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Riis: Sky making "huge mistake" if Wiggins left out of Tour team

Tinkoff-Saxo boss says Froome's biggest rival Contador is in form of life...

Tinkoff-Saxo team manager Bjarne Riis says that Sky are making a “huge mistake” not taking Sir Bradley Wiggins to the Tour de France – and has warned defending champion Chris Froome that Alberto Contador is in the best shape he’s been since joining the team in 2011.

Riis guided Carlos Sastre to his Tour de France victory in 2008 when the team was sponsored as CSC, and in 2010, now backed by Saxo Bank, Andy Schleck finished runner-up to Contador and would later be awarded the overall victory due to the Spaniard’s positive test for clenbuterol.

Sky have dominated the race for the past two seasons with Wiggins winning in 2012 and Froome last year, but the relationship between the pair has always been uneasy and they have not raced together since last year’s Tour of Oman. Each has given his own version of the events of the 2012 race, when

Earlier this month, Wiggins confirmed that barring injury to Froome he woud not be taking part in this year’s Tour, although team principal Sir Dave Brailsford insists that the line-up will not be finalised until after the Tour de Suisse, which finishes tomorrow. Wiggins withdrew from that race on Thursday after crashing on Stage 4.

Sportal.com.au reports that Riis, winner of the Tour de France in 1996 – he subsequently admitted doping, but has been allowed to keep the victory – told the Danish TV channel TV2: "First of all, I would like to say that Sky is not my team, fortunately."

Speaking of the evident tension between Wiggins and Froome, and how he might have handled the situation, he said: "There's no doubt that I would have taken a different approach. I

“t's a bit sad to see that it would take that turn and let it go that far. It would certainly not be acceptable on my team.

"Sky can of course do whatever they want but I strongly feel that it is a huge mistake if they do not have Wiggins."

Riis believes that Contador, who won the Giro d’Italia for Saxo Bank in 2011 but was stripped of that title alongside his 2010 Tour de France victory, is in great shape having proved a point against Froome at the Critérium du Dauphiné, where the Tinkoff-Saxo rider took the lead on the penultimate day while the Sky man struggled following a crash.

He said:  "I have not seen Contador better with us. Whether he has been better than that, I could not comment on, but while he has been with us, there is no doubt that it is the strongest I've seen him."

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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13 comments

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Beaufort | 9 years ago
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I wonder how long BW has known he will in all likelihood be left out of the Sky TdF team ? Would he have tried to change teams before the start of the season if he'd have known then ? I find it difficult to believe he'd have been OK knowing he was to play no part in a TdF beginning in the north of England.

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robthehungrymonkey | 9 years ago
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I can't wait to see Contador and Froome battling it out this year, should be an awesome spectacle!

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Nick T | 9 years ago
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I recall various England managers claiming that their team was in good shape, too.

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road slapper | 9 years ago
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I would imagine with less than 2 weeks (now) to the start of the tour, Riis is doing his build up and starting to wind other teams up. Mind games!

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Aapje replied to road slapper | 9 years ago
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road slapper wrote:

I would imagine with less than 2 weeks (now) to the start of the tour, Riis is doing his build up and starting to wind other teams up. Mind games!

Indeed. Pressing his finger in the wound a bit, love it.

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Leviathan | 9 years ago
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Please, Dave, please just take him. I'll give you all my pocket money!

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Him Up North | 9 years ago
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I can't imagine Dave Brailsford publicly criticising a rival team's handling of their personnel in the media. What with this and Tinkov tweeting a pic of Henao's mangled Pinarello, they're showing quite a lack of class.

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alotronic replied to Him Up North | 9 years ago
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Him Up North wrote:

I can't imagine Dave Brailsford publicly criticising a rival team's handling of their personnel in the media.

Thank god not everyone is as well managed as DB and Sky, it would be a pretty boring world if they were...

If AC is on form, great, the TdF needs competition and teams who can have a go at Sky. Otherwise Skys style is a little stage-managed and dull for me (no knocks on Wiggins an Froome, like them both and obvs hugely talented and committed).

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s_lim | 9 years ago
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Doping; what the f#$k ever. All professional sport is pantomime, see the various doping catches at the world cup.

Alberto can ride a bike regardless, I don't hate him for what he did, but I love him for what he does, and that is, attack with gusto.

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russyparkin | 9 years ago
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^^^^^
yaaaaaaaawn

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enigmaman | 9 years ago
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Hmm. Why can't I take the comments of a Team Manager (who has doped) on his team leader (who has doped) very seriously?

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Welsh boy replied to enigmaman | 9 years ago
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enigmaman wrote:

Hmm. Why can't I take the comments of a Team Manager (who has doped) on his team leader (who has doped) very seriously?

"Alberto Contador is in the best shape he’s been since joining the team in 2011" says Riis. I hear "Bertie has discovered some new product which is as yet undetectable." Now, if the brothers Schleck make a sudden return to form I will be VERY suspicious.

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glynr36 replied to enigmaman | 9 years ago
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enigmaman wrote:

Hmm. Why can't I take the comments of a Team Manager (who has doped) on his team leader (who has doped) very seriously?

Because doper or not he knows a hell of a lot more about team selection and the sport than you do.

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