Team Sky . . .

[BumbleBeeDave]

Here's their roster to date, according to VN . . . Looks like some pretty good firepower! Only major player I can see they are missing is Super Serotta Sandy! :p

BBD

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John-Lee Augustyn, Kurt-Asle Arvesen, Michael Barry, Edvald Boasson Hagen, Kjell Carlstrom, Steve Cummings, Russell Downing, Juan Antonio Flecha, Chris Froome, Simon Gerrans, Greg Henderson, Thomas Lövkvist, Peter Kennaugh, Lars-Petter Nordhaug, Serge Pauwels, Morris Possoni, Ian Stannard, Chris Sutton, Geraint Thomas.

[chickenkiev]

Gerrans is the only one I see as a proven winner. 3 GT stage wins in the last 2 years and strong results in one day races. His career is definitely on the upward trajectory

Boasson-Hagen was signed to be the team's GT leader. He won Gent Wevelgem in 2009 but has not got the GT recents so far in his (young) career

The rest of the team are either unproven young riders or veterans on the downside.. no real threats to the big guns like Contador, A. Schleck, etc

BSkyB reportedly sponsored the team to the tune of GBP30m for the next 3 years. are they going to get their money's worth? time will tell....

(don't think Columbia HTC or Saxo Bank would be too worried by this squad.... in either the one day races or the stage races :) )

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . they don't have a GT gun. But that also may just not be one of the sponsor's goals. In their minds stage wins may be just as good for publicity and logo visibility.

BBD

[sspielman]

They lack the firepower to compete with the best Protour teams....Seems to me that the UCI has added another Cofidis to the Protour.

[BdaGhisallo]

. . . they don't have a GT gun. But that also may just not be one of the sponsor's goals. In their minds stage wins may be just as good for publicity and logo visibility.

BBD

Well Columbia have concluded that there is much greater PR benefit to getting lots of stage wins than there is in chasing a GT win or podium, which many aspire to but only a few can conceivably achieve.

They have the Contador of the stage winning world in Cavendish.

Could be that Sky are thinking along those lines, until they can either groom or get their hands on an established British GT contender.

[jlwdm]

. . . they don't have a GT gun. But that also may just not be one of the sponsor's goals. In their minds stage wins may be just as good for publicity and logo visibility.

BBD

Their clear goal is to win the tour de France with a clean British Rider. The first shot will be with Bradley Wiggins. He wants to be with Sky next year and probably will be if Contador gets out of his contract and could move to Garmin. If this does not work he will be with Sky in 2011.

Cavendish's contract just runs thru 2010 so expect him to be with Sky for the sprints in 2011.

Jeff

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . considering it's their first year. I'll give them a full season next year and see how things come together in actual competition.

BBD

[Idris Icabod]

As a Brit this team makes me feel incredibly proud. And yes there are no 'big guns' but Dave Brailsford does seem to know how to take a program from infancy to world-wide power houses. With the goal of grooming a British winner of the Tour then I would think that most likely that winner will come from a relatively unknown rider as I am not sure Wiggo will take 2 more steps up the podium (although it would be great if he did no matter who he rides for). Perhaps British Cyclings lack of organization on the road in the past resulting in Dan Martin riding for the Oirish may bite them in the a$$.