Wiggins/Brailsford : Riding Clean

Dave Brailsford reflected yesterday on Britain's most successful Tour de France and looked ahead 11 months to when the 2010 race should have an even stronger British flavour.

Team Sky, the squad being assembled by the British Cycling performance director will take to the road in six months with selection for next summer's Tour a priority and victory, "with a clean British rider", the longer-term aim for a team that will be one of the best funded in the peloton. Though Sky has refused to divulge the budget, it is believed to be in the region of £24m over four years which would put the British team in the top tier of cycling's elite division.

With Bradley Wiggins' fourth-place finish – equalling the highest ever by a Briton – the timescale for a first British overall victory in the Tour could be brought forward, though Brailsford said Wiggins is not the only potential homegrown winner he has earmarked. He added that he felt vindicated by Wiggins' breakthrough, having been "laughed at by some for saying it was possible" for a British rider to challenge for the yellow jersey.

"Everyone says it's impossible to win the Tour clean," said Brailsford. "I don't know whether they think we just stick our heads in the sand in Manchester but we've got some of the best sports scientists in the world. We use their knowledge and do our homework. We don't just come up with irrelevant comments.

"Brad is a case in point. Wiggins is clean and he performed with the best in the world. The guy has multiple Olympic medals [on the track]. He hasn't changed into a new athlete; he's the same person taking the same full-on approach to another discipline within the sport. It vindicates the idea that, if you take a proper approach, analysing everything, then it can be done."

From Brailsford's perspective the only downside to the successes of Wiggins and Mark Cavendish, who became the first rider in 30 years to win six stages in one Tour, is that their teams, Garmin-Slipstream and Columbia-HTC respectively, are likely to fight tooth-and-nail to keep them. Both are under contract next season and Cavendish has an option on 2011.

While the two British stars might not be in Sky colours next season – though Brailsford remains optimistic that Wiggins could yet be persuaded – there is speculation the Italian Vincenzo Nibali, who placed seventh in the Tour, as well as the Scandinavians Thomas Lovkvist and Edvald Boasson Hagen, could join a core of British riders, including Geraint Thomas, Steve Cummings and Chris Froome.

Brailsford said 17 riders have been signed, though under International Cycling Union (UCI) rules he is not permitted to reveal their names until 1 September. "I saw Brad and Cav at the Tour but I haven't spoken to them [about joining the team]. But we're ahead of the game, I'd say. It's a fluid, dynamic situation that changes all the time. I've been sitting there with my budget most nights, rejigging it on an hourly basis, thinking, '****, we can do this, we can do that.' It's like a game of poker."

The one gamble Brailsford is not prepared to take is on a rider who might be using drugs. It was reported that Team Sky dropped their interest in one "big name" rider because of such suspicions, and Brailsford suggested others have been rejected on the basis of information contained in their biological passports, introduced by the UCI 18 months ago as a way of catching cheats.

"When I talk to every rider's agent the first thing I want is the rider's consent to see their biological passport," said Brailsford. "I get all data sent over to Manchester and then our experts pick over the detail. You also look at the history of the guy, his progression over a number of years – basic stuff, intelligence gathering.

"But some of [their passports] come through and you think, 'jeez'. It makes me laugh, the audacity of some of them [whose blood values give rise to suspicion]."

Not that Brailsford can be sure these riders are doping. "I can't say that but, if you're taking a no- risk approach, as we are, then we can't take the chance. But we know ourselves it can be flawed. We had Rob Hayles [at last year's world championships] post a false positive but he is clean. There's a margin of error, it's not a black-and- white science, but you look at some guys' levels and think, no, we don't want to go there."

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.."But finally the last thing I’ll say to the people who don’t believe in cycling, the cynics and the sceptics. I'm sorry for you. I’m sorry that you can’t dream big. [I]I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles. You should believe in these athletes, and you should believe in these people. I'll be a fan of the Tour de France for as long as I live. And there are no secrets - this is a hard sporting event and hard work wins it" - Armstrong 2005 TDF
morelike hypocrisy.

Cavendish is sitting pretty - fastest sprinter in the peleton with the best leadout team in the profession atm. He'd be a mug to leave Columbia ( I was concerned that LA was 'chatting him up' during this year's T de F - you can tell a lot about a man by the company he keeps).

