Team Sky TDF Squad

Surrey Cyclist
Surrey Cyclist Posts: 17
edited June 2012 in Pro race
So I think with less than a month to go I think it's time to start discussing what team would give Sky their best chance of a yellow and green double. I don't know about everyone else but the way Wiggins has been talking about his focus for this year and with Cavs obvious talent I feel that it is possible. Similarly, Dave Brailsford and Rod Ellingworth have a proven record of setting themselves goals and delivering on them. However, juggling such massive targets would need very delicate team composition.

A few questions I have come up with are:
- How many specialist climbers will they want to take to protect Wiggins?
- Is it worth trying to compose a group who will act as a lead out train for Cav or just a couple of men (or even one) who can just get on the back of other trains (GreenEdge/ Garmin).
- Are the teams we've seen for the Giro/ Paris Nice/ Dauphine indicative of a final tour team?

For what it's worth, my 9 man team would be:
Wiggins, Froome, Porte (for focusing on getting Wiggins in yellow and in them mountains).
Pate, Knees, Flecha (super domestiques who can grind out the kms in transition stages)
Cav, Eisel, Boassen-Hagen (with particular focus on getting Cav in green)
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Comments

  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    edited June 2012
    Siutsou will definitely be in the team. Him and Porte have been alongside Wiggins in every race he's done this season. (Sky firmly integrating the new boys). He's also done Cav's donkey work in the past. My guess is he'll replace Flecha from your list.

    Rogers will almost certainly be there too. Probably in place of Knees.

    So my guess is: Wiggins, Porte, Froome, Rogers, Sivtsov, Pate, Cavendish, Eisel, Hagen. (Reserve: Knees)
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • cogidubnus
    cogidubnus Posts: 860
    Wiggins, Froome, Porte, Rogers, Flecha, Pate, Cav, Bernie, EBH would be my selection looking at form this year.
  • Ron Stuart
    Ron Stuart Posts: 1,242
    Froome will be needing to show that he has got over this first:-

    The Kenyan-born Briton had been suffering from a rare parasitical infection called bilharza, then injuring his knee at the Tour of Romandie.
  • TMR
    TMR Posts: 3,986
    Why no Stannard?
  • Turfle
    Turfle Posts: 3,762
    RichN95 wrote:
    Siutsou will definitely be in the team. Him and Porte have been alongside Wiggins in every race he's done this season. (Sky firmly integrating the new boys). He's also done Cav's donkey work in the past. My guess is he'll replace Flecha from your list.

    Rogers will almost certainly be there too. Probably in place of Knees.

    So my guess is: Wiggins, Porte, Froome, Rogers, Sivtsov, Pate, Cavendish, Eisel, Hagen. (Reserve: Knees)

    Exactly that. The only position that seems up for grabs is the Pate/Knees one.
  • shinyhelmut
    shinyhelmut Posts: 1,364
    Ron Stuart wrote:
    Froome will be needing to show that he has got over this first:-

    The Kenyan-born Briton had been suffering from a rare parasitical infection called bilharza, then injuring his knee at the Tour of Romandie.

    It's not that rare. At least not in Africa.
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    ShinyHelmut wrote:
    Ron Stuart wrote:
    Froome will be needing to show that he has got over this first:-

    The Kenyan-born Briton had been suffering from a rare parasitical infection called bilharza, then injuring his knee at the Tour of Romandie.

    It's not that rare. At least not in Africa.

    Yup. It's why you should never swim in freshwater in some parts of Africa.
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • knedlicky
    knedlicky Posts: 3,097
    Yesterday Tony Martin said Sky were the Bayern Munich of cycling.

    After the European Cup Final, this sounds a rather ominous comparision, with the TdF coming up, the cycling equivalent of the European Cup Final.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    knedlicky wrote:
    Yesterday Tony Martin said Sky were the Bayern Munich of cycling.

    After the European Cup Final, this sounds a rather ominous comparision, with the TdF coming up, the cycling equivalent of the European Cup Final.

    What are OPQS?

    Ajax?
    _
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    I'm starting to think that they might not pick Eisel. Dauphine team + Cav, perhaps. Apart for being Cav's mate, I'm not sure what he can do that others can't.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,463
    Wiggins
    Rogers
    Porte
    Froome
    Sivtsov
    Cav
    Bernie
    Stannard
    EBH

    EBH is going to be the hardest worked man in the race, Cav lead out and setting the tempo on the early stages of the final climb.

