Sky DS Servais Knaven confident Bradley Wiggins will fit into classics squad
Tour de France champion Bradley Wiggins a welcome addition to tight-knit Sky classics squad
Sky sports director Servais Knaven is confident there will be no internal conflict when Bradley Wiggins slots into the team’s classics line-up prior to Paris-Roubaix.
Sky has gone to notable lengths to consolidate its classics squad over the past two seasons but Wiggins hasn’t had much involvement in that ongoing project.
Het Nieuwsblad champion Ian Stannard as well as Geraint Thomas and Edvald Boasson Hagen headline the group that has bought into new approaches, travelled, trained and raced extensively together in an effort to win the outfit’s first Monument.
“I’m 100 per cent sure there’s not going to be any issue with Brad and the other guys,” Knaven told Cycling Weekly. “They’ve known Brad for years and Brad knows G [Thomas] and Eddy [Boasson Hagen] and Bernie [Eisel]. I don’t see any concerns with that.”
Wiggins has an unmemorable Paris-Roubaix history - his best result in three career appearances was 25th in 2009 with Garmin-Slipstream - but his winning ambition there this year has been well publicised.
The 33-year-old is set to join Sky’s full cobble classics squad after the Tour of Flanders and race the April 9 Scheldeprijs before the Hell of the North on April 13.
“Brad is also preparing for Roubaix and he will be good in Roubaix,” Knaven said.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
“He also has to be honest in the final. If he feels he has to close a gap or has to ride for someone else he will do the same as all the others would do. Everybody is happy with a strong rider like Brad coming to Roubaix.”
Sky last year followed an unprecedented approach to the classics substituting stage races for training in the lead-up. The team abandoned that strategy this year to great effect given Stannard’s Nieuwsblad victory and Thomas’s leadership stint at Paris-Nice. However, that doesn’t necessarily translate to boss status at April Monuments.
Sky has previously been criticised for its indefinite leadership approach in spring, and the addition of Wiggins could in one sense compound on that.
“The plan is a bit like we did at Nieuwsblad,” Knaven countered. “We start with one leader and one back-up. With Ian winning Nieuwsblad I think it worked out really well.
“It’s up to us altogether to decide who will be the leader. The decision is not yet made because it’s still two weeks to Harelbeke, three weeks until Flanders and four weeks to Roubaix.
“Brad is not saying, ‘I have to be the leader.' He also understands that maybe other guys are performing better at the moment. I think we have a really solid group and four or five riders could be the leader for one of the races, and also be the winner.
“It all depends how the race goes and Brad knows the race,” the 2001 Roubaix champion Knaven continued. “He knows where it’s going to be really important and where he has to be. I spoke with Brad about it and he really wants to see how far he can get.
“He can win it the way I won it when we have numbers. When he’s isolated of course he also has a chance but then it’s going to be more difficult like for most riders in the peloton. We’d hope for the right moment for him to get in the right breakaway in the final. It’s really important about positioning and about having the legs.
“It’s a good sign towards Paris-Roubaix that a rider like Brad really loves that race. There’s not many former Tour de France champions who are that excited about Paris-Roubaix.”
Fabian Cancellara unsure if Bradley Wiggins can be a Paris-Roubaix challenger
Fabian Cancellara appears to laugh off Bradley Wiggins's aim to challenge in Paris-Roubaix... but still says he's welcome
Bradley Wiggins still aiming for Paris-Roubaix
Sir Bradley Wiggins still has Paris-Roubaix as his major early-season goal despite lack of one-day race experience so far this
Fabian Cancellara: Bradley Wiggins is welcome at Paris-Roubaix
Sir Bradley Wiggins to target Paris-Roubaix
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Sophie Smith is an Australian journalist, broadcaster and author of Pain & Privilege: Inside Le Tour. She follows the WorldTour circuit, working for British, Australian and US press, and has covered 10 Tours de France.
-
56% unpaved, 44% paved and plenty of pitchy climbs: the 2024 UCI Gravel World Championships race course revealed
Come October, rainbow jersey hopefuls will tackle a Classics-like course in woodsy Flemish Brabant.
By Anne-Marije Rook Published
-
Tour of Britain uncertainty stalls RideLondon Classique expansion plan
Organiser planned to add extra stage to this year's race, but question marks over the Tour of Britain Women has meant plans have been cancelled
By Jeremy Whittle Published
-
‘I feel lucky to be alive’: Magnus Sheffield speaks for the first time about Gino Mäder’s fatal crash
The American describes what he saw at the Tour de Suisse, eight months after the tragedy
By Tom Davidson Published
-
'I never wanted to be known as the TikTok cyclist' - how Alison Jackson wrote her legacy at Paris-Roubaix
The Canadian tells Cycling Weekly how a day across the cobbles of northern France changed her career
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Tom Pidcock: Tour of Britain route 'not really ideal for me'
Brit says he wants to win home stage race, even if the course plays in Wout van Aert's favour
By Tom Davidson Published
-
This 39-year-old INEOS Grenadiers rider moonlights as a pro triathlete
A Jack of all trades, Cameron Wurf is a domestique for INEOS Grenadiers professional cycling team, but doubles as a successful pro triathlete.
By Kristin Jenny Published
-
Ineos Grenadiers' only female rider Pauline Ferrand-Prévot eyes road return
Mountain bike legend could be back in the peloton next year
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Seven tech insights spotted at Paris-Roubaix 2023
From tyre pressure systems to old-school chainrings, here's what Cycling Weekly saw at the race
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Ineos Grenadiers rider runs half marathon after finishing Paris-Roubaix
Cameron Wurf is a triathlete, so it's unfair really. He is not the first cyclist to dabble with trainers, however
By Adam Becket Published
-
Tweets of the week: Cobbles, barbecues, and what on earth is curry ketchup?
Strap in for our pre-Paris-Roubaix round-up of social media's finest
By Tom Davidson Published