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news
Dave Brailsford faces the press, Paris, October 2012 (copyright Simon MacMichael)Sir Dave Brailsford: Chris Froome doesn't pick Sky Tour de France team - I do
Sir Dave Brailsford says it is he, and not Chris Froome, who will decide the composition of the Team Sky line-up for next month’s Tour de France – and adds that Sir Bradley Wiggins may still be chosen for the race.
On Friday, Wiggins, winner of the race in 2012 told BBC Breakfast that barring injury or illness to defending Chris Froome, he would not be among the nine Sky riders at the Grand Départ in Yorkshire on 5 July.
While the relationship between Froome and Wiggins is known to be frosty, the revelation was greeted with dismay by many fans, and with Wiggins' high profile among the general public some also saw his apparent omission as a public relations mistake by Sky.
But David Walsh, writing in The Sunday Times [£], reports that team principal Brailsford said yesterday that the composition of the team had not yet been decided and he would only make a decision following the Critérium du Dauphiné, which Froome is riding, and Tour de Suisse, where Wiggins leads Sky’s challenge.
“Despite the impression that might have been created, the team for the Tour is not yet finalised. I will be the one making the decision on who is in the team,” Brailsford said.
He emphasised that neither Froome nor any other team member would have an influence on whether or not Wiggins is selected.
“I speak with our performance team. The riders can offer an opinion but they don’t select the team and never will,” he explained.
“We knew from last year that my job was to build a team around Chris Froome because he’s the rider most likely to win this year’s Tour de France. In building the team I have to take the group dynamic into consideration,” he said.
“Trust and harmony are important considerations and it’s a difficult decision. I’m not just talking about the harmony between Chris and Brad but harmony amongst all the riders and staff.
“People should be careful before thinking Chris is making decisions here. Chris is a great bike rider, he deserves to lead our team but ultimately he doesn’t pick the team. I do,” he added.
In April, former Team Sky coach Shane Sutton said he was unsure whether Wiggins would make the Tour de France team in support of Froome.
"That Tour team really is Froome's team – he's the current holder and there's a lot of faith in him at Team Sky," said Sutton, who is now technical director of British Cycling.
He continued: “They will put the best riders available on the grid for Chris to win the Tour come July and I'm not sure whether Brad is going to be on that list. Only Brad can say that by winning big races and showing the team he is worthy of his place."
In his response to those comments, Wiggins, who is close to Sutton, suggested that the man who last year succeeded him as Tour de France champion would have a big say in whether he would figure in the team.
He said: "I'll do everything possible to try and be there but, as Shane Sutton said, it is Chris's team and he'll have a big say in who he puts around him and who he's confident having in front of him in the mountains.
"I would love to be there. I've proved I've got the legs at the moment and I'm coming to where I need to be now, if I can just push on," added Wiggins, who has proved his form with a top ten finish at Paris-Roubaix and overall victory at the Tour of California.
Froome said last week that it would be a team decision as to whether Wiggins took part in the race, adding that if Sky needed a Plan B, he believed that Richie Porte would be the rider to fulfil that.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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46 comments
Has wiggins played a blinder by going on breakfast Telly? #pickwiggins
Or quite the opposite, perhaps? By going on breakfast TV he just re-enforces the view that he's a 'career cyclist' - way more interested in person advancement over the team's success. Like a lot of incredibly talented individuals, Wiggins needs to be at the centre of attention - surrounded by a team, not part of one. It's quite telling that his personal specialism is time-trialing - a discipline that doesn't rely on teamwork at all.
I seen to recall him being quite a handy team pursuiter too, although that doesn't fit with your argument so we'll ignore that
Hostility to froome dog is not in question here, the fact that Wiggo could be left out is! It would be a travesty for for the sport, Wiggo and all the fans that want to see their hero if he was out. He is still at least a top 10 finisher in the tour and a much better bet than porte. Sod all the crap, get him in!
