Froomedomestique to team captain

CEBU, Philippines - Before 2012, the only time that the champion and the runner-up of the Tour de France were teammates was in 1986. That year, Frenchman Bernard Hinault won the Tour battle on uneasily over his clearly stronger teammate, Greg Lemond. Last year, the same script was followed, when Bradley Wiggins won the first ever British Tour crown when he beat his teammate Chris Froome, who was clearly the better rider, to second place.

I thought that with Wiggins firmly entrenched with his team SKY, it was unwise for Froome, a Kenyan born Brit, to sign a multi-year deal with SKY. But it turned out to be a perfect decision after all.

Wiggins, who clearly knows his limits, will not be targeting the TdF this year despite the fact that he is the defending champion. The reason is that this year’s course, which has more hills and less time-trialling, doesn’t suit his capabilities. Last year, the Tour, which had more TT, was tailor-fit for Bradley. Instead of France, Bradley will be focusing on the Girod’Italia and the hilly classics.

It must have been a tough decision for Wiggins and there’s not a lot of champions who will easily give up the defense of a crown and admit that the course is not for them. It’s not only about the physical side but also the business side that an athlete has to take into consideration.

Chris Froome will now lead team SKY for the 2013 Tour, hoping for a team back-to-back. Froome, who has an awkward climbing position, will be ready for July. Last week, he showed former champions Cadel Evans and Alberto Contador that he is on the right track for July by beating the duo in two mountain stages in the Tour of Oman.

Froome doesn’t have the same power as Bradley in the time trials but he has an above average TT skills and he sure can hold his own against the best. His main strength is mainly in the mountains and if his form is good, he can be as good or even better against Contador. Definitely, he is better than Cadel Evans in the mountains.

Froome’s main advantage though is financial. His team has an almost sky-is-the-limit resources allowing them to surround Froome with the best support in the world– from teammates to masseurs to bicycles to mechanics. Wiggins may have ruled himself out in the running but it doesn’t mean he won’t be at the start line this July to support Froome. Again, it’s not only a payback for Froome but also it’s a business decision on the part of Wiggins and the team.

Now, the question is, can Froome do it? I don’t think he can, but I have a strong belief that he can. SKY  is the limit for Froome.

Finally, if all things go  as planned, we will be seeing a multi-stage event middle of this year for “executives”. The plan is to hold a 2-day, 3-race event that will include a road race, a crit and an individual time-trial.