorse for Froome in the TDF he did well but it was all a bit much towards the end.
Can't wait to see him riding with the support of others.
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Post by Radchenister on Jan 12, 2016 15:09:29 GMT
For me it's the shift in mindset to being the lead, that starts from the off season and runs all the way through to the GTs, if you are up front as no.1, there's no grey area about needing to go the distance or not, it's imperative to get to optimum weight and be firing with top form, hiding in the wind and pack etc being your game, ready for the challenging climbs and already training for the course profiles well in advance of them happening. If you're in the super domestique role, it's known you need to be ready to fight and burn if necessary, be a more robust all round rider, somewhere near the GC contender but not quite as fine tuned with that extra edge of leanness / eked out power to weight, that also sometimes makes you a little more fragile and susceptible to damage and illness, therefore needing your tough guy to defend your game. They're a bit symbiotic the roles of no's 1 and 2.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2016 18:23:13 GMT
I haven't read his book (way too young for an autobiography) but he definitely seems cut to be a Classics man. His form in the tour was amazing but I don't see him ever having that 5% extra required of a tour winner like a Froome or a Contador. He needs developed into an out and out Classics man or as an out and out super domestique. Sky will continue to throw all their eggs in the Froome basket until he's over the hill.
Also remember that Sky have just thrown a lot of cash at Kwiatkowski. Surely he will slot in ahead of G? He has the rainbow bands on his sleeves after all. Then there's Landa and his Giro performance to factor in. G's chances fall further down the list.
It's such a shame that Sky seem to do little to develop their existing youth. Will Kennaugh, Rowe, Nieve, Deignan etc etc ever get a full team behind them?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2016 18:24:48 GMT
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Post by william39 on Jan 12, 2016 18:33:16 GMT
I haven't read his book (way too young for an autobiography) but he definitely seems cut to be a Classics man. His form in the tour was amazing but I don't see him ever having that 5% extra required of a tour winner like a Froome or a Contador. He needs developed into an out and out Classics man or as an out and out super domestique. Sky will continue to throw all their eggs in the Froome basket until he's over the hill. Also remember that Sky have just thrown a lot of cash at Kwiatkowski. Surely he will slot in ahead of G? He has the rainbow bands on his sleeves after all. Then there's Landa and his Giro performance to factor in. G's chances fall further down the list. It's such a shame that Sky seem to do little to develop their existing youth. Will Kennaugh, Rowe, Nieve, Deignan etc etc ever get a full team behind them? Kwiatowski not really there for GC, more Ardennes classics. Nieve is 31, not really a youth prospect. Rowe is being groomed for the classics, will probably have joint leadership with Stannard this year at Roubaix etc. Kennaugh may have a chance in the future if he continues developing. Difficult for Thomas as he is only a year younger than Froome. I think he will see how this year pans out and if he really wants to go for the Tour it won't be at Sky. Sir Dave B doesn't do things through emotion it is all about stats and data. I can't ever see Thomas beating Froome in a grand tour but you never know if he had a full team behind him.
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Post by Radchenister on Jan 12, 2016 18:51:37 GMT
I could see it, I believe that anyone pulling the front the way he was when others were hidden behind getting protected has great potential but you're right, we don't know the actual figures ... so not sure where this 5% comes from? 5% of what? Without figures we can only guess, but you could argue that pulling the front for half the race means he's smacking out more outright oomph than most in the front of the GC; the reality is likely that he's just perhaps not as light for nasty climbing, by that I mean the real edgy stuff that starts deciding the overall times by the time they get down in the Pyrenees and Alps. Perhaps he can't get that light without compromising his form - I suspect they're into new territory when considering his training and game plan. I believe he surprised himself last year on climbs, let alone those around him - this winter's training will most likely have been tweaked for him, to suit whatever agenda they're developing; if he's out smashing it in the classics, then the domestique role is likely still the main plan but if he's looking there abouts but not fighting quite so hard, then that might be interpreted as meaning that the long term game might be slightly different. ... but then he may just get out and smash everything he's up to have a punt at, I get the impression that as payback for the more serious roles in the team scenario, sometimes they just let him freestyle it.
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Post by william39 on Jan 12, 2016 18:59:33 GMT
It will be interesting to see how Porte performs at BMC as a comparison if he is given full leadership but it will be shared with TVG probably. Might be that having all the benefits of being at Sky leads to greater performance than being a leader at a slightly lesser team if that makes sense?
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Post by Radchenister on Jan 12, 2016 19:03:25 GMT
Although all speculation is fun, I'd just like the bladdy season to start to see where we're at ! Although I never take the TdU as the true season start, it's like a practice race they do half way through the winter training somewhere nice and hot.
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Post by KiwiBeard on Jan 13, 2016 2:01:15 GMT
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Post by r0b1et on Jan 13, 2016 9:01:48 GMT
Landa leads, no surprise to me, though perhaps to some from the posts above.
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Post by Radchenister on Jan 13, 2016 10:01:25 GMT
Good climber up for Giro in team that majors the TdF, stop the press!
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Post by Deleted on Jan 13, 2016 10:09:03 GMT
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