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Sky reveals the team that will support Chris Froome's Tour de France challenge

Four Britons feature in a strong line-up, including all the riders who helped Froome to Dauphiné win

Team Sky has announced the line-up that it hopes will help Chris Froome succeed Sir Bradley Wiggins as Tour de France champion, with the race starting on Corsica a week on Sunday. All seven men who helped Froome to a convincing win in the Critérium du Dauphiné earlier this month make the squad, plus Kanstantsin Siutsou. 

Including Froome himself, four Britons will feature in the nine-man team for the 100th edition of the Tour - the others are Geraint Thomas, who skipped last year's race to focus on the Olympics, Ian Stannard, who defends his national road title in Glasgow this Sunday, and Peter Kennaugh, making his debut in cycling's biggest race.

Australia's Richie Porte will be a key support rider for Froome and also gives Sky a credible GC option should the latter's challenge hit a problem, while Edvald Boasson Hagen, who rode strongly for Wiggins last year, is a two-time former stage winner himself.

The Norwegian had to shoulder a heavier-than-expected burden in the mountains last year after Siutsou crashed out with a broken leg in the opening week.

The team is completed by two experienced riders making their first participation in the race for Sky having joined it at the start of this season - the Spaniard, David Lopez, and Vasil Kiryienka, like Siutsou from Belarus. Both Lopez and Kiryienka rode strongly for Froome during his successful pre-Tour campaign.

In terms of supporting an assault on the GC, it's arguably a much stronger line-up than 12 months ago, when Sky had to accommodate Mark Cavendish, and his minder Bernie Eisel, into the squad, even though the team made it clear that helping Cavendish defend the green jersey he'd won a year earlier was not a priority.

Team Principal Sir Dave Brailsford commented: "Making the final selection of riders has been especially tough this year but we believe that we've found the right combination for the Tour de France. We have a group of nine riders that are all in great form and ready for the challenge ahead.

“The Tour de France has been the main goal for Chris this season and he goes into the race in great shape. With four stage-race wins this year Chris has not only grown as a rider but also importantly as a leader.

“Around him are eight quality riders who have each earned their place in the team. They will add the climbing ability and the engines to provide the perfect support for Chris, especially in the crucial mountain stages.

“We've seen what this group are capable of at the Dauphiné and all have raced with Chris successfully at some stage this year.

“We have got a very strong squad for the Tour and we’re all looking forward to getting underway.”

Froome added: “I’m delighted with the balance in this team and every one of these riders is going to play a pivotal role once the racing begins. Most of us were at the Critérium du Dauphiné and I was hugely impressed there with the way the team came together in control of the leader’s jersey. It gave me huge faith and I could not be happier with the selection.

“Ian, Vasil and Kosta each possess huge engines that you can’t go into a Tour without. They will be controlling things on the front for long periods of the race and pacing me once the climbing begins.  Geraint, David and Pete will then take up the reins. Those guys have really improved their climbing abilities and will be a massive help when the pace really ramps up in the mountains.

“In Richie we simply have one of the strongest climbers in the world. He is another rider who’s more than capable of winning a Grand Tour in his own right. Having him in our ranks gives us a number of different options to play. The same applies with Edvald – he is flying after his victories in Norway and the Dauphine, and he has already proved he can win stages at the Tour.

“We’re ready, excited and can’t wait to get going,” he concluded.

 

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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18 comments

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Not KOM | 10 years ago
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Go Geraint!! Lovely Welsh lad he is too. Good luck boys, make us proud.

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Juliasmiff | 10 years ago
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Agree with those saying Bernie should have been in the team. Can't get my head around who's going to be road captain now. He must be terribly disappointed. Think the team will miss him big time

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Raleigh | 10 years ago
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Pretty sure Rogers was the captain on the road last year...

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Sam1 replied to Raleigh | 10 years ago
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Raleigh wrote:

Pretty sure Rogers was the captain on the road last year...

Bernie and Rogers were co-captains. Bernie kept the bunch in order and was crucial especially during that first week before the first mountain stage. Rogers was the captain in the mountains.

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Super Domestique | 10 years ago
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Bernie signed a new deal with Sky last year though - I think till 2015 so unless they let him go, he is a Sky rider for a bit.

He should have made the team for sure.

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IOM Paddy | 10 years ago
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Completely agree with "andyspaceman" Bernie is a great person to have in the team. I would like any clean rider to win and certainly not a win for Sky. I can't cope with the hype coming from the Sky team. I hope Peter Kennaugh and Ian Stannard have a great debut and Bernie is back with Mr Cavandish next year

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andyspaceman | 10 years ago
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I don't think it's fair to class Eisel purely as Cav's minder. He fulfilled the Road Captain role last year, taking a lot of presure off Wiggo in terms of working with the DS's to decide who gets the water, who rides on the front, who minds the protected rider, etc.

I don't know enough about Lopez and Kiriyenka, but I don't see an obvious candidate to fulfil that role in this line-up. Stannard would be my closest guess, but it is only a guess.

I guess you don't *need* a Road Captain, but it would help take some pressure off the Team Leader.

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Stumps | 10 years ago
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Talking of Betancur, he's up for grabs by all accounts at the end of the season.

He would be a good purchase as a new GC man for a whole host of teams.

As for EBH bet365 have him at just short of 2/1 to win a stage.

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Simmo72 | 10 years ago
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No Uran, guess he's off somewhere else next season anyway, no room for Porte, Froome and (maybe) wiggins. Interesting to see if they let him ride the vuelta.

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Ghedebrav | 10 years ago
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No Eisel then... my meticulous plans for the fantasy league will need another look!

Otherwise, looks like a super-strong team. Wonder how much support EBH will get for bagging a stage win or two? Stages 2,3 and maybe 5 (before the Pyrenees arrive and the team go into full protect-the-Froomedog mode) could be possible targets for him.

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Goldfever4 | 10 years ago
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I may be showing my limited knowledge of pro cycling in blazing neon here, but I had Henao and Uran pencilled in to the team - Vuelta with Wiggo then?

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Sam1 replied to Goldfever4 | 10 years ago
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Henao had a hard first half of the season - he's needed a break, as with Uran and Betancur. FWIW I'll put money on Henao being leader at the Vuelta.

Also for Uran the Giro was really demanding, especially as a GC contender where you had to be at the front all the time (personally I think this is going to tell for Evans). Siutsou's the only Sky rider who's made the Tour squad, but who rode the Giro - but he didnt have to be at the front of the Giro every day, and could conserve energy sometimes in the bunch.

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Colin Peyresourde replied to Goldfever4 | 10 years ago
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Goldfever4 wrote:

I may be showing my limited knowledge of pro cycling in blazing neon here, but I had Henao and Uran pencilled in to the team - Vuelta with Wiggo then?

I think the reason is that Uran may be out of contract at the end of the year, but also that both Henao and Uran raced early season and per scientific expectations may not be able to carry the good form.

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beej.a | 10 years ago
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so pumped to see them in action

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Super Domestique | 10 years ago
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It will need to be, the Saxo team built round Bertie looks impressive too.

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Stumps replied to Super Domestique | 10 years ago
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Super Domestique wrote:

It will need to be, the Saxo team built round Bertie looks impressive too.

Just looked at their team and it does look very good, but to be honest it doesn't matter how good a team is if its leader starts blowing out of his backside when Froome puts his foot down as in the Criterium.

Time will tell, but i want to see Froome win but with a bit more action in the GC than last year.

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Some Fella | 10 years ago
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Strong

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Super Domestique | 10 years ago
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Gutted Bernie isn't there  20

To make my day  44 just need them to ditch Pina now!  14

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