Team Sky Chief Ready To Take Risks

Doobz

Interesting

http://www.sportinglife.com/others/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=cycling/10/06/23/CYCLING_Team_Sky_Nightlead.html

Bradley Wiggins was the surprise package of last year's Tour de France but is next month expected to go on the attack in a bid to be the first Briton to claim a place on the Paris podium.

Twelve months ago, the 30-year-old Londoner transformed himself from the track thoroughbred which topped the Olympic podium on three occasions into a general classification contender, climbing the steepest Alpine ascents and Pyrenean peaks alongside the likes of Alberto Contador, the two-time winner and favourite for the 2010 event.

Wiggins finished fourth - equalling Robert Millar's 1984 best by a Briton - but one year on has focused all his energies on cycling's most prestigious race, which begins in Rotterdam on July 3.

As Team Sky's nine-man squad embark on the Tour de France, the attention will be on Wiggins, no longer an unknown quantity in stage racing.

Dave Brailsford will urge his charges to impact on the race, rather than take a watchful approach in the team's Tour de France debut.

"The element of surprise will be difficult to use," said the Team Sky principal.

"However, there are completely different races all built into a three-week race and so we'll take our opportunities while we can.

"I think the key point from our point of view - what I'd like to encourage in the team - is that we're not reactive, but we're quite proactive.

"I'd prefer to gamble and lose than play safe and get a fair result - that's not really the business that we're in.

"You never win without taking some risks; not recklessness, but taking some risks.

"Be proactive - that's how you succeed - and if you don't (succeed) then that'll be partial success rather than complete failure, which is trying to do nothing."

Wiggins will aim to better his performance from 2009 and step on to the Champs Elysees podium in Paris on July 25 as the greatest all-round cyclist in British history.

However, as is the philosophy at British Cycling, the result is not the focus, because it is not possible to control what opponents - including Contador, Andy Schleck and seven-time winner Lance Armstrong - do.

Brailsford added: "I think he'll perform well, but more importantly, our job is to get him to perform to the best of his ability, to get everything he's got out, then we'll see how good everybody else is.

"You can't say 'we need to set our sights on X, that's it or failure', because it doesn't work like that.

"The success can only be one success and that's Bradley gets off his bike and says 'I couldn't have done any more'.

"And if that means he wins the race, fantastic. And if it means he finishes 50th, what more can we do? We can't do better than the best."

As an overall contender, expectation will be placed on Wiggins, but Brailsford believes the Team Sky leader can cope, having done so on the track on numerous occasions.

"He is in a different situation than he was last year, there's no doubt about it," added Brailsford.

"He was going in last year and thinking maybe top 15, very excited and very much under the radar and performed really well.

"But this year it is very different. The psychology's different, the expectation's different.

"He's quite strong mentally. He's been into big events expected to win in the past and he tends to always deliver.

"It is a new experience for him, but from what I can see he's coping really well and he's excited about the opportunity."

Brailsford is confident Wiggins is in peak condition.

"We think at this moment in time he's probably about where he was last year, so in that sense he's in good shape," added Brailsford, who is also the British Cycling performance director.

"There's still a couple of weeks to go and there's still that final little bit - you're never quite sure with a taper.

"Certainly now there's no cause for concern.

"But sport's unpredictable, the human body's unpredictable and that's why it's good fun to watch.

"He's done all the necessary things in training, he's prepared himself well, but we'll have to wait until the race gets under way to see where he's at."

blazing_saddles

Thread title makes it sound like the juice is about to flow. :shock:

micron

that would be the 'cherry juice' then and 50+% hcts all round!

dave_1

Wiggo's dropped the tweeting I see. I'd guess that light mood has gone, given the pressure he must be under. Good luck to Wiggo

Chrissz

Yeah - good luck Wiggo




But don't do too well or you'll be accused of being a doper

Thick Tester

Chrissz wrote:

But don't do too well or you'll be accused of being a doper

Brain, Keyboard, then 'Post Reply'

Don't bypass the brain again please!

Rodrego Hernandez

Tactical mastermind Dave Brailsford. Give me strength.

Lets wait til the Tour starts and the directers on the road get on with the job rather than mr milionnaire, 2 jobs sound bite brailsford.

inkyfingers

Rodrego Hernandez wrote:

Tactical mastermind Dave Brailsford. Give me strength.

Lets wait til the Tour starts and the directers on the road get on with the job rather than mr milionnaire, 2 jobs sound bite brailsford.

Sports team in talking themselves up shocker.......

Kléber

I don't thing Wiggins attacked once last July, apart from a kick on the road to Verbier when Contador and Schleck were up the road. Fair enough, he's a rouleur and rides sensibly but I can't see him trying to light up the race.

phil s

Well, he did say he rode conservatively/defensively last year. Essentially he was feeling his way into his new role as a GC man. The proof will be in the pudding this year, though. And on a much harder parcours.

pedro118118

I think the phrase "take chances [to gain time] where we can" is interesting.
Seems as though they will have a go big-time in the first week and see if they can do something in the wind/on the pave in the hope he can be consistent in the mountains and the ITTs. That first week is going to be compulsive viewing!

squired

Last year when they hit the real mountain stages Bradley was hanging on and limiting his losses. This year the general opinion seems to be that the Alpine stages are pretty poor. That takes care of two of the three mountain finishes. The key stage for Bradley has to be the one ending on the Tourmalet. Other than that, some attacking riding on the mountain stages with flat/downhill finishes could help to distance some of his rivals. Having said all that, I'm pretty disappointed with this year's route, so am not expecting much of a race. All we need is a headwind on the Tourmalet and it could be even more dull than last year.