What cos you want to see him ride? I'd love to see both Wiggo and Froome in the team. But they really can't be. The trouble is there's bad blood between them. It doesn't matter how many times they shake hands for the camera and say it's all over, there isn't the necessary depth of trust. It's just seems logical to me that they can't sensibly both be picked. IF Froome is the choice for Sky's main GC contender then he is right to be worried whether Wiggo will fully commit to supporting him.
And to be fair I'd say vice versa.
Then there's Sky's sponsorship money and what they want from that. How much more coverage will Wiggo get from the UK media compared to Froome. What success could they get from each rider being the GC contender versus the possible embarassment of a team meltdown if they are both in it.
There are lots of considerations. This cannot come as a surprise to Brailsford or the Sponsor. I could have predicted a bun fight like this for the last two years.
There's more here than meets the eye.
My guess is that performance wise Froome has the nod and he's the holder. Hard not to pick the current holder of the title unless they are seriously underperforming. And they and we all know that Wiggo can't be trusted to pull the stops out for him.
Wiggo is very popular with the public and with the sponsor.
There's a tug of war between the performance selection and the commercial selection.
There may also be contractual obligations / promises made.
What I would hate to see was these two spending 3 weeks sniping at each other everyday and one accusing the other of not supporting whist the other looks for every opportunity to change the GC selection by fair means or foul.
Do you really want to see all that just so you can see one rider in a race a couple of times?
This is the problem of a team that has so much money it has two decent TdF GC contenders in a single squad. Both former winners. That can't get along.
Froome is the defending champion. If he is fit then the natural order is to support his campaign to defend his title. If that means that Wiggins has to be sacrificed for the team dynamic then so be it.
Wiggins chose not to defend his title. Wiggins fans need to take off the blinkers, accept reality and harden up. (Before the stupidity starts I'm not a rabid Froome standard-bearer either.)
Is your hostility based on the fact that he was not born in this country? If so I find that quite repellent.
Wiggins was injured and couldn't defend his title. He didn't choose to not defend it.
Still, I'm sure Brailsford will make the correct decision
Haha if you believe that the do you still believe in Santa and the tooth fairy?
As I've said in every other thread DB hasn't named the squad and wiggo is doing his best yet again to not ride for froome only this year a bit more diplomatic than last.
Perhaps all you die hard wiggo fan boys will no realise what a prima donna he really is now that his boss has gone on record as saying the team isn't picked by froome nor finalised
I don't think Brad "chose not to defend his title" I think Sky chose for Froome to lead the Sky squad at the 2013 tour when Brad would have been defending his title, the reason why Brad wasn't even at the 2013 tour will probably have to wait until he's not at Sky and chooses to write about it.
I think you need to get your facts right, I'm a big Wiggo fan but must point out his place of birth is Belgium. Though unlike Froome he does live in the UK with his family. To suggest I'm not a Froome fan because he was not born in The UK is a bit silly surely in that case I would not like Wiggo. I simply think Froome is boring and feel he was less than trust worthy when he was supposed to to support Wiggo in his tour win.
Wiggins was born in Ghent, Belgium in 1980 to an English mother and an Australian father. He left in 1982 and Bradley's mother moved to Kilburn.
Bradley Wiggins was a babe in arms in Belgium and has never held a passport in any nationality other than British. As Belgium is merely an accident of birth my argument still stands.
Wiggins wasn't born in this country, either, so f**k off with your faux outrage.
Read earlier post. Wiggins being born in Belgium is an accident of birth and has never held any nationality other than British. Your place of birth is not the deciding factor in deciding your nationality. It isn't outrage faux of otherwise. It is a question followed by a position. After all Andy Murray was either British or Scottish depending on whether he won or lost. At the 2012 Olympics did you regard Froome as British or Kenyan. When he won the TdF did you regard him as British or Kenyan.
If you read an even earlier post you will see stated that I am in neither camp. You appear to be firmly in the Wiggins camp. I have not been offensive to you or anyone else, if you cannot be civil and hide behind anonymity then you are a Troll and I will treat you as such.
Now be a good Troll and f**k off back under your bridge!
Sod Sky. Wiggins has to change teams.
Wiggo has to go to the tour
Wiggo has to go to the tour
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