Team Sky Announcement

[Oscar's dad]

I for one was only trying to help.  Perish the thought that I was taking the pi55!

The best piece of cycling kit I have bought recently is a kick stand.  I commend this simple but effective item to Sky's brave attempt to conquer the Tour de France.

Ha! - don't listen to him - I reckon he's on commission from the International Consortium of Kickstand Manufacturers and Unipod Fitters and Fettlers (ICKMUFF).  Tried to sell me one for my Felt last time I rode with him!

OTOH, if Sky/British Cycling/Chris Boardman got their collective nous together and produced an aerodynamic, carbon fibre/titanium, UCI-legal kickstand I guess the sport would benefit greatly.  Can I have one in "Liquid Grey" please?

OD's advice on bottle cage alternatives should be fine, unless the TdF plans to incorporate cattle grids.

HTH

Git     

[TimC]

I don't subscribe to Sky.  Does that mean my chances of getting onto the team are reduced?

We're no longer on Sky.  Will Freeview enter the cycling arena and what will be their objective I wonder?

Ah, yes. In fact, I think they already announced their provisional European British cycling super-team via Eurosport last Saturday at 21CET. But it may have been rescheduled to 15CET. Or 22UTC. Or the announcement may have been dropped in view of the Lower Saxony Tiddlywinks Team record attempt on drinking pilsner through the instruments of their local Oompah band reaching a crucial and unmissable climax as Gerhardt dropped the final bottle with just 5 seconds to go.

Anyway, it would seem that Freeview have secured a 5-minute equipment deal with Sterling House, with team kit to be provided by Aldi (certain Thursdays only) and Lidl (certain Saturdays only), nutrition by Haribo and team transport coming from Dave's Cabs (We Sometimes Have Breakdown Cover!!!). The team management is rumoured to be the same outfit that have made such a good job with TV star Postman Pat's attempt at the Race Across America (RHFMdeBQ, as it's known at Eurosport QH). The team's first rider signing was due to be confirmed today, but someone lost the bit of paper with the bloke's name on.

Very soon, there will be a trailer about a completely different subject which will be no help at all, despite what it says in all the TV guides. Chapeau and Allez Freeview!!!

Objective? What's one of those?

[Oscar's dad]

And if the Freeview Team cycles thru our area their wireless bike computers will need signal boosters cos we're a bit too far from Sudbury 

[clarion]

Can't do any rides that go through Calderdale.  But then, by that token, neither could Sky.

Anyway, someone must get excited at the prospect of cutting away from the sprint finish after the long breakaway to see a recording of Tractor Pulling...

[ChrisO]

Am I the only one that thinks watching cycling on TV is fantastically, amazingly, unbelievably dull?

A daily 10 minutes of TdF/Giro/Vuelta highlights for the crashes, sprints and results and I'm happy. Eurosport is great for this. I have Sky for the Football, Rugby and Cricket.

Mind you, there's nothing wrong with giving that lot (the cyclists) a boat load of cash through sponsorship.

A day of the TdF is just like a day of cricket. The fact that you have endured hours of tedium only sharpens the taste of the brief but crucial moment of excitement.

Watching the peloton thunder past the breakaway that has hung on for 149.75 kilometres only to be cruelly captured in the finishing straight. Seeing the attack after attack on the yellow jersey until he cracks or responds in kind. It might happen once a day if you're lucky or a few times in a grand tour.

"The look" that Armstrong gave to Ullrich lives with me because I spent the day watching and was rewarded with that glorious moment. I didn't need to be told about it, I saw it.

Is watching a succession of wickets and a few boundaries the same as watching a day of test cricket - seeing the batsmen digging in, the tiring bowlers, the field changes seeking an advantage, the vital breakthrough or the flagging spirit.

Track cycling with the power of a sprint or the precision of a team and instant, identifiable results works well on TV and is probably more accessible for the non-aficionado, just as one-day or 20-20 cricket is.

On a more serious note regarding the OP I think well done to Sky for supporting it. The thing I most admire about it is their ambition in stating they want a British rider to win the tour in 5 years. Sport in the UK suffers from a lack of ambition - there is too much feeling that if you've tried your best then that's OK.

Clearly cycling under Dave Brailsford has jettisoned that mentality and many other sports would do well to learn from it, as would sport down to the grass roots level. At youth level in some sports - especially in schools - competitiveness and winning are regarded as dirty words and the rules are laid down not to give everyone an even chance but to handicap the very best.

[clarion]

And they will probaly have the same success they had with Freewheel...

[TimC]

On a more serious note regarding the OP I think well done to Sky for supporting it. The thing I most admire about it is their ambition in stating they want a British rider to win the tour in 5 years. Sport in the UK suffers from a lack of ambition - there is too much feeling that if you've tried your best then that's OK.

Clearly cycling under Dave Brailsford has jettisoned that mentality and many other sports would do well to learn from it, as would sport down to the grass roots level. At youth level in some sports - especially in schools - competitiveness and winning are regarded as dirty words and the rules are laid down not to give everyone an even chance but to handicap the very best.

Absolutely, but hardly in keeping with the spirit of the thread, hmmmm?

No, good luck to the Sky Team and power to Dave Brailsford's elbow and all other bits, and I truly hope they succeed in their aims. Now, back to the merriment and trivial banter....

