What now for Wiggins?

With Team Sky potentially set to omit Bradley Wiggins from the Tour, where does the biggest star in British cycling go from here?

Many think Wiggins still has the ability to enjoy more days like this. But for whom will that be? Photo © Reuters

Bradley Wiggins dropped a bombshell last week during an interview with the BBC that he would be very unlikely to ride the Tour de France this year.

The response has been mixed. Most journalists and cycling insiders seem to believe that it is the right, or at least most logical thing, to do while Wiggins’ fanbase has condemned the ‘decision’.

As Team Sky boss Sir Dave Brailsford has been moved to point out in response, the decision has yet to be finalised. Presumably, this leaves the door ajar for Wiggo to impress. A victory at the Tour of Switzerland certainly would do that – but would it be enough?

Given the ongoing media-fuelled saga between the pair, there is a certain logic to leaving Wiggins out of the team for the betterment of Froome’s chances – after all, the less distractions there are, the better. The rivalry between the two would inevitably be a sub-story throughout the Tour – so better just to nip it in the bud now.

Also, regardless of Brailsford’s assertion that the riders (read: Froome) do not pick the team, it would be counter-intuitive to not place Froome’s preferences as an important cornerstone in deciding who is picked and who isn’t. You’d want the team leader to be happy and content with the selection, therefore that rider’s opinion needs to be at least respected – and in this game, respect usually means concession.

With that in mind, it’s understandable that Wiggins felt it inevitable that he wouldn’t be picked for the Tour. He knows better than anyone what’s going on in the team and he also knows that Froome is now top dog for the grand tours. If it were the other way around, it’s likely he’d have something to say about Froome’s inclusion too, and he probably appreciates that through a combination of age, experience and circumstance.

Wiggins, though, is not done yet. Whether by accident or by design, his declaration that he wont be present for the Grand Dèpart in Yorkshire this summer has turned into something of a PR coup. His popularity, fundamentally, dwarfs all other British cyclists. A combination of his irreverent personality and ability to appeal to the British sense of… Britishness… and his huge success on the track and road has seen to that. Even Mark Cavendish and Chris Hoy have never had such a universal appeal as Wiggins. Therefore, removing himself from the biggest summer of cycling Britain has ever seen has been seen by most as, at best, undesirable.

To most, his absence will be seen as a travesty – and he probably knows this. So what has he to lose by, essentially, kicking up a fuss by displaying the aura of a beaten man when it comes to the selection for the biggest cycle race in the world? It’s an aura that British cycling is unaccustomed to from it’s most popular star.

Multiplying the issue is the sense that it’d be a PR disaster for Team Sky, the Tour and the Grand Dèpart to have one of world cycling’s biggest stars absent.

It would seem that Wiggins is exercising his great influence as a human being, setting himself against the autonomic machine and slightly dry nature of Team Sky and its leader Chris Froome. In doing so, he has cast Froome in the role of pantomime villain and has at least claimed a small victory in that regard should he not be selected.

With his contract running out at the end of the 2014 season, Wiggins also has options. Safe in the knowledge that he’s likely to be overlooked for the Tour for the forseeable future, and with Team Sky’s questionable success in the classics that he has stated are of interest to him, he may be best served by moving elsewhere after this season’s Commonwealths and Worlds.

So, where would he go? Orica Green-Edge seem an enticing option, proving this year their strength in the classics through Simon Gerrans. They’ve also never really figured in the grand tours, which having Wiggins on board would help address.

Other options? Italian outfit Lampre-Merida may look to replace veteran Chris Horner after his shaky year thus far, while Omega Pharma-Quick Step may also take a punt if Wiggins decides he wants to focus solely on the classics (the likelihood of him being considered ahead of Rigoberto Uran is at best 50-50). Perhaps even the new team mooted by Formula One star Fernando Alonso could see Wiggins installed as the experienced man needed to lead them through their early years.

Then it’d be off to the 2016 Olympics for Wiggins and potentially into retirement – or a tilt at the one-hour record.

What do you think could become of British cycling’s main man?

February shows early season form book

Valverde, Froome and Kittel impress in February’s ProTour races.

Valverde won the Ruta del Sol in emphatic style.
© Cycling Weekly

February was the month in which teams and riders put their preparations into action for the upcoming Spring Classics and summer Grand Tours and we’ve been treated to a smōrgåsbord of action and statements of intent.

The month began in Dubai with Marcel Kittel proving he’d lost none of his 2013 season desire by repeatedly winning every sprint shown him, putting in the shade the likes of Mark Cavendish and Andre Greipel.

His two main rivals have since begun to make headway, indicating this season’s sprints won’t be a foregone conclusion. Greipel claimed two stages of the Tour of Oman, while Cavendish and his Omega Pharma-Quick Step train finally began to click into gear with a win on the final stage of the Volta ao Algarve.

Other sprinters too have made their mark: Peter Sagan and Alexander Kristoff each claimed a stage of the Tour of Oman with consistently strong showings in particular from Orica-Green-Edge’s Leigh Howard, while Lampre-Merida’s Sacha Modolo also tasted victory in the Volta ao Algarve.

