David De la Cruz has likened his new team principal, Dave Brailsford, to the late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. The Spaniard, who will ride with Team Sky next season, praised Brailsford for what he called "an innate ability to transmit and spread his dreams" and said he had the team's full support as they look to win all three Grand Tours.
"I would define him as the Steve Jobs of cycling. He is very intelligent, but from what I see he stands out as much for his leadership as for his way of communicating," De la Cruz told Spanish newspaper, Sport. "He has an innate ability to transmit and spread to us all of his dreams. It makes you believe that what he says is possible.
"In seven years he has won the most important race in the world five times, but his ambition has not diminished. Now he wants to win the big three because nobody has done that until now. And the whole team is behind that dream and participating in the goal."
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Brailsford has been at the head of Team Sky since their debut season in 2010 but has endured a difficult season at the top following the revelations surrounding the 'jiffy-bag' scandal and his handling of it. One rider told Cyclingnews in March that a number of riders had considered asking him to step down amidst the scandal. However, several others then tweeted their support of the team principal, in response to the claim.
Taking a step forward
De la Cruz is moving to Team Sky after a three-year spell with the Quick-Step Floors team and two years with NetApp-Endura prior to that. At both squads, De la Cruz did not face much competition for his burgeoning talent as a stage-race rider. Quick-Step Floors had Dan Martin and Bob Jungels, but he was allowed a certain amount of freedom in his role. At Team Sky, De la Cruz accepts that the competition will be much tougher but he believes that, in the long run, the move will be beneficial for him.
"I have the impression that with them I will take a step forward and that is what I want," he said. "There is a second reason. I am a general classification rider and his philosophy is more suited to my characteristics. It is true that will be harder to find my space than in Quick-Step, but if the case comes I will have more support to fight for my goals. Had I been a sprinter or a classics rider I would not have moved from Quick-Step. But I want to improve as a rider."
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