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| Wiggins can win Tour, says Yates • 'I can see a win in him,' says team's directeur sportif• Wiggins had Lance Armstrong worried last yearTeam Sky are confident that Bradley Wiggins, their anointed leader for the Tour de France, has a good chance of improving on his fourth place in last year's race.Leading the chorus at the team's presentation was the most experienced British name in the new set-up, Sean Yates, whose professional career began in 1982 and who has been one of Lance Armstrong's right-hand men since 1993. Yates will be one of four directeurs sportifs at Team Sky, and has been hired partly because he is one of the few men on the circuit with in-depth knowledge of the way that the seven-times Tour winner works."I can see a win in him," said Yates, when asked about Wiggins's chances in the Tour in the next few years. The Sussex former pro, who won a time trial in the Tour in 1988, revealed that in the final days of last year's Tour, Wiggins was the rider who most concerned Armstrong and his manager Johan Bruyneel."They were most worried about him, because he can time trial, he was climbing superbly, he wasn't showing any cracks and there was an element of uncertainty."Asked whether he agreed with Yates, Wiggins concurred. "The difference this year will be that I know I can do it in the Tour. This time last year I didn't know where I was in the sport. If I'd stood here a year ago and said I had a good chance of coming fourth everyone would have had a right old laugh. This time last year I didn't expect to go top five in the Tour; now I know what I have to do, what weight I have to be at, how long it all takes. I did no training for stamina in the mountains. I didn't look at any of the course. I didn't even know what mountains we went up.""He can do better [than last year]‚" said Yates. "He can deal with the pressure. It's all up for grabs." Intriguingly, given how well he knows Armstrong, Yates added that the Texan and Bruyneel would be watching Sky closely this year."Johan has ridden the track and knows what it takes. Things will be turning in his head. He will be asking questions and we'll be on the radar for sure."Yesterday other developments which had been rumours to date were confirmed as fact. Team Sky presented the final name in their line-up in Ben Swift, the product of the British Cycling Academy who won a stage in last year's Tour of Britain. The car supplier will be Jaguar – who last appeared on a cycling team jersey just before the Linda McCartney team folded in 2001 – while clothing will come from Adidas.Bradley WigginsTour de FranceLance ArmstrongCyclingWilliam Fotheringhamguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Seahawks fire Jim Mora after one season; is Bill Cowher on the way? Could Bill Cowher be heading north and west after the Seattle Seahawks fired Jim Mora after one season Friday following the team's 5-11 campaign?Mora ... rssfeeds.usatoday.com |
Seminole County scores gold in 1Q with sports Seminole County hotels expect to book more than 6,100 room nights in the first quarter this year thanks to 21 upcoming sports events. feeds.bizjournals.com |
49ers stage stadium pep rally The San Francisco 49ers will kick off their campaign to build a new 68,500-seat stadium in Santa Clara with a rally Saturday. feeds.bizjournals.com |
Rafael Benítez tops Juventus wish list as manager's frustrations grow at Liverpool Rafael Benítez has been made the No 1 target to take over as coach of Juventus — and the Liverpool manager’s agent has refused to rule out the idea. feeds.timesonline.co.uk |