Le Tour 2012!

matthew71":a5rplp5l said:

Let,s see what the vuelta brings,and see if froome handles the pressure of being team leader

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Yup, will be watching with interest.

NeilM":2lk0c6yk said:

kaiser":2lk0c6yk said:

Seemingly Dave Brailsford has said if Cavendish wanted to leave he could! I always thought he was brought in to bring about some sucess to a limping Sky. Now with the GC to protect and two GC riders is he superflous?

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A limping Sky? That's a bit harsh, as the team has only existed for three years. Given the illness and tragedy that hit the first year, I think they've done amazingly well. I also think Chris Froome has a lot to thank the team for.

Now the question is, when all the Wiggins mania dies down: What can they deliver next season?

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They did recieve a fair bit of undue critiscism. The original plan was to make a legitimate attempt at the tour within 5 years. Then the expectation ramped up for some reason and they got a bit of flack! I'm not saying it was warranted at all but it was there. I felt Cavendish was brought in to alleviate some of the bad press much to my dissapointment at the time as I thought Sky had a solid plan and the bringing through of British talent was doing nicely with Geraint et al. I thought Sky were going to give this up to chase stage victories with Cav. Whether this was the case or not I don't know but they do have a whole new set of priorities now I think.

For next season I see no reason why they'd change there operating model. Look at the course, look at the figures and put the plan in action. Next years tour promises to be a hilly one, it could be that Froome assumes the leaders position as the percieved better climber.

kaiser":1g3ybx0u said:

Next years tour promises to be a hilly one, it could be that Froome assumes the leaders position as the percieved better climber.

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Maybe, but given how successful Wiggins transition from track to road has been so far, just imagine what another 12 months of training and racing could do for him.

As I have already said, this road riding malarky is all new to me, but I am beginning to understand the fascination it holds.

will be interesting to see if wiggins can improve more, he has come on leaps and bounds from the rider he was 3 years ago.i am not sure how much better he can get.froome is 5 years younger ,and is not much slower than wiggins in the TT.i guess it will all depend on the course

matthew71":14uvoydg said:

will be interesting to see if wiggins can improve more, he has come on leaps and bounds from the rider he was 3 years ago.i am not sure how much better he can get.froome is 5 years younger ,and is not much slower than wiggins in the TT.i guess it will all depend on the course

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It is ironic that this pinnacle of success (is it really though, rather than different to what he has already achieved?) comes at 32, considering how people are writing off Andy Murray as having peaked!

Well, if he achieves nothing more (which I think is unlikely), then he will still be talked about for years to come, just like Fred Perry at Wimbledon or the 1966 World Cup, and as Chris Boardman said on Sunday, it is a once only event, no one will ever be the first British TdF winner again.