Sky expected to announce Wiggins signing

Dura Ace

From cyclingnews.com

British team finally secures a Tour team leader
Team Sky has called a press conference tomorrow where it is expected that it will unveil Bradley Wiggins as its latest signing. The 29-year-old British rider has raced for Garmin-Slipstream for just one year.
Wiggins rode to fourth in this year’s Tour de France and has been the subject of rumour ever since, with Team Sky to launch in 2010 and still without a team leader for the Grand Tours.
Wiggins had previously hinted that he would leave Garmin-Slipstream. In September, he told the BBC: "It's like trying to win the Champions League - you need to be at Manchester United, but I'm playing at Wigan at the moment so I have to make that step up."
In August, Team Sky Directeur Sportif Scott Sunderland told Cyclingnews: "If Bradley is available then of course we're interested; he's British, so yes it's a possibility. If Wiggins himself wants to come then of course it could happen."
In the last few months Garmin-Slipstream fought a drawn-out battle for Wiggins to remain with the team for 2010, having signed a two-year contract with the United States of America-based team at the end of 2008.
Yet in the last a few weeks speculation ramped up as the tug of war escalated. "He has let it be known to me that he'd like to be with Sky," Garmin-Slipstream manager Jonathan Vaughters told BBC Sport. "I haven't spoken to him recently, but I think he has a strong desire to be part of the first UK pro team."
Earlier in June Shane Sutton of Sky also told the BBC: "All these guys are going to move on to the Sky pro road team, maybe I shouldn't have said that!"
With the signing set to be completed in the early hours of Thursday morning Wiggins will lead Team Sky in next year’s Tour de France, should the team be invited.

ednwireland

getting a niggling feeling wiggo's making a mistake here, dont knwo why just not convinced about the whole sky hype thing.

BryanL

This has been a done deal for months, the only haggling was over the money that'll be paid to Vaughters.

Chips Lovell

Garmin have just issued a statement confirming Wiggins' departure:

Team Garmin-Transitions Statement on Bradley Wiggins Departure

Bradley Wiggins will not be racing for Team Garmin-Transitions in 2010. Although we understand his strong desire to be a part of the UK’s first-ever Pro Tour team, we would have loved to continue with him through 2010. His departure is not the outcome we hoped for. That said, Team Garmin-Transitions has an incredible group of riders assembled for the season. As always, we have worked hard to build a team that will be competitive throughout the year. The team features Christian Vande Velde who was 8th overall in the 2009 Tour after significant injuries; including five broken vertebrae; sprint sensation Tyler Farrar, David Zabriskie, David Millar, Dan Martin and other outstanding athletes that we’re fortunate to work with. In addition to the great new talent we have signed including Johan Van Summeren and Jack Bobridge, we have renewed our partnership with Garmin and added Transitions and POM Wonderful to our family of sponsors. And we’ve expanded our sports science program to include some of the best sports scientists in the world. We will continue to give our fans many reasons to cheer in 2010 and we look forward to exciting racing in the months to come.

ednwireland

bbc sport article http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/cycling/8397628.stm

"This team wants to be the biggest, the best and the most admired team in the world," said Wiggins.

"It's the first British ProTour team and to be part of that from the start is going to be something quite special.

"We're looking forward to getting 2010 under way now and putting 2009 in the history books and getting on with next year."

Wiggins is expected to lead Sky's roster of riders in the team's debut season, after acquiring an International Cycling Union ProTour cycling licence.

"I'll be on a British team with management and coaches who have shaped me as a rider," added the Londoner.

"They are instrumental in my achievements so far and I know they are critical for the next part of my career.

Brad was a real revelation at this year's Tour de France

Sky team principal Dave Brailsford
"Team Sky has huge ambitions, not just for the team but for cycling and inspiring the public to ride. It's an amazing project and the next four years will be very exciting."

JacksonHeightsOwn

i had planned on not supporting Team Sky, simply because Sky do my nut in

but with Wiggo there now, hmmm, i might have to rethink

i wonder who Garmin will replace hi with

could the Contador rumour resurface????

Lumen

chrisbonnie wrote: »

i had planned on not supporting Team Sky, simply because Sky do my nut in

My Sky boxes are having a competition with my Garmin for "most unreliable gadget". Plus ça change...

Anyway, if Wiggo's happy I'm happy. And my four year old (a close follower of "bradley your friend on the TV" thinks Team Sky sounds better than Team Garmin-Transitions.

ROK ON

Reality is that there is no point in keeping an employee against his will when he clearly doesn't want to be there.
However I feel sorry for JV in that he paid BW good money with 2yr contract when wiggo didn't have too many other offers.
If Garmin recd meaningful compo then that is the best solution all round.
I despise what sky have done with sport, particularly rugby. Much as I admire the devilish charm of wiggo I could not support them.
One of the reasons that I have gotten so into cycling is skys ruination of rugby. You know could not pay me to attend or watch a game.

I just hope that the team remains a cycling team and not a conduit into acquiring the sport, as they have done with other sports.

Chips Lovell

ROK ON wrote: »

One of the reasons that I have gotten so into cycling is skys ruination of rugby. You know could not pay me to attend or watch a game.

I just hope that the team remains a cycling team and not a conduit into acquiring the sport, as they have done with other sports.

Rupert Murdoch called. He wants your Dolan.

velo.2010

Saw some of the press conference. Not giving away much about the deal. Nice paint-job on the Dogma. Are Pinerello exclusive to Sky next year or will they be the second equipped team?

Chips Lovell

velo.2010 wrote: »

Nice paint-job on the Dogma. Are Pinerello exclusive to Sky next year or will they be the second equipped team?

Caisse d'Epargne will have them too.

velo.2010

Thought so. You'll notice I didnt mention them (Caisse)as I couldn't quite remember that bloody spelling.