Team Sky let riders pick the chosen nine for Tour de France

Doobz

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/ma ... de-france1?

The nine riders who will represent Team Sky when the British squad make their debut at the Tour de France in July could be named before the end of April.

The team principal, Dave Brailsford, revealed that the final arbiters will be the riders themselves, with the 26 members of Team Sky charged with drawing up their own selection criteria for the world's biggest race.

Twenty-two teams were announced today by Tour organisers ASO, with Sky one of six wildcards, alongside Lance Armstrong's Team RadioShack and David Millar's Garmin-Transitions squad.

The Sky team could be announced following the Ardennes Classics at the end of April. Brailsford said: "We asked the riders back in November how they thought the Tour team should be selected, and they came up with a plan. We know from previous experience with the Olympics that the biggest source of unrest and friction is team selection. The riders want to know two things: what it takes to be selected, and who makes the decision. From our point of view, we want the team picked early. We want them at their best at the Tour, not to gain selection."

Brailsford highlighted his new team's "clean credentials" as a key factor in their selection for the Tour de France. "It was certainly one of the factors," Brailsford said. "I think that, on the sporting front, we earned our place on merit. I also like to think that it's recognised that we're doing it the right way, and that we're committed to clean cycling."

Brailsford revealed that Christian Prudhomme, the Tour director, visited Manchester last autumn, with the subject of the then-nascent team's inclusion in the race one of the topics discussed. "We have tried to stay in regular contact since then though our discussions haven't centred just on how we get there," Brailsford said. "We've also discussed how we contribute to the sport, how we do it clean and make the sport more exciting."

The team is likely to be led by Bradley Wiggins, though the British rider suffered a setback last week when a stomach infection forced him out of the Tour of Catalonia. Brailsford said Wiggins, who was fourth last year, is recovering fine and could returnto racing at the Tour of the Basque Country, which begins next Monday. "We'll probably re-jig his programme slightly," Brailsford said. "It's not ideal, but it's not a threat to our overall strategy."

When the 26 riders were asked in November how many wanted to be considered for the Tour, 19 put their hands up. Ten will be disappointed, but among the early frontrunners to join Wiggins are Edvald Boasson Hagen, Thomas Lofkvist and Geraint Thomas.

calvjones

Nice idea. If it works. Secret ballot?

Tusher

Excellent.

I can just picture the team lobbying that's going to happen.

RichN95.

They should let me pick it.

Wiggins, EBH, Arvesen, Flecha, Lofqvist, Gerrans, Thomas, Pauwels and Henderson/Froome (depending on what balance you want)

There you go, Dave, job done

LangerDan

Supposing the rest of the team voted to leave Wiggins out?

andy_wrx

Is the Sky team bus going to be like that show which Harry Hill is regularly satirising, where people on a coach driving around Europe keep voting oneanother off ?

Tusher

the possibilities are endless..........

simon johnson

There's only one way to find out.............FIGHT!!

RichN95.

I vaguely remember one team putting team selection (for one of the classics) in the hands of a public internet poll. I can't remember who it was (Skil maybe?).

A football team (Ebsfleet) certainly used to be run that way - they did quite well.

Tusher

Nah, it's all a trick.
Big Dave has already made his choice. But after considerable inter-rider bribery (no, it's ok Brad, please let me wash your shorts and polish your bike, and here' a couple of presents for your adorable daughters, Russ will say) all the riders will write out their lists in green crayon and place them in a big black hat.

Mr B will retire to an ante room to count the votes and, behold, they will be just what he would have chosen.

Unless they have an independent voting system. Perhaps the UN could spare a couple of bodies for The Count?

dave_1

RichN95 wrote:

I vaguely remember one team putting team selection (for one of the classics) in the hands of a public internet poll. I can't remember who it was (Skil maybe?).

A football team (Ebsfleet) certainly used to be run that way - they did quite well.

