Wiggins win the prologue?

PBo

looking through PTP thread, several people picked Wiggo for GC/prologue double.

Has anyone held yellow from day 1 and kept it?

Would Wiggins want yellow so early? There's always talk about people getting in yellow "too early", although I'm not up on tactics enough to know exactly why this is - other than the strain on the teams defending it. Cav may as well get off the bike if Sky has to defend yellow for 20 days!!!

ddraver

Yes, Armstrong and mercx for 2 off the top of my head

Second part is more debatable, there is a certain pride to defending the jersey for the sake of it and giving it away to a lowly domestique in a break is frowned upon, but it s pretty common really...that said, would you tellhim to slack off a bit in the prologue just in case? Remember Cadel will be last off and will know all the times

dave_1

i read it is 50% rain risk so I doubt wiggins will risk it much. He's no longer only a prologue specialist so too much to lose

RichN95.

PBo wrote:

looking through PTP thread, several people picked Wiggo for GC/prologue double.

Has anyone held yellow from day 1 and kept it?

Three people - all pre-war. Anquetil almost did it once, talking the jersey on the afternoon of day 1, but there had been a stage in the morning as well.

PBo wrote:

Would Wiggins want yellow so early? There's always talk about people getting in yellow "too early", although I'm not up on tactics enough to know exactly why this is - other than the strain on the teams defending it. Cav may as well get off the bike if Sky has to defend yellow for 20 days!!!

He wouldn't mind winning it in the prologue - after all a win's a win - but it's unlikely Sky would make too much effort to defend it, for the exact reasons you say. They would allow a breakaway of non-GC riders escape and take it.

greasedscotsman

It's not really the win that's important, it's about time you can take from your rivals. Remember how close the Giro was? Imagine losing the Tour because you backed off during the prologue because you didn't want the defend the race lead. You take time wherever and whenever you can. As Rich says, you can then try and off load it the following day to someone in a breakaway.