    Stannard is the only question for me as he did a lot of donkey work at the Giro but I think along with Bernie he'll be needed in the bunch engine role.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,463
    RichN95 wrote:
    I'm starting to think that they might not pick Eisel. Dauphine team + Cav, perhaps. Apart for being Cav's mate, I'm not sure what he can do that others can't.

    Who was their 8th man at Dauphine? Wiggo, Rogers, Porte, Froome, EBH, Sivitsov, Knees and ????
  • Coach H
    Coach H Posts: 1,092
    Turfle wrote:
    RichN95 wrote:
    Siutsou will definitely be in the team. Him and Porte have been alongside Wiggins in every race he's done this season. (Sky firmly integrating the new boys). He's also done Cav's donkey work in the past. My guess is he'll replace Flecha from your list.

    Rogers will almost certainly be there too. Probably in place of Knees.

    So my guess is: Wiggins, Porte, Froome, Rogers, Sivtsov, Pate, Cavendish, Eisel, Hagen. (Reserve: Knees)

    Exactly that. The only position that seems up for grabs is the Pate/Knees one.

    I'm with RichN95 for the exact team but agree it is a choice between Pate, Knees & Flecha that is the only unknown. I have Flecha in the mix, as an option, for experience as cover for road captain on the flat stages if something happens to Bernie. My concern is, would he be quite the selfless engine that Pate/Knees would be?
    Coach H. (Dont ask me for training advice - 'It's not about the bike')
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    There will be other Tours for Cav to win Green - but this course suits Wiggins and certainly with the bans and performances of his rival. I'd like to see Stannard et al be there for Cav, but they'll be loading the team towards Wiggins and the support he needs. Cav will largely fend for himself in the bunch sprints I think - and he'll still win - just not as many as normal.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    Pross wrote:
    RichN95 wrote:
    I'm starting to think that they might not pick Eisel. Dauphine team + Cav, perhaps. Apart for being Cav's mate, I'm not sure what he can do that others can't.

    Who was their 8th man at Dauphine? Wiggo, Rogers, Porte, Froome, EBH, Sivitsov, Knees and ????
    Danny Pate.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,463
    cougie wrote:
    There will be other Tours for Cav to win Green - but this course suits Wiggins and certainly with the bans and performances of his rival. I'd like to see Stannard et al be there for Cav, but they'll be loading the team towards Wiggins and the support he needs. Cav will largely fend for himself in the bunch sprints I think - and he'll still win - just not as many as normal.

    You still need a Stannard type for Wiggins though. If he ends up in the wrong echelon in a crosswind he could lose more time than on an MTF, you need someone who will give everything to stop that happening and to close the gap if it does.
  • yourpaceormine
    yourpaceormine Posts: 1,245
    Lots of Cav interviews around today which headline his Olympic bid, no real mention of defending the points jersey. Will he be riding? Surely he will, but the articles ... Reading between the line?

    Dropped 4kg weight for the Olympics or part of the fend for yourself Tour approach?
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    yourpaceormine wrote:
    Lots of Cav interviews around today which headline his Olympic bid, no real mention of defending the points jersey. Will he be riding? Surely he will, but the articles ... Reading between the line?

    That's because everyone knows Peter Sagan will win that jersey.

    :D
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • rebs
    rebs Posts: 891
    Might be a chance Bernie may not make the team....

    I don't think he is fast enough to do last man leadout. When was the last time he did that... even this season?
  • Abdoujaparov
    Abdoujaparov Posts: 642
    rebs wrote:
    Might be a chance Bernie may not make the team....

    I don't think he is fast enough to do last man leadout. When was the last time he did that... even this season?

    Surely Bernie will make the team. Not saying he should, but you don't pay big money for Cav's main helper for him to fanny about in the cobbled classics and nothing more.

    Agree he's definitely not fast enough to give him a proper lead out. But would Cav want Eddy leading him out?! The man who's prone to opening his sprint with 500m to go!

    Will be interesting to see how Sky play the Cav card - but he'll probably still win four stages anyway.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    Abdoujaparov wrote:
    Agree he's definitely not fast enough to give him a proper lead out. But would Cav want Eddy leading him out?! The man who's prone to opening his sprint with 500m to go!

