Something tells us Aaron Ramsey won't be nudging Rob Page to save Geraint Thomas a space on the plane to Qatar next month...
The podium finisher at this year's Tour de France is a proud Arsenal fan, and this week offered to take fellow Gunner Remco Evenepoel to the Emirates for a game, although on the evidence of this clip of a training ground visit to fellow Ineos-sponsored team OGC Nice, Thomas doesn't quite have the footballing talent of the former PSV Eindhoven youth prospect turned rainbow jersey.
The video reminds us the world's best cyclists — Hour Record hero Filippo Ganna, Ethan Hayter, Ben Swift and Thomas — are all human after all, and when they're out of their comfort zone, not smashing ridiculous watts out on 10 grand bikes, their sporting skills can... well, leave something to be desired...
Maybe cycling legs aren't all that great for kicking a football... not that G saw anything wrong with his performance...
PR-friendly team camp visits aside, OGC Nice represents one of Ineos' larger sporting ventures, with the Ligue 1 side overseen by director of sport Sir Dave Brailsford.
The British Cycling/Sky/Ineos mastermind has reportedly been living in a caravan at Nice's training ground as he attempts to improve their fortunes, something which has thus far been unsuccessful, the South of France side languishing in 13th in the country's top league
French football journalist Julien Laurens recently said Brailsford had made "a lot of mistakes at Nice" and had been "very much counterproductive to what the project is and what it should be".
"He reminds me a little bit of Sir Clive Woodward when England won the Rugby World Cup. He thought he could go into any sport, including football, and be successful and it just doesn't happen like that," Laurens said.
One such mistake has seemingly been signing too many players from an English background, something Laurens called "silly recruitment".
"You have to explain to me what the logic behind it was, what the idea was and where they are going because it doesn't really make much sense. Maybe you can make sense of it when you know Dave Brailsford is there. He clearly thinks he can do a good job in football," he continued.
Anyway, enough of the serious football business, here's how the internet reacted to Ineos Grenadiers' 'skills'...
Me too. I almost bought a Strael 2.00 about five years ago, but really couldn't justify the expenditure at that point. I would have had the orange...
Well quite frankly they're a foreign invention. And the modern form seems a bit ... French [1] [2]? That would seem in keeping with his party ...
Good point....
You're right! There's nothing the far right (or even the slightly conservative small c majority of folks) like as much as a cyclist with a camera!...
I think the change is happening. My bike with Shimano GRX has hex heads on the mech adjustment screws.
California Cross: Motorists issue stabbing threats over roadworks...
What!? That explains the lack of inventory recently. What shame, I love their kit.
Hi All,...
First para bit of a bitter pill. When you're in a public service with an enforcement power, people will try in all sorts of ways, to play you. You...
Dunno if this thread is really still live as its dated 2021 but I'll assume its reanimated so......