Cavendish will make hisTeam Sky debut at the Tour of Qatar next month.

For Cavendish this year its all about the following;

1. Can he win 5+ stages of the Tdf?
2. Can he win gold at the Olympics?
3. Can he win Milan San Remo?
4. Can Sky support him and Wiggins/Froome at the Tdf?

I view the early season races as a chance to re-awaken the cycling nut within. Yes I look out for the results, yes I pick my fantasy team as best I can but..........I don't get out of bed until March arrives with Paris-Nice and Tirreno Adriatico. That's when I religiously watch the highlights on Eurosport. And then I get positively giddy with Milan San Remo, Paris Roubaix etc etc.

So then - what are your predictions for the season this year?

Will Cadel be able to win the Tdf again?
Will a decision be made about Contador before the 2012 Tdf?
Will Cancellara have as bad a season again or will he take on Gilbert in the classics?
Can Gilbert have as good a season this year?
Will Cav be even better in 2012 now that he is riding with a team who are 'rewarding' him correctly?
Can Wiggins win a Grand Tour?

He's able to but I don't think he will.



Announcement today I thought I read?



Based on last year it looks like his time has gone. Martin looks untouchable in the TT and Gilbert in the classics. But with Brunyeel at the helm now and a reinforced team, who knows?



Can see him picking up a classics win, maybe a TdF stage but to repeat last season would be phenomenal.



Even better than 5 stage wins and world champion? What would that consist of? MSR win, 5 stages, green jersey and Olympic gold? It's doable but then...

...if Wiggins is ever going to win a GT then the experts say it's got to be this year where the TdF couse looks ideal for him.

So it's the massive question of whether Sky can have a team working for both men.

For my money it is Contadors tour - that is of course if he is there. I'll also be having a each way bet on Wiggins. Almost worth a wee e/w on Tony Martin too.

Contador announcement today? I really do hope so but I've got a feeling that this still has some distance left to run. It's a disgrace that we're still awaiting his decision and a chinese rider (where clenbuterol is still used in beef production and there he had a legitimate reason for it to be in his blood test) is just about to come to the end of his 2 year ban.

I think last year was a blip but he was still in the places in numerous races. He even finished 4th at the World Champs in the road race!! Last year all the other teams rode to take him out of the picture. This year I think we'll see him back in the classics. Agree with you that Tony Martin will be untouchable in the TT's.

I think Gilbert will struggle this year with him moving to BMC - far more egos to look after there.

Interview with Cav in Cycling Weekly a few weeks which was interesting. He said that he didn't really try until the Tour because he felt 'undervalued' by HTC. I think we'll see him in the final reckoning of MSR. A surprise result or even win in one of the other classics. Fewer tour stage wins as I think by the 2nd week of the tour we may have a very well placed Sky rider in the GC. Olympic Gold and a few other decent results - I reckon his new contract is very much performance based.

Wiggins - I fear for him and expect a lot of him too. Reading the early season interviews I wonder if the weight of expectation may be back on his shoulders and potentially we could be looking at a repeat of 2010. His programme last year was about enjoying racing.....and it clearly worked.

Can Sky work for two (3 if you include Froome) men this year? I seriously doubt it. Someones ambitions will have to be lowered around the end of the 2nd week.

Apparently Feb 6th now. www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/lat ... rdict.html

Apparently Feb 6th now. www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/lat ... rdict.html

There was a good article somewhere, may have been The Telegaph, saying how Froome was arguably a better bet than Wiggins since he'll be able to fly under the radar to a certain extent whereas Wiggins' cards are marked.

I'm not sure that a guy who finishes 2nd in a GT can fly under the radar but.......it could certainly help to have 2 cards up the Sky sleeve.

However - look at Frandy last year. They had 2 cards but did not know how to use them.

So.....Contador decision expected today. What do we think? Does anyone actually care anymore?

Quote ="Haggis Fax"So.....Contador decision expected today. What do we think? Does anyone actually care anymore?'" Banned for 2 years and stripped of 2010 TDF win. www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/mobile/cycling/16905217 Although in my opinion the ban should start today. If his ban expires on August 6 could he make a comeback at the Olympic Games?

Quote ="Haggis Fax"So.....Contador decision expected today. What do we think? Does anyone actually care anymore?'" Banned for 2 years and stripped of 2010 TDF win. www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/mobile/cycling/16905217 Although in my opinion the ban should start today. If his ban expires on August 6 could he make a comeback at the Olympic Games?

28th July for the road race so Vuelta for his comeback.

