Winner at the Coppi e Bartali, Pete Kennaugh has earned his shot at leading Team Sky in a WorldTour race, with he and Spanish team-mate Mikel Nieve both harbouring GC ambitions. Kennaugh has proved himself more than capable as a climber since switching from track to tarmac thanks to stunning efforts in support of Chris Froome at the Tour de France. His win in Italy proved he can do it for himself too, with his attack on the rolling stage two paving the way for a dominant victory.
Nieve on the other hand knows the Basque Country terrain having been on Euskaltel-Euskadi’s books and will be of huge value on the rolling courses. Vasil Kiryienka is another key climbing domestique as Sky – even without their bigger name riders – boast a strong unit for the race. With Tour de France places up for grabs – and Team Sky’s squad selection near-impossible to predict – both Kennaugh and Nieve could lay down some big markers next week.
