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PARIS – The Tour de France has a new champion, but the story remains the same for the biggest cycling race: the domination of Team Sky has no limits.
By placing Geraint Thomas on the Champs-Elysees podium on Sunday, the British team ended three weeks of racing that were sorely lacking in suspense with a sixth victory in the last seven laps.
Once again, Team Sky drivers were untouchable on the roads of France. the third Briton to win the Tour after Bradley Wiggins and quadruple champion Chris Froome
Since Wiggins won the Team Sky jersey in 2012, the richest team in the pack has won all but one edition, 2014 Froome collapses and the Italian Vincenzo Nibali comes out victorious
Even the expulsion of Gianni Moscon for hitting a rival at the 15th stage has had no effect on the Well-oiled Sky machine, the team headed by Dave Brailsford completing a fourth "We were well behind our goals the year we started, we did better the following year and then we won the Tour with Bradley, "said Brailsford, who has overseen the team since its inception in 2010." Chris Froome has learned a lot by riding Bradley, he has gained a lot of experience, and then Geraint learned from Chris. It is transmitted from one generation to the next. We always think about the future. "
Although Thomas has not yet extended his contract with Sky, he and Froome are expected to be part of the team next season.At 32, Thomas is in the best shape of his life while that Froome, 33, will again try to equal the five-time winners of Tour Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain
behind them, Egan Bernal, the 21-year-old Colombian who took part in his first Tour this summer, Bernal did an incredible job for Thomas and Froome in the mountains, helping both in the final stage of the Pyrenees, and despite his tireless efforts as a domestic, Bernal still managed a 15th place in the standings. General
In addition to Bernal, Brailsford has also recruited two of cycling's top prospects, Pavel Sivakov, 21, and Tao Geoghegan Hart, who is 23 years old
"My job is to look at three or four years to in advance, "said Br Ailsford: "Our drivers in their thirties will not be here forever. In the next two or three seasons, I will have the opportunity to add other young people to the group. This year, Egan looked very closely at Chris, he kept asking questions, looked at everything we did to win the Tour. It was the best possible experience for the future. "
Sky's rivals have often complained about the lack of means to try to dethrone the British giant at the Tour." Sky has an estimated budget of $ 40 million, about double that of the Sunweb team "Of course, they have more money to spend, it sometimes makes their lives easier," says Dumoulin. "Of course, having a big budget is important. But it would be too easy to say that Geraint Thomas had a big advantage with this team. He was the strongest rider. "
Brailsford is adamant that it's not only money, but also Sky's expertise in developing talent that helps him attract the best riders."
"Bernal has a very modest income". "Compared to the average income of the World Tour, it is not much, most drivers earn more money.
David Lappartient, president of the governing body of cycling, suggested that a salary cap limiting crew spending could be Tour Director, Christian Prudhomme, would like to see a ban on power meters overseeing the watts of cyclists to make the race less predictable.
"With these power meters, runners know how many kilometers and minutes they travel, can support their effort," said Prudhomme. "Because of that, the bluffing strategies have disappeared from the race, and they should come back."
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