Sky have no limit as Wiggins triumphs
Porte pointed to the penultimate stage of this year’s Dauphine Libere race, where Sky had five of the last nine riders in the lead group over the notorious Col du Joux Plane, as the moment the team knew they were truly on course and that was echoed by Yates, the legendary hardman of Sussex cycling and now Wiggins’s directeur sportif at Sky.
This year Yates has managed the Briton to all his victories, an unprecedented run of stage race success: Paris-Nice, Tour of Romandie, Dauphine Libere and finally the Tour. “It was the dream scenario. It shows we are a serious bunch. We don’t mess about.”
Brailsford also discussed the future for Sky, Wiggins and Cavendish.
The message is simple: watch out world. Brailsford would like the team to improve in the classics and to win all three major tours, Giro d’Italia, Vuelta a Espana and Tour de France, in the same season. On that note this year’s Vuelta starts on August 18th, the weekend after the Olympics finish, and Chris Froome should be among the favourites.
Brailsford said he would put money on the Tour winner keeping his focus and returning to the Tour next year and hailed Wiggins for producing “the best sustained set of results of any British sportsman ever”.
Yates had a different term for the run of results which his charge has now maintained since the Tour of Spain last August. “It’s been a trail of destruction,” summed up Yates.
The Sky-blue wrecking ball may be only just getting in motion.
20TH STAGE: Rambouillet to Paris, 120kms
1. M Cavendish (Britain/Team Sky) 3:08:07 2. P Sagan (Slovakia/Liquigas) ST 3. M Goss (Australia/Orica) 4. J Jose Haedo (Argentina/Saxo Bank) 5. K Boeckmans (Belgium/Vacansoleil) 6. G Henderson (New Zealand/Lotto) 7. B Bozic (Slovenia/Astana) 8. A Greipel (Germany/Lotto) 9. E Boasson Hagen (Norway/Team Sky) 10. J Engoulvent (France/Saur-Sojasun). Irish: 35. N Roche (Ireland/AG2R) 93. D Martin (Ireland/Garmin)
General classification: 1. B Wiggins (Britain/Team Sky) 87:34:42 2. C Froome (Britain/Team Sky) +3:21 3. V Nibali (Italy/Liquigas) +6:19 4. J Van den Broeck (Belgium/Lotto) +10:15 5. Tejay Van Garderen (US/BMC Racing) +11:04 6. H Zubeldia (Spain/RadioShack) +15:43 7. C Evans (Australia/BMC Racing) +15:51 8. P Rolland (France/Europcar) +16:31 9. J Brajkovic (Slovenia/Astana) +16:38 10. T Pinot (France/FDJ) +17:17 Irish: 12. N Roche (Ireland/AG2R) +19:33 35. D Martin (Ireland/Garmin) + 1 25’ 23”
Mountains: 1. T Voeckler (France/Europcar) 135 2. F Kessiakoff (Sweden/Astana) 123 3. C Sorensen (Denmark /Saxo Bank) 77 4. P Rolland (France/Europcar) 63 5. A Valverde (Spain/Movistar) 51 6. C Froome (Britain/Team Sky) 48 7. E Martinez (Spain/Euskaltel) 43 8. Thibaut Pinot (France/FDJ) 40 9. Brice Feillu (France/Saur-Sojasun) 38 10. D Martin (Ireland/Garmin) 34
Points: 1. P Sagan (Slovakia/Liquigas) 421 2. A Greipel (Germany/Lotto) 280 3. M Goss (Australia/Orica) 268 4. M Cavendish (Britain/Team Sky) 220 5. E Boasson Hagen (Norway/Team Sky) 160
Teams: 1. Luxradioshack-nissan 263h 12 14 2. Gbrsky Procycling 263h 18 00 + 05 46 3. Usabmc Racing team 263h 48 43 + 36 29 4. Kazastana Pro Team 263h 55 36 + 43 22 5. Italiquigas-Cannondale 264h 17 09 + 01h 04 55
Youths: 1. Usavan garderen Tejay (BMC Racing Team 87h 45 51 2. Frapinot Thibaut (FDJ-Bigmat) 87h 52 04 + 06 13 3. Nedkruijswijk Steven (Rabobank Cycling team) 88h 51 39 + 01h 05 48
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