Team Sky has announced the eight men that will ride alongside Bradley Wiggins in his bid to become first Briton to win the Tour de France. The current British champion - who will not defend his title this weekend - finished fourth in the 2009 edition, and was among the favourites to win last year before a crash forced him to abandon with a broken collarbone. After winning Paris-Nice, the Tour de Romandie, and his second straight Critérium du Dauphiné, the Belgian-born Londoner will once again line up as one of the outstanding favourites.
“I’m really proud to be part of such a strong unit going into the Tour de France,” said Wiggins. “The team’s preparation has been perfectly managed and our form this season gives us a great chance of being successful.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time and I’ll do everything I can to win the Tour de France. Hopefully we can do the business for ourselves and our fans, and become the most successful British-based cycling team ever.”
Although the team is primarily to support Wiggins’ bid for overall victory, there is still room for World champion Mark Cavendish - with “minder” Bernhard Eisel - in the nine-man line up. The Manxman will be defending his green points jersey, but will primarily be chasing stage victories as he prepares for the Olympic Games.
"It's a dream to ride for a team that holds so much British interest and has a chance to win the yellow jersey,” said the World champion.
“I know the push for the GC podium will make it more difficult for me to repeat the success I've enjoyed the last few years. But I'll compete and - as always - I'll dedicate myself to making it a successful Tour for Team Sky and, let's hope, for Britain.”
Cavendish will be the first Briton to wear the rainbow jersey of road champion since Tommy Simpson did so in 1966. Chris Boardman wore the time trial rainbows in the 1995 edition, but his race lasted just a few kilometres as he crashed out in the pouring rain of the Saint-Brieuc prologue.
“Deciding our final nine was a very tough challenge because we are blessed with a great depth of talent in our squad,” said team principle Dave Brailsford. “We believe we have picked a strong and balanced team though, and one which can cater for any eventuality.
“Our priority this year is the General Classification with Bradley but that doesn’t mean we’ll neglect the sprint stages, or Mark’s bid for green jersey.”
Unsurprisingly, the core of Wiggins’ support will consist of the trio that carried him through the mountains of the Dauphiné earlier this month, in Chris Froome, Mick Rogers and Richie Porte. The three riders managed to ride almost the entire peloton of their wheels on the toughest climbs of the race, and Brailsford expects more of the same at the Tour.
“Chris, Mick, and Richie are among our strongest climbers and will all be there to support Bradley in the mountains,” he explained, “but then we’ve got riders like Christian [Knees] and Kosta [Siutsou] who have strong engines on the flats, and versatile riders like Edvald [Boasson Hagen] and Bernhard who can support Mark in the sprints.
“This squad is truly world class with a proven pedigree of success,” he added. “They have trained, raced and lived together since the start of the season and that has moulded them into a well-oiled, focused and close-knit team.
“They are all full of confidence after their recent run of results and it’s going to be exciting to see how the race transpires.”
Team Sky for the Tour de France
Edvald Boasson Hagen, Mark Cavendish, Bernhard Eisel, Chris Froome, Christian Knees, Richie Porte, Michael Rogers, Kanstantsin Siutsou and Bradley Wiggins.