2013 - Wiggins big choices

greasedscotsman

morstar wrote:

Winning all those early races last year was about Brad (and the team) becoming familiar with the pressures attached to being race leader prior to the main objective. They are doing a similar thing with Froome this year whereas Brad just needs to balance quality training and some (but much less) serious racing miles.

I think there was also a leadership battle going on. If Wiggins hadn't have won all those races before the Tour, they probably would have ridden for Cavendish a bit more than they did.

Richmond Racer

greasedscotsman wrote:

Richmond Racer wrote:

If it makes you happier, call it getting form to the point that gives him the maximum possibility of winning the chuffing races...And surely just because you're successful in getting it right one year, it doesnt guarantee that you'll be able to replicate it every year thereafter without fail- there are only so many non-variables..

*thinks of turning to some class B after the stress of this morning*

Blimey! Calm down there...
I have no idea if Sky will win anything other than Paris Nice this year. They got it right last year by doing things a bit differently, but as their cobbled classics squad has shown this year, their approach doesn't always work. For what it's worth, Froome seems on course to be good for the Tour, but I don't think anyone has any idea how good Wiggins will be at the Giro.

Its been a bad morning - left brain at home...

EDIT:
talking of class B, that occasional poster in the Asylum, ex-pro Darryl Webster, has been a naughty fella...

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/392225 ... g-cannabis

mididoctors

maybe sky just want to keep people guessing?

inkyfingers

It's quite a brave move from Sky and Wiggins. Even though the competition is not as tough at the Giro, the stages are much harder, even than this years more mountainous Tour. Hopefully Garmin and Astana will work hard to isolate Wiggins on the tougher stages and take him out of his comfort zone a bit, won't be easy though as even though Wiggins is not a natural mountain goat, I still think he's a better climber than Nibali, and there aren't many stages were Nibali can use his descending prowess to try and get away.

It has a chance of being a classic edition, with diesel Wiggins battling the attacking chancers, without such a strong team as he had in the 2012 Tour. We may even see a more aggressive Wiggins, which we saw flashes of in Catalunya.

Fingers crossed.

LeicesterLad

inkyfingers wrote:

It's quite a brave move from Sky and Wiggins. Even though the competition is not as tough at the Giro, the stages are much harder, even than this years more mountainous Tour. Hopefully Garmin and Astana will work hard to isolate Wiggins on the tougher stages and take him out of his comfort zone a bit, won't be easy though as even though Wiggins is not a natural mountain goat, I still think he's a better climber than Nibali, and there aren't many stages were Nibali can use his descending prowess to try and get away.

It has a chance of being a classic edition, with diesel Wiggins battling the attacking chancers, without such a strong team as he had in the 2012 Tour. We may even see a more aggressive Wiggins, which we saw flashes of in Catalunya.

Fingers crossed.

*IGNORE*

rebs

To be fair. Wiggins has proven to be a better climber then Nibali whenever they have been at the same races over the last few years. It's not really worth comparing them.


Course this is the time it all changes *facepalm*

Daz555

Froome was saying that he expects Wiggins to be the last Sky rider to remain with him in the Tour climbs. Now as Wiggins has no Froomer with him in the Giro - is the expection that there is no Sky rider in the squad who will be able to stay with him when it gets really tough - ie unlike the 2012 Tour, will Wiggo end up on his own?

philbar72

Kirienka and Porte. Kirienka being the replacement for Rogers. Porte is stepping up nicely to replace Froome as the super domestique for the grand tours. a number of their less well known robots will take turns in crushing the life out of the peleton on the climbs..... EBH? Stannard?

Richmond Racer

Daz555 wrote:

Froome was saying that he expects Wiggins to be the last Sky rider to remain with him in the Tour climbs. Now as Wiggins has no Froomer with him in the Giro - is the expection that there is no Sky rider in the squad who will be able to stay with him when it gets really tough - ie unlike the 2012 Tour, will Wiggo end up on his own?

Nope. Kiry and Uran will probably be his last 2 lieutenants (Uran did this for him at Catalunya)

rubertoe

Is Sergio down to ride the Giro?

Richmond Racer

rubertoe wrote:

Is Sergio down to ride the Giro?

Brailsford's announcing the Giro and Tour teams in the next few days.

The Comic's made what I reckon is a pretty good shot at guessing the squads, based on what they've gleaned from Sky and from the riders themselves:

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/lat ... ation.html

inkyfingers

LeicesterLad wrote:

inkyfingers wrote:

It's quite a brave move from Sky and Wiggins. Even though the competition is not as tough at the Giro, the stages are much harder, even than this years more mountainous Tour. Hopefully Garmin and Astana will work hard to isolate Wiggins on the tougher stages and take him out of his comfort zone a bit, won't be easy though as even though Wiggins is not a natural mountain goat, I still think he's a better climber than Nibali, and there aren't many stages were Nibali can use his descending prowess to try and get away.

