Bike Racing

[Witton Park]

Had a debate with Mrs S tonight over the fantasy team that we would pick from any rider competing this century. Mine was very much an entertaining mob whereas Mrs S was far more pragmatic - sprinter, climber and TT specialist and a selection of GT favourites.
So, if you could assemble any professional team of the last 23 years, who would you pick? Let's say a team of 7 but no domestiques necessary - stage winners and GC contenders only

Van der Poel, Van Aert, Froome, Tom Boonen, Alaphilippe, Cancellara, Pidcock

I'm a Cav fan, but he only comes in to his own at the end of a stage and with this team I think I could look forward to every stage with anticipation.

[mr brightside]

The way i see it, my team will be the most entertaining. Stannard's job will be to tow Pogacar to the base of the big climbs, where we find out if he can beat dirty uncle Lance to the top. The aussie will give us a rolling commentary on how my crybaby sprinter Cav is feeling, and how many triamcinolone inhalers Wiggins has been through. Boardman is only in if he's using the Lotus bike, otherwise i'll have Greipel to stir things up with Cavendish.

[Witton Park]

The way i see it, my team will be the most entertaining. Stannard's job will be to tow Pogacar to the base of the big climbs, where we find out if he can beat dirty uncle Lance to the top. The aussie will give us a rolling commentary on how my crybaby sprinter Cav is feeling, and how many triamcinolone inhalers Wiggins has been through. Boardman is only in if he's using the Lotus bike, otherwise i'll have Greipel to stir things up with Cavendish.

sounds more like the initial draft pick for the Dirty Dozen

[PeteS]

Here's my 7 - picked entirely for entertainment value!
Jens Voigt
Thomas Voeckler
Thomas De Gendt
Thibaut Pinot
Julian Alaphilippe
Peter Sagan
G

I toyed with Pidcock, Stannard and honourary Brummie Dan Martin too.
It greaves me to leave out Pantani but apart from a brief cameo in the 2000 tour, he was past his best.

[PeteS]

This was MrsS's

Fabian Cancellara
Laurent Jalerbert
Wout van Aert
Philippe Gilbert
Alejandro Valverde
Vincenzo Nibali
Cav

I think she would win but I'd scoop the combativity award.

[Witton Park]

Nice piece Graham. I won't quote comment it as when you delete, my copy would be retained I think.

I enjoyed his win. he climbed really well, so well I think the main bunch decided they couldn't get to him.

I listened to the Eurosport discussion yesterday about how the Stage saved Ineos's Tour.

I disagree. I think it's a useful bonus, but in reality they have a development team, with two riders in the top 10 and they lead the team standings.

[Graham Breeze]

Nice piece Graham. I won't quote comment it as when you delete, my copy would be retained I think.

I enjoyed his win. he climbed really well, so well I think the main bunch decided they couldn't get to him.

I listened to the Eurosport discussion yesterday about how the Stage saved Ineos's Tour.

I disagree. I think it's a useful bonus, but in reality they have a development team, with two riders in the top 10 and they lead the team standings.

I usually watch Eurosport although not particularly for any profound insightful commentary from such as Adam Blyth. For that I read David Walsh's half page piece in today's The Times. His full first seven paragraphs didn't refer to the stage at all - Walsh is a man who can write - but when he got down to it he says simply "...Ineos Grenadiers (was) a team that needed something to happen."

He also says (and I missed this if it was reported on TV) that IG was going to tell Kwiatkowski to drop back to support Pidcock and Rodriguez up the climb. "Luckily whoever suggested that was overruled."

[Marco]

This is from Rouleur. It is another example of the elegant, thoughtful writing one can read in its pages. I will delete it in a couple of days because of copyright

What does success look like now for Ineos? By Stephen Puddicombe

It's very flowery, Graham, but what does it tell us that we didn't already know from watching yesterday's highlights show?

Kwiatkowski was lucky, and he admitted it himself. Under normal circumstances the breakaway would have been caught before the summit; I think he said "We had a free ticket to the bottom of the climb"

As to the Ineos Grenadier team, they don't have a genuine GC contender and haven't for some time. I don't know if this is through under-funding, (relative to other teams), poor coaching, or bad recruitment. Yes, they've had some bad luck, including a really bad crash to Egan Bernal a while back, but a team of their stature should have two top leaders.

I don't see Ineos Grenadier winning a grand tour anytime soon, unless it is through a top GC contender crashing out and them inheriting the win. If Rodriguez and Pidcock were going to be top GC contenders we should have seen it by now; they are 22 and almost 24 respectively and Tadej Pogačar and Remco Evenepoel both won grand tours at 22. Contenders, maybe, but with Pogačar, Vingegaard, and Evenepoel all racing at the moment it's going to be hard for anyone else to win a grand tour in the foreseeable future.

Not mentioned in Stephen Puddicombe's writing is the other two-horse race in this year's Tour de France; the battle between the Yates twins. In theory it should be Simon, as Adam is doing heavy-duty domestique duties for his boss, but I'm not sure that will be the result as Adam looks to be in slightly better form.

[Graham Breeze]

It's very flowery, Graham, but what does it tell us that we didn't already know from watching yesterday's highlights show?

Kwiatkowski was lucky, and he admitted it himself. Under normal circumstances the breakaway would have been caught before the summit; I think he said "We had a free ticket to the bottom of the climb"

As to the Ineos Grenadier team, they don't have a genuine GC contender and haven't for some time. I don't know if this is through under-funding, (relative to other teams), poor coaching, or bad recruitment. Yes, they've had some bad luck, including a really bad crash to Egan Bernal a while back, but a team of their stature should have two top leaders.

I don't see Ineos Grenadier winning a grand tour anytime soon, unless it is through a top GC contender crashing out and them inheriting the win. If Rodriguez and Pidcock were going to be top GC contenders we should have seen it by now; they are 22 and almost 24 respectively and Tadej Pogačar and Remco Evenepoel both won grand tours at 22. Contenders, maybe, but with Pogačar, Vingegaard, and Evenepoel all racing at the moment it's going to be hard for anyone else to win a grand tour in the foreseeable future.

Not mentioned in Stephen Puddicombe's writing is the other two-horse race in this year's Tour de France; the battle between the Yates twins. In theory it should be Simon, as Adam is doing heavy-duty domestique duties for his boss, but I'm not sure that will be the result as Adam looks to be in slightly better form.

I agree about Ineos. Nothing lasts forever, from the success of Manchester United to the Roman Empire. In fact in thinking about La Vie Claire or Banesto I was musing that I have never seen a book in English about consistently successful cycling teams/DS.

And I like discursive writing. Don't you like my Fellrunner articles?

[molehill]

Another day for Ineos and think he is technically on the podium. This racing is edge of seat stuff and a far cry from the Sky train of a few years back, plodding up the mountains in a line and nobody attacking.