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Sky Grand Tour Line Up

Page 16 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
Eyeballs Out said:
I saw the Dauphine and TdS

Stannard, Arvesen and Froome all getting good results
Xandio, Gerrans and Knees doing nothing

What other cycling in June are you talking about ?

Zandio and Knees in particular did a hell of lot of work in the Dauphine and I guess that has counted for a lot. Gerrans again did a lot of work at Dauphine, most of it before TV coverage started. So I wouldn't say they were doing nothing.

of those who rode is Suisse, I think Stannard was probably closest to getting a call up. Froome, had a few good days in TdS but a few very bad ones and personally Zandio and Knees and uran look like more reliable than him at the moment. Arvesen has shown form too late.
 
Eyeballs Out said:
Can't really see them getting anything out of Gerrans, Xandio and Knees on current form. On paper Arvesen, Stannard and Froome looked better options. It's almost as if they selected the team in January

Well they'd have had Rogers and Cummings down as certs for the Tour in January so they must have looked at form to some extent. I think Knees will be fine as Wiggins main helper on the flat. He's huge so Brad shouldn't feel a breath of wind. I'm more concerned about Gerrans and Zandio. The fact they were both doing the early work in the stages during the Dauphine isn't exactly a great reflection on their climbing ability imo. But it's not like Sky really had any outstanding candidates to take their place and at least Gerrans is a potential stage winner.
 
Ryo Hazuki said:
gerrans I don't understand he isn't good in itt and in real mountains also he doesn't seem to do well over 3 weeks overall. also I think henderson would've been better over swift if they want to win ttt, but maybe I'm wrong. swift seems more potential in sprint and is better climber for sure

+1

Henderson has proven that he is a strong asset to the team in TTTs, moreso than Swift and he's a better sprinter. He's just not British though. ****ing tough luck on that one and its bull**** really.
 
King Of The Wolds said:
The selection of Swift smacks a little a making sure there's 3 Brits in the team to give it a British feel. Only 2, for the biggest race of the year, wouldn't have looked good, given the mission statement.

Yeah, I made the point earlier in this thread that I couldn't see Sky taking any less than three Brits. It's not like Swift doesn't deserve his place though.
 
Apr 9, 2011
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King Of The Wolds said:
No, it isn't. Swift getting a stage win will get Sky a shed load more media coverage within their target market, than a Henderson win would. And Henderson would have known that when he accepted Murdoch's dollar.

Murdoch the great British man you mean - thats right he Australian. But I see you point - Greenedge will do the same thing next year, just dumb imo - pick the best team which would include Henderson
 
Tugboat said:
+1

Henderson has proven that he is a strong asset to the team in TTTs, moreso than Swift and he's a better sprinter.

Well, I'm sure Swift will be great in the TTT as well. With his track background he is more than capable at doing good turns in the TTT. I think Wiggins, EBH, Thomas and Swift will be the main engines in the TTT.
 
Jul 2, 2009
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ingsve said:
Well, I'm sure Swift will be great in the TTT as well. With his track background he is more than capable at doing good turns in the TTT. I think Wiggins, EBH, Thomas and Swift will be the main engines in the TTT.

Precisely. Swift is in the GB Team Pursuit squad. Anyone who can get on that squad is going to be a big asset in a TTT.
 
Jul 30, 2009
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Mambo95 said:
Precisely. Swift is in the GB Team Pursuit squad. Anyone who can get on that squad is going to be a big asset in a TTT.

Was just about to type the exact same thing.

Plus Ben can climb a bit, making him allround much more useful than Greg.
 
just some guy said:
Murdoch the great British man you mean - thats right he Australian. But I see you point - Greenedge will do the same thing next year, just dumb imo - pick the best team which would include Henderson

Whilst I agree that picking riders based on there nationality is stupid I think swift over henderson is justified, he has shown better form this year is more likely to still be there in a larger variety of sprints and any advantage hendo would have in the TTT would be negligible.
 
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Eyeballs Out said:
Can't really see them getting anything out of Gerrans, Xandio and Knees on current form. On paper Arvesen, Stannard and Froome looked better options. It's almost as if they selected the team in January

The same Froome that "Peaked" for the Tour of Switzerland and didnt do much outside of the time trial?
 
Nov 30, 2010
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Eyeballs Out said:
4 top 20 finishes. I don't know if he peaked there but he rode well in previous races also and offers more in the TTT than anyone I mentioned

Guess we'll see next month

Yeah, it was an interesting performance from Froome. I wonder if he was set a target in order to make the Tour team and didn't quite hit it.
 
the problem that I see with the Sky line up is the quality of all rounded riders suited for the first week stages, getting stuck to help Wiggins... I hope he delivers something really decent this time around , because guys like Simon Gerrans, JA Flecha, Thomas Gerains, & EBH can go for stage hunting and bring more success than a lame 25th place overall...
 