Got to say I'm surprised he got the 2 year ban. Delighted but surprised.

Thing is its not a 2 year ban is it? It's 7 months.

If Riis keeps him at Saxo he'll be back and will win the Vuelta.

6 Months from today. But my point entirely.

If you were arrested for a crime and released on bail, then convicted and sent to prison your sentence wouldn't start from the day you were arrested would it?

Eurosport have got a Contador special interview on at 21.45 tonight.

As for Contador I have nothing to say. He cheated he deserves punishment!

On a positive note well done a under the weather Cav today in Qatar. Fantastic bit of hard work with limited resources thanks to the huge crosswinds which are the hallmark of this race.

the whole contador thing has been a bit drawn out and messy. can he still appeal against this ban at all?

Could he appeal? Yes......but he'd be an idiot to do so.

Contador has made this whole affair drawn out and messy. If he had just accepted the 1 year ban initially handed to him he'd have been back and racing.

I think he has received very poor advice from people around him. His brother (also his manager I believe) is a Grade A idiot.

However.......and this is where I have some sympathy with him (albit only a tiny amount) is that Pat McQuaid of the UCI told Alberto to keep quiet about the positive test. The UCI also tried to keep this quiet which I believe was done in the hope that the positive would never come to light and the winner of the previous 2 Tdf's could be seen by the world at large as 'clean'.

Cycling is in a strange old place at the moment. Increasingly popular, still drawing fans into the sport despite the retirement of Armstrong. However the average teams are finding it increasingly difficult to secure sponsorship as a result of the damage caused by doping stories and the global recession.

Cycling is cleaner than it ever has been. Easily cleaner than many of the sports that are seen as not having a drug problem. Between biological passports, in and out of competition testing, post race testing, team testing etc etc there are less and less places for dopers to hide.

Gradually the people around cycling will become cleaner. It'll be clean racers who go on to be team managers and Director Sportifs. Gradually 'doping' will be erased from our sport.

What I think the UCI were thinking of doing with Contador was brushing this under the carpet. Every positive test hurts the image of cycling. A positive from the winner of the biggest race in cycling........well that takes huge chunks out of the sport.

good post, enjoyed reading that, you would have thought the testers will be particularly keen this year with the olympics on top of all the other events in such a short space of time

Cycling does far more than other sports to stop cheaters prospering. Because it does far more and because doping has been part and parcel of cycling for so many years there is a real split between the fans who either

1. Detest doping and will not accept it in any form.

or

2. Will instantly defend cycing to the hilt and start pointing out how 'cheating' is accepted in other sports without too much question.

Some fans fall between the two camps and I'd definitely say that this is where I fall.

With this in mind I'm slightly disturbed by any question that the UCI is looking to gloss over positiive tests. The accusations from Alberto Contador are disturbing. Is he being honest or are these the desperate claims of a dirty doper?

Anyway enough on drugs.

Great riding by sky in Portugal. The stage where ritchie porte was led up the mountain for his Broadway win was awesome. Then to maintain his yellow to the tt and the following podium 1&3 finish was great to watch. It's gonna be an exciting season

And Tony Martin being beaten in a TT. Didn't think that was going to happen this year.

Yeah I have to say I was surprised, but I suppose it's only early season. I do wonder if he could be a good outside bet for the yellow at the TDF. Especially with the TT elements to it, plus he can climb as when he won the white jersey the other year. Another point is that he's not wasting energy leading Cav out now this season. He did a shed load of work for HTC. He's something like 60-80/1

With the amount of TT in the tour, you may have a point. Depends what Omega Quick-Step's priorities are. Vandenbergh, Chavanel for GC or Boonen for points?

On a side note, the Velits boys are at Omega. The last two teams they've been with have folded.

I think Boonens priorities for the season will be heavily 'spring classics' based. Boonen does not have it in him for the points jersey anymore at the Tour. Quality rider but too scared of the big bunch sprints.

As for Das Panzerwagon at 60-80/1 I would most certainly be having some each way action on that. I see the podium at the Tour being quite different from recent years.

Boonen got done over today. It waS great to see what he thought was gonna be a walk over get taken away from him at the line.
Good 3rd place for flecha.

It wass a great feed with flemish commentary. Couldn't understand a bloody word but sounded great lol

I'm just glad the classics season has started

Great win by Sky yestered day at KBK. Only got to watch the last few k on a recorded stream. But apparently sky totally dominated the peloton and brought back the break to put cav across the line.

The classics are starting well