Tour de France 2018: Team Sky's battle for leadership continues a tradition

Is this one of those years? Team Sky is it about to launch Froome to the sea and sail under the direction of Thomas?

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In 2013, the same Team Sky gave a boost to defending champion Bradley Wiggins

The first Briton to win the Tour de France – and becoming a knight in the process – was pushed out of his leadership role through shenanigans that unfolded during Wiggins' historic race the year before. At the 2012 watered down Tour, Froome led Wiggins' only tight challenge, which had already been timed by the first day of rest.

Froome, three minutes from the end, briefly accelerated on a relatively trivial stage 11 at La Toussuire, putting his teammate Wiggins in trouble, only to calm down so he could finish together. It was a rather British version of internal conflict, where a stiff upper lip concealed any outward appearance of a problem … that is to say up to what their partners are adopting Twitter.

After the scene, Michelle, Froome's girlfriend, whom he married later, complained that Froome had been prevented from attacking by Sky. Wiggins' wife, Catherine, tweeted something about loyalty. Michelle replied, and just about everyone assumed that they were talking to their husbands about what had really happened that day.

In the end, they were: Froome wanted to be released from the leash to attack without limits, and Wiggins felt stabbed back, threatening to leave the race before the team smoothed things out that night- the.

Everyone seemed to be hearing from … until what Mrs. Wiggins calls Froome a "creeping reptile" last year.

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Words can hurt, but it's on the road that mutiny is most effective.

In 2009, Alberto Contador and Lance Armstrong joined forces with Astana with the idea of ​​creating a superteam, only to tear it to pieces during the Tour. The two had won their last tour, Armstrong in 2005 before retiring, and Contador in 2007 before jumping to Astana.

On stage 7 in '09, Contador gave up the so-called "co-leader" and took the initiative in the Pyrenees, taking the stage and 21 seconds over Armstrong. So the war of words began.

The Spaniard had allegedly "defied the orders of the team" by attacking even with success, because the team's loyalty is blah blah blah. Armstrong looked a lot like a declining champion trying to minimize his own weakness, and his long-time coach, Johan Bruyneel, was not about to stop him.

Being an asshole, Lance took the habit of calling Contador "Pistolero" and denigrating him to his teammates while Contador was within earshot. (Note: Contador can understand English). The team – filled with friends Lance – has largely returned against their own Yellow Jersey and even left it at the hotel the morning of the last against-the -montre, emphasizing the smallness of the situation. Contador won the time trial and the Tour, essentially alone, and probably did not have enough credit for the character that he has shown so far.

Bernard Hinault and Greg LeMond played in cycling The most famous ox

In the 13 months following the 1985 and 1986 tours, few riders were able to prevent the pair from sharing the spoils of Cycling while they were driving for the mighty team of La Vie Claire.

In 85, with Hinault on track to win the Tour for the fifth time, and LeMond acting as a liner, Hinault crushed and finished the 14th stage with a broken nose and assorted blues. Physically compromised, Hinault was cautious and did her best to hang through the Pyrenean stages, while LeMond kept an eye on Stephen Roche, a future Tour winner who was third overall, six minutes later.

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Roche attacked early in phase 17 at Luz Ardiden, and LeMond followed but did not allow, allowing Hinault to keep control. But LeMond was furious after the scene, saying that Froome would echo years later wanting to have a chance to win. Hinault finishes first in Paris, with the vice-champion of LeMond.

The following year, Astana became ugly the following year, while LeMond was supposed to be the team leader and Hinault his right arm. Hinault often attacked LeMond several times, forcing the American to win his victory every day. LeMond felt betrayed and, as an American on a French team, he began to see the danger around him, becoming paranoid that his food was tainted, or that the team mechanics were sabotaging his bike.

Hinault was trying to blow up LeMond, continually promising his support to his teammate, despite the fact that he was constantly attacking her. LeMond relies heavily on the only other Claire Claire American, not only to survive the race, but to win it.

The team division should not always be so dramatic.

In 1997, defending champion Bjarne Riis more or less conceded control of the team to Jan Ullrich with only the shortest moment of tension. Fortunately, this tension has been picked up on television, and remains one of the most beloved moments in the history of cycling:

Truly, Riis was already seventh and had already said to the world that it was the first time in the world. Ullrich ascending to ride for himself. All of this was linked to the 1996 Tour, where a super-strong Ullrich (cough) was faithfully supported by Riis while the Dane scored his only victory on the Tour, pointing not pulling a LeMond and asking for a penalty. attack when his team captain was in a compromised position.

Another version of Mutiny That Is did not arrive in 2008, when Team Saxo Bank seized Tour's favorite, Cadel Evans, with his brothers Andy and Fränk Schleck and a Spaniard, Carlos Sastre, favorite of the team. Fränk Schleck got the yellow jersey in the middle of the Tour, and Andy seemed to have the ambition to take yellow in the mountains himself. It turns out that the pair was softening Evans for the winning Sastre attack on Alpe d'Huez.

Sometimes promises are kept, even when it looks like they are not.

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The Prospects of a Thomas vs. Froome Showdown Are Not "…" T super.

Overall talent is heavily weighted in favor of the status quo – Froome has won this race four times, after all, and Thomas has never been in a serious fight for a Grand Tour victory. Both are also long-time teammates and friends.

But the possibility of mutiny exists because the long history of the Tour has taught us that the maid of honor can become the fiancée if he takes the lead.

Young Froome and & 85 # LeMond were invited to retire for the simple reason that, despite their quality, they were not in the lead; their teammate was. Not so this time. If Thomas wants the yellow jersey, he will not have to ask for it.

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