Vande Velde and Wiggins Team Up

It seems like all attention is on the Alberto Contador v. Lance Armstrong leadership struggle, but there is another interesting story out there.  It is the story of Garmin-Slipstream making a transition from time trial specialists to grand tour contenders.    Look back at last year, and you will see Garmin as a team that could time trial very well and not much else.  They won the opening day team time trial in the Giro d’Italia to put Christian Vande Velde in the Pink jersey at the start of the race.  Other than some other time trial victories, however, Garmin does not have a lot of trophies to show off from 2008.  It is true that Vande Velde went on to contend for a podium spot in the Tour de France in July last year, but one bad moment in the Tour is all it took to send Vande Velde down to 5^th.  Fast forward to 2009.  Nobody is surprised with Vande Velde anymore.  He is not sneaking up on anyone.  Many people have documented the fact that had Vande Velde had a teammate to help him get through the mountains in 2008, there is no question that he would have finished higher up in the rankings.  This is where Bradley Wiggins come in.  The super-star track rider from Brittain, has turned his wicked-fast track and time trialing ability into a climbers body.  He says that he has lost 7 kilos since the Olympics last August, and his power has not declined at all.  Combine the power with his new weight, and it is 100% mathematical at that point.  Wiggins is now a top General Classification rider. 

Will Wiggins and Vande Velde turn out to be a good team in the Alps?  The answer won’t come until Friday.  It is a combination that nobody saw coming, but don’t count Garmin out of at least one spot on the steps in Paris.  It is a real possibility.

14 July 2009 | 2009 Tour de France | Comments