Roster Ruminations, Part I -- Team Sky

The Big Race starts this coming Saturday.  Over the last few weeks, the teams have announced their rosters, and there are a few surprises – at least for me.  I will try to highlight issues that I find interesting in as many rosters as I can over the next few days.  Since Team Sky dominated last year’s race, and threatens to do the same this year, let’s start with them:

First off, I have already reported that Bradley Wiggins, last year’s yellow jersey, will not return to defend his crown.  Why?  Injuries, illness, and a less-than-spectacular performance in the spring season.  Instead, Chris Froome will captain the team, and will expect everyone else to help him move from last year’s GC 2^nd place to the coveted 1^st place yellow jersey.  The team seemed content to cast off Mark Cavendish (or at least allow him to defect), so that they do not have a prima-donna sprinter to distract from the overall goal.

But who will carry Froome through the mountains?  He’s good, but he can’t win yellow by himself.  I thought the best supporting mountain riders at Sky were Rigoberto Uran and Sergio Henao, the Columbians.  Remember how they fought to keep Wiggins in the Giro d’Italia, and how Uran still managed to claim GC 2^nd place after Wiggins dropped out?  But, no!  They’re not on the roster!  In a June 6 interview report in Cycling News, Henao seemed content to wait until 2014 to ride the Tour de France, and to possibly ride in support of Wiggins in this year’s Vuelta a Espana.  He even dreams of one day being the GC captain at Sky!  I’m happy for his optimism, but doesn’t he realize that it’s a British team?  What chance is there that they will go outside the Dominion for their leader? 

Rigoberto Uran finds himself excluded from the roster when he’s probably the second-strongest rider on the team  -- if not an equal to Froome.  That could be the problem.  His contract is up this year, and rumor has it that Omega Pharma Quickstep wants him for their leader.  A May 28 report in Cycling News quoted Uran as saying, “I have not decided to switch teams. Rumors have come out that I'm going to Omega Pharma. We have talked with them and with other teams. There is some progress, but nothing concrete.”  So, is he going, or is he staying?  Well, he’s not listed on this year’s TDF roster, if that tells us anything.

The team expected to steam-roll its way to the British Road Race Championship last weekend, but, guess what?  Mark Cavendish got sweet revenge!  He jumped into the early escape group, helped to power it safely beyond reach of Froome’s peleton, and then scorched the break survivors in the mini-sprint finish.  He made Team Sky look vulnerable.

Stay tuned for more Roster Ruminations to follow.