He was probably the number one asset of Chris Froome in the 2016 Tour de France. Wout Poels could be leading many teams at La Grande Boucle in July, but prefers instead to be lieutenant at Team Sky. The winner of Liège-Bastogne-Liège this year gave an interview at the Saitama Criterium where he reiterated his wish to be leader of Team Sky in the Giro or the Vuelta in addition for his work for Froome in the Tour. In 2015 he had already expressed this desire. But the arrival of Mikel Landa in the British team annihilated his plans. Could it be different in 2017?

"I really want to be a leader in a grand tour. With Chris Froome in the team, it cannot be the Tour de France.” 

Then there is the Giro and Vuelta. But the equation is not so simple for Team Sky. If he has already been at the Giro as a leader, he may lack freshness for the Tour. Furthermore, Chris Froome had started a trend of doing both the Tour de France and the Vuelta and is still looking for success on the Vuelta which has escaped him so far (second in 2011, 2014 and 2016, fourth in 2012, abandonment in 2015).

"I love racing in Italy. But in May and June, the weather can be very bad. I showed that I could perform in bad weather he won Liège-Bastogne-Liège in very cold weather with some snow showers during the race, ed.). But in Spain it is often better and that's important,” he said 

Poels knows what he's talking about when he refers to poor Italian weather. In 2014, he was the most valuable domestique for Rigoberto Uran at Etixx - Quick Step when the Colombian lost his pink jersey in a stage in apocalyptic weather, with extreme cold and the passage of Gavia, Stelvio and Val Martello . 

"It doesn’t matter, as long as I can play my card in a three-week race,” he added. 

But with the unofficial announcement of Mikel Landa’s schedule on Thursday, the possibility that Poels will be leading at the Giro seems to be small.

Does Sky believe in Poels over three weeks? It's a real question. The Dutchman never got a result in a grand tour, unlike Landa who third in the 2015 Giro where he was trapped in a team game that took away a potential victory against Alberto Contador. Poels was also satisfied to be only a teammate at each of the grand tours he has done since his return after his terrible crash at the 2012Tour de France. Spain seems the country that suits him best as he excelled there at the 2011 Vuelta. He is great on steep climbs and has the explosiveness that is useful for the walls on the Iberian Peninsula.

Team Sky will soon have to clarify the issue. The Giro seems to be for Landa as the Basque is likely to get another chance after his illness-marred 2016 race. It remains to be seen whether Froome is ready to sacrifice the Vuelta or not going there but it seems unlikely as he has not won the race yet.

Maybe Poels will have to change team to finally get his chance to be a grand tour leader?