2014 Pro-cycling season thread

^^ Always in the service of someone else.

^ Are you kidding me? He is an much better climber than Wiggins.

So Porte is unproven as a GC rider over 3 weeks

Wiggins has a 3rd and a 1st, and while his climbing isn't as strong as Porte's, it's also not that much worse.

But not a better GT rider. Hence, it'd make sense to use his climbing ability to help a better GT rider. Same as what he'll do for Froome.

Look at it this way: Porte has, time after time turned himself inside out in the service of Froome - some of his performances last year were bonkers. Froome can rely on him to bury himself completely just to get him on a wheel, or sit on Berts wheel when he goes up the hill.

Could you say the same about Wiggins? Yeah. Right. He's not worked for anyone else for years and has several times gone missing in key races when he just can't be bothered or isn't in the mood for the weather.

Tl;dr - Porte is nailed on to bury himself, Wiggins is just a big fat question mark.

I actually have seen him working for others, and doing it well. I think he would take the role that Stannard would have done had he been fit very well.

So I'm not saying he should go instead of Porte, but as well as.

You go to the Tour, you take your best riders. They are professionals: if they have personal issues they put them to one side to race as hard as they fucking can for as long as they can. Painting Wiggins as some maverick loose cannon who simply won't be professional and ride for who is told to is as unfair to Wiggins given the way he has been riding recently, as it is to paint Froome as nasty and vindictive. We simply don't know.

Jimmy,when you take your two best riders to the tour, and they both feel they can win it, and there is ill feeling, bad things happen, relationships suffer and it devolves into great drama for the spectator, but not so much for the team as it happens. Just think Hinault and Lemond, Why anyone on Sky would think this was a good thing to have happening in the team, they would need your head examining. Just to slip into football mode for a second, there are plenty of teams heading to the world cup who have left out players because they are cultivating a team ethos, and trying to eliminate harmful (in their eyes) personalities despite the quality they may bring to the squad. Argentina leaving out Tevez, France leaving out Nasri etc...

Interview on BBC 1 this morning

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/27729737

Jimmy,when you take your two best riders to the tour, and they both feel they can win it, and there is ill feeling, bad things happen, relationships suffer and it devolves into great drama for the spectator, but not so much for the team as it happens. Just think Hinault and Lemond, Why anyone on Sky would think this was a good thing to have happening in the team, they would need your head examining. Just to slip into football mode for a second, there are plenty of teams heading to the world cup who have left out players because they are cultivating a team ethos, and trying to eliminate harmful (in their eyes) personalities despite the quality they may bring to the squad. Argentina leaving out Tevez, France leaving out Nasri etc...

This x100.

John fucking Terry.

Also - there is no need to paint Wiggins as a volatile maverick - he does that all by himself. Froome by comparison is a consummate professional.

Hmm, anyone else remember the 2012 Tour? I saw a maverick twice in that race, riding against team orders and it wasn't Wiggins.

And sorry Dan, but Wiggins is a class above Porte. He's won a GT and finished on the podium of 2 others, where Porte's best finish is 7th when he gained 12 minutes in a break.

Maybe, maybe not Cornelius. I think we're making a lot of inferences on how both might behave, and there are the constant comparisons to Hinault and Lemond, which I'm not sure are valid.

Wiggins can ride the Tour without fucking it up for Froome, and he is a much better rider than Porte overall, and a much more experienced rider too, which Sky need.

Arg - I'm not saying Porte is a better rider Andy, I'm saying he would be a better lieutenant.

There's a lot of idealism here - yes, on paper Wiggins is an asset, a great bike rider with loads of experience. But will he behave himself? Probably not.

Also, remember last year's Tour where Porte rode so hard one day after his work was done, to cement his own place on GC, that he blew up the next day leaving Froome isolated? Sky were incredibly fortunate to get away with that, thanks mainly to Movistar's idiotic tactics.

If you want to win the Tour you need to take your strongest team and everyone knows that in Sky's case that includes Wiggins. Brailsford is meant to be a management genius, how about he applies some of that to working out how to get the best out of both Froome and Wiggins.

Really Andy? Bit disappoint.

It seems a bit disingenuous comparing Wiggins to Porte in this case, for inclusion in the team he should be compared to the weakest rider in the squad selected, not the second best.

Wiggins would make a ridiculously useful road captain or 'super domestique' as he calls it.

Garmin could use a decent, naturally aspirated diesel.

^Except Wiggins is the second best.

Wiggins would make a ridiculously useful road captain or 'super domestique' as he calls it. Garmin could use a decent, naturally aspirated diesel.

What, now that Millar is on his way out?

Also - they way Wiggins left Garmin the first time around means that bridge is probably burnt.

Through and off with Paolini towing Aru between mountains?

#teamalonso

It seems a bit disingenuous comparing Wiggins to Porte in this case, for inclusion in the team he should be compared to the weakest rider in the squad selected, not the second best.

Exactly.

Also, remember last year's Tour where Porte rode so hard one day after his work was done, to cement his own place on GC, that he blew up the next day leaving Froome isolated? Sky were incredibly fortunate to get away with that, thanks mainly to Movistar's idiotic tactics.

His ability to destroy himself to achieve something in a stage is exactly why I'd bring him. Its also exactly why I'd want wiggins there.

On paper this years tour looks great for a Wiggins super domestique role. Plenty of Places hed be extra useful.

Froome whinges about Wiggo and all the PR makes him seem like an arsehole to be in a team with, but Uran and Henao both stuck up for him when it was all kicking off in the press so I dunno if that's really fair; some of the shit that has come from Froome's 'manager' is deliberately pointed to make sure that them being in the same team again is an impossibility and has gone above any 'team' interests let alone Sky's official PR machine.

Froome bores the shit out me anyway-I hope he gets a crick in his neck from staring at his stem too much at the Dauphine and Wiggo gets a call up instead.

Uber I would rep you if I hadn't already nerged you so much

Wiggins would make a ridiculously useful road captain or 'super domestique' as he calls it.

If they're not going to take Eisel then I think the team, like last year, will lack leadership and experience, both qualities Wiggins will bring. It's a question of strong management of the two personalities, and making sure they remain professional.

If Wiggo's numbers are the same as two years ago, and considering how much he beasted the field going uphill at ToC (OK, not exactly alpine in fairness), is he really weaker than all the other support riders that Sky would take?

I totally understand the points on either side that he's a "maverick" or "loose cannon" and that goes against the clinical execution of the SkyTrain but surely Dave can manage both his performance and his personality, as he has done so for years?

Plus, I would love him to ride off the front at a summit finish only to be called back. It's the kind of thing he would do to make a point..

Can I get a reeeeewindddddddddd