Sky Friday

sonny73

Sky announcing final line up by Friday http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest/429002/final-team-sky-riders-to-be-revealed-by-friday.html

kickerbri

Currently they have confirmed 19 riders for next year. With Davide Vigano and Sylvan Calzati to be confirmed that would leave 4 maybe 5 spaces. Matthew Hayman is speculated to be one of those other places but who else?

Dan Fleeman is available after being released by Cervelo, not had a great season but possibly a half decent domestique for the smaller races?
Bradley Wiggins is the eternal question but I would not think its likely he will be there.

Other than those two I fail to see any other top quality riders available to really solidify themselves as top tier. Who else would actually be available at this stage?

calvjones

I think they'll struggle for a 2010 invite. No way ASO are going to want Thomas there instead of Cadel.

iainf72

According to the Procycling twitter, they're going to announce a huge signing who isn't Wiggins or Contador.

Place yer bets...

AndyRubio

My guess: A Schleck

Already a bunch of ex-Saxo folk there.

josame

Cav?
Sastra?
A Schlek?
Nibali?
running out of 'Huge' names that don't have history!

Jans comin out of retirement :P

Pokerface

Did both KREUZIGER and NIBALI re-sign with Liquigas recently? Or was it just Nibali?


Can't see the Schleks being pried away from Saxo - although maybe that little hiccup with the UCI paperwork recently gave them a way out of their contracts.

kickerbri

Huge signing who is not Wiggins or Contador? They also mentioned afterwards that it is someone quite surprising. I cant see it being either Schleck as they only want to travel in pairs. So maybe one of the following;

Tom Boonen,
Franco Pellizotti,
Sammy Sanchez,
Roman Kreuziger,
Stijn Devolder,
Oscar Friere,
Carlos Sastre.

I added Tom Boonen as he is a “huge” rider who would be a big surprise considering his past.

Arkibal

Maybe Sunderland's good pal Cancellara?

Pokerface

Watch it be something out of left field like Menchov.

sonny73

Pokerface wrote:

Watch it be something out of left field like Menchov.

+1

samb01

My guess is the following three criteria will be met:

- GT-contender
- Not an obvious cheat
- Will work for Wiggins in 2011

But in addition Procycling tweets that the signing is supposedly almost as surprising as Rasmussen, so I really have no clue who might fit the bill.

blazing_saddles

A huge signing? Sounds like Jan is back! :P

Seriously, there can't be many who are huge, available and a surprise.

Hope it's not another let down.

RichN95.

Arkibal wrote:

Maybe Sunderland's good pal Cancellara?

That's my guess too. Saxo have to do some cost cutting.

afx237vi

Sonny73 wrote:

Pokerface wrote:

Watch it be something out of left field like Menchov.

+1

-1,000,000

If it's Menchov I'm turning off my internet connection and going to live in a cabin in the woods. Forever.

calvjones

afx237vi wrote:

Sonny73 wrote:

Pokerface wrote:

Watch it be something out of left field like Menchov.

+1

-1,000,000

If it's Menchov I'm turning off my internet connection and going to live in a cabin in the woods. Forever.

Why don't we get promises like that from forum members who aren't responsible for PTP, eh

afx237vi

calvjones wrote:

afx237vi wrote:

Sonny73 wrote:

Pokerface wrote:

Watch it be something out of left field like Menchov.

+1

-1,000,000

If it's Menchov I'm turning off my internet connection and going to live in a cabin in the woods. Forever.

Why don't we get promises like that from forum members who aren't responsible for PTP, eh

Don't worry, I'll still get the race results sent to me by snail mail and I'll update the scores using smoke signals from my hut. I've seen pretty much everything Ray Mears has ever done, so I'll be well prepared.

iainf72

Pokerface wrote:

Did both KREUZIGER and NIBALI re-sign with Liquigas recently? Or was it just Nibali?

Both.

I can't think who it would be to be honest.

Chinny will eventually go to BMC. Schlecks - Meh, not sure. The only decent clean Italian is Basso but he's signed up with Liquigas, so who knows.

LangerDan

Blazing Saddles wrote:

A huge signing? Sounds like Jan is back! :P

Seriously, there can't be many who are huge, available and a surprise.

Hope it's not another let down.

"Huge, available and a suprise?"

It's not Jordan, by any chance?

kickerbri

Would really like it to be Sammy Sanchez. Think he is a great rider and with a strong team behind him could top 5 at Le Tour.

squired

Is this going to turn out like professional wrestling or the UFC? The "huge announcement" turns out to be Malcolm Elliott or something like that...

Richrd2205

It's been mentioned upthread, but my money would be on Sastre.
There was some discussion earlier this year about him not being v happy at Cervelo, that he had only signed there through Sunderland's influence & that he was especially unhappy when Sunderland quit Cervelo.
-Knows people in the set-up
-Happy as team leader and as uber donestique
-Decent GT rider
-A surprise (given that it's barely been mentioned by folk here)
-Has a reputation for being clean (despite being Spanish & on CSC )

That, or it's another underwhelming signing with huge fanfare...

GroupOfOne MkII

If it is Sastre then suddenly Cervelo begin to look a bit toothless. Perhaps it's Kloden now he's paid ze Germans off

I'm going to go out on a random limb and predict Cunego, for no apparent reason. Either him or someone from Leakygas.

intothe12

landis?

Pokerface

Dean Downing. The other white meat.

samb01

At this point I think Sastre is the guess that makes by far the most sense.

Of course, it would leave Cervelo somewhat depleted as they haven't signed anyone of note this year and lost a few good ones, but would they say no if Sastre asked to be released and Brailsford was willing to give them a fair compensation? Perhaps not.

calvjones

samb01 wrote:

At this point I think Sastre is the guess that makes by far the most sense.

Of course, it would leave Cervelo somewhat depleted as they haven't signed anyone of note this year and lost a few good ones, but would they say no if Sastre asked to be released and Brailsford was willing to give them a fair compensation? Perhaps not.

Yeah, let's face it he's gonna win nowt more than a stage or two next year. And he cost them a stage in the Giro this year!

cal_stewart

sastre would be a good signing. and would be good as a uber donestique in 2011 for a new leader

Doobz

intothe12 wrote:

landis?

I was thinking more along the lines of Michael Rasmussen :roll: :shock:

dave_1

anybody can buy in winners , use the cheque book if they have a huge sponsor...the real measure of success is in who they develop over the next two seasons. JV has done really well with Wiggins

teagar

kickerbri wrote:

Huge signing who is not Wiggins or Contador? They also mentioned afterwards that it is someone quite surprising. I cant see it being either Schleck as they only want to travel in pairs. So maybe one of the following;

Tom Boonen,
Franco Pellizotti,
Sammy Sanchez,
Roman Kreuziger,
Stijn Devolder,
Oscar Friere,
Carlos Sastre.

I added Tom Boonen as he is a “huge” rider who would be a big surprise considering his past.

Not a chance Boonen will leave.

Not a chance.