Team Sky wishlist.

[ingsve]

Today some names that are rumored to be on Team Sky's wish list was published.

The riders named was as follows:

British riders:
Mark Cavendish (Columbia-High Road)
Steven Cummings (Barloworld)
Chris Froome (Barloworld)
Ian Stannard (ISD)
Ben Swift (Katusha)
Geraint Thomas (Barloworld)
Bradley Wiggins (Garmin-Slipstream)

Others:
John-Lee Augustyn (Barloworld)
Alessandro Ballan (Lampre-NGC)
Edvald Boasson Hagen (Columbia-High Road)
Eros Capecchi (Fuji-Servetto)
Damiano Cunego (Lampre-NGC)
Rémy Di Gregorio (Francaise des Jeux)
Romain Feillu (Agritubel)
Juan Antonio Flecha (Rabobank)
Thomas Lövkvist (Columbia-High Road)
Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas)
Marco Pinotti (Columbia-High Road)
Pierre Rolland (Cofidis).

Alot of those riders could certainly be possible. The biggest question in my mind are the Columbia riders with Cavendish in the front. It would be somewhat of a gamble to leave a very successful team for something that is new and unknown.

I can understand from a nationalistic standpoint if Cavendish wanted to support a british based team but I find it hard to justify it from a career standpoint. I just don't know if it would be a good career move. Even for a rider like EBH. He seems to have a good place in Columbia and I have a hard time seeing him leaving them at this point in his career.

I'm thinking the riders that are likely to go to Team Sky would be riders that come from lesser teams for whom it would be a big step forward to ride for a bigger protour team or riders that want a new start or are looking for something diffrent in their career.

 

[craig1985]

I think a lot of the Barloworld guys will sign up (especially the Brits on the team) and I wouldn't be surprised if Robbie Hunter jumped on board as well. I think we can write off Cavendish, EBH, Ballan and Cunego from joining, the first two would be mad to leave Columbia and I from what I read in Procycling, the latter two are quite keen to stay at Lampre. I think Lövkvist and Pinotti will stay at Columbia as well.

How long is Roger Hammond under contract at Cervelo for? I'm sure Sky would be interested in him.

 

[ingsve]

How long is Roger Hammond under contract at Cervelo for? I'm sure Sky would be interested in him.

I'm guessing it's unlikely that they only signed 1 years contracts so he probably has a year or two to go there.

 

[Anonymous]

none of those riders joining sky would surprise me..

They are going to be a huge team, money galore, and the are going to expect success.. when dave brailsford says winning the tour de france is an aim, he means it..

Theyve not messed around when it comes to management and structure getting the best they could get, and the same will go for riders. but i certainly think they will be trying to get the best young riders..

lets just look at who they have on managment...(from cycling weekly)
Dave Brailsford
British Cycling's performance director, 44
Took over from Peter Keen and masterminded Beijing success
Chris Boardman
Equipment and technical manager, 40
Won the prologue of the Tour de France three times
Dr Steve Peters
Psychiatrist, 55
The 'mind mechanic' who specialises in breaking glass ceilings
Shane Sutton
Performance manager, 51
Former pro,
Rod Ellingworth
Coach, 36
Rode as an amateur in France, set up British Cycling's academy
Roger Legeay
Advisor, 59
Frenchman, former GAN and Crédit Agricole manager, managed Greg LeMond to Tour de France victory in 1990
Scott Sunderland
Strongly rumoured to be on his way to the British pro team. Australian who used to manage at CSC, then joined Cervélo for a short-lived spell

proof that they aint messing around...

Sky as well as sponsors, do not mess around.. when they do something, they do it big, they want to win.. look what they have done with football coverage in this country, at the cost of billions... They took darts from a backward sport watched by a few, to one of the biggest tv sports in the world in a matter of years.. Sky do not mess around.. Personally i think skys involvement could be the greatest thing to happen to cycling in the last 15 years.. i think its that big.. they may just be sponsoring a team, but there is no way they will leave it at that.. i think its just the start..

