What are Team Sky and Orica-GreenEdge cooking up? It’s a question that has many cycling fans on Twitter abuzz following a series of teasers in recent days about a looming “battle” between the two WorldTour teams. Going under the hashtag #SKYvsOGE, a graphic and teaser video have already been posted to social media - but full details will only be announced next Monday 10 March.
There’s a rich heritage of sporting rivalry between teams from Great Britain and those from Down Under, of course – last year’s British & Irish Lions Tour, and the recent Ashes* series, being cases in point. Bragging rights were shared, the Aussies losing the former but getting a 5-0 whitewash in the latter.
So could this be the start of some kind of Ashes-style rivalry on two wheels?
This morning, a teaser video was posted to YouTube showing members of the two teams engaging in… well, we’re not quite sure what, exactly, but they seem to be having a lot of fun at it, apart from Geraint Thomas at the end.
In its description of the video, Orica-Green Edge says: “Get ready to put the gloves on as competition between Team Sky and ORICA-GreenEDGE kicks off on March 10. The Death Star is going down people.”
That’s a reference to the nickname of Sky’s team bus, although given the scenes at Stage 1 of last year’s Tour de France when Orica Green-Edge’s one got wedged under the finish line gantry, you could say that people in glass, er, buses shouldn’t throw stones…
More to follow on Monday, but in the meantime if you have any thoughts or suggestions on the kind of friendly competition the two teams could engage in, let us know in the comments.
* Yes, we know that’s commonly referred to as England vs Australia, but since 1997 the "England" team has come under the England & Wales Cricket Board, and before 1992, then adminstered by the MCC, it also included Scotland for international cricket purposes. Many prominent players from both Wales and Scotland have represented "England." Douglas Jardine, the England captain in the most infamous Ashes series of all, the Bodyline tour of 1932/33, was born to Scottish parents, as was ex-skipper Tony Grieg, and Scot Mike Denness also captained an Ashes side. Robert Croft, Geraint Jones and Tony Lewis are among leading Welsh cricketers to have played for England against Australia.
Thanks for the link and your interpretation of what the video shows which seems a reasonable summary to me....
I just want to scream.
I was born and raised in Shrewsbury, the medieval town centre is contained within a loop of the river Severn and is unsuitable for motor traffic. ...
well done, Mr Friday afternoon Drunkie: it's not like they haven't got anything else to do:...
If you try stopping on your bike, you get really baffled pedestrians* - I mean, how many pedestrians have read the HWC before they ventured out...
Dad's anger over £100 fine after wife failed to 'park within marking' during family emergency...
You lot - honestly 🧑🏻💻
YFZ 6552, NI style plate, DVLA lookup returns 2015 white Ford.
Not been there myself but it looks like you could have limited room to maneuver. https://www.google.com/maps/@53.2156417,-0.5505582,17z/data=!3m1!1e3
If you can buy chain rings priced at* EUR 410 for GBP 190, can you do me some holiday money as well? *I almost typed "worth".