    If you get give EBH a clear sight of the line with 7-800m to go and have Cav tell him when to hit the accelerator, he could be devestatingly good.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • Abdoujaparov
    Abdoujaparov Posts: 642
    RichN95 wrote:
    Abdoujaparov wrote:
    Agree he's definitely not fast enough to give him a proper lead out. But would Cav want Eddy leading him out?! The man who's prone to opening his sprint with 500m to go!

    If you get give EBH a clear sight of the line with 7-800m to go and have Cav tell him when to hit the accelerator, he could be devestatingly good.

    Could be, but has he led Cav out before? Have to say his positioning was excellent in the Dauphine sprint he won and the one he came fourth in.
  • Jez mon
    Jez mon Posts: 3,809
    Abdoujaparov wrote:
    RichN95 wrote:
    Abdoujaparov wrote:
    Agree he's definitely not fast enough to give him a proper lead out. But would Cav want Eddy leading him out?! The man who's prone to opening his sprint with 500m to go!

    If you get give EBH a clear sight of the line with 7-800m to go and have Cav tell him when to hit the accelerator, he could be devestatingly good.

    Could be, but has he led Cav out before? Have to say his positioning was excellent in the Dauphine sprint he won and the one he came fourth in.

    Is Cav's main leadout man a fitting position for the rider once touted as the next Merckx?

    Whatever his form/ability in the longer classics races, EBH is someone who can win stages in GTs, putting him as Cavs leadout man seems somewhat of a waste.

    Said it before and I'll reiterate it, Cav should be sent to Poland for this year.

    OTOH that won't happen, so perhaps it's best that they don't have Bernie as Cav's leadout man ad get EBH instead....
    You live and learn. At any rate, you live
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    Jez mon wrote:
    Whatever his form/ability in the longer classics races, EBH is someone who can win stages in GTs, putting him as Cavs leadout man seems somewhat of a waste.

    But the stages that EBH can win are different stages to the ones Cavendish can win. He can lead out and have his own chances.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,549
    RichN95 wrote:
    But the stages that EBH can win are different stages to the ones Cavendish can win. He can lead out and have his own chances.

    Agreed. They should also use him on the mountain stages too, to set a tempo on the early climbs. He'll be so knackered by the end of the Tour that'll be one less rival for Cavendish to worry about at the Olympics. :wink:
  • Jez mon
    Jez mon Posts: 3,809
    RichN95 wrote:
    Jez mon wrote:
    Whatever his form/ability in the longer classics races, EBH is someone who can win stages in GTs, putting him as Cavs leadout man seems somewhat of a waste.

    But the stages that EBH can win are different stages to the ones Cavendish can win. He can lead out and have his own chances.

    Agreed, was just wondering if sticking him as the main leadout man might be slightly knackering before stages which he might win, and as AndyP says, I think he can do a bit of work for Wiggo too.
    You live and learn. At any rate, you live
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,463
    RichN95 wrote:
    Jez mon wrote:
    Whatever his form/ability in the longer classics races, EBH is someone who can win stages in GTs, putting him as Cavs leadout man seems somewhat of a waste.

    But the stages that EBH can win are different stages to the ones Cavendish can win. He can lead out and have his own chances.

    I don't think he will have much freedom for stage wins this year, he is too important to the GC chances of Wiggins as well as potentially reverting to his old role as Cav's leadout man. He was a good plan B last year and helped save Sky's Tour after Wiggo crashed out. I think he's a good enough pro to know what he is getting paid for and he still gets to win a few races each year as well.
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,549
    I think Sky are going to have to be very selective in when they chase wins. No-one likes a team who turn up and try and win everything so being seen not actively trying to engineer a winning situation will be crucial for them.
  • Turfle
    Turfle Posts: 3,762
    Hagen is definitely going to leadout Cav, he has said so himself. He'll also get his chances on stages that are too hard for Cav, and hopefully in a break or two. They have to be very careful about not overusing him.

    I can't see Eisel being left out, if only for Cav's mental well being during those tough slogs when he's off the back of the peloton and in danger of missing the cut. He's still a decent enough 3rd man in a sprint. He's also still a decent enough 3rd man in a sprint.
  • rebs
    rebs Posts: 891
    Thing is for 3rd man. Who would you prefer to see these days. Bernie.. or Stanard?

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