Personally of those riders the ones i am most expecting..

EbH - this has been rumoured from the beginning, publicly even from the team.. and it think he is going to be offered big bucks to sign up for a decent length contract..
Ben Swift - again i think this one is a gimme.. I would be amazed if he didnt join..
Geraint Thomas - again i think likely, if not already agreed in principal..
Dan Martin - too many rumours for him not to be signing up...
Chris Froome - think this one is a done deal too..

my other guy is cunego.. dunno why.. just something tells me he might be..

but, where is he going to get his grand tour contenders, where will the two big names come from.. they financially are in the position to big bid...

contador?

 

[pmcg76]

I think it all depends on what contracts people are on with other teams, Swift, Cavendish are not availbale next year. What about Jeremy Hunt, Dan Lloyd, Dan Fleeman? Any chance of the better domestic guys (R.Downing, RAS winner Simon Richardson) being picked up by the team

I cannot see the Columbia guys going to Sky unless they are offered megabucks and even then.....

Still think Dan Martin is the only potential winner of the Tour who falls under the British tag even though he represents Ireland. Good result in Cataluyna.

Unless SKY sign a load of good overseas rider, I cannot see them having a strong team, a low Protour team which would still be good.

 

[ingsve]

I'm guessing that once they can get a few top names signed then alot of others might follow more easily.

 

[Anonymous]

where has this wishlist come from anyway.. can we have a link cos i cant find anything...

 

[ingsve]

where has this wishlist come from anyway.. can we have a link cos i cant find anything...

It found it on a swedish cycling news page: Cykelnytt but they say that Gazzetta dello Sport, L'Equipe and VRT Nieuws are reporting the story.

 

[ingsve]

I did a search for "Cavendish Froome wiggins Cunego Sky" and found several sites reporting the story.

 

[Anonymous]

It found it on a swedish cycling news page: Cykelnytt but they say that Gazzetta dello Sport, L'Equipe and VRT Nieuws are reporting the story.

you gotta love google translate.... according to that team sky will be signing some skiers and some skaters..

 

[Susan Westemeyer]

Just because these people are on their wish list doesn't mean the riders are necessarily interested. I have lots of things on my wish list that probably won't ever come true.

Susan

 

[ingsve]

Just because these people are on their wish list doesn't mean the riders are necessarily interested. I have lots of things on my wish list that probably won't ever come true.

Susan

Yep, but what it does is 2 things. It gives indications of some of the riders that are likely going to be contracted because alot of people on that list would't hesitate a second to sign I would think.

When it comes to bigger names that might be more hesitant at least it gives an indication about what Team Sky is looking for.

 

[ElChingon]

Just because these people are on their wish list doesn't mean the riders are necessarily interested. I have lots of things on my wish list that probably won't ever come true.

Susan

What! The next thing you're going to tell us is that there is no Santa Claus!

As long as there's still a hot tooth fairy coming around to pick up my broken tooth I'm ok

 

[LugHugger]

Just because these people are on their wish list doesn't mean the riders are necessarily interested. I have lots of things on my wish list that probably won't ever come true.

Susan

Isn't that why it's called a 'wish' list???? Bl**dy hell....

With the mega-budget and the management team being talked about,Sky can sign anybody they like. it's not like there's no precedent - Katusha, Slipstream for example. Money talks, whether your view on that is positive or not is up to you.

 

[lookkg386]

I find money quite positive....


anyway carry on.

 

[kjetilraknerud]

Slipstream hardly started out with a team of super stars

 

[LugHugger]

Sure, Slipstream's team ethos is not defined by winning GT's (just the TTT's ) but the point i was making (badly) is that a new team can be a winning team and sign riders capable of delivering results.

 

[Anonymous]

Sure, Slipstream's team ethos is not defined by winning GT's (just the TTT's ) but the point i was making (badly) is that a new team can be a winning team and sign riders capable of delivering results.

cervelho for example...

on the basis that the team structure in place at sky is already more experienced than cervelho, and that the budheg is likely to be bigger, maybe cervelhos current squad and performance could be considered a yardstick..

