Britain’s first Tour de France winner, Bradley Wiggins, “is definitely a rider who would fit into” the Orica-GreenEDGE team, says the Australian squad’s head sports director Matt White.
Talking to Rupert Guiness of The Sydney Morning Herald, White said that Orica-GreenEDGE was looking for a rider who could compte for the overall title in cycling’s biggest three-week stage races, including the Tour de France.
“Our team is ready to have a grand tour rider next year,” White said.
“We have identified people who would fit in to the culture of our team … They are people who are ready to come to the team and we are ready to support them.
“When you look at the likes of [current Orica-GreenEDGE riders] Esteban Chaves, Simon and Adam Yates, [Luke] Durbridge and [Michael] Hepburn … If we can keep that group for the next two years we will have one hell of a Tour de France team in two to three years.”
Wiggins’ contract with Team Sky ends this year, but White would not say if the 34-year-old is a rider he is specifically targetting to join the team, or one of a number of options.
“I would love to work with Wiggo,” said White. “If Bradley was to come we would have to have the money to buy him. He is not going to come for free.”
As well as the cost of adding a Tour de France winner to the team, Orica-GreenEDGE would have to work with Wiggins’ plans for the 2016 Olympics. He has said he wants to return to the track and try to add another gold medal to his palmares.
“Wiggo has made it public that his focus would be the Olympics in 2016,” said White.
He and Wiggins “have a history for sure,” White said. The two worked together when White was a sport director at the Garmin-Slipstream team. While riding for Garmin in 2009, Wiggins finished fourth at the Tour de France, giving notice of the ability that would eventually put him in first place in Paris.
“I haven’t spoken to Wiggo for a while … But he is definitely a rider who would fit into this group,” said White.
“We would have to know what his plans are for next the two years.
Obviously, 2016 would be a write off for the Tour, but he is a guy who could definitely fit in.
“His ambitions at Sky are certainly different to a year ago.”
15 thoughts on “Bradley Wiggins to join Orica-GreenEDGE for 2015 and beyond?”
Is there a story here, or
Is there a story here, or anything newsworthy at all? I can’t spot it. Idle speculation at most.
Rumour was doing the rounds
Rumour was doing the rounds two weeks ago, speculation was he was signed in time for the 2014 race.
Looks like typical tabloid
Looks like typical tabloid rubbish, I would love to have Wiggo in my team too.
If you think about the options, considering his age and statements that he has made regarding the track and the Olympics, if he goes away from Sky next year, his new team will really only get 1 year out of him before the focus turns to the Olympics, and as much as I hate to say it, history tells us that after such an effort he wont be of much use to anyone for 12 months after, so will anyone really want to pay the price that he actually deserves for only 1 season?
If Sky don’t renew (and they better or I will say bad things about them) its quite possible that we see the same as what happened with that guy that won the Vuelta last year…..what was his name???
My personal opinion is that Wiggo still has a lot to offer Sky both on or off the bike, and if not Sky British Cycling both the organisation, and cycling in Britain
Just my opinion though
Rather more subtle approach
Rather more subtle approach to contract negotiation by Wiggo than than the way Froome did it.
Get the opposition to do it rather than your girlfriend 😀
Are World Tour Teams trying to outbid F1 on the start of the ‘silly season’?
Anyone is better than
Anyone is better than Froome’s bloody girlfiend sticking her oar in
(that was a typo of girlfriend but liked it so much I decided to leave it)
keirik wrote:Anyone is better
She’s his manager but don’t let facts bother you too much
I think this is wishful
I think this is wishful thinking, can’t see him going.
He seems to be keen on another pop at the track for Rio, no one else is going to give him the time to concentrate properly for that apart from Sky, and definetly not OGE, they’re both practically BC/AIS trade teams.
i wouldn’t have thought he
i wouldn’t have thought he would fit into OGE – But Whitey knows him much better than me……
Kushdy ride for Wiggo.
Kushdy ride for Wiggo.
Saddly this article is wrong
Saddly this article is wrong Bradley will be joining ON THE RIVET VELO CLUB next season http://ontherivet.ning.com
To be honest i am a little
To be honest i am a little shocked that Road.cc have run this story in this manner, and with the tabloid style heading, I thought Road.cc was better than that?
The tabloids have know for a long time that people generally remember the title and not much of the content.
I for one would love it… I
I for one would love it… I think Wiggins needs it and it would be great for the sport.
Imagine the 2015 potential tour show down between britains breatest?
Now admittedly, I don’t think that would happen as I think everyone concedes that Froome is a better rider, however, it would be brilliant if that was the case.
What is this story? This is Orica making it loud and clear that they want the guy… nothing more.
Jimmy Ray Will wrote:e.
What
It could be that as they are not aloud to talk contracts right now, OGE are dropping a hint that they want to talk to him, but I doubt it as there are better and smarter ways of doing this, I think its crap journalism to fill content and get page hits
jason.timothy.jones
It could be that as they are not aloud to talk contracts right now, OGE are dropping a hint that they want to talk to him, but I doubt it as there are better and smarter ways of doing this, I think its crap journalism to fill content and get page hits— Jimmy Ray Will
Rupert Guinness interviewed Matt White and got those quotes. A major WT team is interested in bringing the 2012 Tour champ over to their team next year. This is very newsworthy. How is reporting this ‘crap journalism’? Transfer rumours are hot stories from April onwards in cycling, and rumours surrounding the bigger names especially so. If the journo had fabricated the story, ok – but Guinness did not.
He should go back to the
He should go back to the track, and stay there. He’s had his time now, he ain’t winning another grand tour.