Gerrans not guaranteed Tour start

08 June 2011 | 0:00 - By Matthew Keenan

Despite having well established Grand Tour credentials, Simon Gerrans is not a sure thing to start the 2011 Tour de France for Team Sky, writes Matthew Keenan.

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Team Sky's Simon Gerrans at the 2011 Fleche Wallonne (Image: Sirotti)

As a former Tour de France stage winner, top-10 at a hilly 2009 world championships and third in this year’s Amstel Gold Race you’d think Simon Gerrans would be an automatic selection for Sky’s Tour team. Not so.

A chat with both Simon and Shane Sutton, Sky team manager, before the prologue at the Criterium du Dauphine, revealed he’s no certainty.

Picking the nine riders to wear the Sky colours at this year’s Tour isn’t as simple as picking the nine best individual riders on the team, because Gerrans would clearly fit the bill if that was the criteria.

The challenge is to select the nine riders that form the best combination to achieve the team’s objectives. At the top of the objectives list for Sky is getting Bradley Wiggins on the podium in Paris.

For British cycling fans it’s a goal that is followed as enthusiastically as Australian cycling fans are willing Cadel Evans to the top step of the same podium.

So with that objective in mind who plays what role at Sky and where does Gerrans fit in?

Based on the roles that need to be filled, and what I could garner from Shane Sutton, here are the riders I think will make-up Sky’s Tour team:

Bradley Wiggins – team leader

Edvald Boasson Hagen – he’s 24 and has already won 50 races, is 6ft tall and holds his own on the medium mountain stages.

Geraint Thomas – recently won Bayern-Rundfahrt in front of a quality field, close friend of Wiggins with a team pursuit Olympic gold medal won together.

Christian Knees – 21st in the 2009 edition so he can climb, plus at 194cm he provides the 192cm tall Wiggins with the perfect sit.

Jaun Antonio Flecha – protect Wiggins on the flat stages and well respected in the peloton, which can come in handy in a crosswind.

Rigoberto Uran – the little Columbian climber will play a key support role in the mountains.

Matthew Hayman – there will be some dangerous windy stages in the first week and there are few better than Hayman when it comes to protecting a team leader at the front (it would be his Tour debut at 33).

So with two spots up for grabs here are the men Gerrans is competing with:

Thomas Lofkvist – 17th in the Tour last year but he has just ridden the Giro d’Italia where he was 21st.

Kurt-Asle Arvesen – a former stage winner but better known as a workhorse in his time with CSC/Saxo Bank.

Ben Swift – one of the world’s fastest sprinters this year, so does team management hedge their bets a little and give Swift the chance to fend for himself in the bunch kicks? British team, British sponsor, British sprinter…

Unfortunately illness looks set to rule Michael Rogers out and Chris Sutton will have to wait a little longer for his Tour debut.

So, for the sake of the argument, assuming my assumption of the top seven is right (admittedly no guarantee either), if you were in Shane Sutton’s shoes which two would fill the final spots – Gerrans, Lofkvist, Arversen, Swift?

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11 Jun 2011 7:15 AEST

Matt Keenan

From: France

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Uran will be doing the job for Wiggins this year but will get his own chance on GC in the future. Wiggins will need a few helpers in the mountains - when he was 4th in 2009 there weren't many mountain top finishes, this year's there's plenty and less than normal kilometres against the clock.

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09 Jun 2011 22:12 AEST

Darren

From: Mansfield

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Thanks for the update Matt,Team Sky are looking really strong but will have to work hard to defend the yellow jersey. Thus giving Simon the oppotunityto show he can be a real asset to Wiggans and Uran as a mountain domestique in the coming stages. Question for anyone? How many mountian domestiques does Wiggins need in the Tour and do you count Uran as a helper or a genuine GC seond option?

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09 Jun 2011 7:23 AEST

Matt Keenan

From: France

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Good point Darren. I thought about putting Xavier Zandio in the first seven and really should have included him in the list of riders aiming for one of the final spots. He's here at the Dauphine and is a solid worker with plenty of experience in that role. Simon's been told by the team, from the start of this race, not to go in breakaways looking for his own result but to protect Wiggins. We all know his ability to take stage wins but with Wiggins now in yellow at the Dauphine the test for Simon is to show how valuable he is as a domestique.

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08 Jun 2011 22:15 AEST

Tim

From: Chatswood

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But who better to ride for Wiggins in the crucial mountain stages... I wouldn't write Gerro off for a stage in the Dauphine. The man is capable.

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08 Jun 2011 21:58 AEST

Charlie

From: Bendigo

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Too early to tell, need to wait and see how he goes In the dauphine. Needs a big result or he is no chance...

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08 Jun 2011 19:43 AEST

Darren

From: Mansfield

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Wiggans,Uran,Zandio,Thomas,EBH,Flecha,Hayman,Hendo or Swift that leaves Simon for the last spot if he can get a result this week.Matt did you forget about Zandio or do you think he wont be in? Gerro can be a mountain domestique, stagehunter and general workhorse. Averson has no form at all so I dont tink he will be in.

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08 Jun 2011 19:37 AEST

Scott

From: Melbourne

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Re: Dave of Sydney - Further to Hayman's cause is he is widely regarded as a tactical genius and his ability to nut out tactics in the peleton is of almost as much value as his ability to work. For me, I think Gerro's a legend, and would love to see him there, but I think he'll miss out due to an up and down season so far.

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08 Jun 2011 17:45 AEST

Gavin

From: Perth

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Michael, Fairview - Wiggins won't win a darn thing. Since his 4th in 2009 he hasn't won anything significant (besides some TT wins....TT Champ of Britain...yay) I think Sky have been a bit of a blowout. A lot of fanfare and not much else. Bring on Green Edge and a chance for guys like Gerrans to strut their stuff on an Aussie team.

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08 Jun 2011 15:21 AEST

Michael

From: Fairview

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Hands up those who think Wiggans is good enough to win / podium? I think not, so take Gerrans we Know he can finish & could deliver the stage win for insurance if needed.

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08 Jun 2011 13:15 AEST

Lyndey

From: Taste of Greece

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Kurt-Asle Arvesen is a definite for me. He's a workhorse with the biggest calves in the peloton. It would be a waste for sky to not use them. I think the other will be Lofkvist. When you have such a dominate force like HTC fighting in the sprints, I can't see Swift grabbing a stage victory on his own. Let's hope GreenEdge are at the TdF and get in Gerran's ears. There will be a spot for him on that team for sure

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