 

[lanternrouge]

I hear Nibali is a very real possibility? And I would certainly rather follow cervelo's example than slipstream (if only for the kit!)

 

[180mmCrank]

So Team Sky is a pretty exciting prospect and unless some things have changed my understanding is that Brailsford and co are trying to get a British guy in the frame for the TdF. They have huge belief and confidence in their ability to develop talent...this is what they believe they have done so succesfully on the track in the last 10 years. My understanding was that that they were looking to apply the same innovative approach to road cycling that has brought success on the track.

They may hire some high price help in the short term but longer term I would think that they are going to want to grow their own version of a GT contender. Things may have changed but I have never seen this as a regular commercial team more a National project... Sort of GBR takes over the World kinda thing!

I also understood that what kept them from trying sooner was less about funding and more about the prevalence of doping in the pro-peloton. So either they believe there is less doping or that they can now win anyway or...

 

[ElChingon]

Well we all know the motto of Slipstream/Garmin is not winning. Something that I find rather odd because come judgment day which sponsor is going to continue to feed that massive sink hole with nothing to show for it?

Now, I'm all for their non-doping cause and program but! You gotta win something or it will fall on deaf ears.

Cervelo did do a very good job of signing the right riders, or so it looks like it so far. Just comparing it to the Russian super pricey Team Katusha who has more wins

 

[Captain Chaos]

Well we all know the motto of Slipstream/Garmin is not winning. Something that I find rather odd because come judgment day which sponsor is going to continue to feed that massive sink hole with nothing to show for it?

Now, I'm all for their non-doping cause and program but! You gotta win something or it will fall on deaf ears.

I believe that Garmin has signed on through 2010 but I could be wrong and certainly that hasn't stopped title sponsors from pulling out before. I was at the team presentation in Boulder last November and JV's mantra was all about it being time to win. Certainly this hasn't come to pass so I gotta believe they are putting everything on the tour which is insane considering that hardly anyone pays attention to cycling in the States until to July.

Cervelo did do a very good job of signing the right riders, or so it looks like it so far. Just comparing it to the Russian super pricey Team Katusha who has more wins

Agreed. I wonder want Riis and the Saxo Bank intersantum is thinking now.

curious why I didn't see Baden Cooke mentioned for Sky, If he be crazy enough to go to Rock i would think he be pursuing Sky.

 

[ElChingon]

I gotta believe they are putting everything on the tour which is insane considering that hardly anyone pays attention to cycling in the States until to July.

Putting all their eggs in one basket is a recipie for disaster!

 

[craig1985]

Putting all their eggs in one basket is a recipie for disaster!

When you have too many cook's...

I'll show myself out.

 

[180mmCrank]

So Team Sky is a pretty exciting prospect and unless some things have changed my understanding is that Brailsford and co are trying to get a British guy in the frame for the TdF. They have huge belief and confidence in their ability to develop talent...this is what they believe they have done so succesfully on the track in the last 10 years. My understanding was that that they were looking to apply the same innovative approach to road cycling that has brought success on the track.

They may hire some high price help in the short term but longer term I would think that they are going to want to grow their own version of a GT contender. Things may have changed but I have never seen this as a regular commercial team more a National project... Sort of GBR takes over the World kinda thing!

I also understood that what kept them from trying sooner was less about funding and more about the prevalence of doping in the pro-peloton. So either they believe there is less doping or that they can now win anyway or...

At the risk of repeating my self I'll repeat myself - I think this was originally conceived as a project to demonstrate that the GBR cycling system that has been able to dominate on the track (at least to some extent) can cut it in the TdF. So I think some different rules about who could be on the team might apply - more priority to developing home grown talent - there is quite a bit of confidence (almost arrogance) about what they believe they can do. But maybe this has changed...