Team Sky Squads for the Grand Tours

[Catwhoorg]

Kennaugh was much better than I expected today, I think he will make the tour team.

 

[HCl+HN03]

It seems that Lopez is burned out, after all his great work in the spring. Not that suprising. I think he is out of the tour team and replaced by Kennuagh. Hopefully he can come back to the vuelta.


Of course he might have been sick lately or something else, which explain todays performance. If thats the case he can still make the tour-team.

 

[Escarabajo]

I think Uran will do the Tour. Also because he is leaving the team, there is not really a reason for Sky to keep him fresh for the Vuelta. If they want Henao to be the team leader in Spain, it seems a bit naive to me to think that Uran will act as a support rider there.

Henao is his roomate now. So I hope he would do some work for him in the Vuelta.

 

[JRanton]

Well, that much is pretty obvious after the last 3 days.

Perhaps the most disappointing of Sky's train today was Lopez. He didn't do any turn on the front and was dropped much earlier than for example EBH and G. His TDF spot might not be as safe as first assumed if he keeps riding like this.

I agree, I think he's most in danger if his form doesn't pick up. It would be terrible for him considering that he was initially set to ride the Giro, and he said earlier in the season that he was really looking forward to riding it, much more so than the Tour, only for him to be saved for the Tour because he was going so well in the spring races (just like Kiryienka). It shows what can happen. Only a month ago Puccio was (rightly, based on form at the time) selected ahead of Kennaugh for the Giro.

I think Sky must be seriously considering drafting Uran in for the Tour. Ok, much depends on how well he recovers from the Giro but if something was to happen to Porte, Froome would be very isolated on the final climb in the mountains.

 

[notrolfsorensen]

I know everybody said it last year, but this year I think Sky have peaked to early. Maybe not Froome, but Lopez and Kiri seem tired, Henao and Uran will not do the Tour and Wiggins is away, leaving them with only Porte and Froome, when Movistar and Saxo will have more riders left. I think their train is going to be weaker than last year.

 

[Afrank]

I know everybody said it last year, but this year I think Sky have peaked to early. Maybe not Froome, but Lopez and Kiri seem tired, Henao and Uran will not do the Tour and Wiggins is away, leaving them with only Porte and Froome, when Movistar and Saxo will have more riders left. I think their train is going to be weaker than last year.

The train doesn't need to be as strong as last year with Froome.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

I know everybody said it last year, but this year I think Sky have peaked to early. Maybe not Froome, but Lopez and Kiri seem tired, Henao and Uran will not do the Tour and Wiggins is away, leaving them with only Porte and Froome, when Movistar and Saxo will have more riders left. I think their train is going to be weaker than last year.

They don't need to be in top shape for 5 weeks.

 

[maltiv]

Another unimpressive display by Lopez and Kiry, they were dropped very early. Surprised to see them in so bad form. I'm not sure how much work they did though, so maybe it's not as bad as it looks.

Kennaugh, EBH and G are clearly in great form though.

 

[JRanton]

Another unimpressive display by Lopez and Kiry, they were dropped very early. Surprised to see them in so bad form. I'm not sure how much work they did though, so maybe it's not as bad as it looks.

Kennaugh, EBH and G are clearly in great form though.

Lopez was pulling on Barioz. He then dropped back on the descent of Des Ayes, I think, presumably to get bottles, but he didn't make it back to the front. I think Kiryienka must have been doing some early work in the first 50km with Stannard but the very fact he's being asked to do that role shows how poor his form is. Based on their spring form, Kiry and Lopez should be the last two men to be used before Porte and Froome. It will be interesting to see if Kennaugh, EBH and Thomas are good enough to control things over the weekend.

 

[JRanton]

I know everybody said it last year, but this year I think Sky have peaked to early. Maybe not Froome, but Lopez and Kiri seem tired, Henao and Uran will not do the Tour and Wiggins is away, leaving them with only Porte and Froome, when Movistar and Saxo will have more riders left. I think their train is going to be weaker than last year.

Why are you so sure? It depends how Uran is feeling obviously but if his form is good then I'm sure they'll select him for the Tour. Brailsford already said pre-Giro that Henao would ride the Tour (as well as the Giro) if Wiggins didn't ride the Tour, so logically given that Henao was running on fumes in the second half of the Giro, Uran will be the man to step up.

 

[hfer07]

Why are you so sure? It depends how Uran is feeling obviously but if his form is good then I'm sure they'll select him for the Tour. Brailsford already said pre-Giro that Henao would ride the Tour (as well as the Giro) if Wiggins didn't ride the Tour, so logically given that Henao was running on fumes in the second half of the Giro, Uran will be the man to step up.

I wonder if Froome feels that way after the explosive commentaries from Uran & Henao in Il Giro....

Even how Uran feels about helping Froome after his own comments on Froome

 

[Froome19]

It seems that Lopez is burned out, after all his great work in the spring. Not that suprising. I think he is out of the tour team and replaced by Kennuagh. Hopefully he can come back to the vuelta.


