I saw this yesterday and I don't know who he is on about for being a GC contender. We could probably put a team together that could help Cav win a stage or two in the first week, but we're years away from winning the thing. Being great on the track is one thing. Winning a grand tour is a different beast.

Sure, but look back at the 1996 Games and Boardman's bronze ... would you have imagined back then that the GB track would be favourites for as much as 1 gold medal in 2008?

I reckon the trend of sponsorship moving to 'clean teams' and the GB track team's reputation could help build a decent team by 2010.

I remember the last time a Brit team were in on the TdF, it was fascinating to hear the Dutch and Belgian commentators trying to get the their tongues round the English names. Joey McLaughlin was a particular problem for them.

"And moving up to second place.....it's......it's.......Yoheee Yoheee Yoheee Muc -luh Muc luf - uh Muc......and in third place it's Teun van Vliet - well done Teun!"

Remember, what Brailsford is predicting is not a British team in the tour, it's a British win. He takes the first for granted. And given that the powers that be, woever they are this week, seem highly amenable, he's probably right to.

British Cycling's programme has met every target set for it and more, it's quite astounding. The best British GC prospect in that timescale - unless you reckon Millar has an outside chance in the next two years, which is not wholly absurd - happens to have been poached by Ireland, Dan Martin. Then again, he's Stephen Roche's nephew, and France tried to poach Nicolas Roche off of us, so I reckon we've some entitlement.

Fausto's basically right, though. I have no doubt whatsoever that Brailsford can assemble and all-British GC-winning squadra. But finding the special rider capable of leading them is quite another thing.

David "Drug cheat - he does in his bollocks" Millar is more than an outsider for winning the tour, he's an absolute no-hoper. Seriously he's a stage winner at best. Even then his best chance of a stage win is a TT. To win the tour you have to be able to climb as well as TT and you also have to have a strong team. GB at the moment has a few riders who could deliver Cavendish to a sprint win and there are a few TT stage winners, but that is it. Brailsford is dreaming if he thinks he can deliver anything more than a British team (capable of winning a stage or two)in the tour pre-London Olympics.

There was a big write up about the British Track Cycling Team in the Observer Sports Monthly magazine on Sunday. The facilities and training regime sounded absolutely top notch.