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Intrigued by what could develop between the two leaders of Team Sky, who sit in first and second place while the Tour de France enters the Pyrenees on Tuesday for the third and final week of the race? The biggest challenge facing Chris Froome in his quest for a fifth Tour title is his own teammate, Geraint Thomas, who has worn the leader's yellow jersey since he's won the 11th stage in the Alps . If you missed the event and want to catch up with it, here's a quick glimpse
How Do Their CVs Compare?
Froome, 33, was born of British parents in Kenya and grew up there and in the south. Africa, but has participated in Britain since 2008. He finished second at the Vuelta a Espana 2011 and emerged in the wider international cycling consciousness, ironically, when he was involved in a dynamic similar to that Thomas: The 2012 Tour de France, where he seemed stronger than the future winner Bradley Wiggins, but the order established by the team required him to work for Wiggins anyway.
The teammates of Team Sky are 1-2 after the famous Alpe d'Huez in the Tour de France, and the list of riders who could catch them is becoming shorter.
All you need to know about the 2018 Tour de France, with complete schedules, results, news and analysis
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Thomas, 32 years old from Wales, d & # 39; first excelled on the track and was part of the team won the gold medal at two summer Olympics and three world championships. He began to impose himself in the classic events of one day and the shorter stage races in recent seasons and showed his power in the three-week races, completing the Tour de France at seven times (including in 2013 Froome support with a fracture of the bone in his pelvis during an accident). His best career result is 15th in 2015 and 2016.
How did Thomas get the yellow jersey?
Thomas, who wore the leader jersey of the race for the first four days of the 2017 Tour, courtesy of his victory in the individual time trial opening – attacked a small elite group that included Froome and won the climb from stage 11 to La Rosière in the Alps by 20 seconds. Much of the current Froome 1:39 deficit at Thomas is due to his first-stage accident in which he landed on the grass and was able to roll, shake and retard but not hurt.
With Froome's achievements with co-leaders?
Sky covered his bet on Froome for two reasons. There was at least a slight possibility that it would be forbidden to run the Tour because of a doping case then underway, and Tour organizers indicated that they could try to find out what was going on. Prevent it from starting. Froome tested above the allowable threshold for salbutamol, an asthma medication, during the Vuelta a Espana from last year, and the investigation on this result was leaked in December . In the face of growing criticism from his team and the heavy system of jurisprudence on doping, he continues to run and wins the Giro d'Italia in May
The UCI, the governing body of cycling, s & # 39; relies heavily on scientific advice from the World Anti-Doping Agency. finally decided not to prosecute Froome, but this decision was only announced a few days before the start of the 2018 Tour. Thomas participated in some important development events and won the Critérium du Dauphiné in the Alps in June. . His precursor status as co-leader protected Sky in the event that Froome was too tired of the Giro campaign or unable to run.
Why does not the team choose a single runner to support?
Even at the end of the race, it's still in Sky's favor to keep both men in the standings in case a man has a bad day physically, a mechanical problem or an accident – and can to be keeping the two egos intact, although this is pure speculation. Very few teams have this kind of problem to solve. Movistar's Spanish team entered the Tour ostensibly with three leaders, but the designations were more like honors than a real triptych. If one of these men led the Tour at the moment, the other two would probably be called to his service. If Sky's current number 2 was other than Froome, the internal rankings would also be clear.
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Team Sky rider Geraint Thomas played against his GC leader Chris Froome, after the Welsh won stage 11 of the Tour de France [19659019] Do they understand each other well?
There was no tension between the two drivers, who were young teammates of the Barloworld team. (2008-09) and several Olympic and world championship alignments for Great Britain. Thomas has continually referred to Froome being "the man", a proven quantity in the three-week races that has won six grand rounds and is the current defending champion of the Tour, Giro and Vuelta . Froome – who, in recent years, has hardly felt any emotion under various types on and off the road – has repeatedly said that it would be a good result if one both won the Tour.
Who could still threaten Sky's double blow?
The most obvious and proven rival of Thomas and Froome is the Dutch leader of the Sunweb team, Tom Dumoulin, currently 11 seconds behind Froome in third place. Dumoulin won the Giro d'Italia 2017, is the reigning World Time Trial Champion and is apparently not intimidated by Sky's dominance. Former elite skier Primoz Roglic of Slovenia, who was last year the first driver of this country to win a stage of the Tour, is still threatened in fourth place at 2:38 behind Thomas, and his team LottoNL-Jumbo performed well
The individual time trial of Saturday is so short (19 miles) and both Thomas and Froome are strong enough in the discipline that the two contenders will be forced to catch up a considerable time in the next stages of the Pyrenees. in order to be competitive. The rest of the top 10 men are shooters unless they can – with Sunweb and LottoNL – find a way to gang up against Sky. Thomas and Froome also lost a supportive driver supposed to help them in the mountains when Gianni Moscon was kicked out of the race for hitting a French rider in the first kilometer of stage 15.
The crowd and the problems will they affect Thomas and Froome's ability to go the distance?
Where will the rubber go on the road?
Tuesday's stage includes two category 1 climbs and one descent. It's suited to a breakaway winner, and the guess here is that the overall contenders will score everyone's moves and keep their powder dry for the short (40-mile) stage of Wednesday that ends on one of the climbs more difficult on the course. This day could make the difference, but if it is not the case on Thursday, two climbs "beyond the categorization" will take place before a descent, then the time trial waits on Saturday. Froome proved that he was able to defy the conventions: he participated in a 50-mile solo attack that cemented his victory at the Giro in May. But this spectacular victory has required a concerted effort on the part of the entire team and staff, and so far, Sky has shown no signs of consolidating its loyalty.
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Tags Chris De fight finish France Froome Geraint Thomas tour