The Tour of Oman and the Ruta del Sol are equally, if not more about showing potential GC contender form for the remainder for the season. It was here that Alejandro Valverde and Chris Froome impressed the most, each claiming overall victory in the Ruta and Tour respectively.

In winning his third Ruta del Sol in a row, Valverde has written his name into the record books with his run of three victories overall, and in this years’ stages when the might of Team Sky quad Bradley Wiggins, Geraint Thomas, Richie Porte and Vasil Kiryienka tried and failed to break him, he showed incredibly impressive condition so early in the season.

Froome too has shown formidable form over in Oman, successfully defending his title and out-racing Tejay van Garderen and ex-Sky rider Rigerberto Ùran into second and third respectively.

While their victories were impressive and proved their race winning credentials, it represents a shift in approach to a whole season. Both Froome and Valverde have stated their goal is victory in the Tour de France in 2014 – yet this is five months away. The big test will be to see if they can hold their form to the biggest race on the calendar.

On the other end of the scale, Richie Porte has had a more measured start to his Grand Tour aspirations, the Tazmanian targeting the Giro d’Italia in May, placed second just as he did in January’s Tour Down Under – unable to dislodge Valverde despite that star-studded team around him. Perhaps this reflected more of Team Sky’s apparent lack of ‘Plan B’, instead relying on their usual tactic to drill the peloton with their brute strength in depth followed by an attack by their main man; in this case Porte.

That attack never really materialised – or if it did then Valverde was in such good form that he seemed to be able to lap it up and use it as a launchpad. To any bystander it was seriously impressive for him and potentially disappointing for Porte, especially considering the relative condition of Bradley Wiggins, often used up on the lower slopes to take advantage of his huge engine to thin out the herd, and Geraint Thomas who often looked as though he had to hold back to avoid simply riding off the front of the peloton.

Still, second is no mean feat and probably will not be viewed as a big disappointment considering the surprising strength of Valverde over the five days racing and still places him in good stead for the Giro in May.

Elsewhere, Alberto Contador stretched his legs with a stage win and second overall at the Volta ao Algarve, a race in which Michal Kwiatkowski claimed overall victory thanks to an attack on stage 2 and an individual time trial win (all the more notable because he beat World Time Trial Champion Tony Martin in the process).

Conspicuous by their relative anonymity though, was World Champion Rui Costa (not enjoying a particularly successful race at home in the Algarve), ex-World Champion Philippe Gilbert, Fabian Cancellara, who was so successful in the Spring Classics last year, and Cadel Evans (choosing to race at the Tour Haut Var instead). We wait to see if they can improve their form in time for March.

It all shows key players for the forthcoming Spring Classics are making moves and beginning to show their cards and it promises to be a rip-roaring ride as the WorldTour returns next month!

Have your own opinion or favourites for this year’s Spring Classics? Why not tell us about them above.

Santos Tour Down Under 2014 Analysis

First World Tour race of the season shows interesting early indicators of form as GC riders start to show their early season cards.

The Santos Tour Down Under this year has answered as many questions as it hasn’t as Orica GreenEDGE’s Simon Gerrans secured GC victory around the streets of Adelaide on Australia Day.

The Australian on the Australian team covered the breaks and any threat posed by BMC’s Cadel Evans and Italian Diego Ulissi of Lampre to claim a one-second victory at his home tour.

The Australian Tour has become the traditional season-opener since its inaugural running in 2000 and this year it has played host to a number of key GC-style riders as they look to the first grand tour of the season, the Giro d’Italia.

Evans, Ulissi, Sky’s Richie Porte and Belkin’s Robert Gesink all claimed top-ten spots, whilst Trek’s Fränk Schleck returned from his doping ban to finish 31^st of 130 finishers.  Whilst largely absent from the TV camera’s, he will surely be pleased to complete the week-long event sans incident.

Interestingly, the traditional front-runner Evans and super-domestique Porte both secured stage victories in hilly stages, the latter reaching the summit of Willunga first, outlining their good climbing legs from the outset and showing a strong winter training block can do wonders for early-season publicity.

Porte, following his win on Willunga was keen to play down his form so early in the season, indicating there was more to come: “It’s January and I’m not in top form just yet. To win in Australia and on this climb is a very special victory,” he said, whilst Evans echoed his sentiments following his Stage 3 victory in Campbelltown, his team pointing out that his target was the Maglia Rosa in May.

The GC contenders for the Giro weren’t all present in Australia, though, with some choosing to wait before making their season debuts and others such as 2013 Tour de France runner-up Nairo Quintana and prominent Italian Domenico Pozzovivo lining up in Argentina for the Tour de San Luis. Vincenzo Nibali is also riding in South America, but his sights are firmly set upon the Tour de France this season.

It’s difficult to draw conclusions at this early stage, particularly considering other riders including Omega Pharma-Quick Step’s new marquee signing Rigoberto Urán has yet to line up competitively. Add to this the unknown form of classics specialist riders such as Philippe Gilbert who will no doubt become vital parts of the teams supporting the GC contenders, and the quagmire of ingredients simply becomes more confusing!

What we do know is this: the Santos Tour Down Under (and the Tour de San Luis) have provided great intrigue as Classics and GC riders build their stamina and race-readiness for the start of the classics and grand tour season.