Rigoberto Uran (Sky) wins stage 10 of the Giro d'Italia(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Rigoberto Uran (Sky) moved up to third in GC(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky) was dropped (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Rigoberto Uran and Sergio Henao pace their leader Bradley Wiggins (Sky) back into contention(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky) kept in touch until the final few moments(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Dave Brailsford has revealed that he suffered with toothache for the first part of the Giro d'Italia but after a visit to a dentist on the rest day and a strong ride by his riders on the first mountain stage to Altopiano el Montasio, the Team Sky manager could smile happily after a good performance.
"We set a hard tempo on the second to last climb and the plan was that Rigoberto would attack to force Astana to chase. We hoped to isolate Nibali. That didn’t quote come off but it was a brilliant ride by Rigo to be fair."
A change in leadership?
With Uran seemingly climbing better than Wiggins, the Italian media jumped on a possible change in team leadership at Team Sky for the rest of the Giro.
Brailsford was cautious but dismissed suggestions that any rivalry between Uran and Wiggins for team leadership at the Giro d'Italia could explode like the rivalry between Wiggins and Froome which began at last year's Tour de France.
"Good leadership and good management is based on flexibility and I think you have to adjust the situation you find yourself in and not stick to a plan blindly. You let the emotions die down, take stock and get back with a plan for the next day," he replied.
One Italian journalist asked: Could Wiggins work for a teammate in the Giro?
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Brailsford dodged the question but did point out that the team's interests come first.
"It's not just about Brad. It depends on the team strategy. It's not a group of individuals, it’s a team," he said.
Stephen is the most experienced member of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. He has been Head of News at Cyclingnews since 2022, before which he held the position of European editor since 2012 and previously worked for Reuters, Shift Active Media, and CyclingWeekly, among other publications.
