Tour De France 2018

Pozzo non?

Barguil's shat the bed.

Fell earlier apparently :(

This is on the Guardian's live feed, honestly the commentator's there can be right smug gits.

On the subject of Sky’s impromptu feed zone, which I mentioned earlier, Marie Meyer writes: “Seriously, Barry?” she says. “Other teams thought about stationing a guy by the side of the road with some musettes, but then ruled it out on the basis of cost? The Guardian’s Sky Derangement Syndrome is showing.”

Ha-ha! Well, the thing is, Marie, you need staff to prepare, pack and hand out musettes. And those staff have to be paid wages. And most teams don’t have anywhere near as many staff as Sky to do the job, because they don’t have as much money as Sky to pay those wages. This is common knowledge to anyone with a passing interest in cycling, not derangement.

I had given the matter no thought quite frankly, so I asked:

Hey Barry,

Regarding all the extra staff and extra musettes Sky have, do you have anything to back that up? I have ‘more than a passing interest’ in cycling but have never really thought about the size of Sky’s extended staff so I am curious if it is just an assumption that they spend their money this way, or you have actual figures for Sky’s staffing levels at this race compared to other teams.

Ta muchly

James

and got this is response, on the feed:

Em, they habitually place staff on the road to hand out musettes outside feeding stations, while most other teams’ domestiques are forced to waste valuable energy going back to the team car for the same refreshments. This is not an assumption, it is a fact. It is also a fact that was confirmed minutes ago on TV by Nicolas Roche, a former Sky rider. But what would he know about such matters compared to fanboys who aren’t even prepared to concede that Team Sky are wealthy?

Salty prick, and with that I shall be signing off the Guardian live ticker

On a climb? How did he manage that? I've only managed that once, thanks to a drainage ditch cover.

What a bell

Was on the beginning of the descent of the Aspet I think, cameras missed it and thought it was a mechanical but Tommy V on the moto said he saw it.

What a cock.

Isn't this just another marginal gain that every other team will end up doing as it evidently provides a big advantage? Handing out musettes will be part of the swannie's job descriptions
Much like warming up and down on trainers, having food trucks and chefs.

I think you only had yourself to blame, one for following such a feed and two for involving yourself in anything.

Even I've noticed the 'extra' Sky musette holders all over the race this year in the specially designed flouro vests that no other team uses either

Haha yes this is true.

But it seems a strange business model: insult the people that are actually reading you. Plus he backed it up by saying he had heard off the telly.

It could be Frenchies in disguise with bottles full of piss and shit sandwiches?

Well I've noticed them, and I have also noticed the others teams with the same usually in team shirts. I have not quantified either so have never considered there may be more of them out there than all the other teams.

Hence the question.

How dare you question his unresearched opinion that is being stated as FACT

To be fair, a lot of the snake-oil is sold by SKY themselves. They always purport to be doing something different and better, people have just bought into it now. They don't even have the biggest budget in the peloton.

i thought most of these people were volunteers/fans?

we all know Wanty has the biggest budget.

Recruiting some more people and getting the mechanics and other support staff to hand out food and water during the day during the key mountain stages seems to me a cost worth paying.
Its not like they are delivering musettes using drones (although that would be tres cool) or shuttling helpers around the stage by helicopter...

Get 3 people to drop 12 extra people off in different places on the course and collect them afterwards. 15 extra helpers, can't cost more than a couple of grand extra per stage.
Perhaps Movistar should use their prize money from the team classification to invest in this tactic in future....

Are you suggesting their PR works?

Alaphilippe is a monster!

Yates is going for it. Doing it for the sick shades. I wanna see ski goggleglasses on l’equipe.

Yates' sunnies tho.

Clearly aeroz

Pozzo pedals like a rugby player with a huge gut. Quite an achievement for a man of 56kg.

Yates should be able to hold 30s lead on the descent to the finish?
Not a very organised chase behind him.