It has a chance of being a classic edition, with diesel Wiggins battling the attacking chancers, without such a strong team as he had in the 2012 Tour. We may even see a more aggressive Wiggins, which we saw flashes of in Catalunya.

Fingers crossed.

*IGNORE*

Missed this, what's up laddie?

Turfle

Henao was certainly down for Giro and Vuelta; not sure why that would have changed, unless they're concerned the Tour squad is looking thin. Wiggins, Cataldo, Uran, Kiryienka, Siutsou, Kennaugh, Henao/Lopez, Zandio/Knees/Pate. Every bit as strong as his 2012 Tour team imo.

milton50

It could even be better than the 2012 Tour team to be honest. With the addition of Kiriyenka, Lopez, and Cataldo plus the maturing of Henao I'd say it's a stronger team. Remember the 2012 team had Eisel and Cav in it.

Richmond Racer

Milton50 wrote:

It could even be better than the 2012 Tour team to be honest. With the addition of Kiriyenka, Lopez, and Cataldo plus the maturing of Henao I'd say it's a stronger team. Remember the 2012 team had Eisel and Cav in it.

Eisel will be in the Tour team, if my money's good. Needed for the first few days when things tend to be a bit shaky, and he's pretty invaluable as a road captain. He might not be a mountain goat but he was usually in the gruppetto cos he was having to nanny Cav.

frenchfighter

cogidubnus

nice one FF

inkyfingers

That's a bit freaky Frenchie.

danlikesbikes

Frenchie that just looks wrong on so many levels

r0bh

Sky Giro squad announced: http://www.teamsky.com/article/0,27290, ... 98,00.html

Bradley Wiggins
Dario Cataldo
Sergio Henao
Christian Knees
Danny Pate
Salvatore Puccio
Kanstantsin Siutsou
Rigoberto Urán
Xabier Zandio

inkyfingers

See, they listened to what I said about putting another top climber into the squad.

Turfle

Little bit different than we thought. Very strong.

Glad to see Puccio get a ride.

The Prodigy

Disappointing not to see Peter K in that squad. I will be interested to know if they see him as part of the tour squad or if he will get a token GT ride at the Vuelta

Turfle

The Prodigy wrote:

Disappointing not to see Peter K in that squad. I will be interested to know if they see him as part of the tour squad or if he will get a token GT ride at the Vuelta

Just last week Brailsford said he was riding it, so not sure what changed. He looked in great form today at Romandie.

Personally I hope he gets to ride a little for himself in races like (looking at the Sky schedule) Route du Sud, Osterreich Rundfahrt, Vuelta a Burgos, then maybe ride the Vuelta in support of whoever.

Richmond Racer

I wouldnt be surprised if Sky are lining lil' Pete up to lead a smallish stage race...he's supposed to be going very well at the moment. And his GT debut gets moved to the Vuelta...

inkyfingers

Richmond Racer wrote:

I wouldnt be surprised if Sky are lining lil' Pete up to lead a smallish stage race...he's supposed to be going very well at the moment. And his GT debut gets moved to the Vuelta...

Kennaugh has ridden the Giro before.

He's got to start delivering on the hype at some point.

Richmond Racer

Turfle wrote:

Little bit different than we thought. Very strong.

Glad to see Puccio get a ride.

Will make Sky Italia very happy with 2 Italians in the squad

Richmond Racer

inkyfingers wrote:

Richmond Racer wrote:

I wouldnt be surprised if Sky are lining lil' Pete up to lead a smallish stage race...he's supposed to be going very well at the moment. And his GT debut gets moved to the Vuelta...

Kennaugh has ridden the Giro before.

He's got to start delivering on the hype at some point.

So he has. I forget how much he's done, with all the to'ing and fro'ing between track and road

mroli

Ouch - that IS a strong team:

Bradley Wiggins - TDF 2012 - 1
Dario Cataldo - Giro 2012 - 12
Sergio Henao - Giro 2012 - 9
Christian Knees - Wiggins' bike swap man
Danny Pate - Domestique duties
Salvatore Puccio - Token young lad
Kanstantsin Siutsou - Giro 2011 - 9
Rigoberto Urán - Giro 2012 - 7
Xabier Zandio - Domestique Duties

So "core" Tour team is:

Froome
Porte
Wiggins
Lopez
Kiriyenka
Eddy Boss

Richmond Racer

mroli wrote:

Ouch - that IS a strong team:

Bradley Wiggins - TDF 2012 - 1
Dario Cataldo - Giro 2012 - 12
Sergio Henao - Giro 2012 - 9
Christian Knees - Wiggins' bike swap man
Danny Pate - Domestique duties
Salvatore Puccio - Token young lad
Kanstantsin Siutsou - Giro 2011 - 9
Rigoberto Urán - Giro 2012 - 7
Xabier Zandio - Domestique Duties

So "core" Tour team is:

Froome
Porte
Wiggins
Lopez
Kiriyenka
Eddy Boss

Plus G. And I'll be gob-smacked if Bernie's not picked, invaluable experience riding the Tour, and necessary for the skittish first few days.