British Pro Team Announced

[Flying_Monkey]

The much-rumoured British pro cycling team has been announced! Team Sky will be the British professional road race team and will start competing from 2010 in the TdU. They are hoping for a wild card to the TdF and the aim is for a British TdF winner within 5 years. Whilst I can't see that happening, the ambition is laudable and with the sponsorship they should be able to recruit a strong squad starting this year... they are looking for 25 riders. I am waiting for the call of course...

See Cycling News Flash here .

 

[Dave5N]

Beat me to it fm.

The comic report it here

Was this cycling's worst-kept secret?

 

[Crackle]

Who will they get in. I shall watch and wait.

 

[Skip Madness]

I wonder if this means Sky will be showing more televised coverage of cycling. It has struck me as kind of strange that given that they started sponsoring the track team last year they haven't actually seemed to show any interest in parading them.

 

[Keith Oates]

It will interesting to see which riders they manage to recruit into the team. There will need to be one or two big names to get invitied to the Tour in 2010!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[mondobongo]

I just hope that they don't start pitching in for the TV rights for the Tour etc.

 

[rich p]

Beat me to it fm.

The comic report it here

Was this cycling's worst-kept secret?

Secret? They've been talking about it openly for a long time!

 

[User169]

Interesting that they say they'll have non-GB riders, but all of the staff will be GB. I can appreciate that GB staff have huge amounts of expertise on the track (although even there the performance manager is Aussie), but do they have the knowledge and experience to run a top flight road team?

 

[John the Monkey]

Have a listen to Dave Brailsford's talk on how they brought the track team to the point it's at now, if you've not heard it already.

http://thebikeshow.net/9-february-2009-british-cycling-bikesnobnyc/

(The audio file is at the bottom of the article).

It's interesting, and makes me think they could be in with a shout for the road team.

 

[papercorn2000]

Chris Hoy was racing in SKY colours in Copenhagen last week.

 

[papercorn2000]

I don't see him doing well in the TDF tho'!

 

[Crackle]

Interesting that they say they'll have non-GB riders, but all of the staff will be GB. I can appreciate that GB staff have huge amounts of expertise on the track (although even there the performance manager is Aussie), but do they have the knowledge and experience to run a top flight road team?

Yes this is the key for me. I don't doubt preparation will be perfect but I wonder how they will cope with tactics, instinct for breaks, staying strong in a bunch etc...

Will the track formula translate to road.

 

[kennykool]

If they can afford them....Cav, Wiggins, Thomas. With those 3 in then they'd surely get a wild card to the TdeF

Not sure they could afford Cav however

Great news tho.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

I´d definitely add Steve Cummings, Jonathan Bellis, Ben Swift and Dan Fleeman, - all strong prospects. And Roger Hammond for experience. The last two would have to bought out from the Cervelo Test Team though.

 

[Halfmanhalfbike]

Half of me thinks Woo Hoo, a UK team at last. The other half thinks Oh No......It's Sky. They'll take over everything and price all the other coverage out of the game

Wait though..........if they signed LANCE it would be different