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TOUR DE FRANCE – The day after his victory and his takeover in La Rosière, Geraint Thomas credited his yellow jersey on Thursday by winning the Alpe d'Huez. With now more than a minute and a half ahead of Chris Froome, it will become more and more complicated for Sky to consider Welsh as a teammate among others.
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" If Thomas takes the distance to Alpe, beware of skull pain for Brailsford … ", I wrote Wednesday night in our debate of the day. Here we are. Not only did Geraint Thomas hold the distance Thursday at Alpe d'Huez, but he won. Including bonuses, he has taken another 14 seconds to Chris Froome. At the exit of the Alps, nine stages from the end of this Tour, here he is with a minute and thirty-nine seconds ahead of his "leader", a term that requires more than ever quotation marks.
It's a strange situation in which to meet Team Sky. She is enviable. The British team has the two most impressive riders and, despite Tom Dumoulin, it seems difficult to imagine, except in special circumstances, that the final victory may escape him in Paris. But if the abundance of goods does not harm, it can complicate life. In recent years everything was crystal clear at Sky. It was all for Froome. Never had the slightest ambiguity pierced, because, intrinsically, no one came close to the leader.
This time, Sky finds himself in a situation comparable to that of 2012, when Bradley Wiggins was scheduled to win, and that Chris Froome had pointed the nose with such an impression of ease that we had wondered if the winner of the Tour was really the strongest rider on his team. But there was one big difference: never in this 2012 Tour did Froome get the yellow jersey. He was not in front of Wiggins in the overall standings past mid-Tour. Internally, he may have been frustrated at not being able to break his card as he wished, there had been tension, but Dave Brailsford had been able to hold his men and curb Froome's ambitions because the internal hierarchy of the team is constantly remained in correlation with that of the general.
Video – In "sprinting" and under the whistles, Thomas offered himself the Alpe in yellow
01:16
This is not the case. The official speech is always clear and clear: only one leader, Chris Froome. Geraint Thomas does not say anything else. He told La Rosière on Wednesday, he hammered it Thursday at the Alpe d'Huez. "Frommey is still our man". Froomey is still our man. The Welsh says what is needed, carefully chooses his words. The Sky is as skilled at controlling her speech once the stage is over as to lock the race during the stage.
One does not triumph over Alpe d'Huez with impunity
Except that if Geraint Thomas tries to stage his lack of personal ambition, this one is in the process of imposing itself naturally on the road. It seems to me extremely difficult to sweep away, not only the situation as it is today in the ranking between the two British, and even less what happened Thursday at the Alpe d Huez. What could still be held the day before has become obsolete with the victory of Thomas at Alpe d'Huez.
We do not win such a stage, on such a monument of the Tour, after three climbs out of category, to seriously say "win the Tour, me, you do not think about it, I am only a humble servant" . We do not triumph at Alpe d'Huez with impunity, let alone with the yellow jersey on the back what, remember, only Lance Armstrong had managed to do so far. Suffice to say that Thomas is officially the first since the Texan has been scratched books.
Video – Thomas: "I always roll for Froomey, it's a legend"
01:38
Now there are two solutions: Sky can formalize Thomas' new status by saying , basically, "that the best wins". As much to say it immediately, it is extremely unlikely. It would be untenable. The other consists in persisting in the doxa stated from the beginning. Sky is and will remain Chris Froome's team. But as Thomas said on Wednesday in his most "rebellious" tirade, " I will not waste time on purpose ". So it's up to Chris Froome to play.
If he has the means in the third week in the Pyrenees, the holder of the last three grand rounds will have to go on the offensive. The way will be free. Thomas will probably not ride behind him. This is what should have happened in Alpe d'Huez when Froome tried to leave by depositing Bardet. Except that he did not have the means to accentuate his effort. And that may not have been what the Team Sky management was expecting.
Geraint Thomas remains an equation with several unknowns. Starting with his ability to keep the distance over three weeks. Just for that, it is legitimate for Sky to bounce on its initial position. But the more time pbades, the less the speech will be simple to hold.
Team Sky and Geraint Thomas Getty Images
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