Team Sky leaders for GT's in 2013

tommyfelt

Who do you think will be leading out Team Sky in 2013, particularly in the TdF? I question whether Wiggins will be able to compete in the mountains now with the return of Contador. Would Froome be better suited to this role? What do you all think?

Gazzetta67

I think Sky will re-sign Dr Geert Leinders and he will decide who's going to be the leader for the GT's 8)

Mikey23

I think wiggins should be ok if contador stays off the dodgy steak ...

Paul 8v

If Wiggins can keep up his current form and level of motivation I can still see him being a force to be reckoned with, it's not like Contador was unstopable in the mountains and his performance in the world time trial championship wasn't exactly awesome either. Remember that's where Wiggins really won the tour, in the Time trials by taking chunks out of everyone there and limiting the losses in the mountains.

I think Froome will definitely do it one day if he carries on as he is but not sure about next year.

rick_chasey

Froome will be joint leader rather than domestique, especially given the likely parcours.

alihisgreat

They'll have all the performance numbers before the tour anyway..

but Wiggo and Froome joint leaders makes sense.. just set Froome free in the mountains... or pick Wiggo if Froome's lost a lot of time etc.

Paul 8v

It might end up being a McLaren moment, Senna and Prost, Hamilton and Alonso... Riding for two GC contenders sounds like it will end up in tears.

rick_chasey

Paul 8v wrote:

It might end up being a McLaren moment, Senna and Prost, Hamilton and Alonso... Riding for two GC contenders sounds like it will end up in tears.

Happens all the time.

Paul 8v

Rick Chasey wrote:

Paul 8v wrote:

It might end up being a McLaren moment, Senna and Prost, Hamilton and Alonso... Riding for two GC contenders sounds like it will end up in tears.

Happens all the time.

But depending on who you listen to there may already be some friction there anyway. Don't suppose we'll find out what really happened on that stage of the tour until one of them leaves sky to be fair

rick_chasey

If Wiggins has any sense he'll prepare as hard as he did last year but in the knowledge that, like Froome did this year, will probably have to become a useful team player.

Seems only fair.

thegibdog

Paul 8v wrote:

Remember that's where Wiggins really won the tour, in the Time trials by taking chunks out of everyone there and limiting the losses in the mountains.

Really?

2012 TDF GC
1 Bradley Wiggins 87:34:47
2 Christopher Froome @0:03:21
3 Vincenzo Nibali @0:06:19
4 Jurgen Van Den Broeck @0:10:15
5 Tejay van Garderen @0:11:04
6 Haimar Zubeldia Agirre @0:15:41
7 Cadel Evans @0:15:49
8 Pierre Rolland @0:16:26
9 Janez Brajkovic @0:16:33
10 Thibaut Pinot @ 0:17:17

Not Including TTs
1 Bradley Wiggins 85:31:50
2 Vincenzo Nibali @0:00:23
3 Christopher Froome @0:01:21
4 Jurgen Van Den Broeck @0:02:23
5 Pierre Rolland @0:04:00
6 Thibaut Pinot @ 0:06:17
7 Tejay van Garderen @0:07:21
8 Haimar Zubeldia Agirre @0:07:32
9 Cadel Evans @0:08:02
10 Janez Brajkovic @0:08:14

rick_chasey

^^ Might aswell include "not caught behind crash" if you're going to do that.....

The 2013 parcours suits Froome more.

Paul 8v

thegibdog wrote:

Paul 8v wrote:

Remember that's where Wiggins really won the tour, in the Time trials by taking chunks out of everyone there and limiting the losses in the mountains.

Really?

2012 TDF GC
1 Bradley Wiggins 87:34:47
2 Christopher Froome @0:03:21
3 Vincenzo Nibali @0:06:19
4 Jurgen Van Den Broeck @0:10:15
5 Tejay van Garderen @0:11:04
6 Haimar Zubeldia Agirre @0:15:41
7 Cadel Evans @0:15:49
8 Pierre Rolland @0:16:26
9 Janez Brajkovic @0:16:33
10 Thibaut Pinot @ 0:17:17

Not Including TTs
1 Bradley Wiggins 85:31:50
2 Vincenzo Nibali @0:00:23
3 Christopher Froome @0:01:21
4 Jurgen Van Den Broeck @0:02:23
5 Pierre Rolland @0:04:00
6 Thibaut Pinot @ 0:06:17
7 Tejay van Garderen @0:07:21
8 Haimar Zubeldia Agirre @0:07:32
9 Cadel Evans @0:08:02
10 Janez Brajkovic @0:08:14

Not really sure what you're trying to say here, if it wasn't for the time trials Nibali would have finished 23 seconds behing instead of 6 minutes 19?

thegibdog

Paul 8v wrote:

Not really sure what you're trying to say here, if it wasn't for the time trials Nibali would have finished 23 seconds behing instead of 6 minutes 19?

Er, that

Paul 8v wrote:

Remember that's where Wiggins really won the tour, in the Time trials by taking chunks out of everyone there and limiting the losses in the mountains.

is wrong since he took time out of the opposition in the time trials AND the mountains?

