As well as taking another prestigious win at the Dauphine, Team Sky consolidated their position at the top of the UCI team rankings. The season has been packed with great stage race wins, Paris-Nice onwards. Even at the Giro the team looked strong, just Prince Wiggo failed to show. But how come a team so dominant at stage races seems so impotent in the one day classics?
Ok, there is a question of priorities. Team Sky is built around the objective of putting British Riders on the podium at the Grand Tours. For a team like Omega-Pharma their season hinges on the Classics. But with a squad that contains riders like Swift, Stannard, Thomas and Bosen-Hagen one would expect them to be there or there abouts a lot more often.
Part of it could be that stage races are better suited to their marginal gains, planned approach, exploiting the strength in depth of the squad. Sky's plan A - stay safe on flat stages, limit loses in the mountains, batter the opposition in the TT's has suited their team leaders well. The one day classics don't play to these strengths. The opportunistic, crafty, and aggressive individualism of the classics winner is maybe less easy to bottle.
Ok, there is a question of priorities. Team Sky is built around the objective of putting British Riders on the podium at the Grand Tours. For a team like Omega-Pharma their season hinges on the Classics. But with a squad that contains riders like Swift, Stannard, Thomas and Bosen-Hagen one would expect them to be there or there abouts a lot more often.
Part of it could be that stage races are better suited to their marginal gains, planned approach, exploiting the strength in depth of the squad. Sky's plan A - stay safe on flat stages, limit loses in the mountains, batter the opposition in the TT's has suited their team leaders well. The one day classics don't play to these strengths. The opportunistic, crafty, and aggressive individualism of the classics winner is maybe less easy to bottle.
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