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Chance has not lost in competitive sports, it is the enemy of coaches, athletes, and yet, at the beginning of many careers of super stars, c & # 39; is a small event that puts everything in play.
Franz Beckenbauer C was the boy of 1860 Munich, who missed him a slap in childhood, so Beckenbauer preferred to go to Bayern as the lion. With Geraint Thomas, it was early swimming training that he did not want to do.
The Welshman, now 32, was a good swimmer when he was a child. At some point, he should in addition to the afternoon train before school in the pool. "Without me," said Thomas. He focused on cycling, not the bad decision: Sunday, he will win the Tour de France. Thomas leads the overall standings ahead of Dutchman Tom Dumoulin and Briton Christopher Froome. During the last individual time trial, he kept the competitors at a distance. In the absence of a new attack on the last stage in Paris, Thomas is sure to win
"By the time I heard on the radio that I won the tour today, it was completely crazy, "Thomas said. The last time he cried at his wedding, it was now time again. "G", so his nickname, was happy – and the whole scene was happy. The Cardiff man is appreciated for his humor and his reserved attitude. It is hard to find pictures he does not smile at.
And this, despite being three weeks late, the hardest in professional sports has to offer. Thomas was in the saddle for 80 hours, 30 minutes and 37 seconds on this tour, the last one having lasted more than four and a half hours. Since 2010 he has been leading for the British Sky team, for years the dominant team in the field. No other team has a better chance of winning the tour. In no other team, it is more difficult to go around. A contradiction only at first sight.
Since 2011, Astana alone with Vincenzo Nibali has managed to break the dominance. At other times, Sky has finally triumphed with Bradley Wiggins (2012), Christopher Froome (2013, 2015, 2016, 2017) and now with Thomas. Sky buys the best aids for his victory pilots and is tactically extremely disciplined. This brings a lot of success, but little love with the fans. The team controls the tour with so much confidence that many fans are bored now.
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Froome (left) And Thomas
In addition, Froome has been confronted with allegations of doping for years. From a rather average professional was at Sky a pilot who could win in the big round trip trips. It is not disputed that the British race team operates by far the most important scientific endeavor. However, many do not want to believe that this alone explains the successes In 2015, Froome has already been bombarded by spectators with filled urine cups. This year he had won the Giro of Italy only with a round of hussars, then he was acquitted in his Salbutamol case at the last minute before the start of suspicion of doping. But the raison d'être of the World Cycling Association and the World Anti-Doping Agency was intransparent.
For Sky, it was in France very uncomfortable, the drivers and team members were booed and bombed, Froome even spits. Thomas was not spared, but not only does athletic hope rest on him. His image is not cluttered, as far as you can tell for a tour winner. He has repeatedly pleaded publicly for the abolition of medical exemptions, such as Froome for his cure for asthma. "It may not be fair, but if you are seriously ill, maybe you are not made for such a good sport, and without the exemptions, we would not have these gray areas, "he told the BBC.
Froome has had a lot of hate this year in the 21 bends of the rise of Bourg-d'Oisans on arrival in Alpe d'Huez mountain. It was the day it became clear that he probably would not win the Tour for the fifth time because it has also become clear that Thomas, the helper, is now the strongest driver .
His mouth was open to effort, the jersey floated on the gaunt body, his eyes disappearing behind black glasses as he headed for victory on the queen's stage. "Alpe d'Huez, man, I'm speechless," he says afterwards. Then he added, "I'm still driving Froomey, it's a legend, probably the best in history."
But not the best of this Tour de France. Without expressing it openly, took place at Sky once again a change of custody. The mood did not seem to suffer. The hostility of the outside made for a Wagenburg mentality in the team, Froome and Thomas are common days since the Barloworld team anyway "good friends," believes the Welshman.
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Froome and Wiggins 2012
Froome was Wiggins assistant for years, Thomas led for Froome in 2013, 2015 and 2016, also the year former. At that time he had won the first season in Düsseldorf and defended the yellow jersey for three days. Even then, he seemed at least equal to Froome. After the ninth step, Thomas had to leave with a broken collarbone. Sky was so skilled that the team helped Thomas Froome to victory. Thomas said later that next year it would be time to take the tour as a rescue class pilot, with the intention of "paying attention to himself and not just to Froomey" the first week. That's how it happened.
Froome is now 33, but Thomas is already 32 years old. He still has good years to turn his enormous talent into other great titles.
Thomas himself believes that it will last longer than many of its competitors. He was before and in part still parallel to his career as a successful street runner in track cycling, winning gold with the team at the Beijing and London Olympics. He was also hurt for that, but no comparison with the big tours. "I do not have as many tough years on the road as most of my age," he once told the "Wheeler" magazine.
When Thomas has arrived at the point where Froome is right now, he goes the next driver is ready. Colombian 21-year-old Egan Bernal is considered one of cycling's greatest talents. He drives, of course, for Sky. In his first round is ranked 15th and is the second best young professional. The Sky team leader, Dave Brailsford, told The Guardian: "My job is to plan two or three years in advance, Bernal is our future, I already have it. team that I want in three years. This must sound like a threat to other teams.
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