Basing his reasoning on the pattern of racing plus an assessment of the power outputs of the top finishers, Sky Procycling’s Team Principal Dave Brailsford has said that he has no doubt that Bradley Wiggins would have finished in the top three positions in the Tour de France.
The Briton went into the race as one of the favourites, thanks to his overall win in the Critérium du Dauphiné, but crashed out in the opening week of the event. Brailsford insists that had he avoided the accidents which littered those first days, that an extremely big result could have been in store.
“Having watched it, there is a tinge of disappointment because we all know what kind of shape Bradley was in,” he told VeloNation in a video interview filmed in Paris. “Having seen the race, I honest believe he would have been on the podium. It would have been a close call between Cadel and Brad [for the win], but I certainly 100 percent think he would have been on the podium.”
Brailsford said that there were concrete reasons for his optimism. “You can do all the analysis and the VAMs [average ascent speed - ed.] and the power data and all the rest of it. We know what Bradley was capable of. We know what the climbs were ridden at. You can put all that together and say, actually, physically was it within reach or not? For some people it wasn’t but certainly for Bradley, in the shape that he was in, given the way the Tour was raced, then certainly he could have been on that podium.”
The Briton received surgery for his broken collarbone and is already back training. Brailsford confirmed that he will almost certainly ride the Vuelta a España, but said that it is impossible to say at this point in time if he can contend for the overall classification.
“Form is a funny thing…you don’t just hold it, so it is [a question of] whether he can actually build it back up to where he needs it to be to challenge for GC.” He said that the team would take it day by day. “It’ll be a little more hit and miss than coming into the Tour, but he is in good shape and I am sure he will ride a good Vuelta.”
Brailsford also commented on Edvald Boasson Hagen’s two stage wins and second place on the final day in Paris, Mark Cavendish’s success, plus the Sky team’s performance in the Tour. Click below to watch the full video interview in Paris.