Of course he might have been sick lately or something else, which explain todays performance. If thats the case he can still make the tour-team.

You can't say a domestique is burned out, well you can but it is likely to be untrue, it is very likely that he will be ready for the Tour and remember this is a new peak for the Tour, even with Sky's tactic to peak for the whole season there are still relative peaks and the Tour squad are all following a similar peak where they would be peaking for the Tour so I doubt he is burned out from the spring.

Portal said that in regards to Kiriyenka he just came from doing a whole block of very intensive training and so it is taking him time to adjust I think the same could be said possibly for Lopez

 

[Froome19]

Why are you so sure? It depends how Uran is feeling obviously but if his form is good then I'm sure they'll select him for the Tour. Brailsford already said pre-Giro that Henao would ride the Tour (as well as the Giro) if Wiggins didn't ride the Tour, so logically given that Henao was running on fumes in the second half of the Giro, Uran will be the man to step up.

Uran did say he will not do the Tour and will peak for the Worlds.. so unless something has changed..

 

[Ruudz0r]

Uran has confirmed today that he is in the 12 man pre selection for the TDF

 

[Afrank]

That sucks.

 

[Pricey_sky]

That sucks.

Sky just keeping their options open, which is understandable considering this is the one they really want each year. I still hope Uran will go to the Vuelta but if Lopez/Kiryienka are struggling they may have no choice.

 

[janraaskalt]

I still hope Uran will go to the Vuelta but if Lopez/Kiryienka are struggling they may have no choice.

Uran is leaving Sky, so likely he'll get a domestique role, either at the Tour or at the Vuelta.

 

[JRanton]

Uran has confirmed today that he is in the 12 man pre selection for the TDF

Thought so.

I imagine the 12 are:

Froome
Porte
Uran
Lopez
Kiryienka
Siutsou
Kennaugh
Thomas
EBH
Knees
Stannard
Eisel

 

[JRanton]

Sky just keeping their options open, which is understandable considering this is the one they really want each year. I still hope Uran will go to the Vuelta but if Lopez/Kiryienka are struggling they may have no choice.

Even if Lopez and Kiri were in their spring form there's still a pretty good argument for also selecting Uran (provided he's recovered from Giro).

 

[wwabbit]

Why are you so sure? It depends how Uran is feeling obviously but if his form is good then I'm sure they'll select him for the Tour. Brailsford already said pre-Giro that Henao would ride the Tour (as well as the Giro) if Wiggins didn't ride the Tour, so logically given that Henao was running on fumes in the second half of the Giro, Uran will be the man to step up.

I've found it odd that DB has decided on Henao as the reserve for the Tour, which would pretty much rule him out for the Vuelta which many of us seem to think the leadership would have been given to Henao. Perhaps Uran is actually the one that was chosen to lead the Vuelta?

Things have changed now, of course, with the incredibly unpopular possibility of Wiggins leading the Vuelta.

 

[JRanton]

I've found it odd that DB has decided on Henao as the reserve for the Tour, which would pretty much rule him out for the Vuelta which many of us seem to think the leadership would have been given to Henao. Perhaps Uran is actually the one that was chosen to lead the Vuelta?

Things have changed now, of course, with the incredibly unpopular possibility of Wiggins leading the Vuelta.

Sky thought Henao would be stronger than Uran pre-Giro, that's why he was mentioned as Wiggins' Tour replacement. The Tour is of course about 1000 times more important to Sky than the Vuelta.

 

[Pricey_sky]

Even if Lopez and Kiri were in their spring form there's still a pretty good argument for also selecting Uran (provided he's recovered from Giro).

Very true I suppose it depends if they want Uran to be with his mate Henao at the Vuelta or not. For what its worth I think Uran will be in the Tour team and Lopez will miss out and ride the Vuelta. So a train of Froome, Porte, Uran, Kiri, Thomas and Kennaugh. With EBH, Stannard and Eisel the other 3 selections.

 

[roundabout]

Hmm, not that great.

Uran may well be needed, otherwise Porte will be left with too much to control

 

[JRanton]

Very true I suppose it depends if they want Uran to be with his mate Henao at the Vuelta or not. For what its worth I think Uran will be in the Tour team and Lopez will miss out and ride the Vuelta. So a train of Froome, Porte, Uran, Kiri, Thomas and Kennaugh. With EBH, Stannard and Eisel the other 3 selections.

Lopez is definitely the most vulnerable because if he's not climbing well then he offers very little really. Even in his best form he's not strong on the flat for instance. Let's see how well Kennaugh goes over the weekend because even with his impressive Dauphine I think they'd still probably select Siutsou or Knees.

 

[Eyeballs Out]

Uran selection would smack of desperation when there's really no need to panic. Even if he did have something left physically (which I doubt) and mentally (which I really doubt) it's not going to make much difference - they have more than enough for the hills already. Better to use the spot on an extra diesel because they'll probably be riding on the front for most of the race