Wiggins is another matter - if anyone had said he'd make top 5 in a Grand Tour 4 weeks ago I'd have laughed 'em out of court. All things considered he did extremely well in the Alps this year. He looks the part now - mad eyes & the physique of an greyhound. I get the feeling he's a Cadel Evans type of rider - good TT'ist & can more or less keep up with the hard cases on the big hills. He needs a beefier team - Christian V de V / David Millar et al are not quite enough. I'd like to see how he could do in the lesser staged races, ie Paris - Nice , Tour De Suiszz, Vuelta (one he should ride this yr)

Team Sky is cobblers - both these riders are better off in continental

Cavendish is now in the Boonen zone, in terms of him being just so powerful teams would pay whatever amount needed to get his contract.

Wiggins? I have to say I was astonished at how well he rode.

As regards Brailsford, I don't know what him and Keen are doing but they have really made huge improvements in terms of GB rider performances on the track/road.

Team GB in terms of raod team seems to be gaining momentum.
But I agree with you I think those two riders would be better off staying with continental teams.

__________________
.."But finally the last thing I’ll say to the people who don’t believe in cycling, the cynics and the sceptics. I'm sorry for you. I’m sorry that you can’t dream big. [I]I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles. You should believe in these athletes, and you should believe in these people. I'll be a fan of the Tour de France for as long as I live. And there are no secrets - this is a hard sporting event and hard work wins it" - Armstrong 2005 TDF
morelike hypocrisy.

Cavendish won't be leaving Columbia anytime soon. He has the best leadout. He owes Columbia for what they have done. Plus he gets on well with the team!

However, even if he does go, which like anything in life, is a distinct possibility, I'm sure Columbia can develop another sprinter!

Renshaw is sitting and waiting. BTW, do you know what are Renshaw's plans for next season? Is he under contract with Columbia?

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"Soldiers! Heroes!

The supreme command has erased our regiment from its records. Our regiment has been sacrificed for the honor of Belgrade and the Fatherland. Therefore, you no longer have to worry for your lives - they do not exist anymore.
So, forward to glory! For King and country! Long live the king! Long live Belgrade! "

Wiggins just posted his blood values for this year and last, looks promising. Do we still reckon that Contador, Schleck, Armstrong are doping if Wiggins is clean?

Cavendish should stay with Columbia, other teams should try and poach members of his leadout train so decrease its effectiveness. Cav was delivered to perfection by that team to every sprint he won and he won them with ease at the Tour, he has no reason to go anywhere else.

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"Hope is the first step on the road to dissapointment."

Agreed.
From a cycling perspective Cavendish should stay with Columbia.

Although if a sponsor offers him a huge amount of money to transfer..........he might well be tempted.
I hope not though.

I think Cav. can become one of the really great GT riders if he keeps going the way he is now.
Sure he will lose his all-out sprinting prowess, but from what I have read, he has a great engine and this should propel him to even greater things.

__________________
.."But finally the last thing I’ll say to the people who don’t believe in cycling, the cynics and the sceptics. I'm sorry for you. I’m sorry that you can’t dream big. [I]I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles. You should believe in these athletes, and you should believe in these people. I'll be a fan of the Tour de France for as long as I live. And there are no secrets - this is a hard sporting event and hard work wins it" - Armstrong 2005 TDF
morelike hypocrisy.

If Tour de France were much cleaner we should see a clear drop of performances, EPO and blood doping give a huge boost.
Mountain stages were not as usual so difficult to have good comparaison, and by not racing the earpieces stages, riders have had an extra half rest day more.

I would say that probably their blood values are cleaner but have they shift on other products like AICAR, hematide, PFC,...

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6 +2 (according Ashenden) samples with EPO should have banned Lance Armstrong to start next TDF !

Wiggins and Cav clean?! It is so obvious that few are clean. After 10 days of racing 100miles/day, we would be seeing guys that could barely make it up the mountains. It's a joke.

I do believe that Wiggins is a clean rider. He published his blood values and I don't see a Lance Armstrong doing that. There will always be excuses available not to do so but Bradley did it!
I don't know about Brailsford being the man to motivate Wiggins to join Team Sky though. From what I understand in reality it's Australian Shane Sutton who is the real power behind the success of the the British on the track. He is said to have a very good relationship with Bradley Wiggins.
Brailsford is GB's billboard face, a man who is good at putting the right people in the right positions but not much more. His knowledge of road racing is very limited judging by the stupid comments he makes in the British press.
Another reason for Wiggins to move to Team Sky would be the expertise of Team Sky's main leader Scott Sunderland - another Australian and the man who has proven his value when directing Cancellara and O'Grady to victory in Paris-Roubaix and Sastre at the Tour de France. After all, this team is not a track team, it will have to win road races and that is a totally different story than racing the track!