So far, so good. Five days into Team Sky’s first Tour de France, the British squad is performing strongly in the race and has achieved a number of noteworthy results. Edvald Boasson Hagen took third yesterday despite being impeded in the final sprint, while Geraint Thomas remained in the white jersey of best young rider . Thomas is also second overall, lying just 23 seconds behind the race leader Fabian Cancellara, and was second on Tuesday’s stage to Arenberg.
Unsurprisingly, team principal Dave Brailsford is content with how things have gone for the riders. “We're very happy with the situation we find ourselves in at this moment in time,” he said. “We'd have definitely taken where we are now after what were two very tough days on Monday and Tuesday where the guys had to give it everything - and they looked good.”
On his day, Edvald Boasson Hagen is one of the fastest riders in the peloton, and went close yesterday. He’s riding his first Tour de France and at just 23 years of age, he’s got time on his side. Nobody doubts that he can win a stage, perhaps even in this year’s Tour, but Sky wants to take a softly, softly approach and let him develop at his own pace.
"There is no pressure on him, he is not expected to win by the team," Brailsford told reporters after the stage. "He has to help Brad [Wiggins], and that is what he is here to do.
"He is a young guy, there is a lot of weight and expectation on his shoulders. I think we still need to hold the horses, the victories will come to him in due time. He is a phenomenal talent, let's just let him develop.”
Another phenomenal talent is Thomas, who first rode the Tour at just 21 years of age. He was second-last then but has improved steadily since, showing his ability last October when he broke Bradley Wiggins’ Olympic record for the individual pursuit. Thomas recorded a qualifying time of 4 minutes 15.015 seconds before going on to win gold in the final.
That speed payed dividends this season when he was fourth in the prologue of the Critérium du Dauphiné and third on stage one, as well as fifth in the prologue of the Tour de France. He then moved up to second overall with a storming ride over the cobbles on Tuesday, highlighting an ability he first showed when he won the junior Paris-Roubaix in 2004.
“It was a massive buzz going across the cobbles with [Fabian] Cancellara, Thor and Cadel [Evans]," said Thomas after the stage.
"You don't get a better group than that. Having the national champion's jersey on my back, and being in the front group with the world champion [Evans] and some of the other big riders, was amazing.
"The atmosphere was amazing, too. I'm going to remember that for a while.”
Boasson Hagen is likely to be similarly motivated by his near-miss yesterday. The stages today and tomorrow could well come down to bunch gallops again. If so, don’t be surprised if he is in the thick of the action, or indeed if he pulls off a win.
Brailsford was buoyed by his ride yesterday, but was also cheered by the fact that it was a relatively quiet stage. Monday and Tuesday were very intense due to crashes and difficult racing conditions, and so a more sedate day in the saddle was important for the riders.
“We really just wanted to have a day where the guys could switch off a little bit,” he explained. “I think it's important for Brad to be able to get some days where it's less intense and from a mental perspective, just be able to chill out slightly. Today offered that opportunity and you've got to be able to make the most of it.”
Wiggins finished fourth overall last year while riding for Garmin Slipstream. He’s 14th overall, one minute 49 seconds behind Cancellara, and should begin his progression up the leaderboard on the first mountain stages this weekend.