Paul 8v

So he really won it in the time trials as he took nearly 6 minutes out of everyone there? If Froome hadn't been pacing him in the mountains he may have lost time. My point is he didn't try to win it in the mountains but rather in the time trials, or I suppose a better way of putting it is he didn't attack his rivals as much in the mountains as in the time trials. I think you know what I'm trying to say anyway.

Daz555

Wiggins or Froome for 2013?

In theory 2012 Tour looks Froome friendly but it call comes down to who is in shape closer to the time. Wiggins' climbing has developed incredibly in a few short years - who to say he can't be even better next year?

Assuming he is motivated of course and not still "on it".

Walter White

Froome to lead Sky at the Giro and support Wiggins in the Tour ?

As mentioned earlier in the thread if Contador is genuinly clean in the next Tour Wiggins will have a decent chance.

Pross

Why are people still convinced Wiggins can't hold his own in the mountains? He may lose ground to sudden accelerations but is well capable of bringing things back at a sready hard effort. Froome (although admittedly tired ) demonstrated he is more prone to being rash and going into the red by chasing the big 3 at the Giro. Joint leaders doesn't work and confuses the other riders but I would agree that Sky will be more flexible and switch to Froome if Wiggins does start losing time on the climbs.

liquor box

Pross wrote:

Why are people still convinced Wiggins can't hold his own in the mountains? He may lose ground to sudden accelerations but is well capable of bringing things back at a sready hard effort. Froome (although admittedly tired ) demonstrated he is more prone to being rash and going into the red by chasing the big 3 at the Giro. Joint leaders doesn't work and confuses the other riders but I would agree that Sky will be more flexible and switch to Froome if Wiggins does start losing time on the climbs.

Wiggins will do alright, he will do it in a boring but effective fashion.

Work out what time is required to be first to the top of a mountain based on previous efforts by other riders (records) and then calculate what wattage and cadence will get him to the top in that amount of time and within his ability.

Let the others take off and attack and then just cruise on up at a constant velocity and meet them at the top when they hit the wall. If you cant beat them this way then they might be on the Spanish Steak.

Turfle

Pross wrote:

Why are people still convinced Wiggins can't hold his own in the mountains? He may lose ground to sudden accelerations but is well capable of bringing things back at a sready hard effort. Froome (although admittedly tired ) demonstrated he is more prone to being rash and going into the red by chasing the big 3 at the Giro. Joint leaders doesn't work and confuses the other riders but I would agree that Sky will be more flexible and switch to Froome if Wiggins does start losing time on the climbs.

Yeah, this.

The only rider you can confidently predict will take time on him in the high mountains is Contador, and we've yet to see if Contador gets back to that level.

Will Wiggins get himself into that sort of shape again for next year though?

Personally I'd love to see, Wiggins > Giro, Froome > Tour, Vuelta > Henao/Uran.

Tom BB

JTL to win the GT triple for me :-)

durhamwasp

Interesting comments from Millar there on BBC, reckons Wiggo will go to win the Giro, and then ride the tour (to support Froome?)

garethjohn

If Froome is to be team leader next year he'll need to step up and improve big time. Wiggo displayed a master class in controlled racing to win the tour allbeit with a great team around him. Surely it's still Wiggins' to lead Sky next time around? No matter who leads looks like we'll be in for a classic with Contador and Schleck back with Valverde and Rodriguez showing incredile attacking capability.

Stearn-Joe

Wiggins or Uran for the giro, Froome for the tour and for the vuelta either uran or wiggins whoever didnt lead the giro


either way, Contador will win the tour, Rodriguez will win the vuelta and Ryder Hesjedal could defend his giro crown

Richmond Racer

Stearn-Joe wrote:

Wiggins or Uran for the giro, Froome for the tour and for the vuelta either uran or wiggins whoever didnt lead the giro


either way, Contador will win the tour, Rodriguez will win the vuelta and Ryder Hesjedal could defend his giro crown

Guess you'll be heading up the PTP leaderboard for next year's GTs...

Dorset_Boy

Nah - by then the current UCI pigs in the trough will have been kicked out, David Millar will be head of the UCI, and Contador will have been kicked out of the sport, along with Valverde and the rest of the unrepentent dopers.

The GTs will be ridden clean, and Wiggo will win the Giro, Froomedog the tour and JTL the Vuelta.

Tom Butcher

I think Froome will be team leader in the Tour - you could realistically expect him to improve next year plus there were times he could have done better this year if he didn't wait for Wiggo. Everything came together for Wiggins this year - the route, his form, his team and a lack of strong opposition - I think the field was probably stronger in the Vuelta. Ideally you'd want them both riding for themselves but I can't see Sky having joint leaders and of the two I reckon Froome looks a better bet as things stand.

cal_stewart

stronger vuelta have a word. A fried froome got 4th

Tom Butcher

Or a Froome that looked as strong as Wiggo in the Tour got 4th. He was so fried he went on to get a medal in the olympic TT.

MrT

Why does any talk of a Spaniard winning anything these days make me nervous?

mroli

Tom Butcher wrote:

Or a Froome that looked as strong as Wiggo in the Tour got 4th. He was so fried he went on to get a medal in the olympic TT.

Mate - a lot of difference between a one off TT a week after the end of the tour and a 3 week GT...