What should Sky do next?

[Sneekes]

Geraint is a good rider, and I think he can improve - but I really don't see him as a GT contender - I just don't think he'lll ever climb well enough.

Kennaugh will probably climb well enough, but not sure how well he'll TT. I'm not saying I expect him to be a GT winner - but top 10 should be possible.

Sky need to invest this summer, they need a bona fide GT contender. Wiggins is still a good rider - but he's not as good as they hoped, and Gerrans and Pauwels have both disappointed.

I'm impressed with Lofkvist so far. I hope they let him off the leash at some point.

 

[Cobblestones]

I wouldn't know, I didn't get the Carly Fiorina reference :\

Let me remind you:

Wiggins:

"It's like trying to win the Champions League – you need to be at Manchester United but I'm playing at Wigan at the moment so I have to make that step up."

Of course, he's now rather looking like Rooney at the World Cup.

 

[hrotha]

Let me remind you:

Wiggins:


Of course, he's now rather looking like Rooney at the World Cup.

Ooooh, OK, I see what you mean now.

Yeah I take it back. It's fine to laugh a little.

 

[Anonymous]

I think a bigger question is what are BMC going to do next. In fact, what did they do last?

 

[ttrider]

For all Evald boassen hagens qualities sky need 3 riders in my opinion
Genuine GC man
Mountain Domestique
Sprinter

The GC guy is hard to place Liquigas seem to have settled down and so no chance of one of their 4...
I would say MENCHOV is the one, may seem wierd but he is easily capable of winning a Giro or Vuelta and Gesink is sure to become the Rabobank main man from now on, outside of him genuine contender arent about, someone like scarponi for example would violate ethics
Mountain Domestiques could be looted from radioshack in my opinion surely Machado etc will fancy a new home when they realise they have no hope of a GT ride after the vuelta+giro debacle
sprinters would be easier i rekkon Ciolek suffered at Milram due to a **** team, sky can provide a leadout and so he would be my pick because he is quick Chichi would also be good

god they must be under pressure for results though with that budget they must improve because the tour is a focal point and yet it is a dire failiure as of now

Wiggins is a joke after his comments before the tour and about his ability he must be feeling like a massive ****! The track has no quality in comparison to the road, he needs to learn his track results mean nothing and drop his illusion that he is the best thing since sliced bread!

 

[Cobblestones]

I think a bigger question is what are BMC going to do next. In fact, what did they do last?

They could try to beat Lotto in the team competition?

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Geraint came in in the george hincapie group today, but both are just turning the wheels. Geraint is young. Hes got plenty of time on his side.

Geraint Thomas is from 1986

This is the same year guys like Gesink, Kreuziger and Mollema are born. And Andy Schleck is only 1 year older.

Seriously, your hope on Geraint Thomas is based on completely nothing.

 

[ingsve]

For all Evald boassen hagens qualities sky need 3 riders in my opinion
Genuine GC man
Mountain Domestique
Sprinter

The GC guy is hard to place Liquigas seem to have settled down and so no chance of one of their 4...
I would say MENCHOV is the one, may seem wierd but he is easily capable of winning a Giro or Vuelta and Gesink is sure to become the Rabobank main man from now on, outside of him genuine contender arent about, someone like scarponi for example would violate ethics
Mountain Domestiques could be looted from radioshack in my opinion surely Machado etc will fancy a new home when they realise they have no hope of a GT ride after the vuelta+giro debacle
sprinters would be easier i rekkon Ciolek suffered at Milram due to a **** team, sky can provide a leadout and so he would be my pick because he is quick Chichi would also be good

god they must be under pressure for results though with that budget they must improve because the tour is a focal point and yet it is a dire failiure as of now

Wiggins is a joke after his comments before the tour and about his ability he must be feeling like a massive ****! The track has no quality in comparison to the road, he needs to learn his track results mean nothing and drop his illusion that he is the best thing since sliced bread!

One guy they could perhaps try to get is Linus Gerdemann. He'll likely be looking for a new home and he already knows alot of the riders since his time at columbia.

 

[Anonymous]

Seriously, your hope on Geraint Thomas is based on completely nothing.

And your lack of hope in him is based on what? Opinion is all objective, and Im not the only one who beleives G has a big future.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Dekker_Tifosi - not to mention the younger ones like Urán!

ingsve - I really enjoy Linus Gerdemann as a rider and think he'd be a great signing but I don't think he really fits in any of the three categories you've mentioned. He's more a 'lesser GC guy come complete lunatic attacker/stagehunter'.

 

[hrotha]

And your lack of hope in him is based on what? Opinion is all objective, and Im not the only one who beleives G has a big future.

Big future =/= potential GT winner

I reckon his lack of hope is based on a lack of the kind of results and skills that would lead someone to think a particular rider is a potential TdF winner.

 

[ingsve]

Dekker_Tifosi - not to mention the younger ones like Urán!

ingsve - I really enjoy Linus Gerdemann as a rider and think he'd be a great signing but I don't think he really fits in any of the three categories you've mentioned. He's more a 'lesser GC guy come complete lunatic attacker/stagehunter'.

Well, I wasn't the one who listed the different categories but I agree that he would be more of the same when compared to Wiggins and Löfkvist. At any rate he's the type of rider they need to focus on rather than more sprinters or cobbled riders. He would fill some room in the ardennes and would be a better domestique in the mountains than what they currently have if he would be willing to take such a position. He might still have GC hopes of his own.