I appreciate the attempt at honesty, but I wonder if Wiggan's realizes that by admitting he lied, no one is going to believe him about his form this year? Proof will be in the pudding as they say....


"A year ago I was sat here knowing that it wasn’t going to happen for me. But I still had to portray that it was. That's difficult because I knew I'd look stupid when it all went wrong," he confessed.

"It's a completely different contrast to last year. Last year I was basically not ready for one reason or another. This year we've really prepared for it and hopefully got it right."

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/wiggins-back-to-his-best-for-tour-de-france
 
A

Anonymous

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I think the Telegraph article is more interesting.

The triple Olympic gold medallist revealed on Thursday that his recent turnaround stems back to last September when Brailsford, the British Cycling performance manager and Sky team principal, spelled out a few home truths with an end of season inquest that started with an expensive midnight phone call from Australia and ended three days later with a full scale dressing down by the Team GB management at the Manchester Velodrome.

Brailsford’s patience had finally snapped when he was at the world championships in Australia watching David Millar, at the end of a long season, ride himself ragged to win a fine silver medal in the road time trial while Wiggins was back home 'resting’ after a less than impressive season.

“I got a severe ********** and deserved it,” admits Wiggins. “The way I was behaving after last year’s Tour de France, the way I was racing and behaving as a team leader, was just so far away from what it should have been it was unbelievable. I couldn’t go on like that, I wasn’t enjoying it any more but the big thing was I wanted to make amends and I want to do well.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/ot...-after-criticism-from-Team-GB-management.html
 
May 15, 2009
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Mambo95 said:
Precisely. Swift is in the GB Team Pursuit squad. Anyone who can get on that squad is going to be a big asset in a TTT.

While Im glad that Swift is in, he does make no secret of the fact that he does not like time trials. Perhaps a TTT will be different, we'll see
 
I think it's quite interesting that both Ben Swift and EBH think they are going to be Sky's main sprinter at the TDF. Swift is even talking about getting yellow, which is downright absurd considering how much better EBH is at uphill finishes (see Swift's performance at TDS). I have a feeling they won't work very well together, it's a shame they didn't bring Henderson who can both do leadouts or sprint himself.
 
maltiv said:
I think it's quite interesting that both Ben Swift and EBH think they are going to be Sky's main sprinter at the TDF. Swift is even talking about getting yellow, which is downright absurd considering how much better EBH is at uphill finishes (see Swift's performance at TDS). I have a feeling they won't work very well together, it's a shame they didn't bring Henderson who can both do leadouts or sprint himself.

I think the non-sprint stages will determine a bit there. If one of them is wearing (yellow/white) or has a chance of wearing a jersey (green) then that riders will probably get first stab at sprinting.

I think there is no way that Swift can get yellow. On the first stage I have a hard time seeing Swift finishing higher than EBH and they will most certainly finish the TTT together. Same thing with stage 4. Though I think there are lots of other riders that are more likely to get yellow than either of them.
 
Eyeballs Out said:
I saw the Dauphine and TdS

Stannard, Arvesen and Froome all getting good results
Xandio, Gerrans and Knees doing nothing

What other cycling in June are you talking about ?

Arvesen:
“My days as a Tour rider are over”
as they say, "Despite an unspectacular season, in terms of personal results, so far"
http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/8843/Kurt-Asle-Arvesen-My-days-as-a-Tour-rider-are-over.aspx

Stannard
"getting good results"
8th in Suisse, on stage 8
no other result this year, according to
http://www.dewielersite.net/db2/wielersite/coureurfiche.php?coureurid=15510

Froome
a 9th, 11th & 12th at Suisse

so,
Xandio, Gerrans and Knees

Gerrans
erratic, unpredictable
BUT is one of a limited number of riders who have won stages in all 3 GTs
hopefully, he might do it again.

Xandio and Knees will provide better support for Wiggins (impossible) challenge for the GC than Stannard, Arvesen and Froome....
 
Feb 12, 2010
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maltiv said:
I think it's quite interesting that both Ben Swift and EBH think they are going to be Sky's main sprinter at the TDF. Swift is even talking about getting yellow, which is downright absurd considering how much better EBH is at uphill finishes (see Swift's performance at TDS). I have a feeling they won't work very well together, it's a shame they didn't bring Henderson who can both do leadouts or sprint himself.

Why do you think they won't work well together? Swift can lead out as well as sprint. They just need to decide n the day wo feels the best.

I'd say, on a flat sprint, Swift has more of a chance of winning a stage than EBH, especially if EBH leads him out. EBH can concentrate on breakaways and the uphill sprints.
 

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