Team Sky has unveiled the eight riders who will support Chris Froome’s bid for a third Tour de France title, with Mikel Landa part of a climbing-oriented squad.
Landa was Sky’s leader at the Giro d'Italia but pulled out through illness on stage 10, causing him to restructure his season – much like Sergio Henao, who was sidelined while the UCI looked into his biological passport data but who makes the Tour team having been cleared.
More support in the mountains comes in the form of Wout Poels, who played a valuable role for a weakening Froome on Alpe d’Huez last year as Nairo Quintana went on the offensive, and Mikel Nieve, who rode the Giro and proved a solid plan B by winning a stage in the mountains.
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Geraint Thomas, one of the revelations of last year’s Tour, returns and should be one of the last men with Froome on the key stages, as he hopes to be a protected rider in his own right and chase a strong GC result himself. If that materialises, he may become a useful card for Froome to play, though Landa and Henao are both also capable of high overall placings at Grand Tours.
Last year, Froome had plenty of protection for the Classics-flavoured opening week but this year he has just two true domestiques for the flat. They are the British duo of Ian Stannard and Luke Rowe, both diesel engines capable of spending plenty of time in the wind.
Vasil Kiryienka, the final name on the list, is a domestique deluxe, able to put in a shift on any terrain but, as world time trial champion, he'll also be eyeing up the 37km stage 13 chrono to complete a full set of Grand Tour wins.
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