 

[LugHugger]

I think you could say this for several teams.. there were a bunch of teams went in with dreams of a gc win, realistically only two will can.

I think brad will make back some time next week and finish top 10. About as expected. Still very impressed with geraints performance. That is sky future tour winner.

Your evidence for this statement is what? Thomas performed well in the first week - as was expected given his junior palmares - but there is nothing to support this statement. The future Tour winners for the next 5 years will come from a very short list of AC, AS and one or two others.

Wiggins will not finish top 10 this year.

 

[Balleballe]

Neither Geraint Thomas or Edvald Boasson Hagen (sorry all norwegians ) has shown that they have climbing capabilities needed for becoming top 20 in the GC of a Grand Tour. Maybe they will, or more likely, maybe they won't.

Flecha is climbing better than either of them atm!

(If British hopes are unreasonable for Geraint, the norwegian hopes are bordering on delusional (in this years tour: multiple stage wins for both EBH and Hushovd, yellow jersey for Thor the first 5-6 stages, EBH finishing with the best climbers in the high mountains et c.)

I don't know which norwegians you have talked to, but i think NOONE in their right mind expected any of the things you mention.

 

[Clemson Cycling]

They should go out and drop a ton of money on Mark Cavendish (HTC Columbia has Greipel who is every bit as good) and focus on his sprinting ability and winning him stages.

 

[Mambo95]

They should go out and drop a ton of money on Mark Cavendish (HTC Columbia has Greipel who is every bit as good) and focus on his sprinting ability and winning him stages.

1. Greipel is not every bit as good as Cavendish

2. Greipel is leaving HTC, probably for Lotto.

 

[riobonito92]

I don't think you win the TdF in 2015 (or whenever) by coming 20th and hoping the experience gained will somehow help.

I think the better strategy is to look for races that can be won, or nearly won, in 2011-2013, by the young hopefuls: Criterium International, ToC, Dauphine, Tour Down Under, the semi-classics etc (Is this the Vaconsoleil strategy?).

Secondly, build on the track nucleus to put together a good sprint unit, possibly around EBH and see how that develops.

Buy Brajkovic or similar who might (but might not) develop into a GC man.

When the solid foundations have been in place for a few years, try to entice a real contender.

What we have learnt over the past few days, I hope, is that you can't buy a TdF by signing a major star (Wiggins, Evans (Armstrong?) - there needs to be several years of solid groundwork first.

I suspect something like this was Brailsford's Plan A but he got side-tracked by Wiggins.

 

[Night Rider]

For this tour, there are a couple of stages that suit EBH so they should put all their efforts into those. If they had listened to wise men they would have taken a broader range of riders to this Tour instead of pinning their hopes on a donkey.

For the future. Classics, sprint stages and a long wait until a british rider comes along who's worthy of supporting in the tour. That's their goal isn't it?

 

[BroDeal]

Sky should "learn" how to race GTs by trying to win the Giro or the Vuelta. There are a very limited number of riders who can win the TdF, and they are not available. But there are many more who could win one of the other GTs. Buy someone who can win the Giro or the Vuelta.

 

[Anonymous]

They should go out and drop a ton of money on Mark Cavendish (HTC Columbia has Greipel who is every bit as good) and focus on his sprinting ability and winning him stages.

Disagree strongly. Cavendish at sky would do more damage than good. Bad move, first thing that would happen is EbH leaves.

 

[mowie133]

very easy to say go in a break away for wiggins,but the big boys ain't going to give him a free kick an let him get up the road just yet..he just isn't far enough behind yet ... they just have to get in breaks,like tomz stage is one for the breakaway! great if gerrans was there

 

[ingsve]

Disagree strongly. Cavendish at sky would do more damage than good. Bad move, first thing that would happen is EbH leaves.

Exactly. They got five riders from columbia who pretty much left because all the focus was on cavendish there. Sky is the last place for Cav to ride.

 

[stefrees]

At least Sky are trying. Wiggins hasnt been good enough, but his comments were refreshing - he knows he hasnt been good enough but he wont give up. these last two years have brought loads of new british fans to cycling, which is what we want, yes sky dont have a future british leader yet, but they are trying and kennaugh maybe that man, its a step forward-think where we were even 5 years ago - no brits in the tour. its arrogant *** like dekker tifosi who are the"be all and end all" of cycling knowledge who put us brits down. we are growing into cycling, the sky rides are doling well. more people are cycling and the future is bright!

 

[Cobblestones]

very easy to say go in a break away for wiggins,but the big boys ain't going to give him a free kick an let him get up the road just yet..he just isn't far enough behind yet ... they just have to get in breaks,like tomz stage is one for the breakaway! great if gerrans was there

+1

People throwing these ideas out like it's child's play. Recently in the Armstrong thread, now for Wiggins. Did you see what Cunego had to do to get into the break? Opportunists won't be happy to have these kinds of riders in their breaks. Another datapoint: Cuddles last year. It's not going to happen.

 

[Cobblestones]

Sky should "learn" how to race GTs by trying to win the Giro or the Vuelta. There are a very limited number of riders who can win the TdF, and they are not available. But there are many more who could win one of the other GTs. Buy someone who can win the Giro or the Vuelta.

+1

Also, they could go for one of the shorter stage races with one of the lower riders. Romandie with EBH for instance, just to give an example.