Nothin’ but blue Skys do I see.
Sky will leave pro cycling at the end of next season to focus on other projects, according to The Guardian.
One of these projects includes Sky Ocean Rescue, a push to encourage businesses and individuals to give up single-use plastic.
Was the Wiggins jiffy bag plastic? I can’t recall. But Froome’s gotta be, though you can’t argue that Sky only got a single use out of him.
Hey, what could I tell you? Times are tough. WADA ya gonna do?
Tags: Bradley Wiggins, Sky, Zoom-Zoom Froome
December 12, 2018 at 7:07 am |
Bike racing has gotta be a high CO2 endeavor, to be sure. Maybe the pros ought to go back to riding to the start line with their race wheels held on those front fork brackets like I remember from my lantern-rouge youth…
December 12, 2018 at 7:49 am |
For reals. Even at the amateur level.
First, you gotta mine and smelt all that carbon fiber, and then slow-boat the finished product from China to Los Estados Unidos.
Then, if you live in Bibleburg, you gotta drive to the Denver-Boulder Clusterplex and back for all the racing. When I was racing out of Fanta Se, I used to drive to Las Cruces, Alamogordo, Ruidoso, Los Alamos, Durango, Bibleburg and Denver to race.
The cost adds up fast, in more ways than one.
December 12, 2018 at 7:13 am |
I’ve always been pleased to see organizations sponsor cycling; but have simultaneously wondered what the ROI in doing so was — financial, goodwill, marketing, health/wellness reputation, etc. Especially since the sport has for decades been saddled with the PED issues.
On a more local note here in Colorado, the Colorado Classic in 2019 (unlike Interbike) WILL go on…..and be a women’s only event with lots more prize money, travel support, and longer race distances. I’m hoping it’s successful and definitely will attend. Good to see a paradigm shakeup.
December 12, 2018 at 8:01 am |
Especially in Colorado, JD. Promoting a road event there is a massive pain in the ass, which is why my team stuck to running cyclocrosses as our annual contribution to the racing calendar.
Dunno if it’s still the case, but it used to be that you had to hire the CSP to oversee your basic road race, and the cops decided how many troopers you needed. That dollars up on the hoof right smart.
It will be interesting to see how this paradigm shift affects TV audience, spectatorship, and general media attention. The domestic racing scene is circling the bowl, and that Boulder-based journal of competitive cycling used to say that their only real money-maker was European road racing, as in dudes at Le Tour.
Meanwhile, we have U.S. cyclocross nats going on as we speak down Kaintucky way. My lot, the Geezers 60-64 and 65-69, are racing today. Now that’s the Sport of Kings right there.
My old racing rival and fellow race promoter from the Colorado Cyclocross Series, Lee Waldman, will toe the line again this year. Here’s a piece he wrote for Cyclocross Magazine.
And here’s a look at some of the course, from CXHairs.
December 12, 2018 at 8:32 am |
“When you realize that everything changes, there is nothing you want to hold on to.” Tao te Ching, translation by Stephen Mitchell. Maybe it is time for the grand tours to fade away.
I would think that sponsors hate surprises, like Froome’s difficulty with a positive test. And the UCI and affiliated organizations aren’t exactly speedy in their adjudications. The damage to the sponsor’s brand is a done deal by the time the UCI and the rest decide the case. If I was a sponsor like Sky, I wouldn’t go anywhere near a pro bike team. If I was a potential sponsor and in the bicycle business, I would be more drawn to cyclocross or mountain bike racing not sanctioned by USA cycling or UCI. Especially events that allow amateurs to also compete, or not compete but just ride, and make the race a cycling happening over 2 or 3 days. My opinion is based on being a spectator and consumer. So, take it for what it’s worth.
December 12, 2018 at 8:41 am |
It’s all entertainment, as far as I’m concerned. Corporations that advertise on Faux News or NFL games don’t bother to check facts or PED use. They check ROI. If the people will tune in and buy up, they’d underwrite a public execution.
Who would sponsor The Hanging Channel? I’m thinking Home Depot for starters. You need timber, some hardware, and at least one rope. And Anheuser Busch, because all that neck-stretching shore does make a feller thirsty.
“At the end of your rope? Don’t just hang around — enjoy a delicious Bud Light.”
December 12, 2018 at 10:12 am |
Money talks and bullshit walks, almost every time. Just look at congress for proof.
Hanging channel, huh? Got anyone in mind? Perhaps un-indicted coconspirators? I bet Faux news would sign on.
December 12, 2018 at 9:05 am |
Good riddance Murdoch and Co. Who would pony up 35 million to bankroll a team they spit on, boo and worse? I’m thinking a guy who might want to one-up his rivals in Bahrain or the UAE? You know, the guy who had nothing to do with the murder and dismemberment of the journo in Turkey? Or the Sprawl-Mart heirs? They’re doing so well with the high-priced clothing company they bought. Maybe someone named Trump or Kushner? You know – one of those stable genius types.
Brailsford and Co should join Bruyneel and Co…find some other sport to f–k up!
December 12, 2018 at 12:04 pm |
Goodbye Team SKY. To bad that it wasn’t on Tue.
December 12, 2018 at 12:05 pm |
Edit that to, to too
December 13, 2018 at 2:21 pm |
Just thought your post title, “The Sky Is Falling”, might apply to a certain politician who would look good in an orange jumpsuit, government issued of course.
December 13, 2018 at 5:46 pm |
Man, I hope we can get a bulk discount on those bad boys. Plenty of people need to trade the tony digs at Trump Tower for the Graybar Hotel.
December 14, 2018 at 1:39 am |
I used to think impeachment was a bad idea. Probably wouldn’t result in Fat Nixon being kicked out and if it did we’d just get Pence who then pardons FN. But if we don’t impeach the guy I’m seeing from this side of the pond what I think is real damage to the idea of democracy worldwide.
If the rest of the world sees Orange Hitler getting away with what it looks like he’s done with impunity – the world’s #1 democracy seems doomed. What message does that give to the rest of the world?
I think we need to send a message that the form of government laid out by those guys back-in-the-day can still work… if we actually use it. They set things up so we could get rid of a guy like Fat Nixon, all we need to do is put the process in motion and let it play out. Otherwise we have Fascism. Once the new govt. is sworn in next year, they need to get down to business. Il Douche’s gotta go!!!!