Back Froome at the Tour de France, Sutton tells Wiggins

We all owe Wiggo for winning one for Blighty at last year's TDF but he showed major vulnerability in the Giro. One not very bad fall and he obviously completely lost his nerve, the illness was bad luck on top of that. The best way to rebuild his career now is to show humility and support Froomie. He's a more attacking rider who looks on form. Let's get behind him and give him a chance.

Of course Froome will be put in as Tour leader, if not he's got a poor deal. Wiggins is the kind of rider who needs to have a team around him right until the final centimetre of the stage like we saw at Tour last year, if not we will end up with the situation we did this year in Giro, as well as the smaller tours earlier in the year. But Froome only needs to be wrapped in the black and blue cotton wool until the foot of the last climb and then he can hold anyone's wheel or drop them completely like we've seen at Oman, Tirreno, Romandie, and Criteriùm Internationale. And if your a DS you want to have the faith in a rider that can put in a near perfect performance without having a team around 24/7, and not just one that will whoop everyone's Lycra clad glutes in a ITT like Sir Brad

What huge act of hubris have you seen Wiggo commit that he is no longer deserving of your support?

I wouldn't say he's lost my support but the TdF certainly changed his attitude, at least in public. He was pretty understated until that point but having spent the early part of this year and particularly the run-up to the Giro saying he was going to go for the double (despite the team saying Froome would have the Tour leadership) was "interesting". On the giro, despite illness, he was clearly not in the same class as Nibali; seeing their reactions to their crashes on that wet descent was night and day different. Perhaps "Wiggo" is feeling too much pressure from the nation? Who knows.

He needs to be the understated quiet guy who says things how they are and gets things done with his team rather than a gobshite who wins races for column inches.

Is there anyone else riding the 'Tour'?

The route looks good for Wiggins to get into the yellow jersey first though. He's not going to do big turns on the front and will finish with the same time as Froome in the early stages.

The TT could see him get into yellow which leaves the team with a real dilemma at that point - do you actually decide not to defend the jersey and allow your own rider(s) to attack him?

I'll be supporting froome, don't think wiggo will work for him think he would be best lying low for the tour, getting his motivation back and targeting something else the world hour maybe

There's not many successful professional athletes who don't have some sort of ego - it comes with the determination to win, you have to believe in yourself and you have to assert that authority over your competitors.

Anyway, that aside - Froome is plan A, Wiggo plan B. I don't doubt this for a second. The team will work for those two, and by the time the first mountain pass is crested, I'd assume Froome will have a slight time advantage. They'll have such a strong team of climbers that they'll most likely be able to shelter both riders 90% of the time.

Good luck to them both, and remember that same-team rivalry is a grand tradition of the tour. It should be lots of fun.

What I don't understand is everyone who thinks they know Wiggins or Froome or what motivates them. You don't know these people. What huge act of hubris have you seen Wiggo commit that he is no longer deserving of your support? Should he be concerned what you think oh internet director sportif?
Some of you seem to conflate successful professional athlete with massive egotist.

I know, lets have a race to decide. Best make it a nice long one so it is clear who the best man is.

Form is fine, but as soon as the tour route was unveiled it was Froome's leadership. Its a mountainous tour with less TTing and suits Froome far more than it does Wiggins.
Last year Frrome was the better climber and Wiggins the better TT rider. This year the better climber will surely win.
With Wiggins looking mentally unsettled, without a win and having had a poor Giro (for whatever reason) and Froome looking every inch the leader and winner, the choice is no choice at all.
The decision really is whether to have Wiggins on the team. In all likelihood he will be, if toys are kept in prams, as its disrespectful to leave out a defending champ. But if the public spats worsen, they may be forced to leave out Wiggo.
Brad's best bet now is to use a mountainous Vuelta (Porte wouldn't be overjoyed) as a World's springboard. Even then the road race suits Froome more, so a tilt at the TT rainbow bands may be a year saver. Apart from that, what is he motivated for? 2014 and Yorkshire...
How quickly a year passes.

I think it's funny how everyone slates Sky for creating the "boring" controlled team style. As I remember it USPS/Discovery used it to win 7 Tours. Admittedly they as we now know for sure, were doping which is probably why LA could put in spectacular mountain rides at times. I suspect if they ridden clean their style would have been exactly like Sky look now. I also suspect that they'd have still won some if not all 7. It always baffled me how long it has taken another squad to follow the same principle. It's time to accept the way to win Grand Tours is mostly down too consistency not panache. As much as we love the Tommy Vs of this world for all Marc Madiot moans they are unlikely to win. Or if they do everyone starts to question the outcome. Have a look at the posts about Niballi' s Giro victory.

As for Froome winning last year. So he left Brad struggling at times. Some see this as proof he'd have won the overall. It ain't proof. Anything could have happened. For on thing the team might have totally rejected supporting him due to orders or at least split along loyalty lines which probably would have meant neither winning. 2011 at the Vuelta was not the same as Le Tour 2012.

And no one can win a Grand Tour, TdF especially, on their own.

'They both seriously lack panache on the bike..'

Tommy Voeckler has genuine panache - but it doesn't win him grand tours. It's a shame that the power meter softly softly catchy monkey approach is the new system but less doping has taken much of the unpredictability out of it for sure.

With Movistar, Cannondale and perhaps Astana mimicking Team Sky's marginals approach the new game to break the deadlock of steady average speed might be throwing GC contenders off the front on mountain stages - so I wouldn't worry too much - watching Porte and Froome this year panache might be making s come back sooner than you think.

Am I the only one who thinks that this is all hype?

They both seriously lack panache on the bike undoubtedly great athletes but we need more interesting attacking riders like in the past, just drug free!

Keeping the other teams guessing is all part of the tactical game... surely?

Wow let's not get into a spat over a supposed spat!

Wiggins is on record as saying he would ride in support of Froome if the course suited him better.

Of course it's tough supporting someone when you feel you are as capable. That's bike racing, so much suffering and sacrifice for the main rider.

I don't think Froome will even need Wiggo. He'll leave him puffing up some mountain road like he should have done last year.

Makes sense, the rider with some good results this season and looks like they are in form in the few weeks leading up to the TdF should be designated leader with the rest of the team working towards that goal. If thing change then the leadership role can change, as in the Giro.

Or maybe Sutton should just keep his big mouth shut?

Strongest rider on June 29 should/will get the support, that's all there is to it.

Strongest rider should get the support. So that's Froome. Then Uran. Then Porte. Then Henao. Then Wiggins.

nice, seanboy. That's the Froome whose ego wouldn't let him work for Wiggins in last year's Tour?

if wiggins is any kind of a right man,he will support froome,thats if his ego will let him,i have my doubts