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news
Geraint Thomas and Chris Froome on Tour de France podium (via YouTube)Sir Bradley Wiggins: Geraint Thomas staying at Sky puts Tour de France winner in "perfect scenario"
Sir Bradley Wiggins says Geraint Thomas is in “a perfect scenario” after signing a three-year contract extension with Team Sky and that the pressure will be off the Tour de France champion next year should four-time winner Chris Froome lead the squad in next year’s race,
Speaking in the latest episode of The Bradley Wiggins Show vodcast on Eurosport, Wiggins – like Thomas and Froome a founder member of Team Sky in 2010 – said he wasn’t surprised that the Welshman had decided to stay put rather than switch teams, with CCC, the new sponsor of BMC Racing from next year, among those keen to secure his signature.
“Why would he [move]?,” Wiggins said. “He’s had all his success at Sky, he’s got the best backing there, they all get paid well, they all get on well, he’s got friends there.
“Geraint’s been in that set up since the start and before that obviously with Rod and everyone at the Academy, before that British Cycling.
“So in some ways it’s a perfect scenario for him because he can sit back now and say ‘Froome’s the leader again next year but I’m here to win if you need me’.
“In some ways it played into his hands this year because he could just take all the pressure off himself, ‘Froome’s still the leader and I’m just pleased to be in this jersey’ and he got a Tour de France win out of it.
“So I think had he moved teams, a team would have paid big money for him to come but they would have expected him to win a second Tour de France for them and go against his team mate in Chris Froome next year.
“We haven’t seen the last of Chris Froome, I think he’ll be back stronger than ever next year,” Wiggins continued.
“The risk of going up against him when you could get paid the same and be in the security of that team, and maybe get an opportunity again, I think it’s a perfect position for him to be in really.”
Reflecting on his own experience after his Tour de France win in 2012, he said: “I had no thought of leaving the team, really.
“It was just a case of, you have your success in that team and part of the reason you have that success is because of the support you get in terms of equipment, they’ve got the trucks, they’ve got the offices, this that and the other they take to races, and Sky’s leading the way in the pro peloton at the moment.
“So to leave that and maybe go down one step on the ladder, it’s like you’re leaving the biggest team to try and do the same thing again with maybe less resource.
“Part of the reason he won was because of the strength of the team as well, so not just Chris Froome but friends of his like Luke Rowe who had such an important role in keeping Geraint in front at the start of the race on the cobbled stages, [Michal] Kwiatkowski who was just phenomenal during the Tour de France, [Egan] Bernal.
“So to leave a squad like that … there aren’t any other squads in the Tour de France that are as strong as Team Sky.
“To then try and repeat that performance when in some ways it was the strength of that team that put you there in the first place, it doesn’t make sense really.
“I’m sure Geraint’s got another Grand Tour win in him somewhere, whether that’s the Tour, the Vuelta, the Giro, remains to be seen,” Wiggins added.
“But he’s had all his success there, they know him inside out, he trusts the team, he’s happy there and I don’t see any reason to have to leave, really.”
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
Apparently there are about 12 million good reasons for him to stay with Sky!
We don't know what agreement he's come to about his future programme, I'd love him to have a serious go at the Monuments. It's about time a Brit won Paris-Roubaix.
The year escapes me, but I remember watching a young Geraint Thomas fail to smash the individual pursuit world record at Manchester Velodrome because he thought he had to stop when he caught the other rider.
He's always been a great rider. Now he is a GT winner which, for me, would put him in the Great category ... although arguably riding most of the TdF with a fractured pelvis already put him in there.
I think most of the other teams have already shown that when it comes to a GT they aren't able or willing to support a leader in the same way that Sky are, even BMC go with other plans for the race such as Rohan Dennis and GvA looking for wins and jerseys etc, which leaves them compromised (if only slightly) compared to Sky. Sky are willing to ride for the GC to the detriment of everything else, which is part of why they're so successful at it, everyone is there to do a job for the leader, until another team is willing to do the same then they'll struggle against that. And with the depth of squad they have, even if Thomas was given a 'second string' squad to go to the Giro with, they'd likely be as good as most other team's support riders.
I could see Thomas aiming for a Giro Vuelta double next year with Froome going all out for the tour, if Yates does well in spain this week that could make for a possible 8 british grand tour wins in a row, I certainly wouldn't rule it out. The fact that there could potentially be three different british grand tour winners in one year is already incredible.
I'd love to know just what kind of a pay increase he got with his new contract too.
Who'd have thought it, huh? All those years of 'just Chris' (with the occasional 'and Max') to follow at GTs and now we have a seemingly endless conveyor belt of not only GT riders, but GT winners, all of whom were previously mediocre and all of whom have terrible asthma. Makes you proud to be British, we really have our training and medication regimes nailed.
Thomas has terrible asthma?
Go and have a look at Thomas' record both on and off the track for the last 13-14 years. Proverbs 17:28
Thomas has been rewarded with his dedication and given the opportunity with good form has taken the biggest title in cycling. Even the outgoing champion was extremely chuffed to see Geraint win.
Between the pair, they can be a formidable force which will make other teams quake in fear having to topple two potential tour winners.
Just waiting in the wings, maturing, developing -Egan Bernal
Kadinski, like Landa, Porte, Roche, Nieve, Kennaugh...?
If it was me, I'd want to go off and lead another team and have it built around me and have all their efforts concentrated on me winning the GTs.
Staying at Sky shows he's happy to plod along while receiving a massive paycheck, but he'll never be a great.
Not wishing to diss him, but maybe he knows we won't be a great in terms of results, whether he leaves or not, and that's part of the reason he's staying? Perhaps he just enjoys riding his bike with a bunch of mates - just happens that the rides are in the biggests races in the world, with the results of those rides often being a win of some sort for one or more of the team.
Maybe he knows that with Sky, on the few occasions he gets to lead the team, it will be with better riders supporting him that if he were out and out leader on any other team? Result being fewer opportunities to lead, but better quality opportunities when they arrise.
In my book, anyone who wins a TdF - even once - is already a 'great'.
How many Olympic Gold Medals do you have?
Hardly plodding, he's already a great - so he has his cake and is able to eat it, one way or another. Good for him for staying, and at the same time showing loyalty to his team and team mates - well done G.