[clarion]

I'm just waiting for Sky Sports Team to pop back and join in the discussion.

I'm particularly interested in their view on the carbon propstand issue above.

Perhaps they are consulting the Secret Squirrel boffins before giving a definitive answer...?

[Frenchie]

Thank you ChrisO for talking some sense...

[vorsprung]

Am I the only one that thinks watching cycling on TV is fantastically, amazingly, unbelievably dull?

A daily 10 minutes of TdF/Giro/Vuelta highlights for the crashes, sprints and results and I'm happy. Eurosport is great for this. I have Sky for the Football, Rugby and Cricket.

Mind you, there's nothing wrong with giving that lot (the cyclists) a boat load of cash through sponsorship.

I think the football is usually dull
Rugby is ok but I can't get excited about it
Cricket really is dull but I suppose that's what people want

Cycling on the other hand has tactics, personalities and crashes.  And if that isn't enough some races ie the Giro have totally spendid scenary too.

[Greenbank]

I'd expected there would be lots of cycling fans, who like watching it live on TV, on a cycling forum; and I don't deny there are many facets to it, just as there are to each and every other sport.

I was wondering if there were others like me who found it as dull as you [vorsprung] find watching cricket.

[StanThomas]

Am I the only one that thinks watching cycling on TV is fantastically, amazingly, unbelievably dull?

Oddly enough I had this conversation recently while on jury service (by chance do separate classes meet). There was a semi-professional angler, who informed us that his sport is televised, much to the amusement of all present. He then cited cycling as the most utterly dull thing he'd ever watched on TV. I stayed very quite.

[bobb]

Horse racing is the dullest "sport" on TV.

Seeing a bunch of dwarves sitting on ungulate mammals has me immediately reaching for the remote...

[ChrisO]

You guys were never subjected to the annual Sydney to Hobart yacht race.

Starts on Boxing Day each year. And in Australia it's really, really hot then so all you want to do is sit inside and cool off after the excitement of Christmas. This is when I was a kid and we only had two channels where I lived (and thought we were lucky to have them).

So what's on telly - a bloody yacht race. Very rich people floating slow things a bit faster than other rich people.

The only thing worse was if for some reason they showed repeats of previous years. The most boring thing in the world, and you already know who's won.

[Jaded]

Road cycling on TV leaves me cold.

Track stuff is good.

[onb]

The dullest thing I have seen on tv by far is indoor bowls ,which is only marginally more boring than outdorr bowls whose excitement is beefed up by the possibility of a seagull crapping on someones head.I quite enjoy road racing on tv especially when it involves hilly stages and if sky  move the coverage from Eurosport to Skysport I shal be very cross indeed.

[Ian H]

Of people who say they are interested in a particular sport, I wonder what percentage actually participate. Answer for a) football and b) cycling.

[Greenbank]

Of people who say they are interested in a particular sport, I wonder what percentage actually participate. Answer for a) football and b) cycling.

It's amusing going to a football match and hearing people with a BMI in excess of 35, and a life expectancy of not much more, shouting "Run you fat lazy ****!" at professional players who run 10km during a 90 minute match.

I haven't played rugby since school but I'll happily watch it on TV or down at the local club (Rosslyn Park). I'm built like a winger but nowhere near fast enough which means I just get hurt.

A lot more rugby fans I see at matches look like they play, or used to play, the game. Compared to football at least.

I play cricket once or twice a year (limited overs stuff with beers and a laugh) but watch days of it (on TV and at Lord's, the Oval or, sometimes, a county match).

I play one round of golf a year and watch about the same on TV (bits of the Ryder Cup and Masters).

I play 5-a-side football once a week (in a competitive league) and 11-a-side a few times a year (when they're desperate for players). I watch about one match a week on TV. I go to about 5 matches a year (from Premiership to Conference).

I do a bit of cycling.

To answer your actual question. I'm guessing there's an order of magnitude difference between (a) and (b).

[rogerzilla]

MTB is one of those sports that just doesn't work on TV.  If the camera could follow the riders it might be better.

[Rich753]

Bit surprised at the negativity here.  Sky are putting a sizeable bunch of cash in to our sport at both a grass-roots and elite level and folks just want to be smart-arse about it.

British cynicism?

[Ian H]

I'm sure people can think of less savoury sponsors in the past.

[David Martin]

I'm sure people can think of less savoury sponsors in the past.

Stuff the past - you can't live on memories of the good old days of pro british racing teams. How about asking what other options are on the table right now?

..d

[Frenchie]

Bit surprised at the negativity here.  Sky are putting a sizeable bunch of cash in to our sport at both a grass-roots and elite level and folks just want to be smart-arse about it.

British cynicism?

Very surprised and disappointed here.

If one does not care about competitive cycling, one can ignore the "Racing" board and be "more constructive" elsewhere...

[Hot Flatus]

I'm glad Sky is putting a load of money into a cycling team.  No different to any other sponsor other than it might lead to more road racing on the telly 

Could do without the bullshit PR in the OP though.

[TimO]

It's also not helped by the fact that clearly they've registered on multiple fora, purely for the purposes of posting exactly the same post, and then buggering off. 

Both on here and CycleChat the last time the user visited was shortly after they posted the announcement.