Sky / Wiggins and Cavendish

iainf72

No, this isn't another thread claiming Bradleee is going to Sky.

I was just wondering if Brad and Mark would ever be on Sky at the same time. Assuming Wiggins continues to be a force in grand tours and goes to Sky eventually, he'll need a strong squad to support him. Cavendish would require a train etc and mixing the 2 doesn't really work.

If the stated aim is the win the Tour, is there actually any room for a sprinter?

jim one

I think it is possible with riders like EBH, who would fit in the train and can also climb. Same as "big George" of a few years ago, although finding the wages for a team of strong men like that could be a problem as well as forcing brilliant riders to be domestiques which they won't be happy with for long. From a British view Ben Swift can sprint and also climb.

Also fatigue would have to be taken into account over a 3 week tour if riders are forced on the front on flat and mountain stages.

edhornby

interesting one... Dave B's stated aim is to deliver a tour yellow jersey winner so I think that the needs of a sprinter chasing a stage would come second to a rider chasing the GC

note: the above post does not assume that either messrs Wiggins or Cavendish are those riders, FWIW I think they will stay with Garmin and HTC respectively, for 2010 and quite possibly beyond then

samb01

Cavendish can, if things keep going his way over the next few years, beat Merckx' record of 34 stage wins in the tour. Why would he ever accept joint leadership? Makes zero sense.

Stapleton will keep building his team around Cavendish in the years to come and Cav won't be going anywhere.

samb01

jim one wrote:

I think it is possible with riders like EBH, who would fit in the train and can also climb. Same as "big George" of a few years ago,

This I take offense at. EBH is no 'big george'. Despite the milquetoast exterior, he actually has personal ambitions.

Kléber

You can have a rider capable of chasing breaks and doing work in the moutains but they can't be used for both purposes during three weeks. Above all, the GT contender needs several specialist mountain lieutenants who would be useless for a sprinter. And Cavendish is not the sort of rider to make do with a two-man lead out.

iainf72

So it'll be a cold day in hell before they're both on the squad.

takethehighroad

The thing that I think (as much as I know) is that Sky need a sprinter to win them some races a la Cervelo last year to GET them into Grand Tours in the first place, then they can work about winning them.

paulorg

Having just finished boy racer, Cav says in its final chapters that he isn't joining Sky as he doesn't think it will be as much fun as Columbia is and that they would be less likely to build a team around him which he is guaranteed at Columbia. He's also signed with them til 2010 with an option for the year after that. Apparently he's had double your money offers from at least 2 other teams but that may just be for the book.

ozzzyosborn206

sky does already have very capable race winners in edh swift wiggins etc

iainf72

ozzzyosborn206 wrote:

sky does already have very capable race winners in edh swift wiggins etc

Except Wiggins isnt in Sky.

samb01

iainf72 wrote:

ozzzyosborn206 wrote:

sky does already have very capable race winners in edh swift wiggins etc

Except Wiggins isnt in Sky.

And neither is Swift.

Wiggins or not, I'd be surprised if Sky doesn't get to do the TdF.

blazing_saddles

I wonder what ambition they will have, at their first TDF?
Given the current squad, a lot of riders who seem best suited to off the front, each day, hoping for a breakaway win.
Little or no GC prospect, other than maybe TL.
Only a couple of the Brits will make that starting line up.

As for the other GT's, they look awfully short staffed.

jim one

samb01 wrote:

jim one wrote:

I think it is possible with riders like EBH, who would fit in the train and can also climb. Same as "big George" of a few years ago,

This I take offense at. EBH is no 'big george'. Despite the milquetoast exterior, he actually has personal ambitions.

I agree he is no "Big George" which is why I followed that up with could be a problem as well as forcing brilliant riders to be domestiques which they won't be happy with for long.

Other riders I can think of are O'Grady and Cancellara who are happy to play a team role in the Tour but both these riders would come at great expense. Nico Roche also comes to mind but would he be happy to be a domestique??

In short it can not be done unless you sign a load of expensive big names, who are unlikly to want to ride the tour at the service of others.

all show no go

For me, Twiggo and Bingo wouldn't be on the same team again. Didn't Brad leave Columbia because the entire team was geared around Cav?
Also, I don't buy into the whole 'Team Sky are weak, where is the GC/GT Contender' thing. Brailsford is aspiring to win The Tour within the next five years, not the next ten months and I think it's a pretty decent squad so far, albeit without it's marquee signing that it obviously needs to garner the public's interest.

samb01

jim one wrote:

Other riders I can think of are O'Grady and Cancellara who are happy to play a team role in the Tour but both these riders would come at great expense.

O'Grady is happy to play the team role because that's all he can do now. Cancellara's sacrifices aren't all that tangible. He's neither a sprinter nor a climber and he still wins TTs almost at will. But he does like to do his thing when the finish suits him, so I doubt he'd be interested in dedicating himself to a sprinter.

Btw, my point isn't that EBH should never be in a position of having to work for another rider, far from it. Having Wiggins as team captain won't completely shut out a fast finisher from having a go the way riding for Cavendish would. Huge difference.

lucybears

Team_Sky_Cyclist_Bradley_Wiggins_Reveals_Wife_Knocked_Off_Bike



http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-New ... artin_Spat

sing_for_absolution

lucybears wrote:

Team_Sky_Cyclist_Bradley_Wiggins_Reveals_Wife_Knocked_Off_Bike



http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-New ... artin_Spat

hmm, they know something we don't?