As we have reported in several different articles last two days, Bradley Wiggins of Team Sky made the Paris-Roubaix one of his major goals for the 2014 season alongside hugely desired Tour de France participation. The 33-year old Briton emphasized, however, that he won’t compete for a sole leadership role in the Hell of the North, as he sees himself a part of a strong Sky’ classics unit for that race. Sports director of the British team, Servais Knaven confirmed Wiggins’ aspirations and claimed there would be no internal conflict while including the Olympic champion into an already consolidated classics squad.

Struggling to shine in the Spring Classics despite their recent hegemony in the major stage races of the UCI calendar, last year Team Sky have made an ill-fated experiment of sending their classics riders to a training camp as a final build up instead of putting the finishing touches by participating in the Paris-Nice or Tirreno-Adriatico before heading north. As the spring campaign turned out disastrous for the riders of the British team, they have returned to the more traditional approach this season with an immediate successes in courtesy of Ian Stannard winning the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Geraint Thomas experiencing an unexpected stint in the yellow jersey before crashing out of the Paris Nice.

Wiggins didn’t have much involvement so far in the ongoing project of consolidating Team Sky’ classics unit and there were some doubts whether his sudden appearance would prove beneficial for the squad, as its members deliberately raced together for long period of time to develop an ability of using their strength in numbers in major cobbled events. 

Stannard, Thomas and Edvald Boasson Hagen travelled, trained and raced extensively together while Wiggins followed an entirely different program, but Team Sky’s sports director and a former Paris-Roubaix winner Servais Knaven believes it wouldn’t be a factor and the former Tour de France champion can only strengthen the classics unit. 

“I’m 100 per cent sure there’s not going to be any issue with Brad and the other guys,” Knaven told Cycling Weekly. 

“They’ve known Brad for years and Brad knows G [Thomas] and Eddy [Boasson Hagen] and Bernie [Eisel]. I don’t see any concerns with that.”

Wiggins has never achieved a respectable results in the Hell of the North in his only three appearances in the event, but strongly supported by his team he believes things can turn out differently this time around after. The 33-year old Briton gained weight and strength after a period marked by his grand tour aspirations and he believes that an additional power will help him to excel in the challenges that cobbled races are offering. 

The schedule of Wiggins for cobbled classics has been already announced, and the Briton is set to join Sky’s classics squad for Scheldeprijs on April 9th before lining up at Paris-Roubaix, held on April 13th. 

“Brad is also preparing for Roubaix and he will be good in Roubaix,” Knaven said.

“He also has to be honest in the final. If he feels he has to close a gap or has to ride for someone else he will do the same as all the others would do. Everybody is happy with a strong rider like Brad coming to Roubaix.”

Apart from the ill-fated preparation period Sky’s classics riders have undergone last year, Stannard claimed that another reason for their complete failure in spring’s campaign was the lack of leadership within their ranks – causing them to race solely without any support from team mates. Despite the criticism, Knaven explained that this season they will maintain a tactical approach of using their strength in numbers rather than supporting only one rider in order to leave several possibilities opened for the finale. 

“The plan is a bit like we did at Nieuwsblad,” Knaven countered. 

“We start with one leader and one back-up. With Ian winning Nieuwsblad I think it worked out really well.

“It’s up to us altogether to decide who will be the leader. The decision is not yet made because it’s still two weeks to Harelbeke, three weeks until Flanders and four weeks to Roubaix.

“Brad is not saying, ‘I have to be the leader.’ He also understands that maybe other guys are performing better at the moment. I think we have a really solid group and four or five riders could be the leader for one of the races, and also be the winner.

“It all depends how the race goes and Brad knows the race,” the 2001 Roubaix champion Knaven continued. “He knows where it’s going to be really important and where he has to be. I spoke with Brad about it and he really wants to see how far he can get.

“He can win it the way I won it when we have numbers. When he’s isolated of course he also has a chance but then it’s going to be more difficult like for most riders in the peloton. We’d hope for the right moment for him to get in the right breakaway in the final. It’s really important about positioning and about having the legs.

“It’s a good sign towards Paris-Roubaix that a rider like Brad really loves that race. There’s not many former Tour de France champions who are that excited about Paris-Roubaix.”