Yates on Armstrong, Wiggins, Froome and Team Sky

[SwissVan]

Interesting article on cycling news.com

 

Not so much about LA (we ALL know he was special) but the stuff he said about the 2012 TDF with Wiggins and Froome and then about Team Sky and the future with Froome

 

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/yates-defends-armstrong-but-is-critical-of-team-sky

 

Leaving Team Sky

Yates left the world of professional cycling last autumn after directing Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome to first and second at the Tour de France. He had become a key figure at Team Sky but walked away just a few months afterwards.

At the time USADA published its explosive Reasoned Decision in the Lance Armstrong case, with many of his former teammates implicated. Team Sky was trying to introduce its zero tolerance policy and many people believed Yates left because of this reason.

Speaking to The Times, who published an extract of his book, Yates reveals in his book how the Team Sky manager Dave Brailsford struggled to defend Yates's position on the team against the insinuations. Combined with health issues - Yates has had two strokes and a pacemaker fitted - it was enough to convince him to walk away from one of the best team in professional cycling.

"Initially I was pretty upset. In hindsight it was the perfect scenario, the way things have panned out since," he said.

Yates now coaches riders three days a week and is spending more time with his children.

The Wiggins-Froome spat

Yates also confirms that Bradley Wiggins was close to quitting the 2012 Tour de France after tension with teammate Froome during the race, sending a text message saying, “I think it would be better for everyone if I went home.”

Yates indicates that Froome disregarded an agreed race strategy and attacked in the finale of stage to Peyragudes while Wiggins was struggling.

Wiggins has already talked about the clash in his own autobiography but Yates suggests that the enigmatic Briton was serious but was persuaded to stay in the race and go on to triumph in Paris by Yates and Brailsford.

Not impressed with the Team Sky management

Yates reveals that he is not impressed with Team Sky’s current management and that the only member of the team set-up he is still close to is sports director Nicolas Portal.

“To be brutally honest, there is no one at Sky who knows much about bike riding."

“In general, this year especially, the guys running the team don’t know enough about bike-riding and a lot of the riders went into the Tour overtired. They are made to race too much, too long, too hard.”

Yates revealed he has had offers to join other teams but seems happy to have stepped away and because he believes Chris Froome will dominate the sport for years to come.

“It was a big team, big money,” he revealed. “But, in my opinion, Chris Froome is too good for anyone to unsettle him. If there were cracks in his armour, that would be more motivating.”

[scotty]

Sounds like something a spoiled kid who does not get his way would do

 

Yates also confirms that Bradley Wiggins was close to quitting the 2012 Tour de France after tension with teammate Froome during the race, sending a text message saying, “I think it would be better for everyone if I went home.”

[fandacious]

"To be brutally honest, there is no one at Sky who knows much about bike riding."

 

 

Umm ok - Where did you suck that from?

[jatho]

Interesting read.

[Big H*]

...... suurtiet ienglieshmens??????

[quintonb]

Wiggins should have rather left, that way Froome would have been the deserved winner and would have by now had 2 titles under his belt.

 

It was a joke watching Froome just riding away from him.

Edited September 13, 2013 by quintonb

[VicanZA]

Froome sounds like a dick, if the roles were reversed I'm sure he would of wanted wiggens to ride for the better of the team.

 

[Ryan]

Is it just me or was Wiggins crying and whinging about everything at the Giro this year...This has just confirmed it for me... Why would you complain about the cameraman in your face if everyone else has the same problem??? To send a text like that it is attention seeking...and showed his weakness and lack of confidence..what a Dork!

[Spinnekop]

Promo for his book. He won't sell any if he doesn't make a wave of some sort....

[quintonb]

"To be brutally honest, there is no one at Sky who knows much about bike riding."

 

 

Umm ok - Where did you suck that from?

Exactly, do they forget Yates' background and history.

Possibly the best Super Domestique in the history of the tour.

I would say he knows a thing or two about what it takes to compete.

[SwissVan]

 

I would say he knows a thing or two about what it takes to compete.

 

 

That's what makes it really interesting, sometimes the truth is not what people like to hear

[Chro Mo]

Froome sounds like a dick, if the roles were reversed I'm sure he would of wanted wiggens to ride for the better of the team.

 

To "leave" a tour because your domestique can drop you at will is childish.

 

Froome was proving a point, but ultimately he followed orders.

 

Having said this, a big up to Wiggins for acknowledging that Froome is the stronber in the GT scenario.

[90 Inch]

He has a point, Team Sky did make a number of schoolboy errors this year, and on more than one occasion they broke the rules and fed their riders at the end of the stage to prevent Froome bonking.