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The Yorker's sports team says what they would like for Christmas this year
The second blog for The Yorker from the University of York Riding Club
With Mark Cavendish stage wins are guaranteed, but less clear is what we can expect from Bradley Wiggins, who after failing to fulfil the high expectations placed upon him last year has again found impressive form. The experienced David Miller and exciting talent Geraint Thomas are also worth looking out for, as each will fancy their chances of a stage win.
This will also be the second year Team Sky, the only British team in cycling’s elite, will ride the Tour de France, and after last year’s underwhelming showing will be hoping for stage wins and a shot at the General Classification.
Mark Cavendish is now unquestionably the fastest sprinter in the world, but as yet has not claimed the most prestigious sprinters’ prize, the green jersey (the prize awarded for best sprinter at the Tour de France). In each of the last three editions of the Tour de France he has dominated the sprints, winning four stages in 2008, six in 2009 and five in 2010, but on each occasion has fallen short of claiming the jersey.
In the last two years he has made the green jersey the leading goal of the season, but each time things haven’t quite gone his way; in 2009 he lost narrowly to Thor Hushovd, thanks largely to a costly, controversial disqualification on one of the sprint stages, whilst in 2010 Cavendish’s bid suffered an early big blow as he unluckily crashed on the first sprinters’ stage.
The Manxman’s talent is such that he is likely to become one of cycling’s all-time greats, and is currently probably the most underrated sportsman in Britain. But victory in this year’s green jersey competition may go some way to rectifying this.
Wiggins is well known for his success in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, but in 2009 he rose to fame as a road cyclist, coming from nowhere to place a remarkable 4th overall in the Tour de France. Success however brought higher expectations, and his 24th last year was by his own admission disappointing.
So this year fans are unsure of what to expect from Wiggins, though his form is encouraging. In March he placed 3rd in Paris-Nice, one of the more prestigious races on the calendar, and most notably of all is currently leading the Dauphiné Libéré, a race which has traditionally been seen as a marker of form for the Tour. Finishing on Sunday, this weekend’s racing there shall be telling, as the riders tackle more mountainous terrain; so by then we should know just how strong Wiggins’s form really is.
With the strength of Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck in the mountains it is very unlikely that Wiggins will win the Tour this year, but third place is not beyond him. If he can achieve this it will be the highest a Brit has ever finished in the Tour de France, and arguably a more impressive feat than his three Olympic gold medals.
Miller carried out a drugs suspension in 2004 after admitting to having taken the performance-enhancing EPO, but has since become an outspoken advocate of clean cycling, and rides for the Garmin-Cervélo team, who are renowned for being the cleanest in the peloton. His forté is time-trials, which will be tough to win with the imposing Fabian Cancellara competing, but he can challenge in other stages too.
Miller has previously won three stages of the Tour de France, but not since before his drugs-ban; recent success in other races suggests that he may break that duck this year.
How Geraint Thomas will perform this year is perhaps the most intriguing question of them all, as at just 25 the Welshman is already delivering notable performances. Last year he finished an unexpected second on stage two, as well as holding the white (young riders) jersey briefly. This season he was strong in spring, and is striving now for a good showing at the Tour.
Strong in both time-trials and flat stages, we ought to see a lot of Thomas this year, and he may also have an important role to play in helping team-mate Wiggins in the mountains. Unlikely to play a leading role, it will nonetheless be interesting to see how much he has developed since last year.
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