TEAM SKY HAS named a very strong squad for the 2015 Tour de France as they bid to secure a second title for Chris Froome over the next month.
Froome — who will serve as race leader — is one of five British riders named by Dave Brailsford but it is Ireland’s Nico Roche who will serve as ‘road captain’ for the team.
Road captains in cycling call the shots on the road, deciding who goes into a break, who stays back, etc.
They also try to execute the pre-race strategy and, perhaps more importantly, decide how the team will react when the race situation means anything pre-planned goes out the window.
Ultimately, his goal is to ensure his team leader is the rider who wins the event.
Roche, who many felt may not even make the team given the strength in depth at Sky, was understandably delighted with this morning’s news.
The news was not so good for Sky’s other Irish rider, Philip Deignan, who has yet to ride Le Tour in seven seasons as a pro.
Speaking about the line-up Brailsford, said:
“The Tour is shaping up to be one of the most exciting in years and we’ve chosen a team of talented riders for the race.
“We’ve studied this year’s route carefully and have selected the riders who we believe will best deliver our race strategy. Inevitably it is always a difficult decision. We’re all looking forward to a great race and we have a strong team – led by Chris Froome – that’s hungry for success.
“I’m confident that Team Sky will be competitive but of course we can take nothing for granted. One thing we can say for certain is that it’s going to be a great contest and a great three weeks of racing for the fans. That is fantastic for the sport of cycling.”
- Originally posted at 11.26, updated at 12.24.
