Team Sky will not gamble with Wiggins
Source: Agencies |
July 14, 2012, Saturday
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TEAM Sky will keep Chris Froome in a supporting role and not gamble with fellow Briton Bradley Wiggins's chances of winning the Tour de France, team officials said yesterday.
"It's logical that he (Bradley) should be up there, we're in a perfect situation and we don't want to jeopardise that," the team's sports director Sean Yates said. "That's the end of the story really."
Britain's David Millar of the Garmin team won the longest stage yesterday after dominating a two-up sprint with Frenchman Jean-Christophe Peraud. Wiggins and all the other race favorites had still to finish the 226km race between Saint-Jean-De-Maurienne and Annonay.
On Thursday, Froome attacked a group of favorites in the final ascent to La Toussuire with some 3km left and had to be reined in by his team in order to preserve yellow jersey holder Wiggins's position.
Both Wiggins and Froome were quizzed on the matter after the 11th stage and even their partners got involved through a spat on Twitter.
With Wiggins in first place overall and Froome second two minutes five seconds behind after he was allowed to play his personal cards in the final meters on Thursday, it was easy for Team Sky to play down the incident.
"Everything is okay. Nothing goes perfectly to plan. I don't want to go into details, there was a little misunderstanding, let's put it that way," said Yates.
Yates had to call Froome back after it became clear Wiggins could not sustain the pace while some other favorites looked able to follow the Kenyan-born rider.
"I did have a way to contact (Chris) but not until after the fact because I did not have a TV. As I said there was a little misunderstanding but it was all ironed out and all is good," said Yates.
The incident brought back memories of the 1985 Tour, when Greg LeMond, who was supposed to support La Vie Claire teammate Bernard Hinault, had trouble keeping his foot off the gas pedal. The following year, Hinault, who was supposed to return the favour, attacked in the Pyrenees but later paid dearly for the effort.
Team Sky will logically continue to work for Wiggins only, even if such tactics probably cost Froome the Vuelta title last year. Froome finished second overall after losing strength supporting Wiggins, who took third place overall.
"It's logical that he (Bradley) should be up there, we're in a perfect situation and we don't want to jeopardise that," the team's sports director Sean Yates said. "That's the end of the story really."
Britain's David Millar of the Garmin team won the longest stage yesterday after dominating a two-up sprint with Frenchman Jean-Christophe Peraud. Wiggins and all the other race favorites had still to finish the 226km race between Saint-Jean-De-Maurienne and Annonay.
On Thursday, Froome attacked a group of favorites in the final ascent to La Toussuire with some 3km left and had to be reined in by his team in order to preserve yellow jersey holder Wiggins's position.
Both Wiggins and Froome were quizzed on the matter after the 11th stage and even their partners got involved through a spat on Twitter.
With Wiggins in first place overall and Froome second two minutes five seconds behind after he was allowed to play his personal cards in the final meters on Thursday, it was easy for Team Sky to play down the incident.
"Everything is okay. Nothing goes perfectly to plan. I don't want to go into details, there was a little misunderstanding, let's put it that way," said Yates.
Yates had to call Froome back after it became clear Wiggins could not sustain the pace while some other favorites looked able to follow the Kenyan-born rider.
"I did have a way to contact (Chris) but not until after the fact because I did not have a TV. As I said there was a little misunderstanding but it was all ironed out and all is good," said Yates.
The incident brought back memories of the 1985 Tour, when Greg LeMond, who was supposed to support La Vie Claire teammate Bernard Hinault, had trouble keeping his foot off the gas pedal. The following year, Hinault, who was supposed to return the favour, attacked in the Pyrenees but later paid dearly for the effort.
Team Sky will logically continue to work for Wiggins only, even if such tactics probably cost Froome the Vuelta title last year. Froome finished second overall after losing strength supporting Wiggins, who took third place overall.
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