Rich, it was LPR..you could vote on their website. I voted Konychev and Tonkov-a climber for Paris Roubaix, was joking would be dangerous...imagine letting this forum pick the radio shack tour team. No LL, no LA, all domestiques leading

iainf72

Call me cynical, but isn't it managements job to make the tough decisions?

skavanagh.bikeradar

Well, yes it is, but there is a bit more to building an effective, cohesive team with an overarching team ethos than that. He's simply articulating the bit that he can to the outside world. How he really makes it work with his staff and riders is going to be a much more complex process than simply asking riders to vote (for themselves!).

We will find out if it worked or not as the season progresses, I'm sure riders feeling hard done by will talk to the press and let slip their inner chimp inadvertently.

sonny73

iainf72 wrote:

Call me cynical, but isn't it managements job to make the tough decisions?

Have to say I also find it a bit odd, I can see that we are not perhaps given the whole picture of how it will work, but you can see it causing friction for sure, surely?
I couldn't imagine doing it with the teams I've selected and run doing web work over the years, would have caused rucks a plenty and you'd hardly compare that work to the ambition of riding the Tour.

Oh well, the mystic Dave knows what he's doing I'm sure.

GroupOfOne MkII

RichN95 wrote:

A football team (Ebsfleet) certainly used to be run that way - they did quite well.

They were successful before the MyFootballClub people really took hold, and then it all went south rather rapidly. Majority of subscribers didn't renew after a year and so financial trouble hit.

There was an Australian cycling team run on a similar basis about 8 or 9 years ago too wasn't there. Can't remember their name, but they eventually gave up, formed into a proper squad.

I like the way in the Guardian article there's absolutely no questioning or any potential problems or pitfalls the idea brings....It's not a press release is it?

DaveyL

The only thing I can see from actually reading the article, rather than just the headline, is that the riders have been involved in drawing up the selection criteria, (not selecting riders) so there is some transparency as to how the team is selected.

I guess Chris Horner might have been grateful for something like that last year - and possibly many others in the past as well.

Kléber

Exactly DaveyL, it's a decent process to try. Not sure about picking riders that early but they can name reserves and chop and change.

stfc1

Having read the article (rather than just the title of this thread), it seems to me that what Brailsford is saying is that he has asked for input from the riders in drawing up the selection criteria for a Tour place. It is then up to the riders to fulfil those criteria in order to put themselves up for selection. The idea being that if the process is open, there should be less friction because the reasoning for such and such getting a ride ahead of so and so will be clearly defined and explained and measured within parameters set by the riders themselves. It should rule out riders sulking under the assumption they've missed out due to favouritism. Makes sense to me, although time will tell.

Even those of you who hold Brailsford in low esteem would have to admit he has had some success in managing a team structure where some riders are going to end up disappointed.

LangerDan

stfc1 wrote:

Even those of you who hold Brailsford in low esteem would have to admit he has had some success in managing a team structure where some riders are going to end up disappointed.

Thats an issue that every team manager adresses - its not a situation unique to DB. Whether his particular method is any more successful than that used by Lefevre, Riis or Bruyneel, no-one can tell until after the Tour.

The article / press release also give the impression that the riders in other squads are not consulted and team selection is perhaps carried out by some Delphic troglodyte who reads the entrails of chickens before handing the sacred parchment to the DS.

This is really in same category of guff as the old "I'm win because I was out training while obviously my rivals were all eating cakes" .DB is obviously doing a good job - it doesn't have to clouded PR BS.

RichN95.

DaveyL wrote:

I guess Chris Horner might have been grateful for something like that last year - and possibly many others in the past as well.

Cadel Evans at T-Mobile also comes to mind, although I don't think he would have been too keen on their expected 'criteria'.

moray_gub

RichN95 wrote:

DaveyL wrote:

I guess Chris Horner might have been grateful for something like that last year - and possibly many others in the past as well.

Cadel Evans at T-Mobile also comes to mind, although I don't think he would have been too keen on their expected 'criteria'.

criteria 1 ) Stop breaking your collar bone !